Grace Church in New York

Grace Church

in New York

Leadership

Julia Bates

Julia Bates and her family have been parishioners of Grace church since 2005. She and her young sons were baptized at the church in 2006, and they have lived in the neighborhood since 2000. Julia currently serves as a member of the Investment Committee at Grace. Julia is an Executive Vice President at Wells Fargo, currently serving as the head of Control Management for the Consumer Bank and before that the Enterprise Technology & Cybersecurity function. Before joining Wells Fargo in 2020, Julia had a long career at JPMorgan Chase, holding positions in Investor Relations, Finance, Asset Management and Commercial Banking. Julia holds an MBA from Stanford University and a BA from Yale University. She is honored to serve Grace Church as a member of the Vestry.

Carolyn Bennett

Carolyn Bennett has been attending Grace Church for almost 15 years, and is thankful for the warmth of this community. She and her husband, Ben, attend the 11am service and recently co-chaired the Making All Things New capital campaign. Professionally, Carolyn works in life sciences marketing and graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara. She is honored to be nominated for the Vestry and to serve its community.

Austin Berger

Austin has been attending Grace Church since 2021 and regularly serves as an usher at the 11am service. Recently, he participated on Grace Church’s behalf as a lay delegate at the 248th Episcopal Diocesan Convention of New York. Austin is extremely grateful to have found Grace Church as a community devoted to a deepening faith in and worship of Jesus Christ. Austin is an attorney who specializes in International tax and Mergers and Acquisitions at the New York office of an internationally regarded consulting firm. He graduated from New York University with a Master of Laws in Tax (LLM) and from the University of San Diego with a Juris Doctor. He is licensed to practice law in California and New York.

Emily Forrester Billard

Emily Billard has been attending Grace Church for nearly 10 years, and is thankful for its spiritual community and guidance, leadership, and outreach programs. She and her husband, Matt, were married at Grace, and enjoy attending the 11am service and participating regularly in the church’s outreach ministry with The Red Door Place. Professionally, Emily is a director in corporate development at a New York-based asset manager and graduated from the University of Virginia and the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

Ginger Blake

Ginger Blake came to Grace in 1987 and was baptized here in 1988. Since that time she has been a devoted member of the Altar Guild and the Women’s Bible study. She also currently serves on the steering committee of the GCW, is active in Grace Cares and is a team member for the 9 am service. A graduate of Wake Forest University and the University of North Carolina School for the Arts, she holds a BA in English and a BFA in Costume Design and Production. She has worked in many capacities in theatrical wardrobe in the city over the last 35 years, on Broadway, with the Metropolitan Opera, NYC Opera, and Paul Taylor Dance. Currently she is the House Wardrobe Supervisor at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. Ginger is married to Dennis Paoli; they were married at Grace Church in 2010.

Ravi Chanmugam

Ravi Chanmugam began attending Grace Church in 2010, along with his son Aditya Strummer Chanmugam, who was baptized and confirmed at Grace. Aditya has been a participant in the Pageant, Choir and served as an acolyte. Ravi’s wife Christina Lucas began attending Grace Church in 2019. Ravi and Christina co-chaired the public phase of the 2024 Capital Campaign. Ravi graduated from Harvard College and received his MBA from Harvard Business School. He began his career at Equitable Life and McKinsey & Co. and has been a strategy consultant at Accenture for the past 24 years where he is currently a Senior Managing Director. Ravi has been a David Rockefeller Fellow in association with the Partnership for New York City and is an active supporter of skills and jobs-focused not for profits.

Matt Davis

Mr. Matt Davis and his wife Logan Sachon were married at Grace Church during the COVID-19 pandemic, and they have been attending Sunday services since moving to New York from California in 2018. Their son Freddy was baptized at Grace in 2021, and Matt has also helped on numerous service days. He’s a strategic communications consultant for a variety of nonprofits, having switched careers from journalism in 2010. He has a B.A. in English Literature from Sussex University in his native England, and a Postgraduate Diploma in Periodical Journalism from the London College of Printing. He’s also a keen squash player, serving as a welcoming ambassador for Open Squash on 39th and 6th, and competing regularly in the New York squash league

Douglas H. Evans, Warden

Mr. Douglas H. Evans and his wife Sarah E. Cogan have attended Grace Church since 1987. Their children, Anne, Thomas and Elizabeth, were baptized at Grace Church, served as choristers, and attended Grace Church School. Sarah spent many years on the Vestry and as Junior and Senior Warden. Douglas is a retired lawyer and currently teaches culinary arts at Grace Church High School. Doug has been serving as Junior Warden of the parish, and is honored and humbled to be asked to continue in this ministry.

Ansley Galjour

Ansley Galjour has been living in New York City since 2013, and quickly discovered Grace Church as her spiritual home. She is regularly an usher and lay reader at the 11 AM Sunday service. She has seen firsthand the benefits that Grace Church provides parishioners and the community in New York City and is honored to be part of the Vestry. She has worked at Pariveda Solutions, a management and technology consulting firm, for over 15 years and is currently a Senior Principal. She has her BBA in Management Information Systems from Texas A&M University in College Station.

Peter Gilman, Treasurer

Peter Gilman and his family are regulars at the 11am service at Grace Church. His young children, Wyatt Lockwood and Fiona Margaret, were baptized at Grace Church. Along with his family, participation in parish life at Grace Church is one of Peter’s most profound blessings, and Peter is delighted to give back and be of service to the Church. Peter is a partner at a large New York law firm where he focuses on private investing in alternative asset classes. Peter is a graduate of the University of Virginia School of Law, and the University of Pennsylvania where he received his B.A. in Economics and his M.G.A. On the Vestry, Peter has been serving at the Treasurer of the parish, and he is an active participant in the GO Project.

Sarah Hines, Warden

Sarah (“Sally”) Hines has been a member of Grace Church for nearly 20 years. She came to Grace Church by way of Grace Church School, where her son Bobby Abramson attended. As she got to know Grace Church parishioners and leaders, she made a gradual transition to Grace Church from St. James Church on Madison Avenue. She has sung in the Parish Choir at the 9AM service since that choir’s inception. Other activities at Grace Church have included serving on the Newcomers’ Committee and the Adult Education Committee. At Grace Church School, she served as a Trustee for several terms, and served on committees that included the Joint Church/School Committee. Professionally, she has been an Assistant District Attorney in Manhattan since the late 1970”s, interrupted only by a stint as a federal prosecutor in the Justice Department in Washington, D.C. She presently works part time in the D.A.’s office, and is also an Adjunct Professor at New York Law School. In terms of education, she attended St. Agnes Episcopal School (now “St. Stephens and St. Agnes School”) in Alexandria, Virginia – a major reason for wanting Bobby to attend Grace Church School. She received a B.A. from Stanford University, an M.A. from Stanford, and a J.D. from Cornell Law School. Her husband Ron Abramson is an attorney who specializes in computer-related and other patent litigation. His pro bono work includes serving on the Board of the New York Legal Assistance Group.

Martha Hirschman

Martha Hirschman and her husband Sam Keany have attended Grace Church since 2001. Their daughter, Anabel attended Grace Church School and was a chorister in the Girls’ Choir. Martha has served on the altar guild and flower guild of the church, and is active in the ECW. A graduate of the University of Michigan, and NYU, Tisch School of the Arts, Martha has been a lifelong educator, and has worked in the independent school community in New York and New Jersey. She was the director of admissions at Grace Church School for six years, and currently is the head of the lower school at the Dwight School on the upper west side.

Grant Marani

Grant Marani and his wife Anne Rieselbach have attended Grace Church for over two decades. Their children, Julia and Matthew, are Grace Church School alum; both were choristers in the Church Choir. Grant is a long-standing member of the Fabric and Grounds Committee, headed the design and fabrication of the Columbarium. Previously, as a Trustee at Grace Church School, he chaired the Building Committee for several years, including upgrading Tuttle Hall and completing the Lower School Gymnasium. A graduate of the University of Melbourne and Cornell University, Grant is presently a Partner Emeritus at Robert A.M. Stern Architects here in New York City and, a decade ago, led the design of the Immanuel Chapel at the Virginia Theological Seminary.

Sara Queen

Sara B. Queen and her husband, Jason Slibeck, began attending Grace in 2009. They are regular attendees at the 11am service, the result of many years as Choir Parents to Bennett and Emma. The entire family has been active at Grace, from the Pageant to Habitat Build days to being readers. Sara chairs the Fabric and Grounds committee and was formerly a co-chair of the Episcopal Church Women (now Grace Church Women). She has participated in GO Project service days, as well as being active in Newcomer outreach. Previously, she served as a Grace Church School Trustee. Sara graduated from Wellesley College and Harvard Business School. Professionally, Sara runs the U.S. business for Mapletree, a Singaporean institutional investor focused on commercial real estate. Prior to Mapletree, Sara worked at Brookfield, Clarion Partners, and MetLife.