Staff Biographies
The Rt. Rev. Betsey Monnot
Photo: Rachel Mummey
The Rt. Rev. Elizabeth Lockwood Hawley Monnot was ordained and consecrated on December 18th, 2021 as the 10th Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Iowa. The service for her ordination and consecration was held at Lutheran Church of Hope in West Des Moines, IA. She is the first woman to hold this office since the diocese was formed in 1853.
Rt. Rev. Monnot had previously served as the priest-in-charge at St. Clement’s Episcopal Church in Rancho Cordova, California, as well as serving as a director and retreat leader of Called to Abundant Life: Leadership Counseling. Rt. Rev. Monnot also previously served as missioner for leadership development and networking for the Diocese of Northern California, and co-rector with her husband Michael at All Saints Episcopal Church in Sacramento, California.
Read More about Bishop Monnot on the Diocean website, by clicking here.
The Very Reverend Nicola Dance, Dean
The Very Rev. ‘Amma’ Nicola was installed as the Fifth Dean of the Cathedral on September 28, 2023. Serving as Canon Missioner for Ministry Coordination beginning January 2020 and as Canon Provost since July 2020. Nicola has previously served as an Assisting Priest at St. John’s-by-the-Campus in Ames (her sending parish), as Priest-in-Partnership with St. Matthew-by-the-Bridge in Iowa Falls and as a supply priest in the Diocese of Iowa.
Nicola comes to ordained ministry from a career in academia, as a physicist, measurement scientist, and most recently as Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at Iowa State University, a position that she held for 15 years. In that role Nicola received awards for mentoring, teaching, and research excellence. She also chaired a number of successful conferences as a Senior Member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. Nicola discerned a call to ordained ministry in the Episcopal Church in 2013 and has discovered theology to be a subject of passion for her, particularly in relation to practical living.
Nicola was born and raised in England, immigrating to the U.S. in 1999. She enjoys outdoor activities especially at the lakes in Iowa during the summertime.
Read more about Amma Nicola and our past deans by clicking here.
Deacon John Doherty
Deacon John Doherty was ordained deacon in the Episcopal Diocese of Iowa in 2007. His special emphases are social action ministries, community engagement, and diocesan liaisons. Deacon John is also employed by the Episcopal Diocese of Iowa as operations manager with specific roles as coordinator of the annual convention of the diocese, of Education for Ministry, and for small church ministry. John retired from his position as Canon Administrator and Ministry Developer at the cathedral in 2021. Prior to 2018 he served 10 years as Coordinator of Finance and Ministry. Prior to coming on to St. Paul's staff, he owned Doherty's flowers from 1980 until 2008. He is married and the father of two children, and grandfather of two. John is an avid runner.
Deacon Jean Davis
Jean grew up in Bar Harbor, Maine and graduated from both the University of Maine in Orono and Suffolk University Law School in Boston, MA. Jean moved to Iowa to begin her legal career. After retiring from a legal career spent in public interest law, Jean pursued a call to ministry. Jean joined the Cathedral Church of St. Paul’s in 2016 and was ordained to the vocational diaconate in April, 2021.
John Zickefoose, Administrator
John Zickefoose was born in Waterloo. After graduating from the University of Northern Iowa with degrees in Theatre and English, he moved to New York City and worked in a variety of positions for the American Telephone & Telegraph Company. Additionally, he successfully appeared in a variety of Manhattan cabarets in his original one-man show Tin-Pan-Thology: A Collection of Songs from the Turn of the (last) Century.
Returning to Iowa in 2001, he worked for an environmental company before coming to work at St. Paul’s in 2009. On weekends he works as a docent at Terrace Hill, Iowa’s National Historic Governor’s residence. He also performs: his one-man-show, Tin-Pan-Thology, has been performed both at Terrace Hill, and at the Des Moines Women’s Club; additionally, he has acted with several local theatre companies, including Stage West, the Repertory Theatre of Iowa, and The Iowa Shakespeare Experience.