The Rev. Aaron M. G. Zimmerman
Rector
Aaron was born in Houston, but his childhood took him to Mexico City; Washington, D.C.; Stockholm, Sweden; and Los Angeles, California, before finally settling in his hometown of Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
After earning a B.A. magna cum laude in History of Science at Harvard University, Aaron spent two years with an educational non-profit in Kazakhstan. Aaron later worked at Harvard Business School and H.J. Heinz in Pittsburgh.
He received his Master of Divinity from Trinity Episcopal School for Ministry in 2008. Before coming to St. Alban's, he served churches in Pittsburgh and Houston. Aaron is a contributor to the Mockingbird blog and magazine, and is past President of the Board of Directors of Mockingbird Ministries. He is on the advisory board for StoryMakers NYC. He is a member of the Better Together BU Advisory Board and on the board of the Episcopal Foundation of Texas. He is currently the Dean for the Northwest Convocation of the Diocese of Texas. Aaron co-hosts Same Old Song, the weekly lectionary podcast of Mockingbird Ministries, with the Rev. Jacob Smith.
Aaron's wife, Andrea, is originally from Michigan, and holds two degrees from the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City. She has worked in church ministry, apparel design, and as a non-profit director and event planner. She currently works in elementary education in Waco ISD. Married since 2002, Aaron and Andrea are proud parents of three children.
The Rev. Alberto M. Melis
Deacon
Ordained to the Diaconate in June 2015, Al serves as our Deacon, which means he assists the clergy and focuses on outreach and service. He also has a role in coordinating mission and outreach among the three Episcopal parishes in Waco. Most Sundays he is at St. Alban's, but occasionally serves Holy Spirit and St. Paul's.
He and his wife Carol have two grown children. Prior to ordination, Al had a distinguished career in law enforcement in Florida, Texas, and Arizona, and served as Waco's Chief of Police.
The Rev. Kara Leslie
Pastoral Associate
Kara is a bi-vocational priest who works as a full-time hospice chaplain with Compassus Hospice in Waco and at St. Alban's assists with liturgy and pastoral care. She grew up in Lubbock, Texas, and has degrees from Emory University (BA in sociology), Texas Tech University (Masters in Educational Psychology), and Candler School of Theology at Emory University (Master of Divinity).
Kara was originally a United Methodist Pastor and was ordained to the priesthood in the Episcopal Church in 2006. As a priest, she was on the staff at St. Mathew’s Cathedral and Church of the Transfiguration, both in Dallas.
Kara has worked as a Board Certified Chaplain for over 15 years. She is a Certified Spiritual Director and had a private practice as a counselor in Lubbock prior to moving to Waco. If you would like to know more about her spiritual counseling practice, please go to her website Karalesliecounseling.com or Facebook page.
Kara enjoys playing tennis, dancing, and baking.
Nancy Bennett
Business Manager
Nancy and her husband, Ray, joined St. Alban's in 2016 after moving to Waco. She has served on our vestry and as parish treasurer. As a result, Nancy has a deep knowledge of the parish finances and facilities. Nancy's past career was as a financial executive analyst, and consultant in the health care industry, including serving as Chief Financial Officer of Memorial Hermann Health Services (Behavioral Health System) in Houston. She holds a BBA in Accounting (cum laude) from the University of Houston.
Abel Castro
Hospitality and Communications Coordinator
Abel works as one of the written content creators, the volunteer coordinator, and the receptionist. Before coming to St. Alban's, he has worked in churches, retail, academia, and the non-profit sector. He likes to bake, especially cookies like macarons and snickerdoodles. He enjoys reading memoirs and doodling. Recently he has added running to his list of hobbies and no one has been more surprised by this than himself. He was born in Tegucigalpa, Honduras and spent most of his childhood moving around in New Jersey before moving with his family down to Texas. He holds a B.S. in neuroscience from Baylor University.
Stephanie Drum
Director of Ministry to Children, Youth & Families
Stephanie Drum is originally from the Piney Woods of East Texas and grew up in the church as the daughter of her father, a bi-vocational prison chaplain and pastor, and her mother, a teacher. She has two older brothers both living in the Houston area, with four nieces and one nephew. She studied theology and music at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor, and moved to Waco in 2009. She studied at George W. Truett Theological Seminary for her Master of Divinity, as well as Baylor University for her Master of Social Work.
Before coming to St. Alban's, she worked at VOICE, a local non-profit for four and a half years, and also served as Youth Minister at The Well, a congregation in Moody, TX. There she was also a worship team member, playing the drums and other instruments. She likes karaoke, coffee shops, art, reading, animals, and traveling.
Hilary Gardner
Parish Administrator
Hilary is on the front line at St. Alban's, serving as office manager, receptionist, and executive assistant to the Rector. Before coming to St. Alban's, she has worked as an editor, a teacher, and an office manager.
Hilary earned her BA and MA degrees in history. She enjoys reading books on British and American history and also loves traveling, swimming, and shopping. A native of Kansas City, Hilary has lived in San Diego, New Orleans, and now Waco for the past 20 years. She and her family are members of St. Paul's Episcopal Church. Her husband is a Baylor professor. They have a son who recently graduated from Baylor University.
Eugene Lavery
Organist & Director of Music
Serving as Organist & Director of Music at St. Alban's, Eugene Lavery is highly sought-after as a conductor and organist. Recent engagements include solo recitals at St. Paul's Cathedral, London; Harvard University, Cambridge, MA; and St. Philip's Cathedral, Atlanta, GA. Additionally, Eugene has served on the faculty of Royal School of Church Music courses in the United States, New Zealand, and Nigeria.
Having previously held Director of Music positions at Calvary Episcopal Church in Louisville, KY and the Cathedral Choir School of Delaware, Eugene has a passion for the Anglican choral tradition and a particular interest in the musical education of children.
Born in New Zealand, Eugene received his Bachelor of Music Degree from the University of Auckland, and subsequently relocated to New York upon gaining admission to the prestigious Master of Music program at The Juilliard School under the tutelage of Paul Jacobs.
Eugene is married to fellow Juilliard-graduate Dr. Sharon Lavery, and together they raise two boys, Ryan and Adam.
Dr. Rachel Toombs
Director of Formation and Connection
Rachel oversees and teaches in adult formation, serves as point-person for newcomers, and manages other forms of connection at St. Alban's. She holds a Ph.D. in Religion (Theology) from Baylor where she wrote her dissertation on the power of sparely-told stories to convey the possibility of grace looking specifically at the fiction of Flannery O’Connor and the biblical Hebrew narrative. She also has an M.A. in Theological Studies (Old Testament) from Regent College in British Columbia, Canada and a B.A. in Youth Ministry from Bethel University in St. Paul, Minnesota. In addition to her position at St. Alban's, she teaches as a Part-Time Lecturer in the Baylor Interdisciplinary Core (BIC) at Baylor University. She has a forthcoming book entitled Flannery O'Connor and Stylistic Asceticism with Wipf & Stock/Pickwick Publications, and is under contract with Baker Academic for her next project, Reading the First Five Books: The Invitation of Hebrew Narrative.
Rachel is married to Lance and has two dogs, Eowyn and Rosie. In her free time she likes to bake, read fantasy, and watch her hometown baseball team, the Twins, reliably disappoint in playoff years.
If you’d like to learn more about formation opportunities or are new to St. Alban's, contact her.
Rick Gamble
Sexton
Rick Gamble joined us as our sexton in February 2017. A native of the Dallas area, Rick moved to Waco in 2015. He helps with maintenance and cleaning during the week. On Sundays, he assists with coffee and room set up.
Martin Moreno
Sexton
Martin Moreno joined us as our sexton in the fall of 2021. He was previously a custodian at Lott and Troy ISD. Martin is married to Maria. He works alongside Rick on maintenance and cleaning during the week. On Sundays, he assists with coffee and room set up.
