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Vestry Elections
All St. Thomas members in good standing are eligible to vote for new vestry members at the Annual Meeting on January 24th. There are four vestry positions to fill, as four members are completing their terms. Each vestry member serves a four-year term, and is assigned to a specific area of ministry responsibility.
The Nominating Committee (consisting of a Committee Chair plus three vestry members and three non-vestry parishioners), has put together a slate of candidates who will stand for election at Annual Meeting. The Committee selected these individuals after identifying the upcoming needs of the vestry due to the four current members finishing their terms, and taking into consideration the ministry areas to which those four retiring members were assigned. The four slated candidates were chosen from a larger list of potential candidates based upon their particular talents and parish involvements, and were slated after much prayer, extensive discussions, and eventual consensus amongst the Committee members. The Committee hopes that you will take the time to read their short biographies, get to know the proposed candidates, and feel confident that the Committee has done its due diligence and chosen individuals who will be in the best position to fill the needs of the parish over the next four years.
At the Annual Meeting, self-nominations will be accepted from the floor. Anyone who plans to self-nominate should send in a short biography (no more than 125 words) to Rebecca Parker at
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by Thursday, January 15th at 4:00pm. The biographies will be included in the bulletin on January 17th and January 24th. The biographies will be the only information available to the voting congregation; none of the candidates will make speeches at the meeting. We look forward to hearing from any interested persons.
Vestry Candidate Biographies
John Elias Calles John Calles has been an active parishioner and St. Thomas School parent for ten years. Having served on charitable and non-profit boards, he is experienced in governance issues. Having practiced law and financial planning, he is eager to lend his legal, financial, and insurance expertise to the parish through the Vestry. John and his wife Jeanette have two sons – Jonathan, who graduated from St. Thomas School and is now in the Youth Group, and Steven, who is in 5th grade and has sung in the children’s choir. Now that John and Jeanette will be parishioners but no longer school parents, John would like to offer his time and professional experience to the Vestry and the parish.
Bob Harris Bob Harris has served the church as an usher, a greeter, a member and co-chair of the Stewardship Committee, a volunteer Youth Group teacher, Sunday school teacher, and a member of the Vestry. Most recently he has been a member of the St. Thomas School Board. An attorney, Bob is a shareholder in the law firm of Stack Fernandez Anderson & Harris, P.A. Bob and his wife Meghan have two daughters, Natalie and Madeleine, who are alumnae of St. Thomas Episcopal School. The Harris family has been active at St. Thomas since 1993.
Kasia Maguire Kasia Maguire, a parishioner since 2007, has been involved in both the church and school. Currently a co-chair of the Parish Life Committee, she also leads the children’s chapel class on Sunday mornings and was a volunteer at Bible Camp. She has chaired and worked on many different school committees. Kasia holds degrees in education and mental health counseling. She is married to Mike Maguire and the mother of two daughters, Megan Rose, a kindergartener at St. Thomas School, and Margot Sofia, who will begin junior preschool next year. Kasia feels that St. Thomas has contributed so much to her and her family and hopes that as a vestry member, she can repay some of the many blessings.
Sean Murphy Sean Murphy has been a parishioner at St. Thomas since his move to Miami in June, 2004. He has served at the altar often as lay reader, chalice bearer, and sub deacon. Sean is the Headmaster at Palmer Trinity School and has extensive experience in non-profit governance. He has served on the vestry of Immanuel Church in Glencoe, Maryland, and currently serves on three non-profit boards—The Deering Estate Foundation, the Florida Council of Independent Schools, and the Center for Spiritual and Ethical Education. Sean and his wife, Katrina, have two children at St. Thomas School, Helen in fourth grade, and Jacob in third.
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