2024 vestry nominees

Jerry daum

What did you do for a living and what did you like most about it? 

I created a 5-state billboard company over the past 27 years. I sold just before the “great bust” of 2007-2008 which afforded me financial security and freedom; both of which I never experienced. We decided to plan our retirement around family and purchased a second home near my brother in San Clemente, CA.

Being retired I enjoy being with friends at Semones YMCA, attending two Bible studies each week, dinners out with Laurie, playing music, traveling, and mentoring a 27-year-old family friend as he soon graduates college and is now engaged to get married in Oct. 2024!

Who sits with you at church? I always sit with my wife Laurie at church and near our friends from the 9:15 Sunday school. Fred is always across the aisle.

Tell us about one or two hobbies you enjoy. Off-shore boating and navigation, surf fishing, playing music, and building things.

What is your favorite movie? Yellowstone is a streaming favorite, but my favorite movie would probably be any one of the Mission Impossible movies.

What is the last book you read? Would you recommend it? “The Mysterious Case of Rudolf Diesel” Highly recommended. It’s the true story of Rudolf Diesel’s development of the diesel engine.

What is your favorite church service at Good Shepherd? Our favorite “church service” is the Sunday School class followed by the 10:30 service. I love the choir – got my start at First Baptist-Dallas, and their choir was incredible. At Good Shepherd, it’s the sopranos…love those gals who sign so high and mighty!

Clinton flume

What do you do for a living and what do you like most about it? I work as a healthcare consultant at VMG Health in Dallas. I have worked at VMG for 16 years ever since graduating from Texas A&M in 2007. My favorite aspect of my job is the opportunity to build lasting relationships with clients and solve complex problems.      

Who sits with you at church? My wife Tara and two daughters Iris (10) and Nora (8) (when they are not singing in Junior Choir). 

Tell us about one or two hobbies you enjoy.  I am always on the search for new hobbies! I enjoy playing guitar and cooking. By cooking, I mean making homemade pizza, burger/fries and BBQ! A few summers back I successfully grew Carolina reaper and scorpion peppers to make extreme hot sauce.       

What is your favorite movie? Ferris Bueller's Day Off

What is the last book you read? Outlive by Peter Attia. Would you recommend it?  Absolutely. It provides a practical view of health and fitness that focuses on improving your quality of life as you age. Bonus Book: Wheel of Time: The Great Hunt (book 2 of 14) by Robert Jordan; for fantasy readers its a great series (so far) full of rich characters and storylines. Think Lord of the Rings meets Star Wars in some respects.   

What is your favorite church service at Good Shepherd?  While there are certainly more elaborate and celebrated services, my favorite is a traditional Sunday. To dedicate a consistent approach to God and worship provides the greatest benefit to my family and me. I also look forward to seeing who the reader will be each Sunday. We have such a great group of young and old members that participate. I think it is very special to bring all ages into service.

Jason hays

What do you do for a living and what do you like most about it? I am the Senior Vice President of Brand for the State Fair of Texas. Not many people are aware the Fair is a non-profit and the well-known event is our largest fundraiser. I enjoy the challenge of planning and executing the nation's largest annual event, but even more so the good we do with the financial resources gleaned from the exposition.

Who sits with you at church? At 10:30 a.m., altar-left, mid-nave-sitters, Molly, Birdie, and I are in good company with Aileen Poer, Fred Belk, the Dahlander family, and other friendly faces.

Tell us about one or two hobbies you enjoy. I really like to cook (chef of the house) and go to the movies (go about once a week). I try to get out and play golf as much as possible as well.

What is your favorite movie? A tough question (see above), but my default answer to this is usually "Goodfellas."

What is the last book you read? Would you recommend it? "I'll Do My Own Damn Killing," by Gary Sleeper. It's about Benny Binion and the gambling war he created in Dallas in the 1930s that lasted almost 15 years. I would recommend it if you're interested in swept-under-the-rug Dallas history.

What is your favorite church service at Good Shepherd? The Feast of All Saints. It's Birdie's baptism anniversary which is a wonderful memory and typically when things get back to normal at the Hays House (post Fair).

Ellen williamson

What do you do for a living and what do you like most about it? I’m a lawyer and owner of my own practice focused on probate, guardianship, and estate planning work. I’m fortunate to say that most days I love what I do for a living because I get to help my clients take care of their families and make a process that can seem difficult and intimidating feel a little easier.

Who sits with you at church? You can find me sitting with my husband Kevin and our kids, Daniel and Rebecca. You’ll often see an extra kid or two or three in our row too if my kids had friends spend the night.

Tell us about one or two hobbies you enjoy. I love running. I didn’t get into it until I was in my 30s and used to joke I only ran when chased, but now it’s one of my favorite things to do. Whenever I’m traveling in a new place I look forward to getting in a run as a fun way to experience the local sights. I’ve done a lot of triathlons as well, including an Ironman, but these days the races I most enjoy are the 5ks and 10ks I run with my kids.

I also enjoy cooking, especially when my daughter wants to cook with me and I get to serve as her sous chef.

What is your favorite movie? So hard to pick just one! High Fidelity, Sliding Doors, and Inside Out are all movies I can watch over and over again and of course, no Christmas season is complete without National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation and It’s a Wonderful Life.

What is the last book you read? I’ve always got one or two books I’m working my way through. I’m currently reading Atomic Habits, which I’m enjoying. The last book I finished was Winning 42: Strategy and Lore of the National Game of Texas. I played it years ago but needed a refresher before a recent game with friends.

What is your favorite church service at Good Shepherd? I’ve enjoyed the Epiphany service. Despite growing up in and going to Episcopal churches all my life, I’d never been to a service like this and we now look forward to the post-service fireworks every year.