About Us

Richard was named the ninth Rector of St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church in 2020. As Rector, Richard serves our parish as senior pastor, priest, and administrator, and is passionate about preaching and sharing the loving, liberating, and life-giving Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Richard was first called to St. Margaret’s as Associate Rector in 2017 and was later appointed priest-in-charge in 2019, when our former Rector, the Rt. Rev. Kym Lucas, was elected bishop of Colorado.

In his first four years of leadership, St. Margaret’s attendance, giving, and pledging units have grown; volunteer and formation engagement has increased; we navigated ministry during the pandemic by becoming a hybrid (online and in-person) church; we reimagined a more than 30-year-old cardinal homeless ministry program; and the parish has gone from years of consecutive deficits to three consecutive years of surpluses.

In his ministry, Richard draws upon more than a decade of non-profit, communications, fundraising, and church-related experience, including an eight-year tenure at Washington National Cathedral. Fluent in Spanish as a second language, Richard has worked with Latino congregations in D.C., Atlanta, Costa Rica, and El Salvador. 

Richard was conferred a Master of Divinity degree by Candler School of Theology at Emory University, where he also graduated with a certificate in Anglican Studies in 2017. Richard earned an M.A. in Arts Management from George Mason University in 2006 and returned there to teach public relations and marketing for the arts as an adjunct faculty member in 2013. A graduate of the Peabody Conservatory of Music at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Md., Richard’s background is in vocal performance. He is currently a member of the Cathedral Choral Society and the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington. 

Richard lives with his partner Alban, a journalist and social worker, and their two teenage sons, who they adopted from Colombia in 2022. Their family is passionate about helping other families who are considering adopting older children.

Diana’s childhood memories are of regular conversations with God on the windy beaches of Massachusetts. Despite an occasionally austere early education, she has sought out God at the limits of experience, She was baptized in the Episcopal Diocese of Washington as an infant and has been a serious student of Judaism and Tibetan meditation.

She loves language and studied English and French at Johns Hopkins University. Through all these things, her joy comes in helping others find new and old ways to talk to God. As Associate Rector, Diana serves the people of St. Margaret’s in the areas of formation, pastoral care and anti-racism development. She loves to preach, and would love to chat with you about your spiritual life or St. Margaret’s.

Prior to her ordination as a priest, Diana was a print and new media journalist. She has a daughter who works in Hollywood and a son who is a linguist in Sweden. She and her husband Tom live with their little dog Lola in Cleveland Park.

Rachelle was raised in Baptist churches and nurtured by a grandmother who would often recount stories of baptisms in the Neches River and ask her to listen for God after rainstorms; a background that shaped her deep sense of spirituality.

It is little wonder that attending an Easter Vigil and getting sprinkled with the waters from the baptismal font drew her into the Episcopal tradition. Rachelle’s calling to be a priest grew out of her formative experiences teaching and working with students in Episcopal schools.

She currently serves as the Associate Dean of Strategic Implementation and Priorities at Virginia Theological Seminary and adjunct priest at St. Margaret’s. She helps lead worship services and overall pastoral care. Rachelle lives with her family in Alexandria, VA.

Rev. Francisco de Jesús Serrano was ordained a Deacon by Bishop Mariann Budde on November 12, 2022 at the Washington National Cathedral.

Francisco was born in El Salvador and immigrated to the United States in 1998. Raised as a Roman Catholic, he was received into the Episcopal Church in 2006 after congregating at St. Mateo/St. Mathew’s in Hyattsville. It was under the leadership of Rev. Vidal Rivas that Francisco discerned a call to the ordained ministry.

Rev. Francisco serves as a pastoral presence at St. Margaret’s Charlie’s Place homeless program and leads Dupont Circle and Adams Morgan homeless outreach, as well as regularly serving in Sunday worship. And currently he works 8 hours a day at St. Patrick’s Episcopal Day School as Faculty & Staff, and he does everything for the Glory of GOD and the good of others.

A Doctor of Musical Arts in Organ Performance, Timothy Duhr serves as St. Margaret’s Music Minister. With an extensive background in organ performance, teaching, and sacred musical composition, he leads the worship ministry with passion and talent. Timothy also serves as choirmaster, nurturing St. Margaret’s staff and volunteer choir singers.

Additionally, he serves the parish by updating the website, managing all church communications and volunteers. He has been with St. Margaret’s since 2017 and lives in Washington DC.

The very first time Reggie walked through the doors of Charlie’s Place it was as a client having recently lost a long time job and experiencing homelessness for the first time ever in his life in 2013.

He knew right away this was a special place as it was infectiously welcoming. Reggie knew he wanted to be a part of it. First starting as a volunteer, he eventually joined the staff as floor manager and then grew to program manager. Today, he serves as the Executive Director.

Charlie’s Place energizes him because serving others is an amazing and rewarding experience. He especially loves working with the guests who always express gratitude and are so appreciative of the work at Charlie’s Place.

Reggie currently resides in Northwest Washington D.C.

Damon Clements has been the St. Margaret’s Sexton for nearly 8 years; he has been a faithful member of the parish for more than 20 years. As Sexton, Damon cares for the overall maintenance of the church, providing knowledge and direction to all on-site projects. One of the characteristics he appreciates most about the parish community is how people genuinely care about one another and are willing to help others. He is a source of encouragement to everyone who steps into St. Margaret’s.

Damon was confirmed at the Washington National Cathedral in 2021. While a Pittsburgh native, Damon has resided in Washington DC for 42 years. He currently lives in Northeast DC.

Mandi Rice is a postulant for the priesthood in the Diocese of Massachusetts and is completing a diploma in Anglican Studies at Virginia Theological Seminary. A board-certified chaplain, Mandi served most recently at Franciscan Children’s Hospital in Boston. A formative experience in Mandi’s life was traveling throughout the U.S. to interview nearly 100 fellow LGBTQ+ people about their religious and spiritual lives. This work eventually led Mandi to Harvard Divinity School, where she earned her M.Div. in 2018.

She completed a chaplaincy residency with specialized training in trauma-informed spiritual care. Her other interests include yoga, writing, painting silk scarves, and learning languages. (Ask her about Papiamentu!) Mandi lives in Alexandria, Va., with her husband David, their cat Fig, and a few dozen plants.

Jen Mariano is a postulant for the priesthood in the Diocese of Maryland and a third-year seminarian at Candler School of Theology at Emory University. She was a student at Church Divinity School of the Pacific for two years, but just this past summer transferred to Candler’s new, mostly online M.Div. program. For the last thirty years Jen has worked in cancer research as a Biologist for the National Cancer Institute.

A member of the Order of the Daughters of the King®, Jen has served in various capacities for many years with this ministry. Jen lives in Frederick, Md., with her wife Lisa, their dog Maximus, and their two cats, Buster and Casper. Aside from family, science, and church, Jen’s other love is lacrosse. She has played, coached, and umpired the game for more than thirty-five years.