The first chair of Episcopal Life’s Board of Governors was Bishop John MacNaughton, then bishop of the Diocese of West Texas. He was also chair of the communications committee of Executive Council, together with Bishop Elliott Sorge and the late Ralph Spence Sr. of the Diocese of Texas.
The Board of Governors, with one representative from each of the church’s nine provinces, was established by Executive Council in 1990 to:
“Monitor Episcopal Life in regard to editorial and advertising policy for compliance and fairness in usage;
“Act as ombudsman for the church to insure that the publication effectively serves the needs of the church at all levels, i.e., national, diocesan, parish -- to keep the voice of the whole church in a prominent place in the operation of Episcopal Life;
“Monitor the health of Episcopal Life by periodically reviewing its financial structure, its public acceptance and in other ways deemed appropriate;
“Be a board of advocacy and promotion for Episcopal Life throughout the church;
“Recommend potential policy changes to Executive Council, the presiding bishop and/or the editor-in-chief.”
Current members of the board are Heidi Shott, Maine (Province I), chair; Debra Wagner, New York (Province II); Barbara Caum, Bethlehem (Province III); Eugene Willard, North Carolina (Province IV); Karen Bota, Michigan (Province V); Cheryl Markham, Arkansas (Province VII); Richard Snyder, Utah (Province VIII); and Catalina Cuellar Cuellar, Colombia (Province IX).
