Board Member Biographies
Shirley Stover Allen (Province VII)
Shirley Stover Allen is a former commercial real estate attorney and active in numerous charitable organizations. She serves on the advisory board of SEARCH Homeless Services, the steering committee for Greater Houston Community Foundation’s (GHCF) Youth Homelessness Fund and GHCF’s Anti-Human Trafficking Donor Working Group. Ms. Allen is also a long-time member of the Compass Rose Society and the Alexis de Tocqueville Society of the United Way of Greater Houston. A member of St. Martin’s Episcopal Church in Houston, she has served on the Wedding Guild, as a Bible study leader, an Altar Guild group co-leader as well as a Sunday school teacher and greeter.
Ms. Allen received both her JD and BA with honors from the University of Texas at Austin.
She and her husband, Skip, have one daughter.
Rebecca Blachly (Ex-Officio)
Rebecca Linder Blachly is the Chief of Public Policy and Witness for The Episcopal Church. In this role, she leads government, multi-lateral, and private sector engagement, as well as global and Anglican Communion partnerships. Prior to joining The Episcopal Church, she was the Senior Policy Advisor in the Office of Religion and Global Affairs at the U.S. Department of State. Ms. Blachly has also held positions in the Department of Defense, including as Acting Chief of the Strategic Communication Division at U.S. Africa Command, and in the Office of the Secretary of Defense for Policy. She worked as a Research Associate at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and has conducted fieldwork throughout Africa and the Middle East. She is a recipient of the Office of the Secretary of Defense Medal for Exceptional Public Service. Ms. Blachly received her B.A. in philosophy from Williams College, and her M.Div. from Harvard University.
Putney Cloos (Province II)
Putney Cloos is the Chief Marketing Officer at Bombora, the leading provider of data for B2B-focused marketing & sales teams. Ms. Cloos has spent her career working at the intersection of marketing & sales driving strategies to accelerate revenue growth.
Prior to Bombora, Ms. Cloos was the Chief Marketing Officer at Cision (media & communications technology). Earlier in her career, Ms. Cloos held a variety of leadership roles at American Express and was an Associate Partner in McKinsey & Company’s Marketing & Sales practice. She has an AB from Harvard College and an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management.
Ms. Cloos is on the Board of Trustees of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine (New York City) and the Quissett Harbor Preservation Trust (Woods Hole, MA). In addition, she is an enthusiastic supporter of Choose Creativity powered by the Lulu & Leo Fund.
The Rev. Miguel Escobar (Province II)
The Rev. Miguel Escobar is a recently ordained transitional deacon who is currently serving a two-year curacy at San Andrés Episcopal Church in Sunset Park Brooklyn.
Previously, Escobar served as director of Anglican Studies at Episcopal Divinity School at Union (2017-2023), and was managing program director for leadership, communications and external affairs at the Episcopal Church Foundation (2010-2017). He earned a Master of Divinity degree from Union Theological Seminary in 2007 and served as the communications assistant to then-Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori from 2007 to 2010. Escobar is a past chair of the board of directors of Forward Movement and now serves as co-chair of the Friends of Forward Movement board.
He grew up in the Texas hill country and attended Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio, Texas, where he studied the Roman Catholic social justice tradition, Latin American liberation theologies, and minored in Spanish. He joined the Episcopal Church through St. Mary’s, West Harlem, drawn by the congregation’s diversity and commitment to social justice.
Paul Faeth (Province IV)
Mr. Paul Faeth is an expert in sustainable development with over forty years of international experience. He recently retired from Abt Global, a major implementing partner for USAID and other international environment and development agencies, where he was the Global Technical Director for Climate and Energy. In that role, he successfully led the launch of an effort expected to bring solar power to 10,000 health clinics in Africa that do not have electricity. He was formerly a principal of the Cadmus Group working on international and domestic issues related to climate change, water and energy, and was Chair of the Jamaica Energy Resilience Alliance working to invest up to $50 million in new distributed power in the country. Mr. Faeth was also the Executive Vice-President and Managing Director at the World Resources Institute. He has extensive experience in nonprofit management, environmental research and management, economic and policy analysis, and outreach, particularly in developing innovative policies that promote climate mitigation and water resources protection.
Mr. Faeth has a BS degree in agricultural engineering and an MS in resource systems and policy design.
He is married to The Rev. Dr. Margaret Ann (Sam) Faeth and lives in Asheville, NC.
Blanca Tomás Famadas (Province IV)
Blanca Tomás Famadas is the Chaplain and Sacred Studies teacher at St. Philips Episcopal School in Miami, Florida, a post she has held since 2010. Drawing on years of experience in the financial services sector, Blanca brings leadership expertise in areas such as community outreach, team building, customer service and strategic planning. Born in Philadelphia and raised in Puerto Rico, she earned a bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of Miami School of Business. Blanca is active in the National Association of Episcopal Schools and has served on boards including Our Little Roses, an organization that supports and empowers young women living in vulnerable situations.
The Rev. Dr. Canon Michele V. Hagans (Province III)
The Rev. Dr. Canon Michele V. Hagans is a native Washingtonian who graduated from Howard University with a B.A. in Zoology and a M.E. in Environmental Engineering. She also completed an MBA at The George Washington University, and later returned to Howard University to earn a Master of Divinity and a Doctor of Ministry. Following a successful career at General Electric in California, the Midwest and Upstate New York, Canon Hagans returned to Washington in 1980 to work for her father, a Washington, D.C. developer. In 1983, she became General Manager of public parking at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. In 1984, following the death of her father and brother, Canon Hagans assumed the role of President of her father’s companies: Fort Lincoln New Town Corporation and Fort Lincoln Realty Company.
In 2007, Canon Hagans was ordained to the priesthood by the Rt. Rev. John B. Chane, eighth Bishop of the Diocese of Washington. Canon Hagans has been a lifelong member of The Episcopal Church with initial membership at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Washington. Since her ordination, she has been heavily involved in ministry, holding positions at the Episcopal Diocese of Washington as Canon of Ministry Initiatives, Grace Episcopal Day School as Chaplain, and Grace Episcopal Church in Silver Spring, MD and Holy Comforter Episcopal Church in Washington, DC as Associate Rector. She also has served as interim part-time rector of St. John’s Church, Lafayette Square. Currently, she assists with services at Washington National Cathedral. Canon Hagans has used her extensive experience and knowledge of real estate and development to provide counsel for a number of parishes within the diocese. She has three adult children.
Ana Lucia Palacios Hidalgo (Province IX)
Ana Lucia Palacios Hidalgo is a businesswoman with fifteen years of experience working at her family’s construction supply business in Ecuador. She also has Audit and Tax Accounting experience both in the Ecuadorian government and in the private sector. She has previously served on the Finance Committee and Standing Committee for the Diocese of Central Ecuador, and has been a member of the Episcopal Church for six years. She has a Bachelors in Accounting for Business and Administrative Science from the Escuela Fiscal Virginias Larenas, a degree in Financial and Audit Engineering from the Escuela Politécnica del Ejército (ESPE) (2009), and a Masters in Tax Law from the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador (PUCE) (2017).
Kenneth Jones II (Province III)
Kenneth Jones II is currently Senior Vice President, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Equity Officer of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation where he is responsible for the finance, accounting, tax, audit, information technology, grants management, administrative services, core services, building management and facilities functions for the Foundation. He also serves as the Chief Equity Officer for the Foundation. In addition, Ken implements and evaluates the Foundation’s financial objectives and performance to support MacArthur’s priorities and programs. Prior to joining the MacArthur Foundation, he was Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at the Annie E. Casey Foundation. Ken is an operations & administrative professional with over 25 years of proven success and leadership abilities with international experience in Latin America, Africa, Asia. and Europe. His private sector experience includes working at the Pfizer Corporation, the Ford Motor Company, and the Prudential. Ken currently serves as board chair for the Center for Urban Families, the Mission Investors Exchange, and the Center for Disaster Philanthropy. He also serves on numerous boards including Corus, the Joint Center, the Southern Education Foundation, Virginia Union University, Foundation Financial Officers Group, and Candid. Mr. Jones has his MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management, a Masters in Applied Economics from the University of Buffalo, and a Bachelor’s Degree from Boston University. In 2021, Ken was ABFE’s James Joseph Lecturer.
Karen Longenecker (Province VII)
Karen Longenecker, MA, LCSW, IECMH-E is a clinical social worker and the Director of the Healthy Expectations Perinatal Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. In this role, she oversees program development and clinical services for people who are pregnant and postpartum who are experiencing perinatal mood and anxiety disorders.
Ms. Longenecker has diverse experience in a variety of infant and early childhood mental health settings, including a background in home visiting, developmental care and early intervention. She holds a professional endorsement in Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health and is trained and rostered in Child Parent Psychotherapy (CPP). Drawing on extensive teaching experience, Karen is a national trainer for the Facilitating Attuned Interactions (FAN) model of parent engagement for direct service providers and supervisors.
Karen has a master’s degree in Latin American studies and conducted research in Chile on reproductive health policy, women’s health initiatives and political and cultural influences impacting women’s access to reproductive health care. She also holds a master’s in social work from New Mexico State University.
Karen is certified in Infant Massage and fluent in Spanish.
Christopher Lacovara (Ex-Officio)
Christopher Lacovara is the Chief Financial Officer of the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society of The Episcopal Church. Most recently, Lacovara served as chief financial officer, general counsel, and director of real estate development for Community Access, Inc., a New York City nonprofit. Prior to joining Community Access, he practiced law with a focus on nonprofit organizations and appellate litigation, after more than two decades on Wall Street, where he was an investment banker and private equity executive.
Lacovara holds a Bachelor of Arts from Harvard College at Harvard University, a Bachelor of Science from the School of Engineering at Hofstra University, a Master of Science from Columbia School of Engineering and Applied Science, and a Juris Doctor from Columbia Law School. He served for a decade as a vestry member and treasurer/finance director at Christ & Saint Stephen’s Episcopal Church in New York City. He is a member of St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church in Bedford, New York.
He has served on the boards of directors, executive committees, and audit committees of more than 20 publicly funded and privately held corporations based in the U.S. and Europe, as well as on the boards and finance committees of several nonprofit organizations.
Chris and his husband, Sam Green, live in Westchester County, New York, with their children.
Dr. David Martin (Province VI)
Dr. Martin is an independent consultant specializing in the technical analysis of software systems. Working in the software industry for over 40 years, he has lived and studied broadly, in locations near San Francisco, Stuttgart Germany, Boston, Denver, Bismarck North Dakota, and the Chicago suburbs. He also served for nine years as a computer science faculty member at the University of Denver and the University of Massachusetts Lowell.
Dr. Martin is also a former elected city council member in Ames, Iowa, a city of approximately 65,000 residents and home to the land-grant Iowa State University of Science and Technology. As a council member, he represented constituents in setting the city government’s priorities, enacting and revising city ordinances, and in authorizing the city’s $250 million budget.
In the 1990s, Dr. Martin joined The Episcopal Church and was confirmed at the Church of St. John the Evangelist in Boston. Since then, he has served the church in the roles of vestry member, chorister, website manager, and clergy spouse. He presently serves on Episcopal Relief & Development’s Audit and Risk and Governance and Episcopal Church Relations committees. His husband, the Rev. Steve Godfrey, serves as Missioner and Canon to the Ordinary of the Episcopal Diocese of Northern Michigan.
Dr. Martin earned his BS in Computer Science, Mathematics, and German at Iowa State University and his PhD in Computer Science from Boston University.
The Rev. Canon Ranjit K. Mathews (Province I)
The Rev. Canon Ranjit K. Mathews serves as the Canon to the Ordinary of the Episcopal Church in Connecticut. Prior to his current role, he served for nearly two years as Canon for Mission Advocacy, Racial Justice and Reconciliation for ECCT. The Rev. Mathews graduated from The George Washington University with a Bachelor’s in Business Administration, and from Union Theological Seminary with a Master’s in Divinity with a focus on Contextual Theology. He is Chair of the interim Task Force of Dialogue with South Sudanese Anglicans living in the diaspora. He serves on the board of the Episcopal Evangelism Society, and as the clergy representative to the Anglican Consultative Council from The Episcopal Church. The Rev. Mathews is Chair of the interim Task Force of Dialogue with South Sudanese Anglicans living in the diaspora. He serves on the board of the Episcopal Evangelism Society and as the clergy representative to the Anglican Consultative Council from The Episcopal Church. Ranjit loves national and local politics, pop culture, hip-hop, sports, and being out in creation.
Dr. Robert McCouch (Province II)
Robert McCouch took up his position as the UNICEF Director of Evaluation in August 2021.
Mr. McCouch has served in a variety of evaluation roles in the UN system, including UNICEF, over the past 17 years. He was recently the Chief Evaluation Officer at the World Health Organization, prior to which he was the Chief of Section in the evaluation division of the United Nations Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS). From 2009-2013, as Senior Evaluation Specialist in the UNICEF Evaluation Office, he was responsible for the Organization’s large portfolio of evaluations focused on humanitarian action.
His career prior to joining the UN system was in the field of data analytics and policy and opinion research in the private sector. He was the Director of Research and Evaluation at the Harvard Medical School, covering a range of innovative programs aimed at improving psychosocial, academic and health outcomes in highly vulnerable children.
Mr. McCouch received a PhD in social policy from Brandeis University, with a specialization in child, youth and family policy, and a post-doctorate in child-centered evaluation methods from Harvard Medical School and the Harvard University Graduate School of Education. He holds a Cand. scient. pol. degree in political science and political psychology from the University of Copenhagen, an M.A. in foreign languages from Middlebury College in Vermont, and a B.A. in international affairs from the George Washington University in Washington, DC.
He is a US national and speaks English, Danish, German, French and Italian.
He is married to Jeffrey Shumaker.
The Rt. Rev. Héctor Monterroso (Province VII)
The Rt. Rev. Héctor Monterroso is the Bishop Assistant of the Diocese of Texas. Originally from Guatemala, he was ordained as a deacon in 1986 and as a priest in 1987. He was consecrated as the Bishop of Costa Rica on June 7, 2003, where he served as a Bishop Diocesan for 14 years. In July 2017, he moved to Houston to be part of the Episcopal Diocese of Texas. His current ministry includes the strengthening and growth of Hispanic congregations, new missional communities and churches in the Diocese of Texas. He oversees the Southern Region of the Diocese, which includes 52 churches and several development programs. He coordinates interfaith and ecumenical efforts, supports the process and development of a multicultural presence in the congregations of the Diocese, and promotes the call to Ordained Ministry, identifying vocational leaders within the local Hispanic ministry. He and his wife, Sandra Cardona, have two grown children: María Beatriz, a geriatrician, and Héctor Ramón, a civil engineer. During his free time, he practices soccer, basketball and ping pong.
The Rev. Steven D. Paulikas (Province II)
The Rev. Steven Paulikas is rector of All Saints’ Church, a growing and diverse Episcopal parish in the Park Slope neighborhood of Brooklyn. He currently serves on the Pastoral Care Advisory Committee at New York Presbyterian-Brooklyn Methodist Hospital and previously served on the Board of Governors of the Episcopal Church at Yale and facilitated the process of discernment for holy orders through the Commission on Ministry of the Diocese of Long Island. He is a candidate for the DPhil in the Faculty of Theology at the University of Oxford. While a Term Member of the Council on Foreign Relations, Steven co-chaired the New York Term Member Advisory Council.
His opinion writing has recently appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Nation, and others, and his essay on the political response to evil is featured in Modern Ethics in 77 Arguments: A Stone Reader.
He is a graduate of the General Theological Seminary, the University of Cambridge, and Yale University. Prior to attending seminary, Steven was a journalist based in Vilnius, Lithuania.
He is married to Jesse Lazar.
The Rev. Christine Purcell (Province VIII)
The Rev. Christine Purcell is recently retired Associate Rector of the Parish of St. Matthew in the Pacific Palisades, CA. Prior to her ministry there, she served churches in the Dioceses of Central Pennsylvania and Rhode Island.
A graduate of Dartmouth College, she initially worked in human resources and cash management, then settled and raised a family in central Pennsylvania. During that time, she also earned an MBA from the University of Connecticut. Following graduation from the General Theological Seminary in 2004, she served in varied ministry contexts and was a Clergy Deputy to General Convention in 2009 and 2012.
Now residing in Santa Barbara, CA, she is exploring new opportunities to be of service, and studying to become a Spiritual Director.
Dr. Robert W. Radtke, President & CEO (Ex-Officio)
Dr. Radtke has served as President & CEO of Episcopal Relief & Development since 2005. Prior to that he served in various senior-level posts at the Asia Society.
Rob provides strategic leadership to the agency’s programs in over 40 countries serving more than 4 million people across Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean and Asia, as well as the United States.
Episcopal Relief & Development partners with faith and community leaders around the world to advance lasting change in communities impacted by injustice, poverty, disaster and climate change. We focus on four interconnected priorities: early childhood development, women and girls, climate resilience and disaster response.
In his role as President & CEO, Rob has overseen a number of major initiatives, including Moments That Matter®, Episcopal Relief & Development’s flagship Early Childhood Development program which focuses on the critical 0-3 ages when the quality of nurturing care and children receive can affect them for the rest of their lives; and the US Disaster Preparedness and Response Program, which helps Episcopal dioceses, congregations and other church institutions to both prepare for and respond to disasters in their local communities.
Rob was a founding trustee of the Anglican Alliance for Development, Relief & Advocacy. He also served on the board of the Joint Learning Initiative on Faith & Local Communities and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. In 2023 the Archbishop of Canterbury awarded him the Cross of St. Augustine for Services to the Anglican Communion.
Rob has a Bachelor’s Degree (AB) from Columbia College of Columbia University and a doctorate (DPhil) from New College of the University of Oxford, which he attended as a Rhodes Scholar. In 2012, Episcopal Divinity School awarded him an Honorary Doctor of Divinity Degree.
The Most Rev. Sean W. Rowe (Ex-Officio, Honorary Chair)
Most Rev. Sean W. Rowe was elected presiding bishop and primate of The Episcopal Church in June 2024 and took office on Nov. 1 for a nine-year term. In this role, he serves as the church’s chief pastor and CEO. Known for his expertise in organizational learning and adaptive change, Rowe is committed to strengthening support for local ministry and mission.
He was ordained bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Northwestern Pennsylvania in 2007 after serving as rector of St. John’s in Franklin, Pennsylvania, for seven years. From 2014 to 2018, he served as bishop provisional of the Episcopal Diocese of Bethlehem, and from 2019 to 2024, he led a partnership between the Episcopal Dioceses of Northwestern Pennsylvania and Western New York.
Born in Sharon, Pennsylvania, into a family of steel and mill workers, Rowe was raised in the United Methodist Church and graduated from Grove City College in 1997 with a bachelor’s degree in history. During Rowe’s college years, the Rev. Barbara Akin, chair of the history department at Grove City, gave him a Book of Common Prayer and invited him to the Episcopal Church of the Epiphany in Grove City, where he was confirmed and discerned a call to the priesthood.
He enrolled at Virginia Theological Seminary after graduating from college, and after earning his Master of Divinity there in 2000, returned to Northwestern Pennsylvania to serve as rector of St. John’s, Franklin. During his seven years as rector, the congregation more than doubled in size.
Rowe was 32 in May 2007 when he was elected bishop of Northwestern Pennsylvania on the first ballot. For almost 12 years, he was the youngest bishop in The Episcopal Church. In 2014, he earned a doctorate in organizational learning and leadership at Gannon University.
Before his election as presiding bishop, Rowe served as a leader of many civic and churchwide organizations and governance bodies, and as parliamentarian for the House of Bishops. In 2018, he became the first bishop to serve on the House of Deputies Committee on the State of the Church, a position he held until 2022. That year, he was awarded the House of Deputies medal for his service.
Rowe is married to Carly Rowe, a Christian educator, and they live with their daughter, Lauren, in Erie, Pennsylvania.
Matt Silva (Province VII)
Matt Silva is Director of Silva Enterprises in San Antonio, Texas where he leads Residential and Commercial Real Estate Development. Prior to this role, Matt held leadership positions in marketing, sales, and software development in the food distribution industry. He graduated from Boston University with a bachelor’s degree in American history. Matt and his wife, Kassie, live in San Antonio with their children, Sofia and Luka.
David Washer (Province II)
David Washer is the COO and Head of Sustainability & Impact (Americas) for Goldman Sachs’ Asset & Wealth Management private markets division. In this role, he helps lead the firm’s work to integrate sustainability in its private markets investing and manages global operations for the Sustainability & Impact team.
Prior to his current role, David worked as a Director at the Bridgespan Group where he served a range of impact investors, foundations, and NGOs such as Catholic Charities, Last Mile Health, Planned Parenthood and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. He also helped lead Bridgespan’s Learning and Innovation team to build out the organization’s innovation strategy and operations in areas such as public health, child welfare, economic security and early childhood development. He also served as the Head of Operations and Impact at Adjuvant Capital, a Guyer Fellow at Save the Children, a program analyst at the Ford Foundation and an investment analyst at McKinsey & Company’s investment office, MIO Partners.
David earned an MBA/MPH with honors from Dartmouth College where he was both a Wilson Scholar and a Tuck Scholar. He also holds a bachelor’s degree cum laude, with departmental distinctions, in Religious Studies and International Studies from Yale, where he sang with the university’s Episcopal Church choir. In Manhattan, where David lives with his wife and two sons, David served as Treasurer for the St. Peter’s Episcopal Church Restoration Fund and attends Saint Thomas Church.
John Van De Weert (Province III)
Mr. John Van De Weert retired as a partner from the banking & financial services practice of Sidley Austin LLP, in Washington, D.C. His practice focused on the regulation of consumer banking.
Mr. Van De Weert has an AB in Classics from Princeton University and JD from the University of Chicago. He is currently the Chancellor of the Diocese of Washington, the Synod Attorney of the Metro Washington D.C Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and a member of St. Monica & St. James church in Washington.
