Council Members elected 9/9/2021
The Rt. Rev. Dr. DeDe Duncan Probe, Central New York, President
The Venerable Dr. Walter Baer, Europe,Vice President
The Rev. Jimmie Sue Deppe, Rochester, Secretary
Canon Phyllis Jones, New Jersey, Treasurer
The Rt. Rev. Carlye J. Hughes, Newark, Bishop Representative to Provincial Council
The Rev. Canon Johnnie Ross, Rochester, Clergy Representative to Provincial Council
Yvonne O’Neal, Lay Representative to Provincial Council, New York
Thomas K. Chu, Esq., New York, Lay Representative to Executive Council Elect
The Venerable Dr. Walter Baer, Europe,Vice President
The Rev. Jimmie Sue Deppe, Rochester, Secretary
Canon Phyllis Jones, New Jersey, Treasurer
The Rt. Rev. Carlye J. Hughes, Newark, Bishop Representative to Provincial Council
The Rev. Canon Johnnie Ross, Rochester, Clergy Representative to Provincial Council
Yvonne O’Neal, Lay Representative to Provincial Council, New York
Thomas K. Chu, Esq., New York, Lay Representative to Executive Council Elect
The Rt. Rev. Dr. DeDe Duncan Probe
President
Central New York
The Rt. Rev. Dr. DeDe Duncan-Probe was consecrated as the 11th Bishop of Central New York on December 3, 2016, following her election to the position at a special convention of the Diocese of Central New York on August 6, 2016. She enjoys building up sustainable ministry, encouraging people in their service of God, and sharing the vibrant love of Jesus by organizing and implementing healthy church systems.
Bishop DeDe’s vocation as a priest led her to serve in a wide variety of parish ministry settings, including two years in the Diocese of Massachusetts and nine years in the Diocese of Virginia. From 2009 until shortly after her election to the episcopate, she was the Rector of St. Peter’s in the Woods Episcopal Church in Fairfax Station, Virginia. There she became the first woman to shepherd a church from mission to parish status in the Diocese of Virginia. She held a number of leadership positions in that diocese, and at the time of her election as bishop she was serving as Dean of Region VII, as Regional Priest of Northern Virginia for the Commission on Congregational Missions, and as a Board Member of the Diocesan Missionary Society. She had also served as the Region VII Representative for the Diocesan Executive Board, as a founding member of the Diocesan Dayspring Committee, and as the Chairperson of the Vision Committee for Congregations.
Prior to entering ordained ministry, Bishop DeDe had a successful career in education and business. She began her professional life as an educator, teaching in public and private schools, including two years working with inner-city at-risk youth in Los Angeles, California. In 1994, she founded a grant-writing agency that successfully funded a counseling program for at-risk teens in the San Mateo Court and Community Schools of California. During that same year she and her husband co-founded a consulting firm, CA AeroComm Corporation, and she was the firm’s Chief Operating Officer for five years. During her time in California, she also enjoyed a career as a professional singer, performing gospel, blues, and jazz music with a variety of groups.
She holds a bachelor’s degree in education from Stephen F. Austin State University, a master’s degree in psychology from Pepperdine University, a Master of Divinity degree from The General Theological Seminary, and a doctor of philosophy degree in theology from The Graduate Theological Foundation, completed at Oxford University. She and her husband, Chris Probe, have three children. Bishop DeDe enjoys golfing, hiking, visiting art galleries, kayaking, tennis, and spending time with her family and their two dogs.
President
Central New York
The Rt. Rev. Dr. DeDe Duncan-Probe was consecrated as the 11th Bishop of Central New York on December 3, 2016, following her election to the position at a special convention of the Diocese of Central New York on August 6, 2016. She enjoys building up sustainable ministry, encouraging people in their service of God, and sharing the vibrant love of Jesus by organizing and implementing healthy church systems.
Bishop DeDe’s vocation as a priest led her to serve in a wide variety of parish ministry settings, including two years in the Diocese of Massachusetts and nine years in the Diocese of Virginia. From 2009 until shortly after her election to the episcopate, she was the Rector of St. Peter’s in the Woods Episcopal Church in Fairfax Station, Virginia. There she became the first woman to shepherd a church from mission to parish status in the Diocese of Virginia. She held a number of leadership positions in that diocese, and at the time of her election as bishop she was serving as Dean of Region VII, as Regional Priest of Northern Virginia for the Commission on Congregational Missions, and as a Board Member of the Diocesan Missionary Society. She had also served as the Region VII Representative for the Diocesan Executive Board, as a founding member of the Diocesan Dayspring Committee, and as the Chairperson of the Vision Committee for Congregations.
Prior to entering ordained ministry, Bishop DeDe had a successful career in education and business. She began her professional life as an educator, teaching in public and private schools, including two years working with inner-city at-risk youth in Los Angeles, California. In 1994, she founded a grant-writing agency that successfully funded a counseling program for at-risk teens in the San Mateo Court and Community Schools of California. During that same year she and her husband co-founded a consulting firm, CA AeroComm Corporation, and she was the firm’s Chief Operating Officer for five years. During her time in California, she also enjoyed a career as a professional singer, performing gospel, blues, and jazz music with a variety of groups.
She holds a bachelor’s degree in education from Stephen F. Austin State University, a master’s degree in psychology from Pepperdine University, a Master of Divinity degree from The General Theological Seminary, and a doctor of philosophy degree in theology from The Graduate Theological Foundation, completed at Oxford University. She and her husband, Chris Probe, have three children. Bishop DeDe enjoys golfing, hiking, visiting art galleries, kayaking, tennis, and spending time with her family and their two dogs.
The Venerable Dr. Walter Baer
Vice President
Europe
The Ven. Dr. Walter Baer is Archdeacon and Transition Minister in the Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe. He has been in this position for over four years. A native of Wisconsin, born to an immigrant family, he was raised in a multi-lingual home in Madison Wisconsin. Ordained deacon and priest in the Diocese of Milwaukee in 1985, Walter served for 30 years in Louisiana both in the Diocese of Western Louisiana and the Diocese of Louisiana. Parish ministry included cathedral, parochial, Episcopal school, and campus ministries. He was Canon to the Ordinary in Western Louisiana 1990-96, a Deputy or Alternate Deputy to General Conventions in 1991, 1994, 2000, and 2003. Starting in 2003, he served as rector of a multi-cultural parish in New Orleans, with Anglo, Latino, and African communities, rebuilding the church and community after Hurricane Katrina with the help of partners from many parts of the US, including Province II. Walter also spent six years in chaplaincy/administration at a diocesan K-12 Episcopal / Independent School in suburban New Orleans, including over two years as interim headmaster. Both in New Orleans and state-wide in Louisiana, he was active in Community Organizing and justice issues. Mission work has included multiple trips to Dominican Republic and Honduras, two trips to Cuba and a trip to Haiti. Over the course of his ministry, he has visited every diocese in the Province II, except the Virgin Islands.
After relocating to Vienna, Austria in 2015, he worked with the Old Catholic Church in Austria engaging in interim ministry. In January 2017, he accepted the position of Archdeacon for the Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe, based in Paris, and works with the Convocation’s congregations and institutions in seven countries. Walter is a deputy to the 80th General Convention and currently is on the Task Force to Coordinate Ecumenical and Interreligious Work (an interim body of General Convention), focusing on relationships between TEC and the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Bavaria, the Church of Sweden, and the Anglican Communion Office. Walter and his husband Peter together have four grown children and three grandchildren. They make their home in Vienna and Paris.
Vice President
Europe
The Ven. Dr. Walter Baer is Archdeacon and Transition Minister in the Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe. He has been in this position for over four years. A native of Wisconsin, born to an immigrant family, he was raised in a multi-lingual home in Madison Wisconsin. Ordained deacon and priest in the Diocese of Milwaukee in 1985, Walter served for 30 years in Louisiana both in the Diocese of Western Louisiana and the Diocese of Louisiana. Parish ministry included cathedral, parochial, Episcopal school, and campus ministries. He was Canon to the Ordinary in Western Louisiana 1990-96, a Deputy or Alternate Deputy to General Conventions in 1991, 1994, 2000, and 2003. Starting in 2003, he served as rector of a multi-cultural parish in New Orleans, with Anglo, Latino, and African communities, rebuilding the church and community after Hurricane Katrina with the help of partners from many parts of the US, including Province II. Walter also spent six years in chaplaincy/administration at a diocesan K-12 Episcopal / Independent School in suburban New Orleans, including over two years as interim headmaster. Both in New Orleans and state-wide in Louisiana, he was active in Community Organizing and justice issues. Mission work has included multiple trips to Dominican Republic and Honduras, two trips to Cuba and a trip to Haiti. Over the course of his ministry, he has visited every diocese in the Province II, except the Virgin Islands.
After relocating to Vienna, Austria in 2015, he worked with the Old Catholic Church in Austria engaging in interim ministry. In January 2017, he accepted the position of Archdeacon for the Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe, based in Paris, and works with the Convocation’s congregations and institutions in seven countries. Walter is a deputy to the 80th General Convention and currently is on the Task Force to Coordinate Ecumenical and Interreligious Work (an interim body of General Convention), focusing on relationships between TEC and the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Bavaria, the Church of Sweden, and the Anglican Communion Office. Walter and his husband Peter together have four grown children and three grandchildren. They make their home in Vienna and Paris.
The Rev. Jimmie Sue Deppe
Rochester
Secretary
The Rev. Jimmie Sue is the rector of Church of the Epiphany, Gates, New York and has been with Epiphany for five years. I have said that the place has a big heart, because the Rev. Deppe has such a big heart. I speak with her as she shared with me her desire to one day serve the church on the Provincial level and that she has the gift of a recorder, having once held a professional position where it was her job to take notes and record meetings as they happened. Armed with this new information, I thought I would offer her name.
She has been married to her wife Amy for 16 years and they have two grown children; daughter, Janna, in her first year at the College of Brockport for pre-med; and son, Jacob, an Infantryman in the United States Army currently stationed in Alaska. She is a pet lover with two very adorable and goofy dogs, Theo and Sparky. Being a member of the US Military, enlisting during Desert Shield with a Top-Secret security clearance, she has lived throughout the United States, South Korea, and Panama. She enjoys the outdoors, backpacking, and camping.
She has worked in the Southwest Research Institute as a program and business research analysis for 12 years. She has been an ordained priest for six years and is a “detail person.” She has served on the Diocesan Commission on Ministry and is currently on the Disciplinary Board. She graduated from Episcopal Divinity School, 2014.
Rochester
Secretary
The Rev. Jimmie Sue is the rector of Church of the Epiphany, Gates, New York and has been with Epiphany for five years. I have said that the place has a big heart, because the Rev. Deppe has such a big heart. I speak with her as she shared with me her desire to one day serve the church on the Provincial level and that she has the gift of a recorder, having once held a professional position where it was her job to take notes and record meetings as they happened. Armed with this new information, I thought I would offer her name.
She has been married to her wife Amy for 16 years and they have two grown children; daughter, Janna, in her first year at the College of Brockport for pre-med; and son, Jacob, an Infantryman in the United States Army currently stationed in Alaska. She is a pet lover with two very adorable and goofy dogs, Theo and Sparky. Being a member of the US Military, enlisting during Desert Shield with a Top-Secret security clearance, she has lived throughout the United States, South Korea, and Panama. She enjoys the outdoors, backpacking, and camping.
She has worked in the Southwest Research Institute as a program and business research analysis for 12 years. She has been an ordained priest for six years and is a “detail person.” She has served on the Diocesan Commission on Ministry and is currently on the Disciplinary Board. She graduated from Episcopal Divinity School, 2014.
The Rt. Rev. Carlye J. Hughes
Bishop Representative to Provincial Council
Newark
The Rt. Rev. Carlye J. Hughes was ordained as the XI Bishop of Newark in 2018. Her greatest delight is shepherding the needs and opportunities for ministry in the diocese. Raised as the daughter of a successful high school sports coach, she sees herself as the “Head Coach of Spiritual Life and Formation” in the Diocese of Newark. Her ministry is shaped by an oversight that empowers others to embrace and live boldly into their own ministry beyond the doors of the church. Her vision for the diocese is a simple one: change the world by taking God’s love everywhere we go. Bishop Hughes is grateful to the many parishes, clergy, and lay leaders that have blessed her ministry all through her life. She is a proud graduate of Virginia Theological Seminary and a strong supporter of all Episcopal Seminaries.
Bishop Representative to Provincial Council
Newark
The Rt. Rev. Carlye J. Hughes was ordained as the XI Bishop of Newark in 2018. Her greatest delight is shepherding the needs and opportunities for ministry in the diocese. Raised as the daughter of a successful high school sports coach, she sees herself as the “Head Coach of Spiritual Life and Formation” in the Diocese of Newark. Her ministry is shaped by an oversight that empowers others to embrace and live boldly into their own ministry beyond the doors of the church. Her vision for the diocese is a simple one: change the world by taking God’s love everywhere we go. Bishop Hughes is grateful to the many parishes, clergy, and lay leaders that have blessed her ministry all through her life. She is a proud graduate of Virginia Theological Seminary and a strong supporter of all Episcopal Seminaries.
The Rev. Canon Johnnie Ross
Clergy Representative to Provincial Council
Rochester
Since 2016, the Rev. Canon Johnnie Ross has served in the Diocese of Rochester in Province II. In 2019 he was appointed to fill an unexpired term as Clergy Representative to Province II. Previously, he served for 21 years in the Diocese of Lexington, Kentucky, as a parish priest and rector, in several rural and Lexington parishes, a member of Standing Committee, a deputy to many General Conventions and Canon to the Ordinary.
Ordained on December 21, 1995, Ross’ involvement in the international life of the church began almost immediately with his election to the Standing Committee in 1996. He attended General Conventions in 1997, 2000, 2003, and 2006. During his tenure as a deputy to General Convention, he served on the Standing Committee for the Structure of the Church and the Executive Council's Committee on Science, Technology, and Faith, where he became one of the authors of A Catechism of Creation - An Episcopal Understanding (https://www.episcopalchurch.org/files/CreationCatechism.pdf) and has been acknowledged for this work and other science/faith endeavors by his nomination and induction to the Society for Ordained Scientists.
In 2016, Canon Ross became Canon to the Ordinary in the Diocese of Rochester, where he served for three years, prior to becoming the first Diocesan Dean for Churches in Small Towns and Rural Communities and Pastoral Development, one of his current positions. In addition, Canon Ross serves as rector of two small churches in Scottsville and Caledonia, Grace Episcopal and St. Andrew’s, respectively, returning to what he describes as “his heart lies with the smallest of churches.” While in the Diocese of Rochester, Canon Ross has been active in the College for Congregational Development both as a student and a presenter, The Table, a campus ministry at Rochester Institute of Technology, and authored a grant where the diocese received approximately $300,000 for ministry to the deaf and hard-of-hearing. In early 2017 he traveled to Standing Rock, South Dakota in support of the Sioux Tribe in their protest regarding the Dakota Access Pipeline. He has been elected to serve as a deputy to the 80th General Convention of the Episcopal Church.
Clergy Representative to Provincial Council
Rochester
Since 2016, the Rev. Canon Johnnie Ross has served in the Diocese of Rochester in Province II. In 2019 he was appointed to fill an unexpired term as Clergy Representative to Province II. Previously, he served for 21 years in the Diocese of Lexington, Kentucky, as a parish priest and rector, in several rural and Lexington parishes, a member of Standing Committee, a deputy to many General Conventions and Canon to the Ordinary.
Ordained on December 21, 1995, Ross’ involvement in the international life of the church began almost immediately with his election to the Standing Committee in 1996. He attended General Conventions in 1997, 2000, 2003, and 2006. During his tenure as a deputy to General Convention, he served on the Standing Committee for the Structure of the Church and the Executive Council's Committee on Science, Technology, and Faith, where he became one of the authors of A Catechism of Creation - An Episcopal Understanding (https://www.episcopalchurch.org/files/CreationCatechism.pdf) and has been acknowledged for this work and other science/faith endeavors by his nomination and induction to the Society for Ordained Scientists.
In 2016, Canon Ross became Canon to the Ordinary in the Diocese of Rochester, where he served for three years, prior to becoming the first Diocesan Dean for Churches in Small Towns and Rural Communities and Pastoral Development, one of his current positions. In addition, Canon Ross serves as rector of two small churches in Scottsville and Caledonia, Grace Episcopal and St. Andrew’s, respectively, returning to what he describes as “his heart lies with the smallest of churches.” While in the Diocese of Rochester, Canon Ross has been active in the College for Congregational Development both as a student and a presenter, The Table, a campus ministry at Rochester Institute of Technology, and authored a grant where the diocese received approximately $300,000 for ministry to the deaf and hard-of-hearing. In early 2017 he traveled to Standing Rock, South Dakota in support of the Sioux Tribe in their protest regarding the Dakota Access Pipeline. He has been elected to serve as a deputy to the 80th General Convention of the Episcopal Church.
Yvonne O’Neal
Lay Representative to Provincial Council
New York
Yvonne O’Neal is currently serving her first term on the Board of Trustees of the Church Pension and also The Church Club of New York. She is a vice president of the latter.
Her commitment to social justice and human rights advocacy is a priority in her work on various NGO committees affiliated with the United Nations, and a member of the Task Force Against Human Trafficking and the Task Force on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault in the Diocese of New York. She was recently elected to the Diocesan Standing Committee. She chaired the Companion Diocese Committee for nine years and the Global Mission Commission for six. O’Neal has served on the board of Episcopal Church Women and on Diocesan Council. She was a member of the Advisory Council of the Anglican Communion Office at the United Nations.
A devoted layperson, she has been involved with practically every facet of life at the Church of the Holy Trinity since 1976, where she served various vestry terms and is a warden. O’Neal is the Chief Helmswoman of One Boat: International Chaplaincy for Covid Times and gives a monthly reflection on her advocacy topics.
O’Neal has extensive experience as a financial consultant and holds various professional designations. She holds M.A. and B.S. degrees. O’Neal completed the Women’s Leadership Institute at Hartford Seminary and received the Education for Ministry (EfM) certificate from the School of Theology, The University of the South.
She would be honored to serve a second term as Lay Representative to Province II Council.
Lay Representative to Provincial Council
New York
Yvonne O’Neal is currently serving her first term on the Board of Trustees of the Church Pension and also The Church Club of New York. She is a vice president of the latter.
Her commitment to social justice and human rights advocacy is a priority in her work on various NGO committees affiliated with the United Nations, and a member of the Task Force Against Human Trafficking and the Task Force on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault in the Diocese of New York. She was recently elected to the Diocesan Standing Committee. She chaired the Companion Diocese Committee for nine years and the Global Mission Commission for six. O’Neal has served on the board of Episcopal Church Women and on Diocesan Council. She was a member of the Advisory Council of the Anglican Communion Office at the United Nations.
A devoted layperson, she has been involved with practically every facet of life at the Church of the Holy Trinity since 1976, where she served various vestry terms and is a warden. O’Neal is the Chief Helmswoman of One Boat: International Chaplaincy for Covid Times and gives a monthly reflection on her advocacy topics.
O’Neal has extensive experience as a financial consultant and holds various professional designations. She holds M.A. and B.S. degrees. O’Neal completed the Women’s Leadership Institute at Hartford Seminary and received the Education for Ministry (EfM) certificate from the School of Theology, The University of the South.
She would be honored to serve a second term as Lay Representative to Province II Council.
Thomas K. Chu, Esq.
New York
Lay Representative to Executive Council
Since confirmation as a young teenager, I have sought ways to engage God’s mission through The Episcopal Church, as a volunteer, as a paid administrator in several churches, and as a student chaplain at Columbia.
For over 18 years I was privileged to serve the wider church in congregational development, young adult and higher education ministries, and ministries with young people, working with Executive Council and General Convention committees, ecumenical and global networks. During these years, I strongly advocated for including and empowering younger and new voices in the church, a commitment which I continue.
Later I found my current calling as an estate planner, I built a practice addressing the needs of business owners and older clients. Blessed with new skills and gifts to offer the church and as a member of Generation X, I belong to a hinge generation to navigate to a new future, and would be honored to serve.Thomas K. Chu, Esq.
New York
Lay Representative to Executive Council
Since confirmation as a young teenager, I have sought ways to engage God’s mission through The Episcopal Church, as a volunteer, as a paid administrator in several churches, and as a student chaplain at Columbia.
For over 18 years I was privileged to serve the wider church in congregational development, young adult and higher education ministries, and ministries with young people, working with Executive Council and General Convention committees, ecumenical and global networks. During these years, I strongly advocated for including and empowering younger and new voices in the church, a commitment which I continue.
Later I found my current calling as an estate planner, I built a practice addressing the needs of business owners and older clients. Blessed with new skills and gifts to offer the church and as a member of Generation X, I belong to a hinge generation to navigate to a new future, and would be honored to serve.Thomas K. Chu, Esq.
New York
Lay Representative to Executive Council
Nominated by Yvonne O’Neal (New York)
(resume)
Since confirmation as a young teenager, I have sought ways to engage God’s mission through The Episcopal Church, as a volunteer, as a paid administrator in several churches, and as a student chaplain at Columbia.
For over 18 years I was privileged to serve the wider church in congregational development, young adult and higher education ministries, and ministries with young people, working with Executive Council and General Convention committees, ecumenical and global networks. During these years, I strongly advocated for including and empowering younger and new voices in the church, a commitment which I continue.
Later I found my current calling as an estate planner, I built a practice addressing the needs of business owners and older clients. Blessed with new skills and gifts to offer the church and as a member of Generation X, I belong to a hinge generation to navigate to a new future, and would be honored to serve.
New York
Lay Representative to Executive Council
Since confirmation as a young teenager, I have sought ways to engage God’s mission through The Episcopal Church, as a volunteer, as a paid administrator in several churches, and as a student chaplain at Columbia.
For over 18 years I was privileged to serve the wider church in congregational development, young adult and higher education ministries, and ministries with young people, working with Executive Council and General Convention committees, ecumenical and global networks. During these years, I strongly advocated for including and empowering younger and new voices in the church, a commitment which I continue.
Later I found my current calling as an estate planner, I built a practice addressing the needs of business owners and older clients. Blessed with new skills and gifts to offer the church and as a member of Generation X, I belong to a hinge generation to navigate to a new future, and would be honored to serve.Thomas K. Chu, Esq.
New York
Lay Representative to Executive Council
Since confirmation as a young teenager, I have sought ways to engage God’s mission through The Episcopal Church, as a volunteer, as a paid administrator in several churches, and as a student chaplain at Columbia.
For over 18 years I was privileged to serve the wider church in congregational development, young adult and higher education ministries, and ministries with young people, working with Executive Council and General Convention committees, ecumenical and global networks. During these years, I strongly advocated for including and empowering younger and new voices in the church, a commitment which I continue.
Later I found my current calling as an estate planner, I built a practice addressing the needs of business owners and older clients. Blessed with new skills and gifts to offer the church and as a member of Generation X, I belong to a hinge generation to navigate to a new future, and would be honored to serve.Thomas K. Chu, Esq.
New York
Lay Representative to Executive Council
Nominated by Yvonne O’Neal (New York)
(resume)
Since confirmation as a young teenager, I have sought ways to engage God’s mission through The Episcopal Church, as a volunteer, as a paid administrator in several churches, and as a student chaplain at Columbia.
For over 18 years I was privileged to serve the wider church in congregational development, young adult and higher education ministries, and ministries with young people, working with Executive Council and General Convention committees, ecumenical and global networks. During these years, I strongly advocated for including and empowering younger and new voices in the church, a commitment which I continue.
Later I found my current calling as an estate planner, I built a practice addressing the needs of business owners and older clients. Blessed with new skills and gifts to offer the church and as a member of Generation X, I belong to a hinge generation to navigate to a new future, and would be honored to serve.
