These days, clergy and congregational leaders who call the diocesan office for assistance are likely to talk with Sarah Beegle in the Transition Office or Kristi Reynolds in the Bishop’s Office. Both women joined the diocesan staff last spring after working in health care for many years and are bringing fresh perspectives and energy to their new roles.
Beegle, who began work as transition ministry assistant on June 6, came to the diocese after working as a senior administrative assistant at CommonSpirit Health for most of her career. “After COVID, things shifted in health care, and my priorities as a mom shifted,” she says. “I wanted more flexibility, and a recruiter reached out at just the right time. Once I met with Michael Spencer and Ann Sabo, I fell in love.” (Sabo, formerly the bishop’s assistant, is now assistant to the dean at Christ Church Cathedral.)
In Beegle’s new role, which she describes as “a good natural progression” in her career, she works closely with Spencer, the Commission on Ministry, and leaders of congregations in clergy transitions. She has also begun supporting Canon Jason Oden and the Formation Team, particularly in the areas of lay ministry licensure and the administrative aspects of the church planting and restart efforts, called new Episcopal communities, being led by the Rev. Joseph Kovitch. She is also the person to call about background checks for lay employees and the supply clergy list.
“It’s a little bit of this and a little bit of that,” reports Beegle, a lifelong Roman Catholic who says she is enjoying learning about the Episcopal Church and the diocese, and especially loves traveling to Procter Center for Commission on Ministry meetings.
Beegle’s new job has also been good for her family, which includes her husband, Brent, an operational leader at the Toyota Distribution Center in Hebron, Kentucky; their three children: a 15-year-old daughter, a 13-year-old daughter, and a 7-year-old son; and a rescue dog named Oliver “who we thought was a beagle, but turned out to be lean and fast.”
Especially after her husband received a promotion earlier this year that meant working second shift, Beegle says she is grateful for the flexibility that her job at the diocese provides. While she normally works from the diocesan office, Beegle occasionally works from home, and enjoys volunteering at her son’s classroom during her lunch, she says.
Just a month after Beegle began work, she was joined by Kristi Reynolds, who became executive assistant to the bishop last July. Although they didn’t know one another before beginning their new roles, they have become a team, supporting one another’s work and swapping book recommendations.
“We have such great synergy together,” Reynolds, who was formerly an executive assistant at The Christ Hospital in Cincinnati after beginning her career as an administrative assistant in the legal field.
Like Beegle, Reynolds found the diocese through a recruiter, who told her that the job involved supporting an executive team and working directly with the community. Raised Roman Catholic, she was immediately intrigued. Her first year in the job, which involves supporting both Bishop Smith and Canon to the Ordinary John Johanssen, has lived up to the recruiter’s promise.
“I love getting to help people and connect with them directly,” she says. “I work often with clergy to coordinate the bishop’s visitation schedule, and I also often hear from parishioners who have questions or concerns.” Being the bishop’s assistant means doing “whatever comes across my plate,” she says. Her core responsibilities include handling scheduling, travel arrangements, and working with clergy who want to become canonically resident, be licensed to officiate in the diocese, or move their residency to another diocese. She also supports various committees including the diocesan Trustees and serves on the diocesan convention’s Dispatch of Business committee.
An English major and avid reader of suspense novels, Reynolds lives in Villa Hills, Kentucky with her husband, Stephen, who is a trainer for a learning management software company; their five-year-old daughter and two-year-old son; and a female hound dog named Charlie. Along with Beegle, she values the diocese’s work environment.
“The people who are here are really supportive of one another,” she says. “We have a great working relationship, and all try to help each other to assist those within the diocese. Sarah and I are still learning the ropes, and we definitely ask questions of the more senior staff. The thoughtfulness regarding flexibility is appreciated. If one of my kids is sick, the world isn’t going to end. Other workplaces aren’t always as supportive of or committed to work/life balance.”
To reach Sarah Beegle in the Transition Ministry Office, email sbeegle@diosohio.org or call 513.632.6017.
To reach Kristi Reynolds in the Bishop’s Office, email kreynolds@diosohio.org or call 513.632.6018.
