Grace Cathedral

Christine is a longtime member of the Grace Cathedral congregation. She served six years on the Congregation Council, has served in various capacities within Children, Youth, and Family Ministries, bakes the Eucharist monthly, served as co-chair of Stewardship for two years and remains a committee member, and most recently has begun serving as a lector.  Christine’s company, Ben-Her Marketing, has supported Grace Cathedral’s digital marketing needs pro bono for the past three years to help launch its visitor experience, cultural arts program, and the Carnivale gala.  

A native New Yorker, Christine relocated to Southern California in 1989, but found her true home in San Francisco in 1994.  Christine lives in Bernal Heights with her husband Grant and their son, Ronan who is an 8th grade chorister in the Choir of Men and Boys.  Ronan has been attending Cathedral School for Boys for the past four years.   

Professionally, Christine is the Owner/Principal of Ben-Her Marketing. As an experienced marketing executive, she brings both domestic and global experience in developing both digital and traditional media strategies that have positively impacted brands. She has worked with clients like LG, Intuit, Visa, L’Oreal, Microsoft, Hewlett Packard, Xbox, Palm and Verizon. Additionally, she has a background in both research and information systems, which fuels her knowledge in database marketing, data modeling and segmentation, reporting and marketing database design. Her career has always included honing, shaping, and interpreting data sets into the information necessary to help companies make informed decisions about their future. She brings this type of decision making to her board appointments and is comfortable blending art and science for the best outcomes. Christine is a solutions-oriented marketer focused on the success of her clients’ efforts and ensuring they pursue the most creative, viable and insightful paths for their brand. 

Board Experience:  

Board Member – YouthNOISE, Inc., 2006 – 2009 

Board Member – Ring Mountain Day School, Marketing Committee Lead/Social Media Lead 

Board Member – Grace Cathedral – 2019 (Ex Officio) 

Board Member – 2020-2023 (Congregational Trustee) 

Expertise and Interests: 

Mentoring, strategic marketing planning, digital media and marketing, agency operations, research and target insights, cross-media integration, measurement and analytics, negotiation, creative integrated media solutions 

Church Specific: 

Ensuring the longevity of the Episcopal faith through thoughtful community programs, serving in as many capacities as I can, and pursuing both financial and congregational development.  We must evolve with the people we serve and put the love of God, Jesus, and our belief in community above all else ahead of the inertia of “what we do now.”  

I am excited to run for Deanery Delegate to represent Grace Cathedral in the Diocese. If elected, I will serve with commitment, integrity and discernment.  I have been a member of this Grace Cathedral community since 2004 when I was greeted with what I have come to understand as Radical Hospitality. I immediately became a pledging member and have never looked back.  I want to help everyone find their church home the way that I found mine.

I am a single issue Episcopalian: With God’s help I strive to live out my Baptismal Covenant seeking and serving Christ in all persons, loving my neighbor as myself, striving for justice and peace among people, respecting the dignity of every human being.  From a very young age, I have had a very strong commitment to matters of fairness and equity, which has been a throughline in my professional and volunteer career.  I grew up in a multicultural, first generation American family and know the value of everyone having a seat and voice at the table sharing their experiences.   I bring this understanding to everything that I do.

Here is a sampling of my church volunteer work, current and past. All of my work is grounded in faith, spirituality, and love of this entire community: Deanery Delegate, Grace Stewardship Committee, Jail Minister, Bishop’s Ranch Philanthropy Committee, Local Discernment Committee, DioCal Board of Directors (aka Executive Council), DioCal Finance Committee, DioCal Executive Compensation Committee, Grace Cathedral Trustee, Congregation Council Member, Acolyte, Godly Play teacher, Docent, Sacred Ground participant.  Pilgrimages: Holy Land, Chartres Labyrinth, and Mexico/US Border.

I respectfully ask for your vote. Thank you.

After joining the Grace Cathedral congregation with my husband in 1999, I have served several times as a Deanery delegate, representing the Cathedral in the Diocesan Convention. Since 2009, I have served as Chancellor (outside general counsel) of the Diocese, advising the Bishop and the Diocese’s senior governing bodies. In that capacity, I serve as the Parliamentarian of the Convention and as chair of the Diocese’s Committee on Canons. I also represent the Diocese as a Deputy to the General Convention of The Episcopal Church, where I recently co-chaired the legislative committee on clergy discipline. At the churchwide level, I chair the Standing Commission on Structure, Governance, Constitution & Canons. I have also served on legislative and policy committees for marriage, safe church, and the place of women in the church (#MeToo). I am a partner at the Ragghianti Freitas LLP law firm in San Rafael, representing individuals, businesses, and churches in litigation, arbitration, and mediation. My practice areas include complex commercial litigation, insurance coverage, and religious and nonprofit organizations. I am admitted to practice law in California, New York, the District of Columbia, all federal courts in California, and the U.S. Supreme Court. 

Active member of the cathedral congregation since the Great Vigil of 1995. Married to Cathy for 50+ years with two married daughters and three grandchildren. Professionally, own and manage a global, retail, travel company franchise.   

Volunteer service and activities within the church and greater community include:  

• Past – Trustee including Legacy/Planned Giving Committee (chair), Congregation Council, Congregation Stewardship (chair), Stephen Ministry Leader, EFM graduate, DioCal School for Deacons Board of Trustees (immediate past President), DioCal Committee on Governance, DioCal Standing Committee (President) and Province VIII Education Cluster for Stewardship, Legacy Giving and Endowments (founder and past chair).  
• Current – Grace Cathedral Deanery Delegate and DioCal Alternate Deputy to General Convention.  
• Outside the church, ongoing leadership roles with the Walnut Creek Chamber of Commerce/Visitor’s Bureau, Board of Directors, and its Civic Affairs program. 

At year end 2024, I have tentative plans to retire from volunteer lay leadership roles at all levels across the church including Grace Cathedral and DioCal after 30 years of engaged leadership in ministry within the Episcopal Church and 20+ years in the Presbyterian Church. It is my hope you will re-elect me for at least one more time to represent you at the San Francisco Deanery. Looking ahead to 2025 and beyond, it is time to welcome new voices of vision and leadership for our church!  

My parents were not churchgoers, but when I was twelve, I began attending the Menlo Park Presbyterian Church, then under the leadership of Dr. Hall. I loved Sunday School as well as Dr. Hall’s sermons and became a believer there. 

I went east to Smith College and attended their chapel services regularly. After college, I worked for an art gallery in New York City for several years before settling in San Francisco. 

In 1966, I met my future husband, and we married at St. Mark’s Lutheran Church. We raised our two daughters in the Forest Hill neighborhood, and during this time we attended the Covenant Church, now renamed Dolores Park Church. 

After our daughters went to college, I taught second grade for seventeen years until I retired in 2004.  

I collect art works on paper from Europe and America, for the most part created between the 16th to 19th centuries, and Pictorialist photographs.  

Due to a congregational split at our former church, I left. I immediately began to attend Grace Cathedral and soon began pledging and volunteering.  I have always had a heart for the poor and marginalized, so at Grace, I soon began to volunteer at the Bayview Mission. Then, due to the pandemic and my husband’s compromised immune system, I have stepped back from volunteering there in person, but still support them financially. 

I believe strongly in exchanging ideas that work in ministry and widening outreach. I am excited about the possibility of collaborating with additional believers to serve the needs of the spiritual seekers and help other churches in our diocese Churches with needs that cannot be met by a small staff.  

Sincerely,
Susan L. Hill 

I live in San Francisco with my spouse, our newborn daughter, and our 10 year old rescue-dog, Max.  For the prior 14 years I have worked as an attorney for the State of California, but I am thankful to have the opportunity to take a leave of absence in 2024 to care for our new addition.

I was not raised with a religious tradition but was thrilled to find the Episcopal Church as an adult.  I was baptized at Grace’s Easter Vigil in 2009.  My spouse and I were married in the Chapel of Grace in 2013.

First elected to the Deanery in 2020, I served three years as a full Deanery member and last year was elected as an alternate.  Despite being an uncomfortable, very pregnant person at the annual convention in October, I enjoyed the opportunity to step up to fill an absence and vote in person!  I also particularly appreciate the opportunity to interact with other San Francisco Deanery members and extended invitations to the other regional deaneries to join us for fellowship one day at Trinity St. Peters.

I look forward to returning to in person service at the Cathedral once my infant is vaccinated and we’re out of winter respiratory virus season, and to the arrival of the Bishop Coadjutor.   Personalmente espero que se realicen más en español porque algunas personas en mi familia prefieren hablar en ese idioma.  Thank you for your consideration.

A very good friend brought me to Grace about 23 years ago. I liked the service, the clergy and the other parishioners who were warm and welcoming. What keeps me here is the spirit and caring of the Christian Community that exists here at Grace. 

I have been a pledging member of the congregation for 22 years; volunteering my time and talent as I could, and circumstances would allow. Over the years I have been a member of the Hospitality Ministry, a greeter, an assistant at the Welcome Table and an usher. I have also been a Docent and tour guide and assisted with a Community Lunch program. I also have served on the Congregational Council and as a member of the Deanery. 

In 2022 I was elected as a delegate to the Deanery for the second time and have served two terms as an alternate. I would like to continue to represent Grace Cathedral as a Deanery Delegate 

Hello, my name is Lenny López. I have been an active member of Grace Cathedral since 2016 when I arrived in San Francisco from Boston. Immediately, Grace Cathedral felt like my first real church home in many years, and I have been nourished spiritually through the fellowship of so many wonderful brothers and sisters at Grace. My spiritual journey began as a Roman Catholic and then was deepened through a Master of Divinity degree from Harvard Divinity School. I joined this training with my deep commitment to social justice by earning a Doctor of Medicine from the University of Pennsylvania. I currently serve as a physician-researcher and professor of medicine at the University of California San Francisco and the San Francisco VA Medical Center. My research is focused on eliminating health and healthcare disparities in health and healthcare for all patients by addressing the social determinants of health (i.e., housing, food, insurance, access to high quality care). I believe Grace Cathedral has a proven and impressive social justice mission. This past year as a deanery delegate, I was able to meet and work with others from parishes throughout the diocese. I have been encouraged to learn about the strong commitment to justice throughout the diocese. In addition, we were able to help to vote in the first Latino bishop of the Diocese of California! I would love to continue to serve as a delegate to the deanery on behalf of Grace Cathedral. Much work lies ahead for the diocese and the cathedral in the next year. It would be my honor to strengthen and nurture Grace Cathedral’s mission as a home for all people through my work in the deanery. 

I’m Karter Louis, a recording artist, restaurateur, and entrepreneur and a proud member of the Grace Community since 2003 but more actively since my return to San Francisco in 2017. I began performing professionally in theater at the age of 15 and launched my first production company at age 17. After graduating the Performing Arts school in Louisville KY, I went on to pursue a BFA in musical theater at Alliant University in San Diego (formerly U S International University) After brief success in Hollywood, landing a development deal at Capital Records, various national tv commercials and a tv pilot, I abandoned my artistic passions to pursue a “normal life” I went on to become a general manager at various retail chains. This experience led to a surprising opportunity to co-own and operate a restaurant with one of Chicago’s top chefs.

In 1999 I returned to music, forming my own independent label which resulted in the successful release of 4 studio albums and subsequently touring and performing all over the world. In between touring I turned my focus back to food. Most notably as co-founder of San Francisco’s ultra-chic Samovar Tea Lounge, which eventually expanded to four locations in the city. In 2005 I moved to Taiwan and co-founded HHnL Design Group in Taipei, and eventually an independent lighting design firm Uno Lai Design in Shanghai. After an extensive stay in Asia, I returned to my hometown of Louisville Kentucky, where I opened Hillbilly Tea, a farm-to-fork Appalachian & tea themed restaurant. Fueled by the amazing reception to this unique American tea concept, I randomly decided to open a second Hillbilly Tea in Shanghai, China.

In 2017 I returned to San Francisco. Since returning I have continued to work as a restaurant consultant as well I have returned to music with an upcoming release of a new album after a 7-year hiatus. Additionally, I work with California Lawyers for the Arts, managing their reentry program for formerly incarcerated individuals who wish to pursue a career in the arts.

I have served on several boards in Louisville Kentucky including Jefferson Community Technical College, The Speed Art Museum and Kentucky College of Art and Design, Brightside, and the Major’s Council. I consider myself a deeply spiritual person with a strong belief in contributing to my communities and using my abilities for the greater good. It would be an honor to serve as part of Grace Cathedrals Deanery Delegation. I can’t imagine a more rewarding opportunity than to contribute to the mission of Grace.

It’s truly a pleasure to run for the Grace Cathedral Deanery Delegation this year. Since joining the deanery, the work done with my follow congregants led me to build relationships with other Episcopalians and congregations across DioCal and The Episcopal Church (TEC). These relationships, and the work and discernment that our delegation has done each convocation and convention, have allowed me to continue work not just for Grace, but for the diocesan Task Force on Disability and Deaf Access, TEC’s State of the Church Committee, and on DioCal’s deputation to the 82nd General Convention in Louisville, Kentucky this coming June. The relationships and foundations built at Grace and both serving and representing our congregation have led to breaking down barriers within and outside of the Church, and to bringing more people to the table however they are called. I hope to continue those relationships and the ministries the deanery supports in our city and diocese. Most of all, I look forward to the prayerful work our delegation does together in deanery meetings and diocesan conventions. In addition to the deanery delegation, I’ve previously served as a greeter, on Congregation Council and the Social Justice Working Group, and sponsored baptisms at Grace. In the diocese, I’ve served on the COM and on Executive Council. Outside of Grace, I am the Director of Advocacy with CASE, the Community Alliance for Special Education, and a committed women’s education and disability rights advocate. My husband, Asit, and I are the parents of Sofia and Axel, who join Godly Play on Sundays and live their best lives during coffee hour on the plaza. 

Roberta Sautter has been a congregant at Grace since 2002, and leader of Education for Ministry st Grace for almost 20 years. She is also active in liturgical ministries.

I’ve been a member of the Grace Cathedral congregation since 2009.  I’m a senior-level community manager with a passion for social change. I’m currently looking for a new role in the tech industry, where I have over 10 years of experience in community management and events. Some of the projects that I’m most proud of are leading SFTech4Good, a Meetup group that explores how technology can be used for good, and writing the SFTech4Good  monthly newsletter on Substack that covers data-for-good topics. I also merged  SFTech4Good with Data4Good, another group that focuses on data science and social impact, to create a larger and more diverse community.  I have a B.A. from UCLA and a law degree from UC Law (formerly UC Hastings), but I  decided to pursue a different path and moved to South Korea to teach at a university  and travel. While there, I also earned a Master’s in International Studies from Ewha  Womans University, one of the most prestigious institutions in South Korea. 

I moved back to the US in 2009, and I was baptized at Grace Cathedral. I love this church and its community, and I’ve been serving as the convener for Grace Cathedral’s Deanery for the last three years and am the current Lay VP for the San Francisco Deanery. As you know, the Deanery was involved in the selection of the new Bishop of California last year. We got to communicate with our fellow congregants and dig into those meet and greets and discernment, which was a wonderful and rewarding experience. I’m grateful for the opportunity to continue serving as part of Grace Cathedral’s Deanery Delegation, and I hope to contribute to the growth and development of our church and our mission. 

Thank you for your consideration.