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The House of Deputies elected the Rev. Steve Pankey from the Episcopal Diocese of Kentucky as its vice president on June 27. Pankey was elected on the second ballot, receiving 442 votes of the 415 needed to elect. The other candidates included the Rev. John Floberg from the Episcopal Diocese of North Dakota, who received 21 votes; the Rev. Charles Graves from the Episcopal Diocese of Texas, who received 71 votes; and the Rev. Ruth Meyers from the Episcopal Diocese of California, who received 278 votes.
Pankey joins President Julia Ayala Harris, a Latina laywoman from the Episcopal Diocese of Oklahoma, who was reelected as president of the House of Deputies on June 25.
Pankey is the rector of Christ Episcopal Church in Bowling Green, Kentucky. He served on the Executive Council from 2020 to 2022 and serves on the Standing Commission on Structure, Governance, Constitution, and Canons. A four-time deputy to the General Convention, he also chairs the Legislative Committee for Rules of Order and serves on Ayala Harris’ council of advice.
In his introduction post to the House of Deputies Virtual Binder, Pankey said, “My particular areas of experience are evangelism, congregational development, Title IV revision, and structure. I love exploring processes and working with others to find ways to make systems more effective in reaching our ministry goals and more efficient stewards of our time and resources.”
The vice president of the House of Deputies is an unpaid volunteer position. While the vice president has a seat and voice on the Executive Council and has a seat on the Joint Committee on Planning and Arrangements, the role carries fewer canonical responsibilities than that of the president.
