Board of Trustees

Officers

Eric Blair-Joannou, President | St. James’ Church, Manhattan

Eric is a committed Episcopal lay volunteer in Manhattan, having served as the leader of two parishes’ young adults ministries, chairing the Annual Appeal Committee, and on the Lectors’ Guild.  Eric works for his 4th-generation family parts supply business and in industrial real estate for his family office, and currently serves as a trustee of several museums and cultural institutions in New York and the Hudson Valley. He also serves on the Cornell University Council, and volunteers at the Metropolitan Museum of Art for the Michael C. Rockefeller Wing. Eric received his undergraduate degree from Cornell and graduate degrees from the Columbia University Graduate Schools of Business and Architecture, and has worked for J.P. Morgan Chase & Co., the NYC Dept. of City Planning, and the New York State Dept. of Transportation.

Diane B. Pollard Vice President | Church of the Heavenly Rest, Manhattan

Diane serves on the vestry at the Church of the Heavenly Rest. A long-time deputy to the General Convention, she has chaired many legislative bodies of theGeneral Convention. She chaired the Social Justice and U.S   Committee that brought the suggestion of an in-depth study of racism and white supremacy and later served on the Presiding Officers Working Group. In the past she has served as a trustee of the Church Pension, Vestryman, and Warden of the Parish of Trinity Church Wall Street, as well as on the Search Committees for the Presiding Bishop on three occasions. Diane is currently a board member and treasurer of the Episcopal Coalition for Racial Equity and Justice. She resides in New York City, is retired with a background in finance, real estate, and human resources and has in the past served as a trustee of the Church Pension Fund.

Stanley M. Ackert III, Esq., Vice President‍ ‍|‍ ‍Church of the Ascension, Manhattan

Stan is a past president of The Church Club of New York, past president of the Laymen’s Club of the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine, is a former Cathedral Trustee, and a former member of the Diocesan Council. He is a graduate of Trinity College, Hartford and Fordham Law School. Stan’s legal practice has focused on trusts and estates matters, including real estate, the formation and merger of not-for-profit organizations and foundations, and acting as counsel for a large variety of nonprofit organizations, charities, historical properties and national and international arts organizations. He also organizes the summer Episcopal services on Fire Island through St. Ann’s, Sayville.

Michael Cudney, Treasurer | St. Luke in the Fields, Manhattan

Michael currently serves as Warden at the Church of St Luke in the Fields, where he serves on the Stewardship Committee, and ex officio on the Finance Committee. He served previously on the Nominating Committee, and on the Strategic Planning Committee. He coordinates the parish’s lay Liturgical Guild volunteers, recruiting and scheduling congregation members serving as acolytes, readers, ushers and altar guild servers. He is an Associate of Holy Cross, the program of those wishing to maintain a spiritual connection to the Monastery of the Holy Cross by adopting a way of life based on Benedictine spirituality in daily life. Prior to retiring in 2016, he worked in the classical music business for over two decades, and was employed at New York University in an administrative capacity. He graduated from Manhattan College with a degree in Theology, and holds a Masters degree in Cinema Studies from NYU. He and his husband Keith live in Inwood, in upper Manhattan, where they raised their son Artemis.

Dane Miller, Secretary| Trinity Church, Manhattan

Dane Miller serves as Head Sacristan at Trinity Church. In his role, he coordinates worship service volunteers. Dane's journey to the Episcopal Church began during his AmeriCorps service, leading him to various impactful roles, including an Episcopal Service Corps internship aiding Hurricane Sandy recovery on Staten Island. With a graduate background in liturgical history, Dane actively engages the congregation across 20+ weekly worship services, promoting inclusivity and spiritual support for all our neighbors.

Members

Geoffrey Dunham | St. Paul's Church, Westfield, New Jersey

Geoff has served as Warden and Vestry member at his current parish as well as St. Paul's Church, Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn, and Grace Church, Plainfield, New Jersey. He serves on the boards of various non-profit organizations and has substantial experience securing foundation grants in support of parish and community fundraising. A graduate of Franklin & Marshall College, he holds a J.D. from Brooklyn Law School and practices as a labor attorney with the National Labor Relations Board in Manhattan.

Anne Kelly | Saint Thomas Church, Manhattan

Anne is a member of the Usher Corps at Saint Thomas Church and a member of the vestry Nominations Committee. She is Associate Director of Admissions for the graduate program in social work at Fordham University, and earned two bachelor’s degrees from SUNY Purchase, and a Master of Social Work degree from Fordham. Anne is a Dame of the Sovereign Military Order of the Temple of Jerusalem and the Naval Order of the United States, New York Commandery.

Marianna Garthwaite Klaiman | St. Michael's Church, Manhattan

Marianna has been an Associate of the Community of St. John Baptist for over 35 years and writes about, catalogues and maintains their extensive collection of vestments and paraments. Marianna is an independent textile scholar whose focus is the study of historic vestments and ecclesiastical textiles. She is currently working on researching the subject for an upcoming book and database project, Sacristies of New York: Textile Treasures of the Episcopal Church. Marianna currently serves as Co-Warden of the vestry at St. Michael's Church.

Dane Miller | Trinity Church, Manhattan

Dane Miller serves as Head Verger at Trinity Church. In addition to serving as a sacristan, he coordinates worship service volunteers, manages all tours of the sacred spaces of Trinity Parish, and oversees external liturgical events. Dane's journey to the Episcopal Church began during his AmeriCorps service, leading him to various impactful roles, including an Episcopal Service Corps internship aiding Hurricane Sandy recovery on Staten Island. With a graduate background in liturgical history, Dane actively engages the congregation across all Trinity worship services, promoting inclusivity and spiritual support for all our neighbors.

Mary O'Shaughnessy | The Parish of Christ the Redeemer, Pelham Manor, the Bronx

Mary has been an Episcopalian since 1984, lives in the Bronx, and is the Director of Information Technology Services at DOROT, a Jewish organization serving isolated older adults in Manhattan and Westchester. She has extensive experience in nonprofit technology strategy, data governance, cybersecurity, and cross-functional collaboration, and is known for translating complex technical concepts into actionable plans for executive and program staff. She holds a B.A. in English Literature from Excelsior College and maintains certifications including Certified Information Security Manager (CISM) and Advanced in Artificial Intelligence Security Management (AAISM).

Luke Rodeheffer | St. Paul's, Carroll Street, Brooklyn

Luke has served as a member of the Acolytes Guild at St. Paul’s, and has served previously on the Membership Committee and Education Committees of Episcopal Connections, the Church Club of New York. He has worked for over a decade in the cybersecurity industry as a researcher and intelligence analyst and has his own consulting practice. He holds a graduate degree in International Security from Stanford University, and a BA from Lewis and Clark College. 

Stephen Storen | Saint Thomas Church, Manhattan

Stephen has extensive experience in finance, risk management and regulatory compliance and is a retired managing director of BNY Mellon. Stephen is a long time board member, current treasurer, and past board chair of the Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies, an organization that promotes the social and economic well being of New York's most vulnerable. He is a former member of the Advisory Council of the Anglican Communion Office at the United Nations. Stephen is a Commander Brother in the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem, and is co-chair of their volunteer service corps outreach program in New York City. Stephen holds a BA in Economics from Pace University.

Gregory Stoskopf | Saint Thomas Church, Manhattan

Greg is a managing director at Deloitte Consulting LLP and has been a parishioner at St. Thomas Church for almost thirty years, where he serves on the Music Committee. He has previously served as Treasurer of the Church Club of New York, and serves on a number of other boards, including as President and Treasurer of Clarion Music Society. He graduated from Baker University (where he is a Trustee) and has a master’s degree from the University of Kansas.

Director

Kate Hill | Grace Church, Brooklyn Heights