Church Staff and Deacon
Program Staff
The Reverend Dr. Matthew Waterstone
Senior Minister
Pastor Matt began his ministry at The Reformed Church in October 2018. Previously, he served for 10 years as Senior Minister of the First Reformed Church in South Holland, IL, a suburb of Chicago. During his time there, he also served as chaplain to the South Holland Fire Department and an adjunct faculty member at Trinity Christian College in neighboring Palos Heights, IL. He is the author of the book “Dear Church: Letters to My First Church,” as well as many articles, blogs and podcasts. Ordained in the RCA and a native of Holland, MI, Matt graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Hope College, and holds Master of Divinity and Doctorate of Ministry degrees from Western Theological Seminary. On a denominational level, he was a member of the Commission on Race & Ethnicity and served on the search committee for the RCA’s current General Secretary, Eddy Alemán. Dr. Waterstone is also an accomplished athlete, having qualified for the Boston Marathon and completed three Ironman races. He has been married to his wife Sarah for 14 years, and they have two sons, Willem and Bram.
The Reverend Kibbie Laird
Associate Minister
Rev. Kathryn Kibbie Laird (who goes by “Kibbie”) began her ministry at The Reformed Church of Bronxville in August of 2023. In the past 20 years, she has served churches in nearby Pleasantville as well as in New Canaan and Greenwich, CT.
A native of Fort Worth, Texas, Kibbie graduated from Mount Holyoke College in Western Massachusetts where she studied religion and could not get enough of it, graduating with a Religion major and a concentration in Economics. After her undergraduate studies, Kibbie attended Yale Divinity School, and it was there that she felt called to the ministry, graduating with a Master of Divinity degree in 1997. To this day she continues her relationship with Yale Divinity School, serving on the Dean’s Advisory Council.
Kibbie has two children, Avery and Johnny. When she is not at church, Kibbie enjoys spending time with her family and friends, watching and playing sports, enjoying the beach, hiking and kayaking, and being out in nature whatever season it is—fall leaves, winter’s snow, spring apple blossoms, and summer fireflies.
Caitlin Dowling
Director of Music and Liturgy
Emily Caitlin Dowling completed her Master of Music degree in Organ Performance at Mercer University as a student of Dr. Jack Mitchener in 2015 and a Bachelor in Piano Performance from Mercer in 2013, as a student of Elizabeth Pridgen. In 2013 and 2015 she won the Macon AGO Quimby Regional Young Organists Competition. Caitlin served as Assistant Organist/Assistant Music Director from 2013-2015 at West End United Methodist Church in Nashville, Tennessee. She moved to Atlanta in 2017 to be the Principal Organist/Music Associate at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Atlanta, GA. She is an active performer and appeared in recital in Nashville AGO’s “3 Under 30 Concert,” the Cherry Blossom Recital Series in Macon, GA, The Cathedral of St Philip, West End United Methodist Church and in Germany, Czech Republic and Austria with the Vanderbilt Community Chorus. Caitlin and her wife Hannah were married in October 2019. They live on the Upper East Side and love to cook, run, and explore NYC.

Cameron Wentz
Associate Director of Music and Organist
Cameron comes to us from Baltimore, Maryland where he has just completed his PhD in Music Composition. He has studied organ at Westminster Choir College and Peabody Conservatory of Music and has served at churches in the US and UK, most recently as Director of Music of the historic Christ Lutheran Church in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Cameron lives with his husband Jorge; they were married in November of 2021.
Christian Verwys
Director of Children and Youth Ministry
Christian joined the team at RCB in August 2020, entering his 16th year in student ministries. Christian graduated from Kuyper College in 2010 with bachelor’s degrees in Youth Ministry and Bible. During his ministry in Grand Rapids, MI, Christian guided over 50 full immersion trips and retreats both nationally and internationally, including prayer retreats in northern Michigan, whitewater rafting and backpacking in the Rocky Mountains, service relief trips to New Orleans, Austin, and Orlando, and outreach programs in Philadelphia and Trinidad & Tobago. Christian will be leading programming for our Middle School (6th-8th) and High School (9th-12th) families, Confirmation, and 4th- & 5th-grade events. He loves to hike, cook, is interested in anything related to the NBA, and is a ‘retired’ DJ. Christian married his wife Rachel in July 2020 on Lake Michigan, they have a dog named Clyde.
Judith McCandless
Director of Member Engagement
Judi came on staff in 2015 and has been an active church member since 1993. As Director of Member Engagement, Judi finds joy in developing ways for church members to deepen their sense of connection as a faith community. In doing so, she seeks to create such opportunities in various church programs and ministries, particularly those related to fellowship, hospitality, congregational care, and the church’s new member process. She also enjoys leading a weekly women’s Bible and book study, and other programs related to spiritual formation. Over the course of her membership she has served as Deacon, Elder, Chair of the Congregational Care Council, Consistory Nominating Committee Chair, confirmand mentor, adult education speaker, and prison ministry volunteer. She has also worked with previous minister search committees, a strategic planning sub-committee and the accessibility committee, which advocated for the construction of the church elevator. Judi graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Colorado State University with a B.S. in Psychology. She lives in Eastchester with her husband, Tom, and their daughter, Kathleen. Their adult son, Brad, lives in Chicago.
Mary Mackintosh
Director of Missional Engagement
Mary has been working for many years as a lawyer and licensed clinical social worker in the not-for-profit field, most recently as the Clinical Supervisor and therapist in a New Rochelle mental health and substance use clinic and the Yonkers Probation office, both part of The Guidance Center of Westchester. Mary and her family joined RCB in 1989 and she has been Co-Chair of the Sunday School, a Sunday School teacher has worked on mission programs with RCB for many years, including Coming Home, Community Restorative Justice and serving with Crossing Thresholds as a board member and volunteer in Kibera, Kenya. She also serves as a trustee of an after-school and Charter School network in East Harlem and is on the Advisory Council of the Maxwell Institute. Mary stepped down as an Elder and Clerk of Consistory in June 2020 before joining the staff. She seeks to share her love of faith through service with congregants of all ages.
Kate Milliken Vaughey
Director of Communications
Kate began her journey with RCB as a congregant, then a Deacon. She is an experienced reporter and producer who creates content, community and conversation in her work. Her projects include mini documentaries for private, corporate and non-profit clients, work for the View and VH-1, on-camera correspondent work in alternative sports (such as snowboarding, mountain biking and monster trucks). More recently, she has commandeered projects in the healthcare space, ranging from larger issues such as artificial intelligence and patient experience, to more specific content in the MS space (as Kate was diagnosed in 2006). Kate lives with her husband Tyler and two children, Tanner and Maddox, who can be found participating enthusiastically in youth and mission programs on a regular basis.
kate@reformedchurch.org
914-337-6776, ext. 112
Margaret Murtagh
Director, Reformed Church Nursery School and Early Childhood Assistant
Margaret has been the Director of the Reformed Church Nursery School since 2003 and brings over 25 years of experience as an early childhood educator. Margaret received her B.A. in philosophy from Fordham University and her Juris Doctor degree from the Fordham University School of Law. As Director, she has expanded programming while building on the school’s seven-decade reputation of excellence in early childhood education. This year RCNS has instituted Teachers College Reading and Writing Program and has created a new kindergarten program beginning in September 2020. In her spare time, Margaret is finishing her certificate in School Management and Leadership from Harvard Graduate School of Education and taking courses at Western Theological Seminary and Boston College School of theology. Margaret and her husband John have two grown children: John a captain in the USMC reserve and is an alumni engagement manager at Fordham Prep and Jim, who co-teaches music at RCNS.
Administrative Staff




Sexton Team

Leo Santana
Head Sexton

Marilyn DeCamilo

Elena Campana

Enmanuel Garcia
Church Governance
The church is run by a Consistory made up of the ministers along with 24 elders and deacons.
Elders and deacons serve four-year terms. While the church strives to have an equal number of elders and deacons—ideally 12 each—sometimes a greater number of either office is needed.
Each elder and deacon serves on (at least) one of eight councils that together oversee all areas of the church: Management, Stewardship, Worship, Education, Fellowship, Congregational Care, Mission, and Youth & Family. You can read more about them and our church governance generally in our Standing Rules.
Consistory officers for 2023-2024 are:
ELDERS: Brian Buttigieg, Rich Dawson, Beth Fulton, Tony Lemberger, Paul Muir, Yvonne Schonborg, Paul Shoemaker, John Torell, Sarah Underhill
DEACONS: Lela Agnew, Laura Busker, Ashley Ching, Anthony Civale, Aaron Hood, Cara Kernan, Jennifer Lescott, Shea Scanlon Lomma, Sophia Okeke, Kenia Padilla, Lindsay Scotti, Kalen Strickland, Arleen Thomas, Barbara Wisdom
OFFICERS: The Reverend Dr. Matthew Waterstone, President; Sarah Underhill, Vice President; Arleen Thomas, Treasurer; Yvonne Schonborg, Clerk of Consistory.
Elders 2023-2024
Class of 2024
Beth Fulton
Tony Lemberger
Paul Shoemaker
John Torell
Class of 2025
Yvonne Schonborg
Class of 2026
Rich Dawson
Sarah Underhill, Vice President of Consistory
Class of 2027
Paul Muir
Brian Buttigieg
Deacons 2023-2024
Class of 2024
Lela Agnew
Jennifer Lescott
Class of 2025
Aaron Hood
Sophia Okeke
Shea Scanlon-Lomma
Arleen Thomas, Treasurer
Class of 2026
Laura Busker
Ashley Ching
Cara Kernan
Kenia Padilla
Class of 2027
Barbara Wisdom
Lindsay Scotti
Anthony Civale
Kalen Strickland
Councils & Committees
All church program areas fall under the auspices of eight councils, which work together with the church staff. Each council is chaired by an elder or a deacon. Any church member may serve on any council (except for the Management Council, for which members are appointed), but must be nominated by the council chair and the senior minister. Council membership changes annually.
Below are the councils with contact information for each chair.
Management Council
Oversees administrative functions including personnel; maintenance of buildings and grounds; endowments; investments; audits; legal advice; and managing of church archives. Also coordinates the development and implementation of strategic plans and visioning.
Worship Council
Provides advice and assistance for all areas of worship and arts, including worship services, choirs, concerts, communion planning, sanctuary supplies, ushers, weddings, memorial services.
Stewardship Council
Works with staff to create and implement the annual stewardship campaign, and oversees volunteer stewards who reach out to the congregation.
Education Council
Helps design programs to encourage faith development; to help people learn to live together and for others in response to God’s love in Christ, and to plan learning opportunities related to the work of the Council. This includes oversight of the Church School, the confirmation process, adult education, and libraries.
Fellowship Council
Creates an understanding, caring, supportive fellowship where people share their needs, discover and use their talents, and are enabled to feel a part of a growing Christian community. Includes member engagement and organizing intergenerational social events.
Congregational Care Council
Develops programs that provide care, concern, prayer, and support for families and individuals at various stages, places, and circumstances of life.
Mission Council
Directs and oversees all outreach ministries locally, nationally and internationally (tutoring programs, Clothing Closet sales; social justice ministries, etc.). Also makes annual recommendations regarding grants and oversees ecumenical partnerships.
Youth & Family Council
Provides effective programs of instruction, nurture, fellowship, growth, and outreach for the Middle School and High School youth of the church and the community. Includes youth group meetings, mission trips, retreats, etc.