Committee on Nominations
Updated May 11, 2026
About the Committee
The Committee on Nominations coordinates the nominations to Diocesan Convention. The Nominating Committee proposes candidates to serve as deputies at the General Convention as well as to serve on diocesan bodies such as the Standing Committee and Executive Council. We try to ensure the slate of candidates for these positions reflects the demographic composition of our diocese and the Bay Area. Our work also is designed to make sure we don’t have any vacancies for positions that must be filled by the Diocesan Convention — or ones that are filled by people who don’t know what they are getting into. Candidates can still be nominated from the floor on the day of the Convention, but those advanced by the Committee will have had their names and information out for review for several weeks by then. The Nominating Committee usually meets in person for our first session and until we are done we meet by phone every other week (or so). Members are appointed from the deaneries; current members of the committee are listed below and on the Deaneries page.
Committee Chair: Rev. Kevin Deal, [email protected]
Committee Members and their deaneries:
- Rev. Jim Dahlin, Alameda Deanery
- Neil Crawford, Contra Costa Deanery
- The Rev. Harlowe Zefting, Contra Costa Deanery
- Anna Haight, Marin Deanery
- Lois Downs, Peninsula Deanery
- Rev. David Grant Smith, Peninsula Deanery
- Rev. Kevin Deal, San Francisco Deanery
- Maria Meyer, San Francisco Deanery
- Mike Scrutton, Southern Alameda
- 1 Vacancy, Marin Deanery
- 1 Vacancy, Southern Alameda Deanery
- Christine Bensen, Ex Officio, Member of the Executive Council
- Gretchen Lintner, Ex Officio, Member of the Standing Committee
- Rev. Br. Richard Edward Helmer, Ex Officio Secretary of the Convention
Important Nomination Information:
- Job Descriptions for the open positions
- All nominations must be submitted electronically here to the Committee on Nominations by Midnight on July 31, 2026.
- All nominee biographies must be submitted to the Committee on Nominations by Midnight on August 31, 2026.
- In order to serve you must be an active member of an Episcopal Church in the Diocese of California.
- All nominees must complete anti-racism and Safe Church Church training by September 15, 2026.
- As provided by our canons, nominations may be made on the floor of the Convention.
Please note: We’ve set a word limit for bios. It is intended to keep the convention booklet readable as well as to create a fair forum for all. If you exceed the word limit and we have time before the deadline, we will return it to you for editing. If we don’t have time or you don’t reply by the deadline, we may have to may cut your text at the word limit or suggest you be nominated from the floor.
