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Our Staff
The Mission Team
Our dynamic staff work together to implement the vision and direction of the Synod Assembly and the Mission and Ministry Commission. We are located in diverse geographic areas of the Synod, while maintaining an office in East Syracuse, NY.
Synod Leader
Rev. Dr. SanDawna Gaulman Ashley is an experienced denominational executive leader with more than 26 years of service across all four councils of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). Her ministry is grounded in transformational leadership, justice, and strengthening church vitality in a changing world. She has served in a wide range of leadership roles, including pastor; associate for gender and racial justice; denominational associate for leadership development; assistant stated clerk; executive presbyter; and currently, Leader of the Synod of the Northeast. Her work has strengthened governance, supported organizational change, and equipped mid councils and congregations to address complex adaptive challenges. Rev. Dr. Ashley is a skilled change-management leader and serves as faculty for the Presbytery Leader Formation Program, mentoring and equipping mid-council leaders. She has also served on national denominational boards, including the Presbyterian Mission Agency and the A Corporation of the PC(USA), and previously served as President of the Association of Mid Council Leaders. She holds a Doctor of Ministry from Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, a Master of Divinity from Johnson C. Smith Theological Seminary, and a Bachelor of Social Work from Georgia State University.
Acting Stated Clerk
Rev. T. J. DeMarco is the pastor of Providence Presbyterian Church in Providence, RI. He also serves as Stated Clerk for the Presbytery of Northern New England. He enjoys playing with his three children, driving them to their activities, playing pickleball, and riding his bike around Providence
Frances Klaiber
Manager of Finance
Fran is the Manager of Finance. Fran has a degree in Accounting A.A.S. and a degree in Office Administration A.A.S. She handles the books for her husbands landscaping business. She enjoys time with her husband and two grown sons along with gardening.
Office Administrative Clerk
Stacy is the Synod’s Office Administrative Clerk. Stacy is Native American and an enrolled member of the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe. She is a member of the North American Indian Women’s Association and regularly assists with fundraising events.
Rev. Aaron D. Frank
MID COUNCIL RESIDENT FOR PROGRAMS, LEADERSHIP, AND ADMINISTRATION
Rev. Aaron D. Frank joins us as our new Mid Council Resident, a two-year learning residency designed to prepare leaders for future service in mid council ministry. He is a graduate of Union Presbyterian Seminary. Aaron has served congregations in New York, Maryland, and Virginia and brings experience in governance, leadership development, justice-focused ministry, and adaptive leadership. During his residency, he will gain hands-on experience in leadership initiatives, program coordination, governance support, grant coordination, and Synod-wide event planning—equipping him to serve faithfully and effectively in a changing church. Aaron and his wife, Marcy Cathey, will reside near Albany, NY, with their two dogs, Zinc and Mary. Aaron brings service with the Synod on April 1, 2026.
Finance Clerk
Administrative Coordinator
Nichol is currently serving as the Synod’s Administrative Coordinator. She is a mission and goal oriented, strategic leader with over 20 yrs of experience in ministry, volunteer management, and training development & facilitation. Before working for the Synod of the NE, she was a Pastoral Counselor for Hartford Healthcare at Home for 14 yrs. In addition to her spiritual and ministerial talents, she is an author and Board-Certified Professional Coach and affectionately known as “The Heart Coach.” Nichol earned her Master’s and Doctor of Theology from International Christian University (VA).
Grant Coordinator
Communication Specialist
Funds Development Intern
Suzanne Campise, MDiv, is a mission-driven Presbyterian leader with more than a decade of service across congregational, community-based, ecumenical, interfaith, and inter-spiritual settings. Her ministry is grounded in social justice, spirituality, innovative ministries, and cultivating communities of transformation. A graduate of Union Theological Seminary and a Candidate for Ordained Ministry in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), she brings extensive experience in fundraising and donor relations with the National Council of Churches, and grant evaluation with a private foundation. A recipient of multiple grants, Suzanne strengthened community health efforts in food security and resourced ministry initiatives. She served as president of the Kingston Interfaith Council, equipping leaders in impactful acts of solidarity and collaboration, and developed anti-racism workshops. Suzanne is currently pursuing an MBA in Ethical Leadership at Marist University, integrating business acumen and ethical, faith-rooted leadership to support funds development and long-term sustainability within the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). Suzanne lives in the Mid-Hudson Valley with her clergy-spouse, two young girls, and two theologian cats: Luther and Calvin. A practitioner of holistic nutrition, she enjoys cooking, farmers markets, and exploring her Sicilian-American roots.
The Leadership Team
Our Leadership Team is comprised of the Synod Officers which are the Moderator, Moderator Elect, the Moderator of the Mission and Ministries Commission, the Stated Clerk, and the Treasurer as well as the Synod Leader. They meet in between Commission and Assembly meetings, for decision-making and to provide guidance to staff.
Moderator of the Synod's Mission and Ministries Commission
The Rev. Stephen Park Choi is the Moderator of the Synod’s Mission and Ministries Commission. Ordained in 2005, he is the pastor of the Stewartsville Presbyterian Church in Stewartsville, New Jersey , and a minister member of Presbytery of the Highlands. A lifelong Presbyterian from Chicago, Stephen has served in leadership positions throughout our denomination. He is a graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Princeton Theological Seminary. When not serving the church, Stephen enjoys playing and coaching basketball, hiking, watching movies, traveling, eating, and rooting for most of the Chicago sports teams.
Moderator of the Synod of the Northeast
Elder Lisa Baker is the Moderator of the Synod of the Northeast. In 2014, she was recruited to participate in the Working Group on Race. As Convener, her connection with the Synod blossomed. In January 2019, she joined the Synod Mission and Ministries Commission as the representative from the Presbytery of Southern New England (PSNE) and became the Convener of the Connectional Ministries Working Group. During this time, she served on the Budget Task Force and participated in visioning retreats with the leadership. As a member of PSNE, she sat on the Roundtable, its Council. She also serves as a member of the Sexual Misconduct Response Team, the Vision and Mission Team, the Disaster Preparedness Team, and the Emerging Ministries Committee. Lisa is a past Moderator and Vice Moderator of the Presbytery and a former chair of the Committee on Representation and the Social Justice Committee of the Presbytery. She also served the Presbytery on their Budget Task force for 2 years.
Vice Moderator of the Synod of the Northeast
Treasurer
Rev. Dr. Gregory I. Simpson is the Treasurer of the Synod of the Northeast and the Managing Director (Interim) of the Center for Earth Ethics at Union Theological Seminary. A former pastor of Nauraushaun Presbyterian Church in Pearl River, NY, his ministry integrates scientific inquiry, environmental ethics, and institutional stewardship. He previously served as Treasurer and Trustee of the Hudson River Presbytery and as a member of the PCUSA's Mission Responsibility Through Investment (MRTI), where he chaired the Environmental Justice & Climate Change Subcommittee. Rev. Simpson holds a Ph.D. in organic chemistry from the University of the West Indies and M.Div. and S.T.M. degrees from Union Theological Seminary in New York. Beyond the church, he serves as a Trustee of SUNY Ulster Community College and as chair of the Ulster County Economic Development Alliance board. He lives in Ulster County with his wife and two daughters, along with their theologically inclined cats, Luther and Calvin.
Synod Leader
Rev. Dr. SanDawna Gaulman Ashley is an experienced denominational executive leader with more than 26 years of service across all four councils of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). Her ministry is grounded in transformational leadership, justice, and strengthening church vitality in a changing world. She has served in a wide range of leadership roles, including pastor; associate for gender and racial justice; denominational associate for leadership development; assistant stated clerk; executive presbyter; and currently, Leader of the Synod of the Northeast. Her work has strengthened governance, supported organizational change, and equipped mid councils and congregations to address complex adaptive challenges. Rev. Dr. Ashley is a skilled change-management leader and serves as faculty for the Presbytery Leader Formation Program, mentoring and equipping mid-council leaders. She has also served on national denominational boards, including the Presbyterian Mission Agency and the A Corporation of the PC(USA), and previously served as President of the Association of Mid Council Leaders. She holds a Doctor of Ministry from Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, a Master of Divinity from Johnson C. Smith Theological Seminary, and a Bachelor of Social Work from Georgia State University.
Acting Stated Clerk
Rev. T. J. DeMarco is the pastor of Providence Presbyterian Church in Providence, RI. He also serves as Stated Clerk for the Presbytery of Northern New England. He enjoys playing with his three children, driving them to their activities, playing pickleball, and riding his bike around Providence