SAINT MARK'S
Episcopal Church
Albuquerque, NM

I was raised and confirmed in the Roman Catholic faith, and was received into the Episcopal Church in 1995, at St. Mark’s in Albuquerque. Although my husband Scott and I lived in Albuquerque when we were newlyweds, we were absent from the parish from 1997 to 2017 while we moved around the world for Scott’s military career. During this time, we also raised our two children Emily and John, who are now 22 and 21 years old.

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I have always felt drawn into a closer relationship with God. In every parish we have called home throughout 28 years of marriage, I have volunteered in some capacity or another. I have attended Bible Studies, been a Lector, a Lay Eucharistic Minister, a Vestry member, a stewardship worker and a Sunday school teacher. Now, I feel a strong calling to serve St. Mark’s as a member of the Vestry. I would like to assist in the mission of the clergy and our members as we all strive together to make something beautiful for God in our neighborhood. To me, those are not just words! I think we each have an opportunity to serve Christ in one another. I would like to have a part in helping each member deepen his or her faith and also help our members discover their unique gifts. I think serving on the Vestry would allow me to contribute to our community in a really good way.

Professionally, I have been an attorney for 25 years. I practice family law as a shareholder at Atkinson & Kelsey, PA. Even though it may seem sad, I do enjoy using my abilities to help families in transition and crisis. I also serve as a Commissioner for the New Mexico State Bar Association and am involved as the President of the Women’s State Bar. In my free time, I enjoy camping, hiking, running and spending time with my wonderful partner, Scott. 

I was born in Roswell, NM to a Catholic father and a Presbyterian mother who were married in a Methodist church. I have been baptized twice (once as a baby and once as a young Baptist), attended churches in at least a dozen denominations, received a bachelor’s degree from a Church of Christ college and a master’s degree from a Methodist seminary. I have played guitar in worship bands and spoken at Christian summer camps while teaching rappelling and mountain biking. I have been a leader in college ministries and a dissident at an evangelical church.

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Throughout my adult life, I have attended mainly Episcopal churches, being drawn to the physicality of the liturgy and openness to all people. As a seminarian I learned to ask philosophical questions and as a graduate student in philosophy, I taught college students to do the same. When our first child was born, I decided to become a firefighter and paramedic, which has been my profession for ten years now.

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I married Sarah, the love of my life, under the big New Mexico sky in 2003 and we have watched, with awe, as our boys, Jonah (12) and James (7), grow bigger bodies and bigger hearts. I have received grace and am learning how to give it in order to make the world a more just and loving place. For me, the story of my walk with God has been—and continues to be—a way of questioning and doubting, loving and serving, imagination and music. St. Mark’s has been our church home since 2018 and here we have found a community of people with whom we can share this journey of expansive love, honest questions, and open hearts.

Dr. Diane Ball is a 27-year veteran Humanities Instructor at the High School and College level. She earned her BA in History & Russian Studies, a MA in Secondary Education and her PhD in Language, Literacy and Sociocultural Studies from the University of New Mexico. Her academic research is focused on the role of New Mexico in World War II specifically Japanese-American internment, Civil Liberties during wartime, and 20th Century World History. Diane is also a National Board Certified Teacher, Executive Director of the New Mexico Council for the Social Studies and was named New Mexico History Teacher of the Year in 2018.

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Diane has been involved in a variety of philanthropic activities throughout her adult life, most especially through her Masonic affiliations. She currently serves as the Board Secretary of Ashlar #58, International Order of Rainbow for Girls, is an officer in Eastern Star of New Mexico and a Past Queen of Yucca Temple No. 74, Daughters of the Nile. Her work with Nile helped to raise $14,000 this last year to support the tissue bank at Shriner’s Hospital-Galveston.

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Diane was raised at the Cathedral of St. John’s in Albuquerque and has been a member of St. Mark’s for the past six years, where she currently serves as an usher and an on-going member of the Inquirer’s class. What she can offer to the Vestry and St. Mark’s community is her extensive work with non-profit organizations, hosting conferences and workshops, management of budgets, and community outreach. Her passion is to explore the history of Episcopal Church, never lose the joy of learning, and help to promote the vibrant, inclusive, and community-driven nature of St. Marks.

Blythe Clark has been a member of St. Mark’s since 2013. She works as a Research & Development Department Manager at Sandia National Labs, managing a dedicated team of mechanical engineers. When she’s not at work, she’s either playing indoor soccer, training for trapeze, or spending time with her family, Andrew, Sadie (12), and Eloise (9). They enjoy traveling, cooking/baking, cycling, skiing, playing Nintendo, and watching movies together. Blythe has been an active member at St. Mark’s, serving 3 years on the vestry from 2016 to 2018, serving as a youth educator for J2A and co-leading a youth pilgrimage to San Francisco in 2019, and playing piano for the Treble Choir and pageant back in the day. She is looking forward to serving St. Mark’s and its amazing congregation again.

I grew up in southwest Missouri, but I've lived in New Mexico since 1987 when I moved to Socorro for college. I didn't grow up in a church, but I began attending St. Mark's in 2003. I was baptized and confirmed here soon after, and I've been a member ever since.

I work as an engineer for a manufacturing plant in Belen, where I do industrial controls and machine design as well as manage capital projects and major maintenance. I'm also a hot air balloon pilot, and I can be found floating through the skies over central New Mexico during Balloon Fiesta and many other weekends throughout the year. I live in Albuquerque with my wife Ashley, and we have three children, aged 20, 19, and 18. 

​I have attended St. Mark’s for many years, volunteering in youth Sunday school and vestry and working in the nursery when Eric was a baby. I have two boys, Eric (15) and Thomas (10) and I am married to a guy named Matt who also appreciates this community because of your care for us, even though he does not attend church. I currently work at Sandia National Laboratories as a line manager. Outside of church, I love to travel with family, run while listening to audiobooks and rock climbing with friends in New Mexico.

My family (Jon (spouse), Zechariah (7) and Almerine (3)) and I have attended St. Marks for the past five years. From the moment we stepped through the doors of St. Mark’s we knew we found our spiritual home. We couldn’t be prouder to raise our children learning God’s grace in such a vibrant and welcoming community. I would be both humbled and honored to serve on the vestry to continue to grow, serve, and develop relationships within the community of St. Marks.

I was raised in the United Methodist Church in the small town of Edgefield, South Carolina where my parents are still very active members. After leaving home, I attended UMC, and Episcopal churches while receiving my higher education and working from coast to coast. I received my bachelors from Clemson University and my M.S. and PhD from the University of Florida. Before becoming enchanted with New Mexico, I visited D.C. regularly and lived in the Bay area of California. After serving the agricultural community for 15 years, I am now a Research Scientist at Sandia National Laboratory. 

Some of my hobbies include discovering the New Mexico landscape by hiking, biking, and floating in the Rio Grande with my family. I also enjoy cooking/baking, and all things gardening and canning related. When I am not busy playing with my children or trying micro brews with my husband, I do enjoy curling up with a good book in the evenings. 

I was born and raised in Oregon’s Willamette Valley, and have lived in New Mexico for over forty years. My son, Gabriel, is a graduate of The Rhode Island School of Design, and lives and works as a graphic designer in Brooklyn. My academic studies in music performance, anthropology, and sociology, were followed by a Bachelor’s degree in Business and Information Systems, and I have worked in publishing, journalism, broadcasting, and education. Highlights include interviewing over 900 artists, writers, actors, photographers, museum curators, and historians for radio broadcast, and for many years, my work focused on computer literacy while teaching gateway software courses at Santa Fe Community College.

For the last ten years, I have worked as the national rental coordinator for Robertson & Sons Violin Shop in Albuquerque and, until recently, I played violin and viola for church services and as an Irish and Scottish fiddler with my folk band, The Thrifters. Mine was not a church-going family, but after arriving in New Mexico, I explored a variety of churches before finding a home at St. Mark’s, where I was confirmed in 2022. I am also in my second year of Education for Ministry, a four-year small-group formation program of the School of Theology at the University of the South Sewanee (Tennessee), which is based on study and practice in theological reflection. By God’s gracious hand, the warm welcome, relationality, learning, liturgy, music, iconography and art, and endless opportunities for ministry and community service at St. Mark’s have anchored me here, where I hope to grow, serve, and love ever better in the years to come.

I started attending St. Mark’s in 2019 with my husband, Ron Hanks. We previously attended San Gabriel the Archangel Episcopal Church in Corrales, NM, where I served as Senior Warden. Prior to becoming Senior Warden, I was San Gabriel’s treasurer. Unfortunately, the doors of San Gabriel closed, so we began visiting the Albuquerque area Episcopal churches in search of our new church home. From our first visit to St. Mark’s, we felt that this church embodied the spirit and love of San Gabriel but on a grander scale. We especially love the many outreach opportunities that are available at St. Mark’s.

I was born in Grand Island, Nebraska, but my family soon moved to New Mexico where I grew up on the Navajo reservation in Shiprock. I have a bachelor’s degree in accounting and a master’s degree in finance. When not at work as the controller of a local building material distributor, I enjoy volunteering with the following organizations:  Oasis Tutoring Program and the Dismas House Transitional Program. Steve and Ron are the proud parents of two Miniature Schnauzers, GiGi and Juno.

I grew up Methodist and was confirmed into the Episcopal Church in 1999. My wife, Miranda Eastham, and I have attended St. Mark’s for the last 13 years. Even our various pets have attended church here during the annual Blessing of the Animals service! I have served God and St. Mark’s in various ways including coordinator of the Coffee Hour Hospitality Ministry for 7 years, Vestry (my term ended 5 years ago), Sr. Warden, and am now the coordinator of the Take Them A Meal ministry. I am an EFM (Education for Ministry) graduate and participate regularly in the interesting adult Christian Education classes at St. Mark’s.

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Professionally, I have a bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate in nursing and executive leadership. I believe my experience in hospital leadership will contribute to the work of the Vestry, particularly in this time of forward movement at St. Mark’s. If elected, I will also bring a deep sense of pastoral caring and appreciation for our St. Mark’s family. I would also work with the other members and clergy to seek God’s will for our parish through prayer, study, discussion, and action.

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Outside of church, some of my life’s joys include spending time with family and friends, beekeeping, hiking in the mountains, reading, doing art, and playing Rumikube.

I was raised in Lancaster, PA and graduated from Allegheny College in Meadville, PA in 1982.  I joined the Air Force and spent 22 years moving around the world doing a variety of things, including weather, satellite development, launch and operations.  I’ve been married to Diane since 1989, and we have two college aged kids, Eric and Rachel.  We’ve been with St. Mark’s since 2008.  I like hiking, gardening, bee keeping and bird watching.

Miranda has been a member of St. Mark’s since 2012 and has served both on the vestry at The Cathedral Church of St. John and as its treasurer. Miranda has also served as a Convention Delegate in the Diocese of the Rio Grande and chaired two stewardship campaigns. She holds a B.S. in Business Information Systems and an M.B.A., both from the University of Colorado.

Peter Pierotti was born and raised in Los Alamos, New Mexico, graduated from UNM with a bachelor of arts degree in Communications, and a law degree from the UNM School of Law.  He was in private practice for 17 years before joining the Legal Department at the City of Albuquerque, and served as the attorney for the Aviation Department.  He is currently the Aviation Department Associate Director for Strategic Planning, serving as a senior in-house Aviation Department strategic/compliance and planning advisor, with primary focus on compliance, policies and procedures, training, employee development and evaluations, and department goals and objectives.