Leadership
The Reverend Asa David Coulson
Rector
He/Him
Father Asa joined Grace Church Nutley as priest in charge, Jan 2024. Prior to Grace Church Nutley he served as the Associate Rector at Grace Church in Madison, NJ since the summer of 2019. His earlier ministry includes being the Associate for Pastoral Care and Worship at Saint James Episcopal Church in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, as the Chaplain at the Hospice and Community Care Inpatient Center, and as a group grief counselor/facilitator at the Pathways Center for Grief and Loss.
Father Asa earned his Master of Divinity degree with honors in 2016 from the Lancaster Theological Seminary. As part of his discernment for Holy Orders, he also completed a postgraduate program in Anglican Studies at the Bexley Seabury Theological Seminary in Chicago, Illinois, in 2018. Following seminary, he completed a two-year Clinical Pastoral Education internship and residency program at the Penn State College of Medicine and Medical Center in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Father Asa is currently a doctoral student at Drew University in the writing and research phase; focusing his dissertation project on Spirituality and Sacraments. Prior to seminary, Father Asa worked as an executive with the May Department Stores Company (now MACY*S) in Saint Louis, Missouri, and then as the Regional Director of Sales and Stores for the United Methodist Publishing House in Nashville, Tennessee.
Father Asa is an Associate with the Anglican Monastic Order of the Holy Cross, a member of the Society of Catholic Priests, and the Society of Scholar Priests. He is drawn to experience, teach, and help others discover the joy of spiritual practices and formation. Father Asa is a soccer fan, cheering for the Philadelphia Union, to the dismay of the Red Bull’s fans in the parish. Father Asa has a 12 year old vizsla named Asher Dominic. Keep up with Asa and Asher on Instagram by following @KingAsa (a college nickname)
Ruth Deane
Parish Administrator
She/Her
Ruth joined the staff of Grace Church in August of 2024, and divides her ministry as a Parish Administrator between here and our peer parish, Saint George’s Church in Maplewood. She is originally from South Africa; her family having moved to the United States in 2011. Ruth and her husband are now “empty nesters” as their two sons, an engineer and a musician, are off to university. They live with their two canine kids now (a rhodesian ridgeback and a labrador) in Madison, New Jersey where Ruth and her family are active members of the Grace Episcopal Church there. She loves being outdoors exploring God’s creation while camping — well, more like ‘glamping’ actually. In her leisure time Ruth also enjoys curling up with a good book or keeping up with her crochet skills.
Sheryl Pancaro
Financial Administrator
She/Her
Sheryl joined the staff of Grace Church in March of 2025 after the retirement of our previous Financial Administrator and following her terms as warden and vestry member in the parish. She brings over 25 years of experience in the field and in addition to her ministry at Grace Church, she is the full time Accountable Payable Manager and Staff Accountant at Infrastructure Repair Services. She is both a lifelong resident of Nutley, and member of the parish since her baptism as an infant. Grace Church has always been a central part of her life, she was married here and she and her daughter (and best friend), Stefanie, continue to be active in the life of the parish. When she is not in Nutley you’ll often find Sheryl ‘down the shore’ where she enjoys music played live by local bands – and of course, as any good New Jersey gal, she is a HUGE fan of The Boss (that’s Bruce Springsteen for those who may be unaware). When it’s not beach season Sheryl spends her free time watching movies on the Hallmark Channel and reading good books.
Doctor Jeeminn Lee
Director of Music and Choirs
She/Her
Jeeminn has been part of the Grace Church community for over a decade serving as the Section Leader and Principle Cantor the majority of that time. In addition to her ministry at Grace Church she has served as a choir director or section leader in Baptist, Episcopal, Presbyterian, and Roman Catholic parishes in New York, New Jersey, as well as in Russia and South Korea.
She is a classically trained singer and choral conductor celebrated for her powerful, vibrant voice and exceptional vocal range—from deep contralto to agile coloratura. Described by The Village Voice as “romantic, exciting, powerful, and vibrant,” she has performed at prestigious venues including Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, and the Kennedy Center, and has been a featured soloist at the Rose Bowl, and at the United Nations 9/11 Memorial Service.
Jeeminn holds a Master of Arts in Opera, Chamber Singing, and Choir Conducting from the Saint Petersburg State Conservatory in Russia and a Doctor of Musical Arts in Voice and Opera from the University of Maryland. Alongside her international opera career, Jeeminn is also a language instructor in Korean and Russian and has provided voice-over and translation services for both government and commercial clients.
Her discography includes Jeeminn Lee (1998), Love (2000), Simply Soulful (2011, Sony-BMG Entertainment), and the forthcoming Simply Spirituals (2026). Since 2015, she has also hosted gospel and jazz radio programs, becoming a beloved voice in the broadcast community.
Karyn Fen
Principal Accompanist
She/Her
Karyn Fen is a lifelong member of Grace Church in Nutley, being baptized in the parish as an infant. She grew up with an active love for music, which led her to take part in many aspects of the music ministry at Grace Church: Children’s Choir, Youth Group Choir, Hand Bell Choir, and then eventually as a member of the Adult Choir. In recent years she has served as substitute organist at Grace Church and worked with the Sunday School ministry helping prepare children for special services like the annual Christmas pageant.
Her love for music also expanded to her life outside of the church as part of the “Choralettes” at Nutley High School in her youth. She also gave of her talents to the community by volunteering at senior centers throughout the area playing organ, piano, and flute. Karyn is a member of the Northern New Jersey Choir of Communities, singing with them for more than three decades.
Karyn was the parish organist at Saint Thomas Episcopal Church in Lyndhurst, New Jersey from 1987 until 2020. She was initially taught to play under the tutelage of Mr Kreger (a former Grace Church organist and choir director), and then continued to develop her skills with private lessons with Dr Reinhart, a professor at Kean University. She received her degree in Liberal Arts from Essex County College.
Lauren Kaufman
Section Leader
She/Her
Charlie Valdez
Section Leader
He/Him
Spencer Serritella
Section Leader
They/Them
Lincoln Boyes
Choral Scholar
He/Him
Nicole Avallone
Choral Scholar
She/Her
Joan Skorupski
Coordinator of Children and Youth Ministry
She/Her.
Paulo DaSilva
Sexton
He/Him
Vestry
The Vestry in an Episcopal Church serves as the governing body of the parish, working collaboratively with the clergy to oversee the church’s mission, administration, and operations. Here’s an outline of their three key responsibilities: 1. Financial Oversight: Develops, approves, and monitors the parish budget. Encourages and oversees fundraising and pledging. Ensures maintenance and care of buildings and grounds. 2. Mission and Vision: Advises the Rector (or priest-in-charge) as they establish and design the mission of, and vision for, the parish. Promotes said vision and mission. Helps the staff to implement the ministries and work of the parish. 3. Representation and Accountability: Leads the communing in open communication with dialogue and conversation. Ensures compliance to church canons and civil laws. Maintains accurate records of vestry meetings and decisions.
Class of 2026
Wayne Ruben, Warden
Don Nocerino
Simone Plass
Donna Stratigis
Jack Reynolds
Class of 2027
Patricia McNamara, Warden
David Barylski
Thomas Simons
Joyce King
Class of 2028
Michael Peters
Helen DeBarbieri, Vestry Clerk
Maryann Fischer
Bill Reilly
James Hasselbrook, Parish Treasurer