Kate Brossman

My first encounter with Saint James was when my husband, Doug, and I were married here in 1996 (30 years this June!). The Episcopal Church presented a wonderful compromise as we had been raised in different faith traditions - Doug as a Lutheran and me as a Catholic - here in Lancaster. We were attracted to Fr. Peter Eaton’s willingness to get to know us and serve as our officiant and quickly grew to appreciate Saint James’ history and architectural beauty and to feel connected to the welcoming community here as newlyweds and parishioners.

As our children, Alissa and Adam (now 26 and 24), joined our family, our involvement at Saint James also increased. Over the years, I’ve served as a Eucharistic Minister, lector and usher for the 8:30 service, have led the Power Packs weekend meals program at Carter and MacRae, taught Chair yoga through the Anchorage program and served a 1st term on Vestry. Most recently, I worked on staff part-time as the Executive Director of The Urban Well, which gave me wonderful insight into this meaningful and valuable asset of Saint James. I have been amazed by the recognition and appreciation that Saint James receives through the programming The Urban Well has offered since its inception. We are fortunate to have Clergy and Staff who are deeply committed to both sustaining the traditions of the Church and finding ways to remain meaningful and relevant in a changing world.

If elected to the Vestry again, I hope to expand my connections with the people of Saint James and bring unique perspectives to the challenges we face. (I also bring an MBA and professional background in marketing and business development at Armstrong and The Forum Corporation.)

Outside of Saint James, you can most likely find me playing pickleball or golf, practicing yoga, pretending to speak French, trying new recipes or maybe heading to an airport to travel with my also-retired husband.

Carol S. Becker
My earliest memories are associated with the Church; my Dad was pastor of Zion United Church of Christ in Lancaster County. Growing up, I had a front row seat in the school of the everyday work of Christ, watching and learning from my Dad’s pastoral example.

I was received by and confirmed into Christ Church Christiana Hundred, an Episcopal Church in Greenville, DE, in 2012. Mike Becker and I married there in 2015. Moving to Palmyra, PA in 2018, we began to visit Saint James, joining in March of 2024. I was drawn to the community's warmth and impressed by the diverse programs, especially Urban Well's contemplative offerings. For three years, I participated in the Mercy Seminar, studying interfaith texts alongside Christian viewpoints. In 2025, I began to serve as a Eucharistic Minister and am presently training as a Eucharistic Visitor.

A life-altering experience was my participation in a 34-week program of the Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius, integrated into daily life and facilitated by Saint James’ Spiritual Director, Pat Latshaw. I learned to cultivate a daily practice of prayer and contemplation, allowing the Holy Spirit to direct my life and deepen my faith. I also discerned a Call to the Ministry of Spiritual Direction, and will begin training, as an Ignatian Spiritual Director, in March of 2026.

In my professional life, I worked as a scientist in medical research before moving to the pharmaceutical industry for 35 years. In subsequent leadership positions, I developed strengths in strategic planning, coaching people and resolving problems. I retired in January of 2024 and began volunteering at Water Street Mission, serving meals or working in the food pantry.
Mike and I enjoy traveling and snow skiing and share a blended family of 3 adult children, a son-in-law, and 2 grandchildren.

Drew Dyrli Hermeling

I was raised across many Episcopal parishes. Since childhood, I have found both comfort and grounding in the community and liturgy of the Episcopal Church. As a teen, I attended St. John’s in Carlisle, where I served as a head acolyte and was elected a representative to the Diocesan Convention at 17. After completing my bachelor’s degree at Messiah College (now University), I moved to Harrisburg and helped start the intentional community called the Sycamore House. We, as house members, served St. Stephen’s Cathedral and the wider Harrisburg community. After completing my year of service, I moved to St. Paul’s in Harrisburg.

It was during my years at St. Paul’s that I met and married my wife, Kari. While in Harrisburg we welcomed our daughter Nilsa. However, because my wife had been commuting to a job here in the School District of Lancaster, we decided to move to Lancaster City. In fact, while house-hunting, we began visiting Saint James. It was the warm welcome of David and Debbi Miller that not only compelled us to join but also helped us find a home across the street from them. Since moving here, we have welcomed our son Oskar, who was baptized at Saint James by Mother Shayna, with Debbi and David serving as godparents.

I am a historian and an educator, serving as a humanities instructor at the Stone Independent School. In May of 2025, I completed my PhD in history at Lehigh University, with a research focus on transcultural peacemaking in colonial North America. For me, research, vocation, and faith are all entangled with one another. It is my faith that compels me to seek peace, whether in the past or the present. Likewise, my faith is instrumental to my commitment as an educator, helping students learn history, while also finding themselves in the process. Moreover, I believe the skills I’ve acquired in this work will be invaluable to the work of vestry in the parish that has become the faith home of my family.

Leslie Mann

I am truly honored to be invited to stand for Saint James vestry. I grew up in Tennessee where my parents were on the faculty of Sewanee, an Episcopal liberal arts college. I was baptized at Otey Parish in Sewanee and later confirmed at St. Andrews Sewanee, an Episcopalian high school. I headed north to attend college at Bard and then to New York City. After a lengthy career at some of the finest magazines, I relocated to Lancaster in 2010 after meeting my husband George Mann. George’s family has been rooted in Lancaster for many generations. He owns and operates a farm in Manor Township and is a fifth generation owner of Lancaster County Motors family of car dealerships. Our son, Isaac, was born in 2011.

Lancaster has been a happy, healthy, and safe place for us to raise our son, and being members of St. James has contributed much to our quality of life here. My son, now 14, has served as an acolyte for seven years at St. James. I have participated for many years as a reader and a greeter at the 10:30 service. Taking part in the service is a powerful experience. I have enjoyed the opportunity to participate in the service and to connect with a group of people coming together to pray. And this is why I want to serve on the vestry. I want to contribute and promote the in-person experience of attending and participating in church in a time when our post-pandemic society has become increasingly disconnected. I want to help in whatever way I can, to promote the healing message of Christianity and would like to assist St. James in growing its congregation.

Eric Schwarz

I was raised in southern Florida, where my father taught me the importance of community service through Habitat for Humanity. In the fall of 1997, I joined the Navy and entered the nuclear program for submarines. After completing my service, I used the GI Bill to enroll at Penn State University, where I earned a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry. I then attended the University of Missouri-Columbia, where I completed a Master of Science in Chemical Engineering. During my time at these institutions, I met my wife, Ashley. I eventually moved to Lancaster for work and Ashley and I were married in 2012. I started working as a nuclear chemical engineer for Peach Bottom, and in 2014, our son Henry was born. We sought to find a spiritual home and community, which led us to Saint James.

I left the Navy Reserves in 2016 and transitioned to TMI for work until it closed in 2019. I was fortunate to return to Peach Bottom, which marked the beginning of my personal journey to add value to my community and the industry.

I have been volunteering since 2017 at Franklin and Marshall College, where I work on studying air and water quality in the environment. Additionally, I served briefly as a Cub Scout den leader in Lancaster City from 2022 to 2024. I also volunteer with Junior Achievement, where I engage with elementary and middle school students in civic engagement and STEM topics, both in Lancaster and in a rural town in York County. I firmly believe that children need positive adult mentors, and I feel fortunate to have an employer that allows me the time to serve in these roles.

Currently, I am leading an initiative to revitalize nuclear education training through a partnership between the private sector and Franklin & Marshall College, aimed at providing more opportunities for our local community. I am passionate about engaging boys and men to improve their participation and opportunities in our local industry and community.

Sam Slaymaker

Although my family has resided in Lancaster County for eight generations, I remain a relative newcomer to the Episcopal Church. I was baptized and confirmed in a small Presbyterian Church in Gap and, after returning home after school, college and law school, I again became an active member. However, in 1994, I became engaged to my wife of over 30 years, Laura. She had been raised in the Episcopal Church, and very much wanted to be married at Saint James. I confided to her that I had serious doubts that the church would agree to this; neither of us had any connection to it and I was a committed Presbyterian with no plans to convert. I was also not encouraged by the knowledge that Saint James had refused to marry my parents because my father had been divorced.

We subsequently had several meetings with the presiding Curate, Mary Lou Brocht. She seemed to be less concerned with my commitment to Presbyterianism than with our commitment to one another and to the institution of marriage. Ultimately, I was pleasantly surprised when Mary Lou accepted us for marriage at Saint James.

Because Laura felt unable to connect with what she viewed as the austere quality of Presbyterianism, we began to attend Saint James. I had to admit that I was drawn to the welcoming feel of the church and the contemplative, almost mystical quality of its liturgy. I attended classes and was confirmed. When we had young children, Laura and I volunteered in the nursery, taught Sunday School and I ushered. Today, Saint James provides me with a place of acceptance, community and peace.

I have served on the boards of several non-profits including the New School of Lancaster, Woodward Hill Cemetery, Lancaster History, the Donegal Society and Wheatland. I served as Executive Director of Historic Rock Ford for almost twenty years and now serve as Director Emeritus. Saint James has surprised me once again by asking me to run for the Vestry. If elected, I would do my best to utilize my experience in Lancaster’s philanthropic community to serve my church.