Since 2014, The Reverend Canon Doctor Rob Droste has served as Canon for Congregational Development and Mission in the Diocese of New Jersey. In that role, he oversees a broad range of initiatives designed to increase congregational vitality in more than 130 congregations.
A member of the diocese’s senior staff, Rob works closely with Bishop William “Chip” Stokes, diocesan staff and a diverse group of clergy and lay leaders across New
Jersey. Rob draws on principles of adaptive leadership, creativity/innovation, missional thinking, and church-specialized coaching to help congregations make the challenging transition from maintenance to mission.
Rob has been married to his wife, Karla, since 1995; Karla is a full-time spiritual director, devoted to Ignatian spirituality, who specializes in working with clergy, seminarians, and lay leaders.
Borrowing from Stephen Covey, Rob likes to say, “The main thing for the church is keeping the main thing the main thing. For the church, that means developing lifelong,
committed followers of Jesus for the world – people committed to Christ. Everything we will ever do in our church will rest on how well we accomplish that task.”
Greetings Diocese of Utah. I was raised in Southwestern Virginia and baptized at St. Paul’s in Salem, Virginia. The youngest of three, my childhood was comprised of church, Girl Scouting, camping, and hiking the Appalachian Trail. I attended Emory & Henry, graduating with an interdisciplinary BA of Business Management, French, and International Studies. After graduation, I interned with Southern Empowerment Project (SEP) and spent my time learning grassroots organizing in Appalachia. Drawing on my undergraduate studies and time with SEP, I taught Business and Commerce at a secondary school in Kenya for nine months. Returning to the U.S., I worked for the Girl Scouts briefly before opening a second location of my mom’s nature store, For the Birds. Eleven years later, I answered
the call to the priesthood.
My four-year-old daughter and I arrived at Virginia Theological Seminary in the Fall of 2001, and I was called as Deacon/Priest-in-Charge to St. Thomas, a church
dedicated to serving the unhoused, in Christiansburg, VA in 2004. St. Anne called me as rector in 2015 and I discovered a vibrant congregation embracing core values of welcome, inclusion, and discipleship. Community building, service,
outreach, and creation care are foundational aspects of my family life and priesthood. I am single, my hiking partner is a 90-pound Dutch Shepherd mix named Samson. My daughter and her husband live in England, and I am very close to my siblings, my stepfather, and our extended family. Family gatherings
always involve enjoying the outdoors and evenings of games.
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The Rev. Dr. Janet Waggoner currently serves as Canon to the Ordinary in the Episcopal Church in North Texas (formerly, the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth). Prior to this, Canon Waggoner served as Interim Pastor of Rejoice Lutheran Church in Coppell, Texas (2012-2013), Rector of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Shelton, Connecticut (2006-2012), and Assistant Rector in two Connecticut congregations (2001-2003, 2003-2006).
Waggoner, a native of the Pacific Northwest, was born in The Dalles, Oregon, and raised in Goldendale, Washington. In 1989, Waggoner received her BA in Religion from Willamette University in Salem, Oregon. In her twenties, she explored a
variety of vocations (campus minister, recreation therapist, marketing specialist, and development director) before discerning for the priesthood. In 2001, Waggoner earned an MDiv (magna cum laude) from Yale Divinity School and, in 2021, a DMin in “Transforming Practices: Spirituality, Leadership and Justice” from Brite Divinity School.
Waggoner chairs the churchwide Task Force on Church Planting and Congregational Redevelopment. She is a founding member of Circle of Clergy, community leadership for racial justice. Waggoner is an Academy 4 mentor, an ICF certified coach, and an Advisor in Title IV disciplinary processes. She is a long-time member of the Society of the Companions of the Holy Cross. Waggoner has partnered with Kenyans to build a school in northwest Kenya and with Ecuadorians to rebuild a
coastal church destroyed by a tsunami.
Waggoner has two children, Wynne (19) and Ben (16), and a dog, Comet (7). She
enjoys quilting, hiking, cooking, and writing.
Episcopal Church Center of Utah (ECCU)
75 South 200 East, Salt Lake City, Utah 84111
Telephone: 801-322-4131 | Fax: 801-322-5096
© 2023 The Rt. Rev. Bishop Spiegel, Episcopal Diocese of Utah