REV. MR. JOHN TUCKER III
President

Deacon Tucker is a native of Richmond. He received a B.S. from the University of Virginia, a J.D. from the University of Richmond, and an M.A. from St. Leo University. He served as the Chief Staff Attorney of the Court of Appeals of Virginia for 28 years, retiring in 2018. He has been on the adjunct faculties of the University of Richmond Law School, the College of William & Mary Law School, and the Appalachian Law School. He was ordained a deacon for the Catholic Diocese of Richmond in 2012 and is assigned to St. Paul’s Church in Richmond. He is married to Lynn, who is also an attorney. They have two sons: J.T., who lives in Richmond and is married to Makenna; and Michael, who lives in Bowie, MD, and is married to Karen. They also have a granddaughter, Finley, age 2, and another granddaughter who arrived in March 2025.

CHLOE CARTER
Vice-President

Chloe Carter is a Richmond native and a community advocate supporting youth, women and vulnerable populations. She attended George Mason University with an undergraduate degree in Global Affairs and VCU with her Master’s in Public Administration. She has worked in youth development positions for over 15 years and is currently the Youth Community Engagement Coordinator with Chesterfield County Government. She has sat on several community boards including All Saints Catholic School, Girls to Women and Lewis Botanical Gardens. She has served as a Confirmation teacher and now as a religious education coordinator. Her personal mission is to live a life that allows others to see the greatest and glory of God.

REV. MR. RON REGER
Treasurer

Ron is a retired permanent Deacon, serving at Church of the Redeemer. He retired from Virginia Housing in 2021 after working there for 25 years. His previous career was in radio broadcasting in Rochester, Buffalo, Indianapolis, Norfolk, Pittsburgh and back to Norfolk. Ron and his wife, Norey, have three grown children.

SISTER CORA MARIE BILLINGS

Sister Cora Marie Billings has been a member of the Institute of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas since 1956. From 1956 until 1981 she was a teacher on the Elementary and High School level and a Part-time Professor at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Since her move to Virginia in 1981 she has been a Campus Minister at Virginia State University, the Directress of the Office for Black Catholics for the Diocese of Richmond, the Pastoral Coordinator for St. Elizabeth and Holy Rosary Parishes in Richmond and the Deputy Director for the Human Rights Council for the State of Virginia. At present she considers herself a Community Volunteer. Some of her passionate involvements are NBSC (a founding member) and Anti-Racism Work around the nation.

COLLEEN HERNANDEZ, OLN

Colleen has lived in the Roanoke area for over 40 years and has two sons (one currently in UT and one in AZ).  She is a Benedictine Oblate of the Benedictine Sisters of VA in Bristow, VA.  She retired as Bookkeeper from Our Lady of Nazareth in 2019 after 12 years on staff.  Previously, she worked for 30 years in Payroll and Accounting for Kroger Mid-Atlantic Marketing, Carilion Clinic (Healthcare) and Norfolk Southern. She’s been a member of Our Lady of Nazareth in Roanoke since 1986 and have been active in parish ministries including Justice and Peace, Haiti Ministry, and Refugee and Immigration. At the diocesan level, she served on the CCHD Local Advisory Committee, the Fuel and Hunger Fund Committee, as well as the Haiti 2020 Task Force. She’s been involved with VCRJ since its beginning and currently convene the VCRJ Parish Support Working Group.

FATHER TOCHI IWUJU

Fr. Tochi Iwuji is originally from Nigeria and is the youngest of seven children. He came to the USA to continue his studies in Lynchburg and, during his studies, was active with the Liberty University Campus Ministry and St. Thomas More Parish. It was during his time at Liberty University that he considered joining the Diocese as a seminarian. He joined the diocese in 2015 and was ordained a priest. His first assignment was at St. Bridget as a parochial vicar for two years and two years at Central Virginia Catholic Cluster parishes. He is presently the Pastor of Holy Rosary Catholic Church and the Director of the Office for Black Catholics. Fr. Tochi is a trained Pastoral Counselor specializing in marriage and family and a Certified Qualified Mental Health Professional-Adult, QMHP-A, Virginia. Fr. Tochi got his master’s degree in theology from Duquesne University, a Master of Divinity
degree, and a Licentiate in Sacred Theology (Moral Theology Major) from St. Mary Seminary and University, and a master’s degree in Pastoral Counseling from Liberty University. Fr. Tochi is passionate about helping marriages and families and engaging youths and young adults. He is presently a doctoral student at Liberty University. To know about Fr. Tochi, visit www.fathertochi.org.

EDIE JETER

Born and raised in Richmond, Virginia, Edie attended St. Bridget and St. Gertrude
Catholic schools. Following high school, I attended Virginia Commonwealth University, graduating with a B.A. degree in History. Several years later, she took graduate studies in museum management while working at the Valentine Museum. In 1986, she was hired as the archivist for the International Mission Board, S.B.C. Building on an already established archives and records program, she was assigned to build a content management system to include four history applications and an email capture system. In 2012, she retired from the IMB and began working for the Catholic Diocese of Richmond. Her current roles in the Chancellor’s Office include director of the archives, curator for the Museum of Virginia Catholic History, and Vice-Chancellor. Edie is the mother of two, the grandmother of three, and the great-grandmother of two. She attends Church of the
Epiphany.

MELISSA KENNEY

Melissa Kenney is parishioner at St. Joseph/Shrine of Saint Katharine Drexel in
Columbia, Virginia. Thanks to Saint Katherine Drexel, St. Joseph was a mission parish of the Josephites until the 1960s when it became part of the Diocese of Richmond. Melissa earned her B.A. in history at the University of Virginia, where she studied under the direction of Fr. Gerald Fogarty, author of “Commonwealth Catholicism” and notable contributions to American Catholic history. Melissa recently chaired her parish’s 140th anniversary celebration, serves on Parish Council, and also teaches OCIA. She is the mother of seven children, including her oldest who is currently a seminarian for the Diocese of Richmond.

DEBORAH LAMB

Deborah is a retired corporate sales trainer with 15 years of experience facilitating over 150 independent insurance offices country wide. Deborah’s experience includes developing training materials and strategies that support multiple state processes and guidelines. Deborah is a 40 plus year dedicated member of the Basilica of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception. Always highly driven to service, after retirement Deborah has dedicated herself to service and her ministries. As a member of the Basilica, she has held and currently holds several roles and responsibilities in the parish. These roles include
Community Life chairperson, current Women’s Ministry chairperson, Parish Council member, Worship Committee, Parish Pastoral Governing Committee stakeholder and sacristan. Currently Deborah is a board member with Virginia Catholics for Racial Justice. In addition, Deborah volunteers with the Homeless Ministry and oversees the Basilica gift shop. Deborah loves to interact with people and share her love of faith, community and Christian charity.

MARY LAUDERDALE

Mary Lauderdale moved to Richmond, VA from Philadelphia, PA in 1995. She first learned about the Black History Museum and Cultural Center of Virginia after viewing a spot on the 12 o’clock news – the museum was looking for new volunteers – and she was hooked! Two years later, she was offered a temporary position, and now it has been a 27-year labor of love. Mary has served as front line staff – chief docent, visitor and volunteer services, gift shop manager, operations manager, and currently, Director of Curatorial Services. Mary is a founding member of Sisters of the Yam, an African American Quilters’ Guild, since the guild’s formation in 2001. She is also a charter member of the Greater Richmond, Virginia Chapter of the Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society (AAHGS). Mary says that “Virginia’s Black History is America’s history and offers a wider view of history and culture to learn and interpret. Leading interpretive tours with interactive exhibitions –high tech with high touch serves to enhance the museum experience.”

MAGGIE MCGUINNESS

Maggie is a professor emerita and former chair of the religion department at LaSalle
University as well as vice president for mission. She has written extensively on women religious over the course of her career and her most recent book concerns Saint Katharine Drexel: “Katharine Drexel and the Sisters Who Shared Her Vision,” (Paulist
Press, 2023). 

CECELIA MOORE

Cecelia is an African American historian and associate professor of religious studies at
the University of Dayton.  She has Virginia roots, having graduated from Sweet Briar College and earned her Ph.D. from the University of Virginia.

REV. MR. FRANK NELSON, JR.

Deacon Nelson was raised in Washington, D.C. He was ordained a permanent deacon in the Diocese of Richmond in 2012 and assigned to serve at Holy Rosary Church in Richmond. He is a licensed clinical social worker and currently operates an outpatient counseling practice. He has two grown sons and three grandchildren.

ZANAS TALLEY

Zanas is an attorney at Whiteford, Taylor & Peterson law firm in Richmond. Graduate of
Catholic University (B.A.) and the University of Richmond (J.D.). Mr. Talley focuses his practice on commercial real estate and is experienced in the representation of developers and landowners in matters and disputes relating to land use and zoning, development, financing, acquisition, and leasing. Additionally, Mr. Talley counsels local governments in an array of complex legal issues from zoning matters to utility regulation to specialized contractual agreements. His prior experience includes serving as an advisor to the Richmond City Commonwealth’s Attorney and serving as the Legislative Director for Virginia State Senator J. Chapman Petersen. He volunteers with several community service organizations and the mentoring of undergraduate students throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia.

MARIE DEBRODT WILLIAMS

Marie is the widow of Deacon Charles Williams, having spent 20 years together
before his passing. Marie works full-time as the Office Manager/Bookkeeper at
St. Paul’s Catholic Church and part-time as the Wedding Coordinator at Cathedral
of the Sacred Heart. She has a daughter and daughter-in-law in Moscow, ID and a
daughter and son-in-law in New York City.

PETER WOSH

Dr. Peter J. Wosh directed the Archives/Public History graduate education program in the history department at New York University from 1994-2016. He previously served as archivist at both the American Bible Society in New York (1984-1994) and Seton Hall University in South Orange (1978-1984) where he was responsible for the Archives of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark. His most recent book is Murder on the Mountain: Crime, Passion, and Punishment in Gilded Age New Jersey (New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press, 2022), written with his late partner Patricia L. Schall. Peter’s previous books include Waldo Gifford Leland and the Origins of the American Archival Profession (Chicago:Society of American Archivists, 2011), Covenant House: Journey of a Faith-Based Charity (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2005); and Spreading the Word: The Bible Business in Nineteenth-Century America (Ithaca: Cornell
University Press, 1994). He currently serves as editor of the Archival Fundamentals Series III, which is being published by the Society of American Archivists. He has earned a B.A. in History from Rutgers University and both an M.A. and Ph.D. from New York University.