Grace Episcopal Church
STAFF
Parish Administrator
Juli Harper
Juli was born and raised in Bryan, TX. She moved to Georgetown in 2005. She spent 14 years as office manager at the Learning Tree Preschool at First United Methodist Church. She loves children and has two of her own, a son, 23, and a daughter, 20 who is attending Texas State University. She loves history, reading, nature and quiet time at home. She has a heart for people with disabilities as her only sibling has autism and has taught her patience, compassion and tolerance. She is very happy to be at Grace Episcopal Church.
Music Director
Dr. David Polley
David Polley began serving in the position of Director of Music at Grace in September 2015. He comes to this position after serving 17 years as Organist at University United Methodist Church in Austin. He is also an adjunct Professor of Organ at Southwestern University. After forty years of teaching secondary music education, Dr. Polley retired to pursue a more active career in church music. He earned degrees from Concordia University, Seward, NE; Northwestern University, Evanston, IL; and the University ofNebraska-Lincoln, NE. He has served Lutheran, Catholic, and Methodist churches in Wisconsin, Nebraska, and Texas.
As an accompanist, Dr. Polley has toured with the Southwestern University Chorale and the San Gabriel Chorale to China, Hungary, Italy, and France where he played the largest organs in China (Shanghai) and Hungary (Budapest). He has also performed as a featured recitalist in concerts in the Georgetown Festival of the Arts playing the music of Schubert, Schumann, Saint-Saens, Vierne, as well as Gade, Grieg, and Larsen. His most recent invited recitals include Church of the Heavenly Rest Episcopal, Abilene, TX and St. Austin Catholic Church and Westlake Presbyterian in Austin, TX.
In the future, Dr. Polley plans to continue serving as an accompanist and clinician in the area public schools as well as playing recitals in Central Texas.
Sexton
Amanda Winstead
I am excited to be the newest Grace Sexton, or as I like to say, Patty 2.0! I've worn many different hats at Grace over the past 9 years from planning the Grace School golf tournament, to running the ARK After School Program, and of course helping Patty during the times she needed an assistant. Originally a Kerrville native I met my husband in Washington, D.C. after graduating from the University of Mississippi. My husband, Nathan, and I share three children, Emma 9, Maddie 7, and Harrison aka Harry, 2. Our daughters attended Grace School for Preschool and are currently in 4th and 1st Grade at Village Elementary. Harry is in the 2's class here at Grace with Ms. Julie, and absolutely loves it. Nathan spends his days at Capital Farm Credit, financing farm and ranch agriculture property all over the state, that good ole Texas dream. We absolutely love our community of Georgetown, and enjoy taking part in all it has to offer. I am also a very big advocate for our public school district in Georgetown and serve as the President for PTA Council of GISD. When we aren't working we enjoy cooking, music, hanging out with friends, and enjoying our beautiful town square with our family. I am honored to be given this opportunity to serve at Grace Episcopal Church and look forward to getting to know the Grace family better!
Bookkeeper
Denise Bernard
Denise Bernard is originally from Brooklyn, New York where she was born and raised. She graduated from the University of Bridgeport in 2004 and earned a degree in International Business. She married her husband Erik and after graduation followed his many assignments with the Army. She later joined the Army in 2009, herself reaching the rank of Major before leaving service in 2021. She stayed at home with her children Mckenzie and Preston while receive her Master’s in Film Entertainment in 2022.
In recent years she has become a production accountant/bookkeeper for over four movie production companies conducting business in the United States. As a bonus she has been lucky enough to have her mother live with her since she joined the military. She spends most of her time with her family at the children’s many activities and catching up with friends. She is grateful for the opportunity the Lord provided to serve as the bookkeeper at Grace.
I began serving as Head of School at Grace Episcopal School in June 2000. I was offered the position by the original school board after having taught elementary school for 5 years and middle and high school math for 2 years in Hutto I.S.D. While attending Texas State University (formerly SWT) in San Marcos and earning my Bachelors of Science degree in Interdisciplinary Studies with a specialization in mathematics, I also met my future husband. In May 1991 I graduated Summa Cum Laude from SWT, and in June 1991 Chris I were married at Saint Albans Episcopal Church in south Austin. After getting married, we settled in Round Rock. I began teaching in Hutto at that time, and Chris began his career at Dell, Inc.
As Chris and I are both cradle Episcopalians, we began attending Grace Episcopal Church in 1995, and in 1996 we moved to Georgetown to be closer to our church. We have lived in Georgetown for 26 years and have three children: Addison (26), Kaden (23), and Ainsley (15).
Some hobbies I enjoy include reading, working out, puzzles, and attending my children’s sporting events. Five nights a week I tutor all ages and levels of math out of my home.
Having served as Head of School for over 22 years, I have seen the school grow in so many ways. Some of my first students at GES now have children of their own at the school! We’ve come a long way from the Mother’s Day Out program that Father Cotton originally started in 1992! I look forward to the future of Grace Episcopal School.