Clergy & Staff
Clergy
The Rev. Dr. Kristine Blaess grew up in Bozeman, Montana where she enjoyed hiking and skiing. She received a BA in Music (Organ) from St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota and a Master of Divinity degree from Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota. After seminary, Kristine and her husband Michael spent a year in Australia studying, visiting Aboriginal communities, and working on a sheep station.
Kristine received a Doctor of Ministry degree from Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary in 2012. Her project emerged from her passion for helping congregations flourish as they seek God’s kingdom and learn to make disciples.
Kristine has served congregations in Idaho and Tennessee.
Kristine and Michael are proud parents of Jack and Natalie.
The Reverend Michael Whitnah grew up in Virginia and Connecticut, before attending Gordon College in Wenham, Massachusetts where he studied History. While at Gordon, Michael worked for the La Vida Center for Outdoor Education leading backcountry immersion experiences. Michael and his wife, Joanna, met while both working for La Vida.
Michael served as the Director of College Ministries for four years at the Church of the Good Samaritan in Paoli, Pennsylvania, before discerning a call to the priesthood. Prior to attending seminary, he and Joanna spent a year working and living in New Zealand. Michael graduated with a Master in Divinity from Virginia Theological Seminary and served his first ordained call as the Assistant to the Rector at All Saints’ Episcopal Church in Concord, North Carolina. He has a deep love of preaching, study, experiential and transformative opportunities, music, intentional community, and hospitality.
Michael and Joanna have two children, Charles and Annalie.
The Rev. Funmi Odidi (FOON-mee oh-DEE-dee), St. Paul’s Priest Associate, works in a full-time chaplaincy residency at St. Thomas Rutherford, and is very generously volunteering her ministry at St. Paul’s on Sunday mornings. Mother Funmi has many gifts, including spiritual discernment and healing prayer. Mtr. Funmi is married to The Ven. Dr. Martin Odidi, a priest at St. George’s. They have three adult sons, all priests. Two serve in the United States and one remains in their homeland, Nigeria.
Meet the Staff
Heather first joined the staff at St. Paul's as the Communications Director in May 2019. Later that year she transitioned into the role of Parish Administrator. In this role she oversees parish finances and daily operations working directly with office staff, the communications team, nursery staff, the sexton team, ministry leaders, and vestry.
A native of middle Tennessee and a proud graduate of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. She also holds a Master of Education from the University of Florida in Higher Education Administration and a Doctorate of Philosophy from Nova Southeastern University in Conflict Analysis and Resolution in Fort Lauderdale, FL. For over fifteen years Heather worked as a student affairs professional in higher education focused on student leadership, orientation, transition, and retention. Her experience as Director of Orientation & Family Programs at two majority, minority institutions, University of Miami and Nova Southeastern University, instilled invaluable cross-cultural understandings in both her personal and professional life.
In 2015, Heather and her husband, Daus, moved to Tennessee as she began a new role as the Director of Orientation and Transition at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. Shortly after returning to Tennessee, Heather and Daus started their family which ultimately led them back to middle Tennessee to be closer to family. Upon moving to downtown Murfreesboro, Heather and her family began attending St. Paul’s in the fall of 2018 and knew pretty quickly that they had found their church home. As a parishioner Heather participates in the parents' group and flower guild. Daus serves on the livestream tech team and has attended Men's Retreat and Cursillo. Together they have participated in Pilgrimage and became members of St. Paul’s in the summer of 2019. They are proud parents of two young daughters, Audrey and Cameron, who love attending nursery, Catechesis, and Parent’s Night Out programs.
A native of Rutherford County, where she attended school and has worked most of her life, Kathy has worked in several clerical and administrative settings. She has been with St. Paul’s for 17 years and she and Jennifer Handy co-share this administrative assistant position. Previously she worked with Samsonite Furniture in Murfreesboro for data processing, accounts payable, and customer service for many years. Before coming to St. Paul’s, she worked for the Rutherford County School System at Buchanan Elementary School as an educational assistant and attendance secretary. Kathy is active and faithful in her own church and feels blessed to be a part of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church. Her husband is William and they have one son John, his wife Katie and two grandsons, Peyton and Houston. You may contact Kathy at frontoffice@
Joei Perry serves as the Wednesday/Thursday Co-Administrative Assistant (job sharing with Kathy Warlick) and as the Communications Coordinator. Joei grew up in Bartlett TN, just outside of Memphis, and eagerly returned to her home state in 2019, after living in Boston for 30 years, where she was most recently a member of King's Chapel in Boston and served on the church's Vestry, Personnel Committee (Chair), and Community Action Committee. She began attending St. Paul’s in January 2020. Joei is the proud mother of twins, David and Joseph, and cherished daughter of a former U.S. Army Airborne Ranger and a former educator.
Joei is an experienced HR professional with nearly three decades of service in her field. Her previous positions include Director of Human Resources and Head of DEIB + Culture at Fashionable, Inc. (ABLE) and Assistant Director of Human Resources at Harvard Law School. She has also served as an HR Consultant, HRIS Manager, and HR Generalist.
Joei earned a B.A. of Psychology from Harvard University and completed graduate studies in vocal music and opera performance at Longy School of Music. She has performed as a soloist in oratorio, musical theater, and opera and as a church musician. Joei was a member of the all-professional King's Chapel Boston Choir, the New England Spiritual Ensemble, the choir at Trinity Church in Boston, the Festival Tanglewood Chorus (Boston Symphony Orchestra), and the Opera Boston chorus, performed frequently with American Classics, a Cambridge-based musical theater company, and was the soprano soloist for Newton Presbyterian Church.
Joei is passionate about music outreach, having performed as member of the Opera Boston Education Outreach team and participated as a teaching mentor and board member of Mssng Lnks, a non-profit opera and musical theater outreach and summer program for youth in the Boston area. Joei has also served on the Board of Directors for the Radcliffe Choral Society Foundation and Intersection Music (Nashville).
Cindy oversees St. Paul’s programs for children 5th grade and younger. With an undergraduate degree in Early Childhood Education and a master's degree focused on Curriculum and Instruction, she has taught abroad in New Zealand and China and also for several years here in Tennessee. She states, “I feel blessed to mix my love of teaching and children with my commitment to the Church.” Cindy has completed all three levels of Catechesis of the Good Shepherd training and counts that experience as one of her most enriching.
Position Open
Dr. Sean Vogt is an associate professor of music (tenured) at Clayton State University and Director of Music at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Murfreesboro, TN. He received his DMA from Michigan State University and MM from Southern Methodist University, both in conducting. He worked on a DMA in organ at the University of Iowa (Delbert Disselhorst); MM from SMU (Larry Palmer); BA from Central College in Pella, Iowa (Davis Folkerts). Because of his choral and organ degrees, Dr. Vogt is frequently hired regionally and nationally for collaborative keyboard with soloists and choral ensembles, including national conventions of the NCCO and ACDA.
Originally from Ripley, Tennessee and a member of Immanuel Episcopal Church, Morris began attending St. Paul’s in 1990 when he started attending Middle Tennessee State University on a full scholarship. In 1995, Morris earned his Bachelor of Music degree in Music Industry from MTSU and went on to receive his Master of Music degree in 1998 with a specialization in Piano Performance as well as his K-12 certification in Vocal/General Music.
Since then Morris has taught at Rock Springs Elementary for Rutherford County Schools, which honored him with the Teacher of the Year award in 2006. On weekdays after school Morris also gives private piano instruction.
At St. Paul’s on June 9, 2001, The Reverends Gene Wise and Donald Brooks co-officiated the marriage ceremony between Morris and his bride Melissa Marshall. In December 2006, Morris and Melissa became parents of their miraculous son, James Marshall Hamby.
Morris serves as the pianist on Sundays at our 7:30 a.m. worship service. He is also the Music Director for the Episcopal Churchmen Conference held each summer at the DuBose Conference Center in Monteagle, Tennessee.
Undergraduate degree in music education
Graduate degrees in Vocal Performance and Vocal Pedagogy
Over 25 years teaching classes and lessons from pre-k through university levels
Majority of performance experience in choral, musical theater, and classical genres (opera)
My philosophy of teaching voice always begins with a heathy technique.
Lay Leaders
David came to St. Paul’s when he moved to Murfreesboro in 1981 to teach in the History Department at Middle Tennessee State University. In 1987, following his Cursillo weekend, he began a long ministry at St. Paul’s that has taken many forms but that focuses in three areas: spiritual formation for adults, developing and administering liturgies, and administration in the parish and the diocese. His principal effort is directed to teaching in the Pilgrimage, St. Paul’s program for Christian initiation that takes place each year. One will see him any Sunday singing in the choir, assisting at the altar, preaching, or sharing a cup of coffee with any of his many friends here.
I am a certified public accountant, retired in 2018 after almost forty years in public accounting and
private industry. The majority of my career was spent in finance and accounting positions in the
education industry where I last served as Chief Financial Officer of a Nashville based education services
company.
At St. Paul’s I am currently a member of the technology team, assisting in the streaming of our worship
services, and have previously served two terms on the vestry and as treasurer. I have also previously
served as treasurer and registrar of Tennessee Episcopal Cursillo, and as a vestry member and treasurer
at Christ Church Nashville.
My wife Tina and I have two grown children, John and Katherine, and one grandson, Archer. We also
have a French bulldog, Oscar, a canine comedian who keeps us entertained daily!
I am honored to be appointed as St. Paul’s treasurer, and grateful for the opportunity to utilize my skills
in serving my church community.
(Non-Member Vestry Officer)
Vestry
Elected in 2024
- Sandy Clemmons, Children Liaison
- Jeff Davis, Junior Warden
- David Green, Senior Warden
- Jennifer Kropog, Stewardship
Elected in 2025
- Katie Enzor, Newcomers Liaison
- Ted Goodman, Playgroup Work Group Chair & Stewardship
- Dixie Groutt, Worship & Technology
- Barbara Sullivan, Parish Life
Elected in 2026
- Bruce Fahnestock, Finance & Administration
- Kim Baumann, Youth Liaison
- Lisa Rhea, Alpha Liaison
- Lynne Miller, Alpha Liaison
- Susanne Hebden, Parish Life