Class of 2027 Vestry Nominations
The Nominating Committee of the St. Paul’s Vestry is pleased to announce the four candidates on this year’s slate: David Carlson, Jeff Kelsey, Fred Rice and Delicia Sanyon. Get to know the nominees below.
Voting for Vestry, Diocesan Delegates and to approve the 2023 Annual Meeting minutes is open, now through Thursday, February 1 at 5 p.m. EST. Vote now using the button below:
-
DAVID CARLSON I bring no specific agenda in offering my service. I present myself as an individual who through training, experience and attitude may assist to strengthen and broaden an inclusive community in implementing St Paul’s mission.
JEFF KELSEY I have enjoyed serving on the Vestry since 2021. It has been a privilege to be part of a group of people who care so much about St. Paul’s and who have worked hard to help bring the church through pandemic lockdown back to the vibrant community it is. I am looking forward to tackling the challenge of implementing the Reimagined mission and vision for our church.
FRED RICE I have been a member of St. Paul’s for over forty years, and I have never served on the Vestry of St. Paul’s. Now, in my retirement, I find that I have the time and energy to devote to this endeavor. Also, I have always been interested in how organizations govern themselves, and this would give me an opportunity to explore that with St. Paul’s and perhaps make a positive impact in the way St. Paul’s is governed. I would also enjoy being a part of the decision-making process from the inside of St. Paul’s, giving me the opportunity to contribute in a positive way to the decisions that will shape the future of St. Paul’s.
DELICIA SANYON I did not initially choose to be on the St. Paul Vestry. Instead, I was nominated by Mr. Shane Hatchett, I guess based on my involvement and commitment to activities of the church. He had actually nominated me once before, but I declined it because I didn’t think I had sufficiently thought it out. So, for this second time, after several consultations, I have consented to be considered for the Vestry.
-
DAVID CARLSON I've participated in the garden project, meal train, assembly of Thanksgiving meals and Tuesday book group. In the larger community, I was decade long board member, officer and chair of the United States Curling Association, the national governing body for the Olympic sport of curling. Currently I'm serving on USCA’s judicial committee. Also, I'm a co-coordinator of the Hoosiers on the Camino, a group with monthly programs/gatherings focused on the Camino de Compostela experience. I continue my volunteerism with curling through weekly ice preparation and co-chairing the members' annual in-house curling tournament and social gathering called a "bonspiel.”
These activities provide a base for understanding the dynamics of service and interaction to create and sustain a community seeking to be inclusive.
JEFF KELSEY I have been an usher since 2016 and then helped to coordinate all ushers since 2018. This experience has given me the chance to meet and know many members of St. Paul’s and underscored the important role volunteers play in sustaining our community. This understanding is beneficial to the Vestry’s process of determining the best ways to support the programs and ministries of St. Paul’s.
I have also been a member of the Vestry since 2021 and Junior Warden since 2022. I believe this experience will be beneficial to the Vestry by providing some continuity and institutional memory.
FRED RICE In the past I have served St. Paul’s as a member of the Rector’s Human Resource/Personnel Committee (which no longer exists), the Outreach Committee, and as a member of the St. Paul’s Choir. I have also been a longtime member of the Lay Eucharistic Ministers in which I still continue to serve on a regular basis. Outside of St. Paul’s, I am an attorney by profession and have served on a number of Boards of organizations. All of this has given me experience being in leadership positions of various organizations, which will hopefully make the transition to working on the Vestry at St. Paul’s pretty much seamless.
DELICIA SANYON I currently serve as an Usher of St. Paul’s and also a member of the Committee of the re-imagining of the church. In my community, I was the Chairperson on Ways and Means of the Liberian Association of Indiana during the last administration of the Association which ended a year ago. In my capacity as Chairperson on Ways and Means, I organized fund-raising programs for the Association.
-
DAVID CARLSON I am trained as a lawyer. Practiced in a small rural town in south central Wisconsin prior to retiring and moving to the Indy area to be closer to our daughter's family. Through my work and volunteer activities, understand what it means, and how to implement, being a fiduciary. This is what a member of the vestry is. Also, endeavor to apply “critical thinking” to a challenge presented and/or decision to be made inclusive of welcoming and understanding varying perspectives. One of the skills I seek to use is asking open ended questions and disagreeing without being disagreeable.
JEFF KELSEY I graduated as a mechanical engineer from Purdue University and worked briefly as a project engineer in aerospace, handling both technical and budget issues on flight control programs.
I have been a lawyer since graduating from the University of Michigan in 2008. I was first an associate and later a partner at Barnes & Thornburg, with a focus on patent law. In that roles, I managed other lawyers and staff members to complete work for an array of clients. I have since joined Johnson & Johnson, acting in a similar role.
FRED RICE As I indicated earlier, I am a lawyer by profession, having practiced law here in Indianapolis for almost forty years and retiring in 2015. My legal career was varied, having been in private practice, but then spending most of my professional career in public service as General Counsel to the Indianapolis Public Schools, and as a Staff Attorney for the Indiana Supreme Court. The skills I have acquired as a lawyer as far as being able to communicate verbally and in writing and sorting through and arguing different points of view will, I feel, be very transferable to being on the St. Paul’s Vestry.
DELICIA SANYON I hold a Bachelor Degree in Management. I worked with the World Health Organization (WHO) of the United Nations in Liberia as Manager/Secretary to the Health Unit. I am currently working with the Chartwell Food and Services for Pike Township School System.
-
DAVID CARLSON I have no agenda for specific action items. Rather, bring a belief that the church is a community and as part of a larger community, its members, one on one and collectively, may act to support, in an impactful way whether one on one or through a group, the community’s identified needs toward achieving improved social justice in an inclusive manner.
JEFF KELSEY I hope we can successfully implement the mission and vision of the Reimagining team, finding new ways to reflect Christ’s love in our community, while sustaining what has made St. Paul’s the wonderful faith community that it is today.
FRED RICE My hopes and goals for St. Paul’s are that it becomes and continues to be a beacon of hope and inspiration for this northside Indianapolis neighborhood, and to the city at large, of how to be an open and welcoming religious institution that respects the dignity of every human being. I hope we continue to use our resources for the betterment of those who are less well off and who need assistance of one kind of another. To do this, St. Paul’s should maintain its current ministries and more directly involve the congregation in the fulfillment of those ministries.
DELICIA SANYON My hopes and goals for the church is to see growth in the church and welcoming new members and visitors, and encourage members to bring suggestions on what to be done in the church and community in general.
