Meet Our Vestry

Rector's Warden
Executive Committee

Class of 2025

Tracy Steele

Tracy Steele, and her husband Kevin, who is the District Attorney of Montgomery County, and their children Addison (16), Ainsley (15) and Grayson (8) have been members of The Redeemer since 2008. At The Redeemer, Tracy is a member of the Finance Committee and serves as a Eucharistic Minister and Lector. Ainsley and Grayson each attend The Redeemer’s church school or youth group and serve in the acolyte program. In February of 2016, Tracy resigned as a partner at Morgan Lewis and started her own law firm known as Ferro Steele LLC. Tracy also serves as Deputy General Counsel of CenterSquare Investment Management LLC. Tracy grew up in Vienna, Virginia, and received her undergraduate degree in Mathematics and Economics from Sweet Briar College and law degree from The Dickinson School of Law of the Pennsylvania State University. Outside The Redeemer, she has served on several not-for-profit boards. Currently she serves on the board of her law school, and is active with Laurel House; she teaches continuing legal education classes and is a member of The Forum of Executive Women and The Haverford School Leadership Council. Tracy’s other interests include travelling, playing tennis, and spending time with family and friends.

Accounting Warden

Executive Committee

Class of 2027

Daniel Wesley

Daniel Wesley grew up in Bryn Mawr and attended Church of the Redeemer as a youth, where he was confirmed in 1992. After graduating from Harriton High School, he went on to earn a Bachelor’s degree and a PhD in physics from Princeton University. With support from a Churchill Fellowship he also earned a Master’s degree in mathematics from Cambridge University. He went on to hold postdoctoral research fellowships in cosmology at Cambridge University and the University of Pennsylvania. He then left the academic world, and since 2010 he has worked at PDT Partners, a quantitative investment firm in New York City, where he is currently a Partner.

Daniel and his family returned to the Main Line in 2014 and rejoined The Redeemer community. His daughters Adele (12) and Beatrice (11) serve in the acolyte ministry and attend church school. Daniel serves on the Finance Committee and the Stewardship Committee, teaches Confirmation Class, and enjoys Lector duty. Outside of The Redeemer, Daniel is a member of the Board of the Winston Churchill Foundation. In his free time, you might find him rock climbing in the Shawangunks in upstate New York or otherwise enjoying the outdoors. He is an avid wine enthusiast and a lifetime book lover with an ever-expanding personal library.

Class of 2026

John Black

John Black was born in Bryn Mawr, raised in Radnor and was an active participant in the youth programs at Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church where he was baptized and confirmed. He attended The Haverford School, graduated from Lafayette College, and holds a Chartered Property and Casualty Underwriter designation. John and his wife, Lisa were married in 1983, and today they have four grown children and six grandchildren.

John recently retired after completing a 45-year career in the insurance industry. Working for three global brokers—Aon, Sedgwick Group, and Willis Towers Watson—John served in a variety of roles. He was a former managing partner in Washington, DC; chief operating officer in Philadelphia, and a client executive for various international accounts. 

Following a move to Haverford, John and Lisa began attending The Redeemer in 2018. During their 13 years in Great Falls, VA, they worshiped at St. Francis Episcopal Church in Great Falls, and following their return to the Main Line in 2005, at St. David’s Episcopal Church in Wayne. In both parishes John served on the youth ministry and outreach committees. Since joining The Redeemer, John has been involved in the Christmas Village. As a life-long golfer, John plays frequently and today volunteers for the Golf Association of Philadelphia. He revels in his time at the beach and with his grandchildren.

Class of 2025

Catherine Carruthers

Catherine Carruthers was born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland, where she attended Trinity Church in Towson and was confirmed at Church of the Redeemer in Baltimore. She graduated from The University of the South-Sewanee with a BS in Biology in 1995, and then attended medical school at University of Alabama School of Medicine, and completed a surgical residency in Birmingham as well. She and her husband Dave moved to the area in 2006 for Catherine to complete a 1-year Breast Surgical Oncology fellowship at Bryn Mawr Hospital. Catherine practiced breast surgery for 13 years in Bucks County before recently joining Main Line Health and appointed the Director of the Brodsky Comprehensive Breast Center at Bryn Mawr Hospital. Catherine and her family joined The Redeemer in 2008. She and Dave have 3 children, Sophie (14), Ewing (12), and Selden (9), who were all baptized at The Redeemer. Catherine and Sophie are active in The Redeemer choirs, and all three children attend church school. Other than her busy breast surgery practice, Catherine enjoys volunteering as an Assistant Scoutmaster for Sophie’s scout troop, riding horses, and serves as a Trustee to St. Timothy’s School in Maryland.

Class of 2025

Executive Committee

Chris Chojnacki

Chris Chojnacki, his wife Kate, and children Stanley (6) and Lori (4) have been members of The Redeemer community since moving to Wynnewood in 2016. Chris has served on the youth education and stewardship committees and teaches confirmation class. Stanley and Lori are familiar faces in the many youth programs at The Redeemer. Prior to The Redeemer, Chris and his family lived in Brooklyn and attended Grace Church in Brooklyn Heights. Chris grew up in Southern New Jersey and attended Lehigh University for Electrical Engineering. After college, he served in the Army as an active-duty Air Defense and Space Operations officer. He received his MBA from the University of Michigan where he also met Kate. After working in New York City, Chris and his family moved to Wynnewood; he currently works for Vanguard, serving institutional investors. In his free time, Chris enjoys skiing, woodworking and an occasional video game.

Class of 2027

Hope Knight

Hope Knight grew up in South Jersey before moving to Princeton, NJ in 1994 to begin her studies in Music Education and Vocal Performance at Westminster Choir College. After graduating in 1998, Hope took a teaching position at Burlington Township High School, where she taught choral studies and acting. In 2001, Hope went back to Westminster to pursue her Masters in Vocal Performance & Pedagogy, specifically to study with Ms. Zehava Gal. While in attendance, Hope happened upon an employment advertisement for an Alto Staff Singer at The Redeemer, applied, and got the job. She has been a member of The Redeemer music staff since October, 2001. In 2003, Hope took a teaching position in Moorestown, NJ. Since then, she has cultivated a rich music program that includes highly-capable choirs, engaging general music courses, and outstanding theater productions. Hope has been a guest conductor for several regional ensembles, including the SJCDA Junior High Chorus in 2019. Hope has served on the board of SJCDA in various capacities since 2007; she was also a Board Member at Large for the Greater South Jersey Chorus for a few years. Over the course of her tenure at The Redeemer, Hope had the great pleasure to serve as interim director on four different occasions. Serving The Redeemer community has been an enriching experience.

Class of 2025

Kevin Leahy

Kevin Leahy spent the first 18 years of his life in Rhode Island, moving to Troy, NY in 1988 in pursuit of a BS in Biology from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. It was there that he met his wife, Devika Singh. He finished a PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in 1998 and graduated with his MD in 2002 from Albany Medical College. He completed a residency in Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery followed by a Fellowship in Neurolaryngology, in 2008 at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore, MD. Since 2008, he has been in the Philadelphia area on the faculty of the University of Pennsylvania and is now an Associate Professor in Clinical Otolaryngology. It was at this time the Leahy’s joined The Redeemer, and have been active members of the parish ever since. They have 2 children, Cyril (18) and Ananda (15), who are active participants in the youth group, acolyte/verger program, and choir. When not spending time at work or with his family, you can probably find him working on his golf game.

Class of 2027

Charles (Charlie) Merwin

Charlie Merwin and his wife Ellen started coming to The Redeemer when they moved back to the East Coast from Chicago in 2019. They have two adult children who both live in New York. Prior to joining The Redeemer, Charlie served as a vestry member (and in other committee roles) at St Mark’s (Barrington, IL), St Peter’s (Morristown, NJ) and St Mary’s (Barnstable, MA). Currently Charlie is on The Stewardship Committee and enjoys both reading as a Lector and participating in Men’s Bible Study. Charlie grew up in Albuquerque, NM and graduated from Ripon College in Ripon, WI. He and Ellen were married at the National Cathedral in Washington, DC in 1992 and lived in NC, MA, NJ and IL before settling in Rose Valley, PA to be near Ellen’s parents as well as their own children and grandchildren. Charlie was an officer in the US Army before a 25-year management career in financial services. After retiring from the brokerage field, he began writing but wound up becoming very busy as a management consultant, a role that he now does full time both in PA and NJ. In his free time he enjoys hiking, history and music.

Class of 2026

Lisa Raymond

Lisa Raymond grew up in Princeton, New Jersey, where she attended The Princeton Day School and was baptized at All Saints’ Church in Princeton. She is a graduate of Harvard College and majored in East Asian History, with a concentration in Chinese history and the study of Mandarin. She met her husband, Doug, there and upon graduating they moved to the Philadelphia area. Lisa worked first as a book editor at Lea & Febiger in Philadelphia, a publisher of medical textbooks. She then worked for several years in the Development Office at Friends’ Central School, as the Director of Publications and Public Relations. Lisa and Doug have been members of The Redeemer for nearly 25 years, and The Redeemer was Doug’s childhood church. They raised their children, Peter, Alexander, and Louisa, now grown, in The Redeemer community, and all three were active participants in church life, serving as acolytes, singing in the youth choir, and attending youth group. At The Redeemer Lisa has been a longtime member of the Pastoral Care Committee and volunteered for many years at the Christmas Bazaar, as well as at The Blankenberg School library and art program in West Philadelphia. She particularly enjoys the “Women Exploring Scripture” bible study. She has been actively involved at The Shipley School and served there as a trustee. In addition to spending time with her family, including three grandchildren, Lisa enjoys traveling, hiking, and somewhat obsessive bird watching.

Class of 2026

Edwin (Win) Shafer

Edwin “Win” Shafer has been a member at Redeemer since he married his wife, Cannie, a lifelong member at Redeemer, in 1981. Together they raised their now-grown children: Francie (NYC) and Blake (Seattle) at Redeemer. Win sang in the Redeemer Choir and is a member of an acapella group Vocal Motive. He is a graduate of Kent School in Kent, CT, and The University of Pennsylvania and earned his master’s degree and certification in counseling from Villanova University. He grew up at Camp Susquehannock, founded by his grandfather, and served as the director for 25 years. Meanwhile Win taught Science at Episcopal Academy for 38 years, coaching Varsity Golf, Ice Hockey, JV Soccer, Crew, and Squash. Win also served as director of operations for the Comcast US Indoor USTA men’s pro tennis tournament for three years, as well as an accreditation officer for The American Camping Association. In addition, he has been a NCAA, NISOA and PIAA high school and college soccer referee for over 30 years. Volunteer activities include 15 years at Rushton Farm Bird Banding station, the Willistown Conservation Trust. Win is a fellow of The Delaware Valley Ornithological Club. An avid sports fan, Win loves woodworking, playing golf and hiking, “birding while he goes” and upon retirement three years ago, joined the Blue Mountain Ski Patrol!

Class of 2026

Joe Spadaro

Joe Spadaro was born and raised in Michigan, earning a BS at Michigan State, an MA at the University of Wisconsin and an MS at Brooklyn Polytechnic. Joe and Cynthia married in 2000, while they both worked at St. Joseph’s College in Brooklyn. They started attending Redeemer along with their children, Emily and Kyle, around 2012 after moving to Newtown Square. Coming from a family of musicians, Joe was taken by the outstanding choral music program at The Redeemer in which Emily and Kyle continue to sing. Cynthia has been active with the Christmas Bazaar and currently serves on the Music Committee. Their daughter Alexis, son-in-law Breck, and two grandchildren live in Brooklyn. Emily studies ecology, evolution and biodiversity at Temple. Kyle is a junior at Radnor High School. Joe is currently the vice president for technology at the Borough of Manhattan Community College, City University of New York and is deeply committed to the College’s mission of equity and social justice in providing a path to economic mobility for the college’s students.

Class of 2027

Danielle Trucksess

Danielle Trucksess grew up attending The Redeemer and singing in the “Junior Choir” where her love of music and singing began. An active member of The Redeemer Youth Group in high school, Danielle went on several work trips, served at yearly RYG Formal Dinners, and spent many a Sunday evening at the Youth Cottage. After completing an undergraduate degree in psychology at the University of Pennsylvania, Danielle returned to the Main Line and earned her Ph.D. in Clinical and Developmental Psychology from Bryn Mawr College. A licensed clinical psychologist, she now specializes in the treatment of anxiety disorders at The Anxiety & Agoraphobia Treatment Center in Bala Cynwyd. In her spare time, she enjoys being a co-leader of her daughter’s Girl Scouts troop, serving as a Penn Ambasador, playing tennis, cooking, and singing. And whether in the choir, where she has been a member on and off since 2009 or assisting in the church school, Danielle feels especially lucky to get to spend time at The Redeemer – a place she has called home for four decades, with her husband Chris, daughter Ashley (a chorister herself) and parents Rick and Rita Davis. 


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