Vestry Nominees
Church of the Holy Comforter, Vienna, VA

December 4, 2024

For this year's Vestry Election, we will have both online and in-person voting options. The in-person voting will take place on December 7, 8, 14, and 15 in the narthex after each service. Online voting will open on December 7 at 8 a.m. and close on December 15 at 5 p.m. You will be receiving an email from Holy Comforter with the link to the electronic voting system we are using this year.


If you vote in person at the church, please don’t vote online and vice versa. We have 4 excellent candidates and you will be voting for the slate. There is one vote per eligible voter (age 16 years and older). If an eligible voter did not receive the voting email, it could be because we don’t have an email address on file or because the email went into the Junk or Spam folder. Please contact the Church Office at 703-938-6521 or Peggy Miller if you don’t receive the voting email. Thank you for participating!

Gini Barazia

Years at Holy Comforter: 5


Relevant Experience:

I am in my final year as a Holy Comforter representative to our Episcopal Region and lay delegate to the Convention of the Diocese of Virginia. For the past two years, I have been a member of the Altar Guild. My husband, Matt, and I are active members of the parish.


Occupation: I am retired and work very part-time as an executive advisor. I worked for 30+ years, first as a journalist covering the federal government, then in public affairs and executive communications for the government and private sector.


Why do you feel prepared to serve on the Vestry at this time? As an active member of the parish, I am invested in helping it grow as a faith community and as an example of God’s love and grace in the world. I am energized by the richness of the parish’s offerings to people who are seeking a deeper relationship with God and each other, and want to contribute to strengthening the church.


What do you hope to accomplish on the Vestry? Put simply, I want to give back to the church that has given me so much for five years. I have a lot to learn and am interested in helping in whatever ways make the most sense. I understand that, just like all institutions, churches need to be managed and decisions made. I’m hoping I can contribute to good stewardship of the parish and strong planning for both today and the future.


What goal or vision do you have for Holy Comforter? To continue growing, attracting families, and being a place that welcomes all people no matter their background or where they are on their spiritual path.

Shelly Malone

Years at Holy Comforter: 28


Relevant Experience:

Currently, I sing in the Choir and serve on the ECW for UTO and the Christmas Giving Table. I also volunteer at Pennywise monthly. Last year, being a mentor for a confirmand in the Confirm, Not Conform class was a special experience. As I have been at Holy Comforter for a while, some of my participation that comes to mind: Foyers, Open Circles, Finance Committee, and Children’s Ministries (both as a Sunday School teacher and as a VBS volunteer). Outside of Holy Comforter, I also served several years on the board of a non-profit art school.


Occupation: CPA, currently protecting your rights at the Employee Benefits Security Administration. Auditing is my technical area of expertise. I also have past experience as a director at a trade association and a scientific exploration non-profit where my responsibilities included board presentations and running several committees.


Why do you feel prepared to serve on the Vestry at this time? An organization is only as good as those who step in to do the work required. When asked this time, I felt it was critical to step up, to do my part. Holy Comforter is a big part of my life, and I treasure this community. Serving on the Vestry is a blessed opportunity that I am both humbled and honored to be considered for.


What do you hope to accomplish on the Vestry? To do my part to accomplish Holy Comforter’s mission to help our community and the world know the transforming love of God in Jesus Christ (direct from the website!).


What goal or vision do you have for Holy Comforter? To represent the varying church members/groups with dignity, integrity, and respect. These are my core values that I strive to give others and hope for in return. It is important that I forge close connections and collaborations among all of us so that we more easily accomplish our mission and have a bit of fun while doing it!

Brady O’Beirne

Years at Holy Comforter: 4


Relevant Experience:

  • Balmoral Community Association - Board Member 10 years; President 2 years 
  • Leadership Fairfax class of 2019
  • March of Dimes board member 4 years
  • Excitement Coordinator at Louise Archer Elementary 5 years
  • Mental Health First Aid training
  • Election volunteer
  • Married for 27 years; father of 4 daughters


Occupation: Sales, Cigna Healthcare 25 years


Why do you feel prepared to serve on the Vestry at this time? As a former Roman Catholic for 50 years, I bring a different experience being a “new Episcopalian.” I spent 18 months church shopping before I eventually selected Holy Comforter as my spiritual home. This gives me a unique perspective on what newcomers are looking for in church community. 


My wife is non-Christian. This gives me insights into families where one spouse is a member of our church while the other spouse is not. 


I have been actively involved in community organizations. This has involved working with others, finding solutions to collective problems, and fundraising. 


I have seen people deal with mental health challenges. By being open about mental health challenges, I know that we can reduce mental health stigma and help each other to get the care that we need. 


What do you hope to accomplish on the Vestry? Working with the clergy, staff, and other Vestry members, I want to make sure that all of our congregation feels connected to Holy Comforter. I want to help create an environment where others will choose Holy Comforter as their church – just as I did. 


What goal or vision do you have for Holy Comforter? My vision is to have Holy Comforter continue to be a sought-after spiritual home. This means to create a sense of community for people at every stage of life.


I want to create an environment where people gain increased personal vitality from being a part of Holy Comforter. We all have different gifts and different needs. By understanding these different needs and gifts, we can create a place where people engage with and support each other – in both joyful times and in difficult times. 

James Andrew (Andy) Pettigrew III

Years at Holy Comforter: I have been a member of Holy Comforter for about 3 years. I have been associated with Holy Comforter since 2015 when I started attending Education for Ministry (EfM).


Relevant Experience: I have been a Vestry member at All Saints Episcopal Church in Fort Lauderdale, FL (2004). I served as a member for one year and served as interim Senior Warden for about 4 months. I have also served as Verger at 4 churches including Holy Comforter since 2003, when I was first installed at All Saints.


Occupation: I am a Systems Engineer for the US Government. I have served the United States as an Officer in the US Air Force, a Government contractor for US Southern Command in Florida, and as a Federal Employee for the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. Overall, I have served the United States for 45 years.


Why do you feel prepared to serve on the Vestry at this time? I will be retiring from Federal Service in January 2025 and will have time to devote to the Vestry and the growth of Holy Comforter. As a Verger in the Episcopal Church, my ministry is to help the clergy create and sustain the most meaningful, spiritual experience for our people. The Verger’s motto is “Service in Worship and Worship in Service” and to me, serving on the Vestry is the next step in continuing to live my Verger ministry.


What do you hope to accomplish on the Vestry? In my long career serving the United States, I have had many jobs and responsibilities. I never really went into any of the jobs with something specific to accomplish. What I learned as I came to a new position was that a project or a situation would present itself for me to take up and move forward with the talents I bring. That is what I expect to find as a Vestry member. Holy Comforter has tasks to accomplish that are just waiting for the right person to show up. I expect to find the task that is right for me and make it real.


What goal or vision do you have for Holy Comforter? My goal for Holy Comforter is more of a personal mantra. As a young Air Force Officer, I found myself sitting in the Wing Commander’s Mission Status briefing. In that briefing, the General said 5 words that I have carried with me ever since. These words describe a process that breaths a Life Energy into a goal. These words are “People, Purpose, Pride, Professionalism, and Product.” Everything starts with people.

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