Meet Our Team

The Rev. Whitney Altopp, DMin, began her ministry as St. Stephen’s 32nd rector in July 2012. Ordained to the priesthood in 2003, she began her paid work in the church in youth ministry in 1994. She served congregations in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania before coming to Connecticut with her husband, Michael, and their four children.
One of her favorite scripture passages highlights her foundational belief that organizations are living organisms, reflecting the contributions of the individuals within. “Glory to God whose power, working in us, can do more than we can ask or imagine: Glory to him from generation to generation in the Church, and in Christ Jesus forever and ever. Amen.” (Ephesians 3:20,21) She appreciates the way Our Vision: The World Made Whole by God’s
Transforming Love in Action sets our sights on a horizon of God’s infinite healing power, always revealed in unexpected ways.​
Mother Whitney’s value of young people (ages 13-29) remains a motivating source in her priestly ministry. Her master’s thesis was published by Verlag Dr. Muller, The Adolescent Beloved Disciple: A Young Person’s Experience of Jesus in the Fourth Gospel and her doctoral research explored her “Four Categories of Engagement” for effective youth ministry in the local congregation. Since her children have grown up and moved out, she has added baking, reading, and writing to her hobbies of knitting, dancing, and hiking/walking. You can read some of her writing at whitneyaltopp.com.

Derrick Goff
Minister of Music
203-438-3789 ext. 15
Derrick Goff joins St. Stephen’s as Minister of Music, bringing his experience as a church musician and organist as well as choral director and vocal coach. Derrick most recently served as Minister of Music at St. Thomas’ Church, Whitemarsh, PA until 2017. He is an alumnus of the Metropolitan Opera’s Lindemann Young Artist Development Program and a current member of the MET music staff as a pianist, and enjoyed many years of collaboration at Teatro Nuovo, a continuation of the young artist program of Bel Canto at Caramoor, where he is resident as a coach, chorusmaster, and Italian teacher. Derrick holds degrees in organ and voice from Westminster Choir College. He is always looking for something new to learn about a foreign language and can often be found with an alarmingly large iced coffee working on the NYTimes crossword.

Sue Vogelman
Associate for Youth & Family Ministry
203-438-3789 ext. 10
Sue is a certified elementary teacher with bachelor’s degrees in psychology and political science from the University of Rochester. Sue has held positions in public and church educational settings. She is the former Director of Youth and Family Programs at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church (Woodbury, CT) and Trinity Episcopal Church (Newtown, CT). She has also served as classroom teacher, paraeducator and long-term substitute in the Westport and Newtown Public School Districts.
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“My favorite parts of parish ministry are service trips, outreach, and large intergenerational events with the whole parish, but I also loved the regular Sunday morning interactions with kids and families. I play the piano and have led choir, co-directed full scale musicals and many VBS. I was a member of the Interfaith Council in
​​Newtown and served on the ECCT Christian Formation Commission.” Sue also served on the board of Forma (a national membership organization for Christian Educators) for a few years and continues to value those far-reaching connections.
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Sue, her husband, and two sons live in Newtown, CT where they often get visits from the local black bear population. When asked about where she finds God, Sue replied, “I find God in so many places, but I love being outside in nature where you’ll see me hiking, kayaking, gardening, ice skating, or doing yoga.”

Erika Hagan
Associate for Caring Ministries
203-438-3789 ext. 16
Erika was a parishioner for 12 years at St. Stephen’s before preparing for ordained ministry, serving as an intern at Emmanuel Church in Weston and St. James in Danbury and as curate at Christ Church in Trumbull. It was our congregation that sponsored her for ordination. Rev. Erika has ministered to nurses and patients at Norwalk Hospital during COVID-19 and expanded her capacities to develop ministry through collaboration and delegation. She brings unique offerings to this position as a regional online group facilitator for families with special needs children and as co-convenor of the Elder Ministries Network for the Episcopal Church in CT.
Erika is also priest-in-charge at St. Thomas’ Church in Bethel, is the thinker/writer/eater
behind Eating Liturgically and teaches Jazzercise at Jazzercise New Milford. Her family (husband, Andrew, and two boys, Isaac and Kai) moved to Ridgefield in 2008.
The Hagans moved to Ridgefield in 2008 and are firmly settled here. Rev. Erika’s youngest son attends Scotts Ridge Middle School and is an acolyte at St. Stephens. Her eldest son is outplaced through the Ridgefield School system to a school in Bristol, CT, for young adults with intellectual disabilities. Her husband, Andrew, is an associate consultant with Theatre Projects in Norwalk, CT.

Ginny Fitzpatrick
Parish Administrator
203-438-3789 ext. 11
A graduate of Fairfield University (where she met her best friend and life long partner, Paul) and mother of 4, and proud grandmother of eight, Ginny lived in Ridgefield for twenty plus years. Ginny has a background in human resources. She has had the great blessing of spending much of her time volunteering for various organizations including Emmaus, HOME, Meals on Wheels, National Charity League and the PTA. Ginny has been at St. Stephens since 2000, first as a teacher in the Nursery School and beginning in 2006 as the Parish Administrator.

Margaret Cush
Nursery
203-438-3789
A little about me… I am from Ireland, from a big family, the youngest of nine children. I came to America when I was 17. I have been in Ridgefield for over 26 years and have just recently moved to Danbury. I have been taking care of children for over 30 years. I truly love what I do. I really want to make a difference in a child’s world, and I love to teach and help them learn and grow. I have been a nanny for over ten years and stayed home to care for my three boys. My youngest is now 20. How fast time goes by, so enjoy every minute with your kids!
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I have been in Ridgefield public schools since 2008 as a RISE (Ridgefield Intense Special Education) special education paraeducator. I am also a registered behavior technician. ​
I love being with children and seeing every new accomplishment they make, whether it's their first word or when they ask a friend to play. All of them are unique and amazing.