Clergy & Staff

​Santana Bartoldus

Santana Bartoldus (pronounced “Sahn-TAH-nah”) is a Master of Divinity student at Virginia Theological Seminary, and a postulant to the priesthood in the Diocese of Maryland. Hailing from Frederick, she is a former church musician, and has served as Director of Music Ministries at the Church of the Transfiguration, Braddock Heights (MD), St. Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church of Utica (MD), and as Associate Music Director at All Saints’ Episcopal, Frederick. While in Frederick she served as Assistant Director of The Frederick Chorale, and performed as a freelance keyboardist throughout Maryland and Washington. In her other life, Santana is also a board certified music therapist (MT-BC), and has done extensive work with people with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, terminal illness, and grief/bereavement. Santana holds a Master of Music in music therapy from Colorado State University, and a Bachelor of Arts in music from Yale University. She lives with her daughter Maggie and husband Brian, who is the Artistic Director of the Handel Choir of Baltimore and Music Director at Frederick Presbyterian Church.

Heather Beck

Heather Beck is a dedicated and compassionate fundraising professional serving as the Director of Development and Stewardship at St. Columba's. She works closely with parishioners on the pledge campaign, Iona society, and all fundraisers held through the church. With a deep-rooted belief in the power of generosity and the mission of the church, Heather is committed to ensuring that it remains a beacon of hope, love, and faith for generations to come.

Karise Blount

Karise brings extensive experience in social media management and customer service, making her a superb fit and a valuable asset to our team. Her background includes responding to customer inquiries on various platforms, creating and managing content, and providing excellent customer experiences.

Aaron Childers

Born in Appleton, Wisconsin, Aaron attended the same jr. high school as noted thespian Willem Dafoe. After serving on active duty in the US Army during peacetime and spending a few years living in Europe as a civilian, Aaron finally graduated from the University of Wisconsin, before spending over ten years working in political campaigns for candidates, parties and Super PACs. In 2017, Aaron retired from politics and began working in hospitality management before coming to Saint Columba’s. Aaron’s lifetime highlights include: appearing in an issue of Sport Illustrated as a child, saving a woman from drowning at the Alamo in Texas, and crashing a Volkswagen on the Autobahn in Germany.

Sara Curtin

The Rev. Joshua Daniel, PhD

Joshua has failed at many things in life. For all but one year of his baseball career (which ended in Little League) he was an abysmal right-handed batter. In middle school he strove, but failed, to make honor-roll. He was a stalwart of the bench in junior high basketball, getting only one chance to prove his mettle: his coach subbed-him-in when the game was on the line and tied against his school’s archrival, the Elmwood Raiders; within moments he managed to make a quick steal with an open court and easy layup ahead of him, but instead he dribbled the ball off his foot and out-of-bounds. He “rode the bench” until he finally quit his sophomore year. Later in high school he reached above his station and signed up for honors English; however he was soon asked (“strongly requested”) to drop out by one of the most admired teachers in his school. In his early twenties he was fired from a part-time job at a fancy Italian restaurant in St. Louis, MO (mostly he thinks for not understanding the je ne sais quoi of French Red Wine). In college he graduated a semester late due to misunderstanding the rather complicated sequence of his college’s foreign language credit system. Soon thereafter he stumbled into graduate school, unwittingly entering a 12 year doom-loop of full-time studies, which he finally escaped at the age of 35. His first calling as a priest in Arkansas ended in total disaster. His three beautiful children do not agree on much but managed to find rare consensus on his “cringe” rating: an impressive 97%. In the late 2000s, his wife once compared him to Johnny Depp, circa Depp’s Edward Scissorhands days.

By the grace of God Joshua has come to work at St. Columba’s, a spirit-filled place that strives to honor every single person as beloved children of God, warts and all. Joshua delights in the never ending river of forgiveness and mercy he continually receives from Jesus; and he draws on a tantalizingly similar affection and courage from his family who somehow know just what to say to call him up off the ground and to get him to try again.

Joshua loves to meet new and familiar faces from around the parish and neighborhood and hear their own journeys of faith: the stories earlily shared, the stories hard to name, the stories that seem to have slipped through the cracks.

Joshua began at St. Columba’s in March 2020, arriving simultaneously with the great pandemic. He would not meet most parishioners in-person for another year and a half. You can find out more about his background and current projects here.

Marina Davis

Lauren Devito

My career in design and marketing has provided a broad range of experience, starting at MTV and spanning a wide range of clients from Volkswagen, Infiniti, and Gerber to non-profits like Georgetown Hill Early Schools, and small businesses across the US. Originally from Staten Island, NY, I now live in Virginia with my children and partner, Steve.

In the Director of Communications role, I look forward to helping spread the message of love, peace, justice and inclusivity that encompasses the St. Columba’s spirit. Together, we will explore new ways to deepen our commitment as a community of faith. Strong relationships and authentic communication make St. Columba’s stronger as a whole, and I am here for you!

Father Mitchell Felton

Mitchell’s proudest moments to date are learning how to use the Red Line by himself and only crying twice, and being the lead star in a Netflix commercial.

The Rev. Susan Flanders

Rachid Gana

Rachid is St. Columba’s printer. Since 1999 he has been responsible for our printing and binding, including weekly and special bulletins, newsletters, brochures, mailings, annual stewardship materials and all other official printed communications. He also manages the paper, printing supplies and maintenance for our digital printing press.

Rachid grew up in Algeria and now lives in Rockville, MD with his wife and three children.

The Rev. David Griswold

In November 2017, the Rev. David Griswold was appointed by Bishop Marianne Budde to serve as deacon at St. Columba's. David previously served with us during his final year of preparation before ordination, and now continues in approximately one-third-time, non-stipendiary capacity.

David serves liturgically on Sundays, proclaiming the Gospel, preaching and preparing the table. He also leads Bible study most Sundays and supports our outreach, justice, formation and pastoral care ministries. David may also serve beyond our walls to advance the mission of the diocese. After coming to Washington in the 1980s to work as a congressional aide, he joined St. Margaret’s Church in DC and served as a lay leader for over 30 years, focusing especially on Christian education and community outreach. After earning a Master of Theological Studies at Wesley Seminary in 2012, David pursued Clinical Pastoral Education at Sibley Hospital. Granted Postulancy in 2014, he completed Deacons’ School training, which included an internship with Samaritan Ministry of Greater Washington.

John Guenther

Mitch Guffanti

Diane Heath

Diane Heath is part-time assistant director of music and works closely with Anne Timpane, the director of music ministries. Outside of her work at St. Columba’s, she maintains an active organ and piano teaching studio.

Diane holds a Bachelor of Music in Liturgical Music from Hartt School of Music and a Master of Music in Choral Conducting and Organ from Indiana University. She also has a diploma in Piano Pedagogy from The Levine School of Music. Diane has been on the music staff of St. Columba’s since 1996.

The Rev. Brooks Hundley

Brooks is an Episcopal priest in the Diocese of Washington who serves as the school chaplain at St. Albans School for Boys. He received his BA in psychology from Skidmore College; his MDIV from Union Theological Seminary and his post-graduate diploma in Anglican Studies from Virginia Theological Seminary.

At St. Albans, Brooks provides pastoral care to the community, teaches Bible and Philosophy of Religion courses in the high school division, is a member of the counseling staff and the Senior Administration, and oversees bi-weekly chapel services for students and faculty. Brooks is married to Courtney Hutchinson Hundley. They are the parents of a tenth grade boy, James, and an eighth grade girl, Caroline.

Courtney Hundley

St. Columba's has been a tremendous blessing to our family. The Mother's Group and the nursery school were our entrance into the church many years ago and have been active across a variety of ministries. As the Minister for Member Engagement I am fortunate to work, learn and grow alongside a talented and hardworking team. It is my hope that I can support parishioners as well as welcome new people into the life and ministries of our faithful congregation. I look forward to connecting and supporting you, as you feel the love and spirit of God working through you, in our church and in the broader community.

Katie McGervey

I have been a member of St. Columba’s since 1994. I was married here, served as a volunteer for mission in Southern Africa with my husband (supported by St. Columba’s), and have raised both of my children here. My husband, Joe and I have been involved in many ministries here - working with the Dreamers, going on SCAP, teaching Sunday School and J2A, as ushers and greeters and choir parents. We have two boys, Max is 16 and Oscar is 13. They are both active in the youth program, and sing and ring bells in the choir. I homeschool both of them and volunteer in lots of their activities (Scouts, robotics, diving). I was raised in the Episcopal Church in Lakewood, OH and my grandfather was an Episcopal priest. I’m already learning so much going from parishioner to staff, and look forward to sharing many adventures with you.

Annick Milde

Born and raised in Brussels, Belgium, Annick moved to Washington, DC in 1986 and worked for the World Bank for 18 years. Annick has spent the last 16 years working for Unity Woods Yoga Center in downtown Bethesda. In her free time, she enjoys music and cooking.

Kate Murphy

Kate Murphy has extensive experience in the field of early childhood education. After graduating from the George Washington University with a B.A. in Political Science and Psychology, she began her career as the Site Manager of Jumpstart at Georgetown University, an AmeriCorps program which promotes preschoolers’ language, literacy, and social skill development.

Kate then taught Pre-Kindergarten at a DC charter school for five years before becoming an Instructional Specialist with District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS). In this role, she was responsible for the coaching and professional development of early childhood educators to ensure all children received high-quality services. She was then promoted to become the Manager of the ECE Learning Lab, a professional learning program within DCPS that provided visiting educators the opportunity to observe developmentally appropriate, rigorous and joyful instruction, and then set goals for implementation in their own classrooms.

Before coming to St. Columba's Nursery School, Kate served as the Executive Director at The Community Preschool of the Palisades. In this role, she was responsible for managing all preschool operations and a team of educators in their implementation of play-based programming. Kate also holds a M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction with a Concentration in Early Childhood Education for Diverse Learners from George Mason University.

Michele Prince

As Pastoral Care Coordinator, Michele works closely with the clergy, program staff, and parish pastoral leaders to coordinate our shared efforts to support and care for all members of the congregation, particularly in seasons of transition or times of need. She also serves as the staff liaison for our caring ministries (Stephen Ministry, Prayer Chain, Healing Ministry, Flower Delivery, Good Shepherds).

She began attending St. Columba’s in September 2001 when she joined the Mothers’ Group. After a few years and some great new friendships, she and her family began attending services. The church’s support of her family during her son Will’s illness and death in 2009 propelled her into Stephen Ministry and into a deeper connection with St. Columba's. It also showed her the power of God's love and grace in times of pain and sadness. Michele was raised Roman Catholic and was received into the Episcopal Church in 2017.

​Torie Proctor

Torie Proctor will be the new Director of Finance and Administration at St. Columba's. Torie brings 20-plus years of experience in financial management and organizational leadership, having previously worked in similar roles across various sectors. With a solid strategic planning, budgeting, and operations background, Torie is well-equipped to oversee our financial health and administrative functions. Her commitment to fostering a collaborative environment aligns perfectly with our values, and we are confident that her expertise will be a tremendous asset to our community.

Anne Timpane

Anne Timpane, our director of music ministries, is a magna cum laude graduate of Westminster Choir College and holds a Master of Music degree in organ performance from Manhattan School of Music (MSM). While at MSM, she was awarded the Bronson Regan Award for outstanding accomplishment in organ performance.

She began her career in church music as the Lee Hastings Bristol, Jr., Organ Scholar at Trinity Church, Princeton, NJ, and has served several parishes in the New York and Washington, DC areas, including St. Columba’s (DC), The Brick Church, (NYC), Christ Church Greenwich (CT) and Christ Church Bronxville (NY). Most recently, she was at St. John’s Norwood parish in Chevy Chase (MD), where she served as director of music ministries for 10 years.

The Rev. Adelyn Tyler-Williams

Adelyn Tyler-Williams serves at the Associate Rector for Worship and Discipleship, in other words she spends time on all things liturgy and works with the staff team to support Christian education. Prior to joining the staff at St. Columba's, she served in Fayetteville, AR overseeing outreach and justice ministries at St. Paul's Episcopal Church and serving as campus chaplain at St. Martin's Episcopal University Center. She is originally from Atlanta, GA and was ordained by the Diocese of Atlanta in 2021.

Jamal Williams

Jamal hails from Prince Georges County, MD. He graduated from Elizabeth City State University in North Carolina with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies in 2004. Over the past 15 years, he has held several administrative positions, including: general service officer, supply coordinator for DOS European, Eurasian affairs officer, and DOS medical officer. Most recently, he served as the office manager and policy outreach specialist for the DOS European and Eurasian Affairs Press Office for 7 years. Jamal handles our AV on Sundays and fills in as facilities coordinator when needed.