Leadership & Staff

Rev. Shannan Vance-Ocampo serves the Presbytery of Southern New England as General Presbyter. Previous to this call Shannan served as the Transitional Presbyter for Albany Presbytery in New York, Pastor/Head of Staff at Watchung Avenue Presbyterian Church in North Plainfield, NJ, and as the Associate Pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Rumson, NJ. Shannan serves the national church as an Elected Member and co-chair of the Presbyterian Mission Agency Board, and a Director with the Presbyterian Foundation. Previously, she served as co-moderator of the Activist Council of the Presbyterian Peace Fellowship following her extensive volunteer work on their accompaniment program for human rights in Colombia, South America in partnership with the Iglesia Presbiteriana de Colombia.

She holds a Bachelors of Arts in Philosophy and Religious Studies (honors) from The College of Wooster and a Master of Divinity from McCormick Theological Seminary. She spent an undergraduate semester at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland and is currently working on her Doctor of Ministry at Memphis Theological Seminary in the Land, Food and Faith Formation program.

Her passions are for organizational change, prophetic leadership and congregational transformation. At home she is an avid gardener, with a gaggle of chickens, fish and frogs living in her yard-habitat alongside many plants, flowers and vegetables. Her husband, Juan Gabriel Ocampo Valle, is a native of Bogotá, Colombia, where they continue to maintain a home. They are the proud parents of their daughter, Sofia Elena and in late 2022 welcomed a granddaughter, Katalina Elena.

Shannan’s work-from-home assistant is Mila.

clerk@psne.org

Rev. Kate Carlisle (they/them) serves the Presbytery of Southern New England as Stated Clerk, in a joint position shared with the Presbytery of Boston.

Kate was born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky. They majored in Physics as an undergrad at Haverford College in Pennsylvania, and received their MDiv from Yale Divinity School. Kate worked at the Presbyterian Mission Agency in Louisville after seminary, and was ordained in 2013 to their first call in western Kentucky. They moved to the Boston area in 2016 to serve as Pastor of the Presbyterian Church in Needham, Mass., which closed in summer 2020. In addition to their work as Stated Clerk, they serve as Children & Youth Christian Education Coordinator at Church of the Covenant in Boston.

Kate is passionate about Presbyterian polity as a practice by which we seek to live out our call as beloved community. They have been enthusiastic about the Book of Confessions and Book of Order since their own confirmation. They are also passionate about worship, teaching, and LGBTQIA+ inclusion in the Church. They’re still convinced the Church can (and should) make the world a better place. Kate is a big fan of Boston parks and New England beaches. They enjoy cooking, reading, gardening, watching television, spending time in nature, and spending time with friends.

Kate’s office assistant is Ella!

Rev. Kevin White has served as the pastor of Calvin Presbyterian Church in Cumberland, RI since 2015. He currently serves on the PSNE Anti-Racism Task Force, and has served on the Committee on Preparation for Ministry. He is also the part-time Protestant Chaplain with the Campus Ministry department at Bryant University in Smithfield, RI.

He holds dual Bachelor of Arts degrees in Philosophy and in Religious Studies from Virginia Commonwealth University, and a Master of Divinity from Union Presbyterian Seminary. Kevin loves preaching, and is continually amazed that he has the honor and privilege to walk with so many through the ups and downs, questions and wrestlings of life. He hangs his hat on the fact that somehow and someway the life, death, and resurrection of Christ changes everything.

Prior to ordained ministry, Kevin has worked in the specialty outdoor retail industry, in non-ordained youth ministry, and as a group worker in a residential boys’ home.

Kevin is a self-avowed Star Wars geek and loves soccer (he practices the spiritual discipline of humility by being a fan of Everton FC). He enjoys being the number one fan of his wife, Rachel, a talented artist, and they are the proud parents of their son, Ezra, with whom Kevin enjoys riding bikes, playing board and card games, and (when his knees allow it) practicing karate. Kevin would much rather brag about Rachel and Ezra than write a bio about himself. They share their home with two cats, Albus and Jovi.  Kevin is no longer the tallest in his house.

Meet Albus and Jovi, who are probably up to something.

Dallas grew up in Sewickley, Pennsylvania, and holds a Bachelor of Arts in German and Economics from Lehigh University. She also earned a Juris Doctor from Duquesne University School of Law in Pittsburgh, but found her true calling in the Church. She fell in love with New England while earning a Master of Divinity and a Master of Arts in Counseling at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in Hamilton, Massachusetts.

Dallas served for a year in children’s ministry before being ordained by Pittsburgh Presbytery in February of 2000. She has served churches in North Carolina, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, and Massachusetts. Dallas has a passion for God’s Word and for church revitalization in New England. She was called and installed last year to serve as Pastor of St. Andrew Presbyterian Church in Groton, Connecticut.

At home, Dallas plays piano, embroiders, and reads lots of fiction and biography. She is a history nerd who enjoys exploring archives, museums, and antique stores. Her heart for children has led her to create a hands-on creative learning program called Girls Making History, and to explore writing for children through Vermont College of Fine Arts in Montpelier, Vermont.

Katie Grosh is delighted to serve as the Communications Manager for the Presbytery of Southern New England. Katie has communications, administration, and social media management experience through non-profits and organizations including Grace Farms Foundation, New Haven Parks and Recreation, and Yale Divinity School’s disability student group, DivineAbilities. In addition to working at PSNE, she currently also serves as the Communications Specialist at First Presbyterian Church of New Haven.

Katie received her M.Div from Yale Divinity School in 2022 with a focus on the intersection of religion and ecology. She has a background in science, including receiving a BA in Geology at Carleton College in Minnesota and teaching environmental education at Urban Ecology Center in Milwaukee through the Lutheran Volunteer Corps. She continues to combine her love for the outdoors and faith by serving as the Camp Chaplain for the Presbyterian-affiliatied Camp Wilmot in New Hampshire

Katie lives in New Haven Connecticut with her partner, Ben Bond (he/they), a disability justice advocate for faith communities. Both of them work from home and spend lots of time in the backyard with the birds. Katie is excited to continue her east coast adventures, including hiking in East Rock, cooking creative vegetarian meals, guest preaching, visiting nearby friends, singing in the FPCNH choir, auditing courses at the Divinity School, and getting to participate in the life of this Presbytery.

Katie and Ben have many “freelance” animal office assistants (birds, squirrels…) in their outdoor work-from-home space.