[Diocese of Nevada] The Episcopal Diocese of Nevada has approved a slate of four nominees from across the country for election as the 11^th bishop of Nevada, according to Standing Committee President Maggie Davidson.

“After an extensive, extended search that has been powered by prayer and connected by Zoom, the Diocese is pleased to announce that four well-qualified, forward-thinking candidates have been invited to stand for election at our October convention,” said Davidson. The new bishop will be ordained and consecrated in March 2022.

The slate includes:

• The Rev. Elizabeth Bonforte Gardner, rector of St. Mark’s in Alexandria, Virginia, where she founded Potomac Episcopal, a collaboration of four churches that banded together during the pandemic to expand pastoral and missional work in the community.
• The Rev. Holly Herring, canon precentor for Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in Phoenix, Arizona, where she developed a “Pop Up Pastor” ministry, a spiritual food truck that travels the area to be present with people as they process life in the time of COVID.
• The Rev. Julia McCray-Goldsmith, priest-in-charge at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in San Jose, California, where she serves as the senior cleric for a multi-cultural cathedral with English and Spanish language ministries for all ages, using a variety of social media platforms.
• The Rev. Robert Two Bulls, missioner for the Department of Indian Work and Multicultural Ministries in Minnesota’s Episcopal Church, and vicar of All Saints Indian Mission in inner-city Minneapolis, where he leads a robust food justice ministry for all.

Candidate profiles and may be found on the homepage of the diocesan website.

The Standing Committee has also announced the opening of the petition process, which allows additional nominees to be added to the slate within 5 days. The requirements for petition nominees can be found on the diocesan website. The final slate of candidates will be announced by the Standing Committee on May 17, 2021, after the close of the petition process on May 15, 2021, at 2 p.m. PDT.

Nevada’s 11^th bishop will succeed Bishop Dan Edwards who was elected in 2007 and retired in 2018. Since then, the Rt. Rev. James Edward Waggoner Jr. from the Diocese of Spokane has served as assisting bishop.