Lay

Charles M. “Chip” Billow (St. Paul’s, Akron)
I am a lifelong Episcopalian, active at St. Paul’s in many capacities having served as Senior Warden, Junior Warden, Chair of St. Paul’s Endowment Foundation and Search Committee Chair. I have served the Diocese as a Lay Catechist, member of Diocesan Council and Finance Committee, member of the Commission on Global and Domestic Mission as well as numerous special and ad hoc committees. In the Akron community I have served as a Director of The Akron General Health System and its Finance Committee, Past Chair of Community Health Ventures and Director of Hospice Care Ohio, Better Business Bureau of Akron, Commerce Club of Akron, WKSU Community Advisory Council and Bluecoats, Inc. I feel I am qualified to serve in this capacity based on a wide range of experiences within the church, business and community engagements dealing with the type of sensitive issues that could come before this board.

David Posteraro (Trinity Cathedral, Cleveland)
I am a practicing attorney and partner in the law firm of Kohrman Jackson & Krantz PLL. As an attorney, I am bound by, and respectful of, confidentiality as required by the Disciplinary Board. I am trained in the interpretation of statutes such as those contained in the Canons. As the Junior Warden of Trinity Cathedral, I am familiar with the polity of the Church.

I currently serve as a Director of the Consortium of Endowed Episcopal Parishes. In the past I have served on the Boards of the AIDS Taskforce of Greater Cleveland where I was President and the ACLU of Cleveland. I am a former Governor of the Human Rights Campaign and member of the Cuyahoga County Democratic Party Executive Committee. Finally, I am the citizen representative appointed by Mayor Jackson to the City Records Commission.

As a former seminarian I have the deepest respect for the clergy and the highest regard for the trust in which they are held. So too, I have wanted to become active in, and to serve, the Diocese for some time and look forward to this opportunity.

Celia Smart (St. James, Wooster)
I have had the privilege of serving in a variety of positions of leadership within my local parish and at the Diocesan level in Ohio over the last 20+ years. Perhaps these varied experiences would be of benefit to the critical business of disciplinary issues that might arise in our Diocese.

I feel that I have the ability to hear and to learn from accurate information and that I can make decisions appropriate to these types of situations if required.

Clergy

The Rev. Mary Carson (Redeemer, Lorain)
In my 19 years of ordained ministry and especially in my years on the diocesan staff from 1999-2007, I have seen many clergy and congregations suffer due to conflict and misconduct. I walked with many of them through this. As a deployment officer during those years, I observed what happens to congregations, often for several generations, when there is a breach of the trust placed in the clergy. My staff work required that I be well-versed in many of the canons related to the clergy as I had to interpret or implement them. While new disciplinary canons were approved by General Convention in 2009, my general knowledge of the canons combined with my experience working with the clergy and congregations qualifies me for service on the Diocesan Disciplinary Board.

I believe that it is my responsibility as a priest to use the knowledge and skills I have in service to the diocese. This is not an easy position to have and I pray that the Disciplinary Board will not have to convene during my term however, should it be necessary to do so, it is important to have compassionate and competent members available to do the work.

The Rev. Gay Jennings (St. Timothy's, Macedonia)
I served as Canon to the Ordinary from 1986-2003 during which time I assisted the bishop(s) in all aspects of case management of alleged misconduct by clergy and lay employees. At three General Conventions I have served on the Committee on Canons (including service as vice-chair and chair) during which time the disciplinary canons of the Church underwent comprehensive revision. I have been a certified trainer for Title IV disciplinary matters, and I have provided consultation services (under the auspices of the Church Pension Group) to numerous bishops and dioceses throughout the Episcopal Church regarding misconduct cases and disciplinary processes.

I am willing to serve if the Convention elects me. The Disciplinary Board is a necessary component in our common life as a diocese, and I am willing to bring my expertise and experience to this endeavor.