Vestry
The Vestry of the parish has the responsibility to work with the Rector in oversight for the earthly concerns of the parish, and to support the priest and parish as they oversee the spiritual concerns of the parish and community. The Vestry determines the annual budget and oversees all programs, organizations, activities, and ministries. The Vestry is comprised of four officers (two Wardens, Treasurer and Secretary) and seven members who serve as liaisons to parish ministries. All Vestry members are elected by vote of parish members at the Annual Meeting. The Vestry meets on the second Monday of each month. Meetings are open to all parishioners.
Alden Rockwell Murphy, Senior Warden
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Alden has been a member of Saint Ann’s for 30 years, since she and her husband Jamie moved here from NYC with their sons Alec and Graham. During her time here Alden has served as Clerk, Jr. Warden and Sr. Warden; she has taught Godly Play and co-founded the Becoming Beloved Community Committee. Her greatest love at Saint Ann’s is singing in the choir.
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Before coming to CT, Alden worked in publications at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. After relocating to CT, she worked as a music therapist on the staff at CT Hospice. Alden is President and one of the co-founders of Musical Masterworks, a chamber music series in Old Lyme. She is also a devoted member of The Anglican Singers, along with several other Saint Ann’s folks.
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Alden enjoys hiking, biking on her e-bike, yoga, travel, and spending time with her family and their one-year-old grandson John.
Jacob Hale Russell, Junior Warden
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Jacob, a life-long Episcopalian, grew up in New Hampshire and Boston, but has lived all over—New York, Philadelphia, California, Maine, and now here in Old Lyme. Jacob and his family, Elizabeth and August, joined Saint Ann’s in 2023 shortly after their arrival.
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Jacob has found it easy to make Saint Ann’s his parish home given its warm and welcoming community. He serves at the altar and has chaired the Stewardship Committee this past year.
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Jacob is a law professor, teaching business and property law at Rutgers Law School in New Jersey. In the community, Jacob is on the board of the Old Lyme Land Trust. He enjoys cooking, kayaking, hiking with his five- year-old son, August, and has recently developed a love for birding.
Peter Griffin, Treasurer
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Peter is a life-long Episcopalian and has been a member of Saint Ann’s for 40 years. He has served Saint Ann’s in various positions over the years including Treasurer and Senior Warden.
Peter and his wife Candide were married at Saint Ann’s in 2005. Peter’s first wife Pam and his parents Gloria and Robert (Grif) are interred in our Memorial Garden. He is an engineer by training with B.S. and M.S. from Cornell University and MBA from UConn. He has recently retired after 22 years as President of Essex Products Group and Greaves Corporation, a manufacturing company located in Centerbrook, CT.
Carol Carlson, Clerk
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Carol Carlson is a lifelong Episcopalian, having been a member of Trinity Episcopal Church in Wethersfield since early childhood. She served on Trinity's Vestry and Altar Guild. She has been an active member of Saint Ann's since 2013, recently as Clerk of the Parish to complete Jill Whitney’s term. She served as vestry liaison for outreach on two Saint Ann's vestries as well as assistant to the treasurer for Charlie Potts during his two terms as Treasurer. In December 2019, the vestry elected Carol as treasurer to complete Charlie's term and continued to serve the following term as treasurer during his recovery from heart transplant surgery. She continues to serve as assistant treasurer to Peter Griffin. She also served as vestry liaison to the Nearly New
Shop, Communications and Christian Formation. She also represented Saint Ann’s on the Refugee Resettlement Committee and served as co-chair in 2023-2024.
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Carol was an elected member of the Wethersfield Board of Education for four years before moving to Old Lyme in 1996. She spent her business career in the insurance industry, retiring in 2012 as the Software Development Manager for NLC Insurance Companies. Carol lives with her husband of 55 years, Dick. They are the proud parents of two sons and the delighted grandparents of three granddaughters and one grandson. She is an avid reader, gardener, and chicken keeper.
Tom Angers, Nearly New Shop
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Tom Angers and his husband, Tim VanDaff, joined Saint Ann’s in January of 2022. Elected to the Vestry in 2024, Tom is a member of both the Stewardship and the Invite, Welcome and Connect Committees, serves on the Long-Term Planning Committee and is the Vestry Liaison to the Nearly New Shop.
Tom received a BA in Classics from Colby College and an MBA from Columbia University. He is a retired Executive Vice President of BNY in New York City where he worked in various human resources/administrative roles for 25 years, including serving as the Head of Human Resources for the company for 9 years. While living in New York City, Tom was a member of Saint Bartholomew’s Church in Manhattan, and served on the Board of Episcopal Charities of New York for 8 years where was on the Audit Committee.
Tom and Tim have lived in Lyme since 2012 and Tom has been involved in a number of assignments. Serving on the Vestry of his former Parish for 6 years, Tom was on the Stewardship and Administration/Finance Committees; and, working with the Diocese, Tom served on the search committee for a new Priest, who was named Rector. In addition to his Parish work, Tom also served on the Board of the Lyman Allyn Art Museum for 6 years where he was a member of both the Finance and the Education Committees and he served as the Museum Secretary.
Tom and Tim are devoted members of the Saint Ann’s family, and hope to contribute to the growth of the Parish in the years ahead.
Mark Read, Christian Formation
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Mark Read was baptized and confirmed at Christ Church in Rye, NY, and was active in the youth fellowship there. He attended Amherst College (earning a BA in English), where he was active in the Amherst Christian Fellowship. He has attended Grace Church in New York City, where he led a Bible study group for 7 years, and St. Dunstan’s in Carmel, CA.
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Mark works full-time for Sensei Project Solutions where he advises clients on project management systems based on the Microsoft platform. His clients include multinational corporations, municipal and state agencies, and non-governmental organizations.
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Mark is currently treasurer of Little Simon Properties Inc, a 120-year-old Adirondack camp.
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Mark moved to Old Lyme in 2022 after 25 years in California to be with his mother Jean, a long-time parishioner at Saint Ann’s. Mark was married in 2025 at Saint Ann’s to Anne Redfield. Anne serves on the Town of Old Lyme’s Open Space Commission and the regional Gateway Commission. We both have two children each from previous marriages.
Becca Pote, Outreach
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A retired teacher, Becca and her husband, John have called Old Lyme home for over four decades. They have been members of Saint Ann’s for almost as long. Their daughters, Emily and Chelsea, were raised, confirmed, and served as acolytes here.
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Raised Baptist (Mom) and Greek Orthodox (Dad), Becca was confirmed here by Bishop Rowthorn. Past iterations of her service to the church include vestry member, search committee member, Nearly New and soup kitchen volunteer, church school teaching, pageant coordination, lecturing, ushering, and ECW/Women of Saint Ann’s board member.
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Becca enjoys reading, walking, gardening (mostly chasing deer), and being Gran to six year old Leo.
Dan Vakili, Fellowship
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In late September of 2022, I moved to Old Lyme with my daughter, Carina. I was newly separated and looking for a fresh start.
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In my youth I served as an acolyte at St. James Episcopal Church in Oneonta, NY, and remembered the sense of community and the support being a member of a church provided. So, as part of that fresh start, I decided that I would begin going to church regularly.
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I chose Saint Ann's Church because it was Episcopalian and it was close. As a community, this parish has been and continues to be incredibly welcoming to both myself and my daughter. Since joining I try to make the most of opportunities to be useful and help where I am able.
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I enjoy many things including cooking, running, and hiking. I also like dogs and hope to get one soon. But most of all, I love being Carina's Dad.
Michael Walker, Stewardship
Michael has been a resident of Old Lyme since 1992. Raised in East Lyme, he attended Providence College and Seton Hall Law School. Since 2005 he has served as Supervisor of the Hartford Juvenile Court Public Defenders Office.
Michael and his wife Laurie have been married 33 years and have a son, Andrew. He has been a member of the Lions Club for many years and serves on the MacCurdy Salisbury Educational Foundation board.
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Michael has been regularly attending Saint Anns since 2021 and serves as an usher. Following a period of discernment and participation in parish life, he was formally received into the Episcopal Church in 2024.