The Staff

Wendy S. Tajima

Executive Presbyter Email

Rev. Wendy S. Tajima is a native of Pasadena, and was raised in San Gabriel Presbytery. Her grandfather was an immigrant Japanese pastor and her uncle, Rev. Donald Toriumi, served for…

BIO

…31 years as pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Altadena. Wendy has always believed that growing up in Pasadena’s strong and diverse community has been a great blessing in her life. After graduating from Stanford University, Wendy worked in a social service agency working with battered women and their children. She earned an MBA from UCLA (Anderson) Graduate School of Management, and worked for Apple Computer in multiple management positions for 8 years.

Wendy was a manager in the Evangelism Department at Apple Computer when she started seminary, first at Fuller Seminary’s Bay Area extension campus, then San Francisco Theological Seminary (SFTS). She was ordained in 1997 and served ecumenically in Hawai‘i for 10 years. She came back to California and served as Associate Dean of Enrollment at SFTS, then as Stated Clerk and Associate General Presbyter for Presbytery of the Pacific. She has been Executive Presbyter for San Gabriel Presbytery since April 2014, offering support to 39 Presbyterian churches from Eagle Rock to Claremont and Pomona.

Steve Salyards

Stated Clerk for Judicial Process

Steve Salyards is originally from western New York but moved out to California for the earthquakes 40 years ago. He has degrees in geophysics from Penn State and Caltech….

BIO

Steve Salyards is originally from western New York but moved out to California for the earthquakes 40 years ago. He has degrees in geophysics from Penn State and Caltech and has done research and taught on earthquakes at New Mexico State University and UCLA. He currently teaches an online general Earth Science class for Hope International University in Fullerton and appreciates the environment at the Christian college where he can integrate faith with science.

Steve has been a member of Presbyterian churches most of his life and is currently a Ruling Elder at La Verne Heights. He became active in San Gabriel Presbytery during graduate school and was active with the Peace and Justice ministries. Over the years he has served on other committees but has spent the most time on the Committee/Commission on Ministry including a number of years as the moderator. He has also been active at all levels of the denomination, especially with the Synod of Southern California and Hawai’i, including serving as the Synod Moderator in 2009.

Steve has been following and writing on global Presbyterianism and polity for a number of years including articles for the Presbyterian Outlook as well as his own blog.

Steve and his wife Joanne have three adult children scattered around the world and two adorable granddaughters.

Diane M. Frasher

Chaplain for Retired Church Workers for Monte Vista Grove

Diane Frasher was born in Mineola, New York and spent her younger years moving between Long Island and Florida. She also grew up moving between the Roman Catholic…

BIO

Diane was ordained as a Ruling Elder and became a Clerk of Session within the PCUSA. She participated in music and educational ministries and leadership training at her congregation. She was employed at two different Presbyterian congregations for a total of six years as an Administrative Assistant. She acquired her Associate’s and Bachelor’s Degrees, as well as began her Master of Divinity during those years, while raising three daughters as a single parent. She participated in presbytery life in Riverside Presbytery as a member, and chair, of the Mission & Stewardship Committee for six year as well as a member of the Education, Leadership Development Team for three years, and the Committee on Preparation for Ministry for two years. She was ordained as a Teaching Elder in 2009 and moved into Transitional Ministry between 2009 and 2013. She became Part-Time Stated Clerk of the Presbytery of Riverside in spring of 2013. She continued that work while battling cancer. After a successful battle with cancer, she was called as Part-Time Stated Clerk for the Presbytery of San Gabriel in spring of 2015. The Stated Clerk call to Riverside Presbytery was completed on August 31, 2017 as that presbytery transitioned to an Executive/Stated Clerk model. She is delighted to continue her call as Stated Clerk to San Gabriel Presbytery at this time.

Diane is single again and has three adult children and four grandchildren, all of whom she loves deeply. Being a “Ga-Ga” means a great deal to her at this point in her life and she revels in it.

 

Wendy Gist

Mission Advocate for Hunger, Poverty and Peacemaking Email

As Mission Advocate, Wendy works to be a resource to congregations on mission ministries, projects, and events.

BIO

Wendy has served as the Mission Advocate for Hunger, Poverty, and Peacemaking Issues for the Presbytery since December 2005.  This is a part-time role that she has happily taken on for our Presbytery and the Presbytery of San Fernando. She’s happy to participate in worship, lead adult education classes, speak with committees, or attend other church and Presbytery events.

Prior to this, Wendy and her husband David served as PC(USA) mission workers in Nicaragua from 1994-2000.  Wendy and David are the proud parents of Nicolás (Nico) and Tasha, both of whom were born in Nicaragua while they served there.  Between parenting; working for justice and peace in her home, community, nation, and world; and church responsibilities her days are pretty full.

Rev. Rob Crowell

Chaplain Westminster Gardens Email

Rob is originally from Montreal, Canada, but his family moved to California when he was 7. He grew up in the First Presbyterian Church of North Hollywood where he was ordained as a Deacon in 1976.

BIO

Rob is originally from Montreal, Canada, but his family moved to California when he was 7. He grew up in the First Presbyterian Church of North Hollywood where he was ordained as a Deacon in 1976. He majored in Philosophy and English Literature at Whitworth College and went on the get his M. Div. at Princeton Theological Seminary where he met his wife, Cyndie. They were ordained as Teaching Elders in the Presbytery of Western New York in 1984. After 15 years in upstate NY they moved to the San Gabriel valley in 1998 for Cyndie’s call to Trinity PC, Pasadena. Rob joined the Presbytery in 2000 after accepting an Interim Pastor position at Westminster PC, Temple City and has been serving as the Pastor of Village PC, Arcadia since 2003.

Over the years Rob has been blessed to serve the church in a wide variety of positions in a wide range of locations: from tiny churches to very large ones, inner city congregations, suburban churches, small villages and cities, on the Tonawanda Indian Reservation, a chaplaincy in Glacier National Park, and chaplaincies in several universities, and Moderator of our Presbytery. Since his ordination he has been actively engaged in presbytery-level peacemaking ministries. Most recently he has served on our Presbytery’s Living Waters for the World team since it began in 2009.