Vestry
Stephen Rilee
Senior Warden
Stephen moved to Savannah from Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2018. Drawn to the liturgy and message of God’s grace, he and his wife, Claire, joined the Episcopal Church in 2011. They have three sons, Robb, Grant, and John. The Rilees enjoy Christ Church’s children’s programs. Stephen works for a family business, attended the University of Georgia, and has an MBA from UNC-Chapel Hill. He was previously on the vestry of Christ Church Charlottesville.
Washington (Wash) Dender
Junior Warden
Wash is originally from Etowah, Tennessee, and after retiring from a career as Global head of Human Resources and Strategy for Invesco, has now happily made Savannah home. Prior to serving at Invesco, he held positions in the Strategy, Marketing and Human Resources departments for over 20 years with SunTrust Bank, Inc. He holds a Masters of Business Administration degree from The Harvard Business School as well an undergraduate degree in Finance from the University of Tennessee. Raised in the United Methodist Church, Wash joined the Episcopal church following college and has been an active member of various congregations for almost forty years. He currently serves on the board of Emmaus House and participated on the recent search committee for the Director of Music at Christ Church.
Patton Dugas
Treasurer
Patton was born outside Dayton, Ohio, and moved around Air Force bases until his family settled in the Macon, Georgia, area. Patton earned a Bachelor’s degree in Finance from the University of Georgia and an MBA from Georgia Southern. He is the Savannah Market President for Truist. He and Mary have two children, Liv and Mollie. They moved to Savannah in 2007 to be near Mary’s family and begin raising their own.
Catherine Gussler
Assistant Treasurer
Catherine was baptized, confirmed, and married in Christ Church. Catherine received her B.S. and M.Ed from Vanderbilt University. She has served on the vestry and is a former Treasurer of the parish. She serves on the flower guild and has served as a lector and Sunday School teacher. She and her husband Joe have two grown children, Walker and Caroline. Catherine has previously worked in education, development and as a C.P.A.
Sarah Smith
Clerk
Sarah grew up in Atlanta, GA and is the daughter of a Jewish father and Christian mother. She spent her early years only celebrating the two faith’s major holidays (read: Rosh Hashanah, Hanukkah, Easter, and Christmas). She was baptized at age 9 at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church. Later, her father was also baptized, and they were confirmed together. He joined the vestry and she found a second home in the church youth group. Sarah and her husband Solomon moved to Savannah in 2010 to be close to Georgia Southern where Solomon is a history professor. Sarah is the Director of University Engagement at SCAD. Sarah and Solomon have two daughters, Abigail and Nora, who love Christ Church as much as their mother. Sarah loves art, travel, food and meeting interesting people.
Lindsey Eberle
was raised in the Lutheran Church on Camano Island, Washington. After graduating from California Lutheran University, Lindsey moved to Huntsville, Alabama where she met her husband, Cole. After two cross-country moves, Cole and Lindsey settled in Pooler in 2015 where they soon found Christ Church. Inspired by the Episcopalian celebration of God’s beauty and love, they have found a church home to raise their two children, Owen (9) and Lauren (8). You will often spot Owen and Lauren serving as ushers and acolytes, and Lauren also sings as a Christ Church chorister.
Katie Griffith
was born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee, and moved to Savannah from New York with husband Lee, who is a Writing Professor at SCAD. Together with their daughter, Audrey (8), the family joined Christ Church in spring 2016. After working in arts publishing and for cultural nonprofits, Katie founded Over the Moon in 2019, a 501(c)3 organization based at CCE parish house, which operates the diaper and period supply bank of coastal Georgia. She is a member of the Christ Church Flower, Reception and Wedding Guilds, works as the Arts and Ideas coordinator for the Jewish Educational Alliance, and is an active community volunteer.
Stephanie Lindley
was born in Washington DC and raised a Seventh Day Adventist in Peachtree City, GA. She moved to Savannah in 1988. She is married to Jim Lindley and raised two children, Jennifer Lindley and Jamie Lindley. She attended church services with Jim the second week after their blind date and felt such a blessing that she immediately began confirmation classes to become an Episcopalian. She is the fourth generation family owner and CEO of Byrd Cookie Company in Savannah and Lindley Foods in Orlando and Los Angeles. She is a member of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce Board. She was an active member of St. Peter’s Episcopal Church on Skidaway Island before the family transferred their membership to Christ Church several years ago.
Elizabeth (Liz) Lientz Macfadyen
grew up in Savannah, Georgia attending both First Presbyterian and Isle of Hope Methodist Churches. Liz attended Vanderbilt University, studying Human and Organizational Development/Business with a Minor in French. Simon and Liz met while Liz was working in Washington DC and were married in Savannah in 2004. While living in London for 15 years, Liz and Simon had their 3 daughters, Mollie, Maggie, and Tillie. During these years, she worked for three successful MedTech startups as an early start employee. The family returned to Liz’s beloved Savannah and Christ Church during Covid. Liz is active on the St. Josephs/Candler Foundations Board, the board of US Friends of Able Child Africa, and as an officer for SCDS Arts Alliance.
Rosemary Mackey
has been a life-long Episcopalian as the daughter of a Church of England priest. Born in London, and trained as a nurse, she specialized in pediatric oncology at Sloan-Kettering Institute in New York. There she attended St. Thomas Church on 5th Avenue where she met and married Donald Mackey. The opportunities that Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center afforded her resulted in a career in cancer research, clinical care, and administration. After being widowed when her children were young, in 1984, she married her current husband, Irv Krakoff, who was then serving as the Chair of Medicine at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. When Irv retired, they created a healthcare consulting company developing cancer center programs for major medical centers in the US, Scotland, and Mexico City. Wherever they were living, Rosemary belonged to an Anglican church and served on several vestries. In addition to Catharine and Claire Mackey, their extended family includes Irv’s children, Peter, Chip and Nellie and 11 grandchildren. Rosemary has a BA in economics and business administration from Fordham University in New York and an MBA from the University of Houston Business School.
Roger Moss
is originally from Chattanooga, Tennessee. He holds a B.A. in Interpersonal Communications from Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois. He has over twenty years of experience in advertising, ranging from working with radio stations to marketing the whitewater venues for the 1996 Olympics. He is co-founder of the Savannah Children’s Choir. He recently retired as Executive Director of the Savannah Children’s Choir. His commitment to education led him to work with parents, educators, and stakeholders on the founding board of Savannah Classical Academy. Two years ago, he began work on what would become Savannah Exploratory Charter Academy. When he is not founding and running non-profits, Roger is a sought-after singer. He has performed with the Savannah Symphony, Hilton Head Symphony, Beaufort Symphony and Memphis Opera. He serves on the Chatham County Board of Health, Habersham YMCA, and Savannah Philharmonic boards of directors.
Rena Patton
was born in Cedartown, Georgia, and became an Episcopalian when she and her family moved from Atlanta to raise their family in Rome, Georgia, where she attended St. Peter’s Episcopal Church. She graduated from the University of Georgia and has a Masters degree in Educational Leadership from the University of West Georgia. She taught English at The Darlington School in Rome. She retired from Savannah Country Day School where she was Chair of the English Department. At Christ Church, she serves on the Flower Guild and is a lay reader. She also has served on the Altar Guild for the evening contemplative services. She and Nevin have three children—Katie, who lives in Savannah; Nevin and his wife Kelly, Brooklyn, NY; and Ivy and her husband Wes, Portland, Oregon—and three grandchildren—Nevin, Eloise and Benjamin.
Paul Reddick
is a native Georgian, born in Screven County. He holds an MBA in Finance from Georgia State University. In 1985 he was recruited by BBN Corporation, a Cambridge Massachusetts technology company. In 1993 Paul and the management team arranged a buyout by Loral Corporation, a $9 b New York company. Paul was involved in merger and acquisition work for Loral. In 1996 he took a job as CFO of Lawrence Pumps Inc., a company designing and manufacturing specialty pumps for difficult industrial applications. Paul engineered a financial turnaround of the company, and purchased the business, building it to $50m in revenues and 150 employees. He sold the business in 2014 and returned to Georgia, where he lives on Skidaway Island. Paul spent a number of years exploring different religions in search of answers. In 2019 he found his spiritual home at Christ Church, where he has served as an usher, a Lay Eucharist Minister, and a member of the Finance Committee. Paul is married to the former Sherri Siegel of Wantagh New York. The couple have two children, Erin Kirby of Chapaqua NY and Ian of Savannah. They have two grandchildren, James Paul Kirby ("Jamie") and Madeline Claire Kirby ("Mattie").
Paul Threlkeld
grew up in Vidalia at the Church of the Annunciation. Paul earned both his bachelor’s and law degree from the University of Georgia. He and his wife, Ansley, met while in law school in Athens. Paul has practiced law for 21 years and is a partner with the Savannah firm Oliver Maner LLP where his practice focuses on representing people, business, local and state governments in all types of disputes. He is also the outside general counsel to the Georgia Ports Authority. Paul also teaches a seminar class at the University of Georgia School of Law on representing state authorities. Paul and Ansley have three children: Hughes, a sophomore and golf team member at the University of North Georgia; Ella Bankes, a senior at St. Vincent’s Academy; and Hamp, a freshman at Benedictine. Paul serves as a lay reader and tour guide at Christ Church.
Polly Webster
is a cradle Episcopalian who was born and grew up in Philadelphia, attending St. Martin in The Fields and St. Thomas Church Whitemarsh. Polly and her husband Henry moved to Savannah in 2003 and now live downtown. She is active in the Flower Guild and as an usher. Polly worked for Aon Risk Services in both account service and finance for 40+ years, retiring in 2022. She and Henry have two daughters and four grandchildren.
Susan Harrison Wetmore
was born in Florida; however, the family quickly relocated to Texas, where she was raised. Baptized and confirmed in the Episcopal Church, she is a cradle-to-grave Episcopalian. She received her BA from the University of Texas at Austin. She moved to Savannah in 2013 with Gulfstream Aerospace and quickly found a home at Christ Church. She met Charlie in Savannah, with one of their first dates being a Sunday morning service. They married at Christ Church on October 1, 2016. Susan serves as a lead usher and a lay reader. She is in management with the completion and delivery group at Gulfstream, with a career in aviation focused on sales and project management. She is on the board of the Historic Bluffton Foundation, and she and Charlie are involved in many aspects of the Bluffton community. By marriage, Susan has two grandchildren, Emily and Greyson, who happily relocated to Charleston recently. Susan’s mother, Pat Harrison, made a permanent move to the area in 2020 and transferred her membership from their home church in Texas to Christ Church.