Note: These statements were written in the years these members were elected to the Vestry. Return to Vestry Page.
Carey Lockman Corbin (2021–2024)
I am experienced in board service and am currently serving on the Delaware Shakespeare Board of Directors with my 3-year term ending in 2022 and as the President of the Delaware PTA with my term ending in 2022. All together I have nearly eight years of board experience. I serve as the chair of the Programming and Audience Committee for Delaware and served on the Delaware PTA Advocacy Committee for 4 years. I am an experienced advocate on the local and national level with a specialization in public education policy advocacy. I have served as the SsAM vestry clerk since November 2020. My daughter Celia and I have been members of SsAM for about a year and a half. Outside of my volunteer work, I am the Coordinator of Media and Marketing for New Castle County Government’s Department of Community Services. Through this position I have gained experiences in websites, social media, copy-editing, email blasts, and other forms of communications. I am called to this ministry because I love the mission and congregation at SsAM and strongly feel that young families in the congregation need to be represented on the vestry.
John Goodill, M.D. (2020–2023)
My wife, Sherry, and I have been members here at SAM since 2012. I previously served on the Vestry 2015-2018. Sherry and I live in Wilmington where we raised two daughters. Both are grown now and live out of state. We also have a two-year-old grandson. I have been a practicing physician in the Wilmington area for over 30 years, initially as a Pulmonologist / Critical Care specialist and more recently as a full time Palliative Care specialist for Christiana Care. Since joining SAM, I have enjoyed becoming a member of our community. In fact, that is the main reason I attend church regularly. I believe in our approach to community with its inclusion, diversity, and participation. I have come to care deeply for the people who make up the SAM community. With our current challenges (and they are not negligible), I believe our community will meet those challenges with honesty, integrity and solidarity to allow us to continue and flourish as a community of faith in downtown Wilmington.
Patrica Hackett Cunningham Hampton (2020–2023)
I was born in Wilmington, the second of eight children, and grew up in the South Wilmington Projects, 1945-1958. I have one daughter from my first marriage and gained a stepson when I married Lionel Hampton in 1981. We are the proud grandparents of four grandchildren and seven great grandchildren.
I graduated with the historic Howard High School Class of 1957, have taken extension classes at the University of Delaware, but most of my education has been on the job. Starting right out of high school, I worked for eleven years for three different non-profits. Then, from 1971 to 2000, I served the City of Wilmington as Homestead Program Director; in the Personnel Department; in the Model Cities Program as a project coordinator, project manager, and director of training and employment; and as coordinator of rehabilitation projects in the Department of Licenses and Inspections and the Department of Real Estate and Housing under the Community Development Block Grant Program.
As a volunteer, I have served the Hilltop Civic Association, NAACP, Delaware King Memorial Foundation, Children’s Bureau, ACLU, YWCA, Peoples Settlement Association, American Cancer Society of Delaware, St. Michael’s Nursery and Day School, Black Man’s Development Center, United Way of Delaware, and Westside Family Health Care.
I started attending St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church in 1954 as a member of their choir. I was baptized and confirmed in 1956 and never left. I have been a choir member, Sunday School teacher, youth advisor, altar guild member and director, young adult group member, licensed lay reader, eucharistic visitor, and graduated from the Education for Ministry Curriculum (EFM). I am a member of the Cursillo Movement in the Diocese of Delaware. De Colores!! I am a three-time veteran of the Disciples in Ministry curriculum and many other spiritual development experiences. I am a founding member of SsAM and will continue to work to build up the Kingdom of God here in the City of Wilmington and beyond. In the Diocese of Delaware, I have served on the Diocesan Council, Standing Committee, and Commission on Ministry. I have attended General Convention as a delegate three times. In 1991, I was invited to represent the Bishop and Diocese in a month-long trip to Pretoria, South Africa hosted by the Rt. Rev. Richard Kraft and his wife, Phyllis. I attended their general synod, visited people in the townships and homelands; and spoke to women’s organizations associated with the Truth and Reconciliation Movement. I also had the privilege of having “High Tea” with Bishop Desmond Tutu at Bishop’s Court in Cape Town, South Africa.
Saundra (Sandy) Johnson (2021–2024)
Sometimes in life our ministry and work are completely aligned. This happened with me over 25 years ago with the incredible gift of being a part of SsAM’s creation. I, along with over 200 other faithful founders, journeyed in the embrace of God’s inimitable spirit and love to make a better world for ourselves, our families and our community. Together, we sought and created guiding principles reflecting a vision of diversity, inclusion, and safe harbor to express those opinions, all metered with accountability and transparency. I was the co-senior warden during the initial discussions through the Diocesan approval of our SsAM and selection of SsAM’s first Rector. After 25 years, our SsAM is poised for a reset; an examination of what and where we are and where we want/need to be — with both ministries, operations and shared knowledge of the Episcopal Church. I believe God calls each of us to this examination and execution, and the call is for us to do it decisively — in love. I would very much like to be a servant leader from the Vestry vantage point to work through this great transformational work. Over the years, I have served with Episcopal Church Women, SsAM’s choir, Finance Committee, 10th Anniversary Committee, and the Diocesan Standing Committee. Currently, I serve on the 25th Anniversary Committee, the Property Committee, and on the board of SsAM’s Property, Inc. (the parking lot). My adult son, Matthew, received his spiritual footing in our SsAM village. My current employment is with the State of Delaware as Director of Statewide Equity Initiatives. I have a BA, MA and JD.
Gary Jolly (2020–2024)
Gary Jolly was nominated by unanimous vote of the vestry and approved by the congregation to fill the unexpired term of Sam Lamptey, March 1, 2020 through June of 2021. He was the elected to a full term in 2024. At that time he said, “My name is Gary Jolly. I am a co-chair of the Finance Committee and a member of the Vestry at SSAM in Wilmington. I serve on the Diocese Finance Committee and am a candidate for the Diocese Investment Committee. In my last three jobs, I was president of three companies: two were international and the third in the US. Safegate, headquartered in Sweden, supplied aircraft movement and docking systems utilizing laser technology. Fox-Tec was in Canada and supplied fiber optic systems. I retired from my most recent company in the U.S.; it provided high precision components for intelligent ordinance to the Department of Defense. Prior to these, I was Program Manager and the Marketing Director of the Air Traffic Division at UNISYS Defense Systems. I served on active military duty for eight years aboard nuclear submarines. I have a BS in Engineering and an MBA in Finance. I am married with two adult children, one a screenwriter in Los Angeles and the other in finance in New York City.”
Anthony Jones (2021–2022)
I am a cradle Episcopalian, christened and confirmed in the church. I served as an Acolyte for ten years before going to college. I attended Oberlin College, earning a degree in religion in 1984. I earned a Masters of Divinity Degree from Union Theological Seminary in New York in 1989 followed by a law degree from Vanderbilt University in 1997. I was ordained an American Baptist minister in 1989 and I served the church as an associate minister for twenty-seven years. In addition, I was corporation counsel and served as a member of the Elder Board which is the equivalent of our Vestry Board. I had regular preaching duties, taught homeless men to read, and administered an after-school program for neighborhood children. I presently serve here at SsAM as a Lector, Acolyte, Office Assistant, and in Adult Formation. Until the onset of COVID, I helped set up the auditorium and serve quiche to homeless men and women on Sundays. I also helped serve meals to the homeless at a church on 3rd and Walnut Streets. I offer a unique combination of experience and education. I have served the church since the age of eight. I have developed strong analytical skills. I have a passion for social outreach. Most importantly, I bring energy and a deep passion for this house and for this labor. (Anthony is completing the unexpired term of Dan Young.)
Sharon Leyhow (2020–2023)
I love Saints Andrew and Matthew (SsAM) and its open, inclusive approach to its members and the community around it. I have been a member of SsAM since the two churches combined 24 years ago. During that time I have served as board chair for Delaware Futures, co-chair of Membership Development Ministry, and a member of the vestry. I am currently serving on the Finance Committee.
This is an exciting, yet challenging, time as we manage through being apart during this pandemic. I believe that during times of challenge it is more imperative that a good church focuses on meeting the spiritual needs of its current and long-term members. A good church also has to focus on revitalizing and attracting new members to ensure long term stability. SsAM has been a good church in the community for 24 years and we need creative and thoughtful ways to reach out to our members now during this unique time and again in the future.
If elected to serve, I hope to dedicate my time and talent to help SsAM continue to be a wonderfully diverse faith community, to be a vibrant place of worship for current and potential parishioners, and to build relations with people outside SsAM by sharing with them the many benefits of being an active member of SsAM.
I am a “cradle” Episcopalian and attend the 8:00 a.m. service. I have a BA degree in psychology from Smith College in Northampton, MA. and a Juris Doctor degree from Georgetown University School of Law in Washington, D.C. I am a member of the District of Columbia and Georgia Bar Associations. I recently retired from DuPont Legal Department. I serve on several non-profit boards including Delaware Hospice (Board Chair) and Trustee for the Loomis Chaffee School.
Mary Morgan (2019–2022)
Born, raised, and practiced Roman Catholicism until 2003, when I attended my first Palm Sunday service at an Episcopal Church, Calvary-Hillcrest. Since then, I have been an active Episcopalian; serving two terms on Vestry at Calvary-Hillcrest as a member at large, Jr. Warden, and Sr. Warden. My tenure as Sr. Warden was during the formation of the Brandywine Collaborative Ministries with The Church of the Ascension and Grace Episcopal Church. In 2016, I transferred to SsAM. After a short time of “just being”, I became involved with the ECW, and am currently the Clerk of the Vestry. At the Diocesan level, I have been appointed as the Church Periodical Club Co-ordinator and I served as the Clerk of the Diocesan Convention this past January. My hobbies include, but are not limited to, gardening, cooking, and, most recently, crocheting. I have quite a few nieces & nephews and it is my goal to crochet each of them a keepsake afghan. So far, I’ve made 34, and I’m still working on it!
Danny Schweers (2019–2022)
My father had a career in the U.S. Navy, so our family lived in nine places in the U.S. by the time we settled in San Diego, California. I received a BA in physics and philosophy from UCSD. A work-scholarship at the Navy Electronics Laboratory took me to Stanford University and MIT. I moved to Austin, Texas in 1970 to study philosophy and stayed in Austin for 30 years, working at the Fusion Research Center at first, but then changing careers to work on The Rag, an underground newspaper, and on other publications, finally becoming self-employed in typesetting and graphic arts. Active in photography, I published 13 editions of the Austin Book of Days calendar and served a term as president of the Texas Photographic Society. I became a Christian in 1976 thru a group associated with Intervarsity Fellowship. In 1983, I was baptized into St. David’s Episcopal Church, Austin, the Rev. “Dutch” Stolz’s first-and-only full-immersion baptism. That was in the Pedernales River! I led St. David’s Church, Austin, to build two houses for Habitat for Humanity, served on the vestry, and joined their staff as their director of communications. Barbara Henry and I were married in 1992, my third marriage, still strong! We moved to Arden, Delaware in 2000, me a trailing spouse. Here, I was briefly managing editor for Image: A Journal of Art & Religion. I became a freelance website designer. For four years, I served half-time as the communications coordinator for Westminster Presbyterian Church. For 11 years, I produced the Delaware Communion newspaper for the Episcopal Diocese of Delaware. I served on the board at Reach Academy for Girls and twice on the board of the Arden Club. I served the Village of Arden as its Town Secretary, as Chair of the Town Assembly (equivalent to mayor), and am still an officer of the village. Now mostly retired, I am currently chair of the Brandywine Photo Collective and teach a photography class at the Delaware Art Museum. I have maintained this website for many years and just recently started greeting people at the front door on Sundays. I look forward to the vestry at SsAM becoming part of my life and hope to see SsAM and the city continue to thrive.
Peggy Shane (2019–2022)
Born and raised in New York City, I married Ronald Shane in 1976 and transferred to Delaware with Avon Products in 1977. I obtained my master’s degree in Human Resource Management from Widener University and completed courses in Organization Development at the University of Pennsylvania. Over the next several decades, I worked in Philadelphia for Obermeyer, Rebman, Maxwell and Hipple (a law firm), Drexel University, Fidelity Bank, Betz Laboratories, US Healthcare, and Independence Blue Cross. After retirement from Independence Blue Cross, I spent the next nine years teaching a critical-thinking course in the Business Department at Widener University – University College. Four years ago, Ron and I decided to find a church home. God led us to SsAM. We reaffirmed our baptismal vows and I was confirmed in 2015. To learn more about SsAM and this faith practice, I volunteered to work in the archives with Cynthia Primo Martin, which led to my participation on the Organization and Design sub-committee of the Property Committee. I am an active member of the Episcopal Church Women ministry. I am part of the Pastoral Care team and I dabble in event planning. I am a step-mom, a nana to two grand-children, and a mentor.
Wanda G. Smith DDS (2020–2023)
I came to SsAM in 1999 because, as a cradle Roman Catholic, I was looking for something different. My first visit left me wanting more of what I received, and so I came back again, and then never left. I had found a church home. In this home I have found much to do. I have served on the Vestry before, but feel I have grown in the church since then. Serving on the Altar Guild, as a Eucharistic Minister, as a Lector, and attending Adult Education for many years have all been opportunities to learn and grow. I feel I now have something to offer. Recently retired from a 40-year career in dentistry, I still work part time for Sparkle Mobile Dental, a service that provides dental screenings and emergency exams in most nursing homes in Delaware. In addition, I care for Calvin, a 14-year-old black lab, the pet of my 35 year old son, who now lives and works in Los Angeles, California. Don’t tell my son, but Calvin has become my dog now…
Scott Serota, Treasurer
[The Treasurer is not a Vestry member. This is Scott’s statement when he was a nominee in 2021.] My name is Scott Serota. I have been a member of SsAM for almost a decade, ever since the Cathedral Church of St. John closed in 2012. I was a member of that church’s vestry toward the end of its life and thus was able to take an active role in the difficult decisions which had to be made, strategizing outreach and how to grow the congregation, and creative problem solving to prioritize and address myriad issues. I grew up in the Methodist Church and have been a part of church life for as long as I can remember from choirs to camps to youth groups and everywhere in between. As with many, I grew away from the church to seek out life and my own answers but, gratefully, found my way back and a home at the Cathedral but also in the Episcopal faith writ large once I moved to Delaware from Texas. I would appreciate your consideration for vestry as I feel I have many talents and gifts that would be assets to the vestry as well as the congregation. I have over twenty years of experience in management, most recently piloting an education program for Sephora and training educators in the district as well as my employees and those in other locations from onboarding to continuing education including management. I also have fifteen years of experience in bookkeeping as well as creating sales projections and goals, profit and loss reports, forecasting and planning. With a focus on people and a strong background in finance, I feel that it is the right place and the right time to take on a more active role within the congregation and the church and, with your trust, to make myself available to steer this church toward a brighter future from the darker days of this past year with COVID-19 so we can all be in communion together once more.
About Vestry Elections
Vestry Members are elected at our Annual Meeting, held in June. The annual meeting includes reports from the Vestry and others of general issues and critical concerns. The meeting usually includes the Celebration of the Eucharist. The meeting is open to all members and friends of the parish. However, those eligible to vote in the elections and on actions before the meeting are those who meet the requirements set forth in Article 6 of the Parish By-Laws: qualified voters are persons who are baptized, at least 16 years of age, and have been an active and contributing member for at least the six months prior to the meeting.
Other Links
Vision Statement, Mission Statement
By-Laws of SsAM – Bylaws – By Laws
Respectful Communications Guidelines
Best Practices of Episcopal Vestries
