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Bishop Webb names Peter Abdella as Upper New York Conference Chancellor

December 10, 2018 / By Shannon Hodson / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Last month, Scott DelConte was elected to the New York State Supreme Court. With this new commitment, he will no longer be able to serve as Chancellor to the Upper New York (UNY) Conference. Effective December 15, Peter Abdella, current Vice President of the UNY Board of Trustees, will be the new Chancellor of the UNY Conference.

UNY Area Resident Bishop Mark J. Webb said, “Scott has been a blessing to the Upper New York Conference and has served with distinction.  I would like to personally thank Scott for his years of service and know that his gifts will be well utilized as a justice of the New York Supreme Court.”

Serving as Chancellor is not a new role for Peter Abdella; he served as Chancellor of the Western New York Conference prior to it uniting with the North Central New York, Troy, and Wyoming Conferences to form the Upper New York Conference.

Peter is a life-long Methodist, beginning his membership at Christ First United Methodist Church in Jamestown, New York.  Peter then transferred his membership to Asbury First United Methodist Church when he moved to Rochester in 1987.  Peter later served as the Chair of the Asbury First United Methodist Church Staff Parish Relations Committee, having joined that Committee in January of 2010. 

In addition to serving as Vice President for the UNY Board of Trustees, Peter is a construction litigation lawyer in Rochester, NY.  He has been recognized by Chambers USA from 2015-2018 in the field of litigation. He was named by The Daily Record as one of Rochester’s Attorneys of the Year in 2015. Peter has also been selected to the Upstate New York Super Lawyers list, 2007-2018.

Bishop Webb is grateful that Peter has agreed to serve as Chancellor for Upper New York. He said, “Peter has been a highly valued member of our Board of Trustees and having served as Chancellor of the Western New York Conference, he was a logical choice for this role.  I have appreciated working with Peter on various projects over the years and am confident that Peter will continue to serve the Church well in the role of Chancellor.”

Peter is excited for his new role in the Upper New York Conference and feels that Scott’s hard work has made his transition into his new role almost seamless.

Peter said, “My predecessor Scott DelConte has done a terrific job these past eight years and Scott has done a lot of the hard work coming out of the merger of the four Conferences. Stepping into this role has been made easier because of Scott’s efforts. I am honored that Bishop Webb has asked me to step into the Chancellor position now that Scott is moving on to start his judicial career.”