Vestry

Lucy Rinaldi

Senior Warden

Lucy Rinaldi, Senior Warden, grew up in the Church of England and later joined the Episcopal Church after moving to the United States in 1996. At her former church, Christ Church, Greenwich, she played a key role in outreach, women’s ministry, and church growth initiatives, eventually serving on the vestry and as junior and then senior warden. She contributed to expanding membership, launching outreach programs, and supporting capital projects, while also applying her financial expertise as Chief Investment Officer of the Lasker Foundation to guide the church’s endowment and long-term planning. Lucy is committed to fostering an inclusive and welcoming church community.

Ashley Tulp

Junior Warden

Ashley Tulp moved to Denver with her husband after graduating from Colorado College in 2006. Originally from Tulsa, Oklahoma, a cradle Episcopalian, Ashley grew up attending St. John’s Episcopal Church. She joined Church of the Ascension in 2021 and now serves on the youth committee.  Outside of Ascension, Ashley is actively involved in the Denver community. She volunteers at both Graland Country Day School and Kent Denver School, where her four children—Tate, Davis, Daisy, and Knox—attend. Additionally, she serves on the advisory committee for the Coors Western Art Show, combining her love for the arts with her commitment to community and family values.  Ashley is passionate about fostering connections, supporting her family, and giving back to the organizations that have shaped her life and faith.

Kim Conci

Clerk

A Wyoming native, Kim is a lifelong Episcopalian and former Vestry member and Senior Warden at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Craig, where she and her husband, Terry, met, married, and raised their four daughters.  After retiring from a career in education, Kim and Terry moved to Denver in 2013 and have been active at Ascension since they started attending in 2015. Among other things, Kim has most recently served on the Annual Giving Committee, Hospitality, and Outreach Committees. She enjoys hiking, golfing, biking, traveling, and spending time with her five grandchildren. 

Bill Howard

Treasurer

 A Colorado native, Bill, his wife Anne, and their children Andrew and Peter have attended Ascension since 2012. He is a Managing Director and Partner at Monticello Associates, an investment consulting firm serving endowments, foundations, and family offices. Bill earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Vanderbilt University and an MBA from the University of Denver. In addition to serving as Treasurer at Ascension, Bill is a Trustee at St. Anne’s Episcopal School and Chairman of the Investment Committee. He enjoys tennis, golf, skiing, and traveling with his family.

Ellie Caulkins 

Born in Orange, New Jersey, Ellie Caulkins has spent most her life living in Colorado and loving it. Ellie is a 1977 Bachelor of Arts Phi Beta Kappa graduate of University of Colorado, which also bestowed on her an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters in 2011. Married in 1962 at the English Church in Zermatt, Switzerland, Ellie and her beloved husband George raised five children and she is now the proud grandmother of seven grandkids! Ellie has been an active volunteer in the Denver and greater Colorado community for many years, serving with the Vail Homeowners Association and the Butterfly Pavilion. Currently, she serves the Graland Country Day School as a Life Trustee, Opera Colorado Life Honorary Board Chair, and the Metropolitan Opera.

A lifelong Episcopalian, Ellie previously had been a member at St. Barnabas Church and Saint John’s Cathedral in Denver and Christ Church in Dark Harbor, Maine before arriving at Ascension in 2003. Previously serving on the Vestry at Christ Church Dark Harbor, she has served on the Vestry at Ascension since 2020. Ellie is very excited to serve in a leadership role to help Ascension flourish.  

Stephanie Johnson

As the daughter of an exploration geologist, Stephanie Johnson grew up mostly in Texas. Relocating to Denver from Houston in 1981, she became a member of Church of the Ascension. Dave and Stephanie married at the church, and their daughter Morgan was baptized here. Naturally, the first ministry to which she committed her time was the children’s program. Over the years, other ministry involvement has included the neighborhood newsletter, hospitality, acolyte training, eucharistic minister, stewardship, prayer & study groups, rector search committees and vestry service. Stephanie retired from the State of Colorado’s Board of Land Commissioners (lease accounting staff) two years ago and currently enjoys seasonal road trips with Dave to Flagstaff, Arizona where Morgan now lives.

Chad Nichols

A fifth generation Coloradan, Chad has considered Denver home for over 30 years. Chad and his wife, Kari, have been members of Ascension since 2016, and their sons Foster (7) and Carter (4) were baptized at Ascension. Chad works for a global financial services firm, serves on the Board of St. Elizabeth’s School, and is involved with the National Western Stock Show. In addition to serving on the Vestry, Chad chairs the Endowment Committee. He and Kari are avid sports fans and love traveling and hiking and skiing with their boys.

Tim Shannon

Tim and his wife, Susanna, first attended Ascension upon moving to Denver in 2015, and, along with their children, Adair and George, became fully engaged members in 2020. Tim joined the finance committee of Ascension in 2021. Tim grew up in the Catholic Church during early childhood in Colorado and grade school in California and joined the Episcopal Church in 2012. Tim and his family love skiing and exploring the mountains and rivers of our beautiful state in addition to travel to experience different cultures. Tim works in health care supporting human and animal clinical providers to grow their organizations.  

Court Wold

Court is the father of Jack, Freddie, and Marilyn and devoted to Cullen, his wife of 16 years. Court and Cullen are active in the Ascension community through serving the Annual Giving Committee and Children’s and Youth Ministries. Court serves on the boards of several civic organizations and manages an oil and gas business. Court and Cullen are blessed with strong mentors, friends, and family. They love to hunt, fish, work hard, and give back to those who have helped them along the way.