BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Chairperson

Tim Gould serves as Chair of the Board of Trustees and brings a strong background in civic leadership and community service.  Tim and his wife Judy Fitzgerald are proud parents of two St. Benedict’s graduates, members of St. Benedict's Episcopal Church, past Senior Warden, and a small business owner. Tim has served on the Smyrna City Council since 2018.  Professionally, he co-founded Fordham Plastics Equipment Company in 1999 and later launched ZAG Equipment Sales.  He holds Mechanical Engineering degree from the University at Buffalo, a Professional Engineering license, and an MBA from Fordham University.

Vice-Chairperson

Scott Stewart has been a member of St. Benedict’s Episcopal Church since 2011. He has two children, Ellie and Sam.  Ellie is a graduate of St. Benedict's and Sam is currently in the lower school. Scott serves as a portfolio manager and financial planner with Eads & Heald Wealth Management. He is a CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst) charter holder and a member of the Atlanta Society of Finance and Investment Professionals (ASFIP). Scott is also a Certified Financial Planner™ professional and a member of the Financial Planning Association (FPA). Scott graduated from Michigan State University with a BA in Finance and later completed the Executive Program for CFP® Certification through the University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business. Scott resides with his wife and two children in Smyrna.  

Treasurer

Lynn Strickland is a founding member of St. Benedict’s Episcopal Church and was the 2012 senior warden. She is a regular attendee and often helps with ushering on Sunday mornings. She has been a member of the Board of Trustees since its inception. Previously, she worked in the emerging business and audit groups at Deloitte and as a corporate books manager at a Bellsouth company. Currently she is the controller of a mid-size advertising agency, Tailfin Marketing. She and her husband Mitch have been Smyrna residents since 1991. Their two grown daughters graduated from Marist and Holy Innocents’, having been a few years ahead of the grades offered at St. Benedict’s. 

Secretary
Saralee is an active member of St. Benedict's Episcopal Church.  She is a former Senior Warden, the current Altar Guild chair, and coordinates several ministries.  Saralee and her husband Daniel have two great kids, Garrett and Haley, who have also been raised at St. Benedict's Church.  Saralee has been in education her entire professional career.  She graduated from SMU and began teaching.  In 1998 she moved to Atlanta and began her career in ed tech.  Saralee is currently employed by Varsity Tutors as a Regional Director of Educational Partnerships.

Board Member

Dorothy is currently the Lower School Principal at Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School. She has been there as assistant teacher, teacher, principal and associate head of school. A graduate of University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, she later studied at Jacksonville University, Oglethorpe University and Georgia State University where she received a Masters in Educational Leadership. Her association with St. Benedict’s began in 2011 when she started serving on the Board. She returned in 2015 after a three-year absence. A strong advocate for instilling a sense of inclusive behavior in children and promoting Episcopal identity within the school, she feels the adults around have a massive responsibility to model those behaviors for our students.

Board Member

Judge Kellie Hill grew up in New Jersey and attended the University of Pennsylvania where she obtained her Bachelors of Art degree in International Relations with a concentration in International Business. She earned her Juris Doctorate degree from the Rutgers University School of Law. Judge Hill moved to Georgia after law school and began her professional career. Prior to her appointment as a judge in the Cobb County Magistrate Court in 2016, she practiced as a trial attorney in the public and private sectors. Judge Hill began The Kellie Hill Legal Group, a private criminal defense and legal consulting firm in Atlanta, after serving as managing attorney for a plaintiffs’ personal injury firm in Atlanta.

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Judge Hill served the citizens of Georgia as a prosecuting attorney in Fulton and Dekalb counties. Before retiring from prosecution, Judge Hill served as the Chief Trial Assistant District Attorney, Director of the Public Integrity Unit and as the lead trial attorney on many of the most notable cases in the state of Georgia, to include the Fulton County Courthouse shootings. Judge Hill and her work have been featured on national and international media outlets such as live “Gavel to Gavel” coverage on the network formerly known as Court TV and NBC’s “48 Hours”, to name a few. She has also appeared as a legal expert on nationally and locally aired programs and news segments. 

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Judge Hill and her husband have two young adult children. They have made Cobb County, Georgia their home for more than thirty years.​

Board Member

Ann Canipe served as Sr. Warden of St. Benedict's Church in 2021 and has continued on the Board.  Ann and her husband Kent have one daughter who lives in California.  At. St. Benedict's Ann serves on the Altar Guild, Eucharistic Minister, Pastoral Care Committee, and assistant to Lynn Strickland on hospitality.  Ann serves on several diocesan committees including Finance, Budget and the Diocesan Foundation.  In a previous life Ann was active in the Atlanta Junior League, Egleston Hospital Auxiliary, Festival of Trees, and part-time bookkeeping work.

Board Member

Mother Jenna (or just Jenna, whatever you prefer) grew up a Jewish kid in NJ, and is now an Episcopal priest in GA: don't ever doubt God's sense of humor! She was called to be rector of St. Benedict’s in January 2021, from Holy Trinity, Decatur, GA where she served as Associate Rector for 8 years. As a priest, Jenna has particular gifts in teaching and preaching, small group ministries, building up the ministry of the baptized, and working with young children and their families. Jenna graduated from Hampshire College in Amherst, MA and received her Master of Divinity from Candler School of Theology at Emory University, with a focus on Anglican/Episcopal Studies and Christian Formation. She was ordained a deacon in 2012 and a priest on Baptism of Our Lord in 2013. Before ordination, Jenna worked as a hospice chaplain and college admissions counselor. She enjoys cooking, playing with her godchildren, and singing Sacred Harp music.

Board Member

Derek grew up in Cobb County and is a graduate of Sprayberry High School.  After graduating from the University of Georgia, Derek went to work as a congressional staffer in Washington, D.C. as a legislative aide, where he spent six years working to help Georgians in Cobb County and across the state.  He has worked in the government relations space for over 20 years, most recently as the Director of Government Relations for the Medical Association of Georgia, where he represented Georgia physicians and patients.  In 2021, Derek formed and currently serves as the CEO of Topspin Strategies, Inc., a governmental affairs firm representing multiple clients at the State Capitol.

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Derek was elected Mayor of the City of Smyrna in 2019.  He previously served four years as the Ward 1 representative on the Smyrna City Council.  He has served on several local boards and committees in the City including the Board of Directors for Keep Smyrna Beautiful and the Smyrna Business Association, the Executive Committee for the Smyrna Vision initiative, and served three terms as president of his neighborhood homeowners association.  Derek is very involved in local Smyrna schools and sponsors various student groups and teams across the city annually.

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Derek and his wife Laura are members of Smyrna First United Methodist Church.  They have two children, Samantha and Jack.​​

Board Member

Michael’s family joined St. Benedict’s in 2014, when his oldest daughter, now a student at Campbell IB, started kindergarten. His youngest daughter has since joined her sister in the Campbell IB program, thanks to the wonderful education they received at St. Benedict’s. Michael and his wife, Natalie, have been faithful supporters of St. B’s and its mission.

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Michael grew up in North Carolina and attended Campbell University, where he earned an M.B.A. Since completing the Trust Certification Program (BA) at Campbell University, Michael has spent the past 30 years assisting clients with wealth and legacy planning as a Trust Advisor. He is a Certified Financial Planner (CFP®) and maintains the Certified Trust and Financial Advisor (CTFA) designation. He is a past president of the Estate Planning Council of North Georgia and a current board member of the Atlanta Estate Planning Council. Michael also serves on the board of the Atlanta Legal Aid Society and is also a board member of the Cobb Community Foundation Professional Advisors Network (PAN).

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Michael enjoys spending time with his wife and their two daughters, cycling outdoors, traveling, and walking. Michael and his family are members of Turner Chapel AME Church in Marietta.

Board Member

Tiffany Russell is the Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at The Galloway School and a lifelong educator and advocate for equity. From 2000 to 2005, she served in the same role at St. Martin’s Episcopal School, where her work focused on building inclusive school communities. Tiffany is the proud mother of two St. Benedict’s students—Miles, a '22 graduate and current senior in the Campbell IB program, and Olivia, who is entering her 8th year at St. Benedict's. When she's not working, Tiffany finds joy in the ceramic studio, where she nurtures her creative side by working with clay.