The Vestry Nominating Committee (Clinton Anderson, Matt Cloninger, Barbara Hays, Kurt Jacobs and David Swanson) is very pleased to nominate Ashley Greaf for Junior Warden and Bettina Hager, Dave Vanneman and Mark Wherry for Vestry.  Each of these Parishioners has agreed to be nominated and, if elected by the congregation at the Parish's Annual Meeting on Sunday, March 4, to serve on the Vestry for a three-year term.

Ashley Greaf- 2012 Junior Warden Candidate

I was born in San Francisco and my mother always reminds me that I am a "California Native." I was baptized at St. James Episcopal Church in San Francisco several months after birth. When I was approximately 7 years old my family moved from the bay area of California to Long Island, NY.

The first Episcopal Church we went to in New York was a small mission level church, All Souls, in Stony Brook, New York. There I began to get involved in the church serving as their sole acolyte and being the youngest lay reader. My parents decided to switch to a church where there were more youth as I got a little older, so that I would be able to participate in more youth activities. At Caroline Church in Setauket, New York I participated in the acolyte program and became a member of the Order of St. Vincent several years later. I was also heavily involved in their music program. I was confirmed by the Bishop at age 16 at St. Luke's Episcopal Church in East Hampton, New York.

After coming to Washington, DC for college in 2004 I explored several Episcopal Churches trying to find the right fit for me. In 2009 I found St. Thomas' on Easter and have been attending regularly since. That evening I felt welcomed by the members of the church, more than I had ever felt at another church in DC. Shortly after I realized that this was my new home. Since I have been attending I have become involved in the Godly Play program, playing violin at Taize services, helping with the Capital Campaign Kick Off Dinner, and most recently joining altar guild.

I work for a private company doing Government Affairs work focusing on federal government ethics and compliance issues. I have a B.A. from the George Washington University in International Affairs with a concentration in European Studies. For my junior year in high school I lived in Hungary which caused me to become extremely interested in foreign affairs issues and politics. In college, I went back to Budapest for a semester where I interned for the Hungarian Ministry of Culture and Education and studied at Corvinus Egyetem.

I am very honored to be a candidate for the vestry at St. Thomas'. I believe that by serving on the vestry it would allow me another opportunity to give back to the church which has given me so much over the past several years.

Bettina Hager- 2012 Vestry Candidate

Bettina Hager is enjoying her third year of full-time DC life, having lived the prior 5 part-time with her family. She currently works at the National Women's Political Caucus, serving as the organization's Programs Director. She advocates daily on behalf of women, striving to increase their political participation at all levels of government.

Throughout her years at St. Thomas' she has found herself a joyful home. She serves on the Communications, Stewardship, Administration and Lay Committees. She also volunteers occasionally as guest musician on the Oboe and English Horn and is excited to join the choir in the upcoming weeks. Following the Sunday service, she often volunteers with Columbia Lighthouse for the Blind as a reader and helper, an organization she has been with for 5 years.

In her free time, Ms. Hager enjoys running, reading and attempting to relax. She is ecstatic to have recently finished her first marathon at DC's Marine Corp Marathon, running with the Human Rights Campaign. Hager graduated from St. Olaf College in Northfield, MN with a major in Biology and concentration in Women's Studies. While in college, she spent a semester tutoring Math and Science to at risk and ELL students part-time at an inner city St. Paul High School.

Dave Vanneman- 2012 Vestry Candidate

Like many of our parishioners, Dave Vanneman had visited several other parishes before settling at St. Thomas' 11 years ago. He was attracted to St. Thomas' community outreach mission and the intimate feel of the worship space. Raised in the United Church of Christ, Dave was drawn into the Episcopal Church as a music student at the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore, and later as a paid chorister at Christ Episcopal Church. Over the next several years he sang professionally at other Episcopal churches: Old St. Paul's, St. David's Roland Park, and Mt. Calvary Church in Baltimore. Eventually, he was confirmed as an Episcopalian.

Dave was born in Baltimore where most of his family still lives; he has six siblings and is the proud uncle of 13 nieces and nephews. As a sales executive, Dave has worked in many industries including international shipping, telecommunications, insurance, financial services, medical consulting and information technology. Currently, he's Vice President and COO of Dominion Technology Services, an IT consulting company headquartered in Vienna, VA.

What people may not know about Dave is how active he is in the parish life of St. Thomas'. He currently serves on the Building Committee, is a former Co-Chair of the Capital Campaign, and served on the Discernment Committee. Dave has been a Vestry member, served as Vestry Secretary, Building & Grounds Committee member, Pastoral Care Committee Co-Chair, and Chair of the Hospitality Committee (now known as Parish Life).

On top of his busy work and church life, Dave is also active in the Johns Hopkins University Alumni Association. He lives in Alexandria, VA with his dog Lazlo and cat Hector.

Mark Wherry- 2012 Vestry Candidate

I grew up in the Minneapolis suburb of Wayzata, Minnesota. In 1998 I enrolled at North Dakota State University where he graduated in 2003 with the degrees of a Bachelor of Architecture and Bachelor of Science in Environmental Design.

After college, I moved to the Washington DC area to work for the US Air Force as a Project Manager/Architect. In 2006 I took a job with the Army Corps of Engineers where I currently oversee our Facility Management section outside Ft. Meade Maryland.

In September 2008 I moved to the Northwest neighborhood of Bloomingdale.

Since joining St. Thomas' in April 2009 I have been very active in the parish. I first volunteered to serve on the Building Campaign Committee which began the work of designing and planning the construction for the new sanctuary in 2009. Since the fall of 2009 I have been chair of the Buildings and Grounds committee overseeing the property of St. Thomas' parish. In the spring of 2010 I was asked to chair the Parish Operations Cluster and have done so since.

I have been very dedicated and involved in the mission of St. Thomas' parish. I look forward to being able to continue and enhance my role in the life of St. Thomas'. I am honored to be nominated to serve on the vestry of St. Thomas'.