Johanna comes to Zion after serving as rector of Trinity Episcopal Church in North Scituate, Rhode Island. While serving in the Diocese of Rhode Island, Johanna attended and graduated from the College for Congregational Development in Rochester, New York, and served on a variety of Diocesan committees, most recently as a member of the Congregational Development Commission and as secretary of Diocesan Council.

Prior to serving in the Diocese of Rhode Island, Johanna served in the Diocese of Central New York as rector of Grace Episcopal Church in Waterville and as an associate at Grace Episcopal Church in Utica.

Following her time in Waterville, Johanna served as rector of Grace Episcopal Church in Syracuse where she developed The Grace Project which engaged in ministering to youth incarcerated in the Justice Center. Partnering with the Alliance of Communities Transforming Syracuse (ACTS) and the NAACP she and her husband, Rabbi Joe Murray, were instrumental in bringing about an end to the use of solitary confinement of youth in the Syracuse prison system.

In addition to serving in the Diocese of Central New York, Johanna served as a resident Chaplain at Ruby Memorial Hospital in Morgantown, West Virginia, and as a supply priest at Trinity Episcopal Church in Morgantown.

Raised in the Episcopal Church, Johanna is committed to fostering authentic relationships and caring well for all of God’s people. She is dedicated to serving as priest and minister and proclaiming the gospel with compassion and creativity through her actions and words. She aims to create multi-generational, collaborative, curious, kind, caring, and joyful faith communities that actively engage and share in ministry with integrity beyond the walls of the church.

Johanna enjoys cooking, gluten-free baking, knitting, and playing the recorder. She also runs, but only because she enjoys spending time with her husband! She is passionate about both nourishing and expressing her spirituality through the creation of mix-media art, and she loves – and wears – cowboy boots.