Leadership
As a much younger man, I was trying to discern what my calling from God was. Through mutual prayer and conversation with mentors, friends, and family, I determined that I was called to serve the Church as a lay leader. I have been blessed to be able to answer that call at my parish, diocese and the wider church. I was elected first lay alternate to the 2009 & 2012 General Conventions, and elected as a Lay Deputy to the 2015, 2018, and 2022 General Conventions. I currently serve as Chair of the Joint Standing Committee on Nominations and Chair of the House of Deputies Rules of Order Legislative Committee. I have served as secretary to two other legislative committees and as a member of the interim Task Force on Church Leadership and Compensation. I am currently a Vice Chancellor in the Diocese of West Tennessee and was elected to multiple terms on the Standing Committee and on Bishop and Council. I have been elected to the vestry several times in two different parishes, serving as Junior Warden and Senior Warden at different times.
I was trained as a facilitator for Holy Currencies work by Kaleidoscope Institute, and I now sit on its Board. I have completed the Education for Ministry (EFM) program of the University of the South School of Theology. I am an attorney in private practice. I graduated from Davidson College and Emory University School of Law. Upon graduation from law school in 1986, I began practicing in Memphis, Tennessee, where I practiced for 26 years, most of which was spent at a large law firm. I am currently a partner in the law firm of Lannom Coronado Haight PLLC in Dyersburg, Tennessee, where I have practiced since 2012. My practice has focused on intellectual property, especially portfolio management, business and commercial matters, local tax incentives and economic development for clients ranging from individuals, family businesses, large and small, nonprofit entities, and governmental entities.
Inclusivity
I believe my experience in legal matters and prior church lay leadership has prepared me to serve on Executive Council. I trust the collective wisdom of church leaders—when that wisdom reflects the diversity of the members of the church. I am dedicated to continuing the progress of our church in striving to become the beloved community of Jesus. As Bishop Curry has said, “by God’s grace…we are becoming a church that looks and acts like Jesus.” I fully support the work of the Presiding Officers’ Working Group on Truth-Telling, Reckoning and Healing.
I am now an openly gay man. I was married to my husband in our local parish during the pandemic. My journey to that point was many years of anguish over not being able to be my authentic self. I felt that I had to sacrifice that part of myself for my career, and, perhaps ironically, for my happiness. Having been on the floor of General Convention since 2009, I have watched with great joy the increasing presence of LGBTQA+ persons in our church leadership, and, of course, the ability to be married to my husband at our parish. My own experience of marginalization and disrespect helps me empathize with People of Color and others who feel marginalized and disrespected by society and our church. The leadership of our church should look like its members. I believe that a diverse group of leaders will always make better-informed decisions.
Insight
I was born in Allentown, PA. I have since lived in White Plains, NY; Overland Park, KS; Atlanta, GA; Memphis, TN, and now Dyersburg, TN. At this point I have spent more than half my life in west Tennessee, which, along with parts of Arkansas and Mississippi, is called the Mid-South, or the (Mississippi River) Delta. I have a liberal arts degree and a J.D. I have been a member of a large regional law firm and a small one. I have been a parishioner in a large parish and a small one. I have traveled widely, mostly in Europe, Mexico, and Russia. I am the proud father of ten adult children, eight of whom were adopted as older children from Russia. Three of my children are People of Color. This abundant life experience, and my leadership experience, has given me insight about many cultures and the variety of human experiences. What we share is much greater than that which seeks to divide us. It has taught me the strength of diversity and the wisdom of decision-making in a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic environment that values the lived experiences of all persons.
