The Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago is a seminary of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. It is governed by a board of directors composed of representatives of the 18 synods of ELCA Regions 4 and 5, a bishops’ representative from each of those regions, and 10 members elected by the Church Council of the ELCA.
Board of Directors
Review Members
| Greg Lewis (2028) Chairperson ELCA at large | Retired, U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services Office of the Regional Counsel, Attorney; DePaul College of Law, Adjunct Professor | Chicago, IL |
| Rev. Mark Bartusch (2026) Vice Chairperson La Crosse Area Synod | Pastor, Our Redeemer Lutheran Church | Holmen, WI |
| Bishop Susan Candea (2026) ELCA Region 4 | Bishop, Central States Synod | Kansas City, MO |
| Teresa Cintron (2028) ELCA at large | Senior Director of Business Development – Strategic Alliances & Innovations, Social Strategic Development, Inc. | Manati, PR |
| DeWayne Cook (2028) ELCA at large | Chief Development Officer, Western Michigan University | Kalamazoo, MI |
| Paul K. Erbes (2028) Western Iowa Synod | Vice President for Advancement and Marketing, Habitat for Humanity | Baltimore, MD |
| Joseph Falese (2026) Secretary Metropolitan Chicago Synod | Senior Vice President, Student Affairs, Lewis University (Retired) | Lemont, IL |
| Bishop Stacie Fidlar (2028) ELCA Region 5 | Bishop, Northern Illinois Synod | Moline, IL |
| Rev. Preston Fields (2028) Northern Illinois Synod | Campus Pastor, Lutheran Campus Ministry UW, Madison, WI | Middleton, WI |
| Rev. Morgan Gates (2026) Texas-Louisiana Gulf Coast Synod | Director for Houston Area Campus Ministry – ELCA | Houston, TX |
| Anthony Johnston (2026) ELCA at large | President, Cook County College Teachers Union | Chicago, IL |
| Rev. Greg Kaufmann (2026) Northwest Synod of Wisconsin | Northwest Synod of Wisconsin, Assistant to the Bishop, (Retired) | Chippewa Falls, WI |
| Mercy Ndosi-Shoo (2028) Nebraska Synod | Internal Auditor, Valmont Industries Inc. | Bennington, NE |
| Maryjeanne Schaffmeyer (2026) East Central Synod of Wisconsin | Chief Operating Officer, Appleton and Theda Clark Medical Centers (Retired) | Appleton, WI |
| Laurence Tietjen (2028) ELCA at large | Experitec, Inc., President & CEO (Retired) Executive Coach | Ballwin, MO |
| Patricia Cornelius Woods (2028) ELCA at large | Director of Finance and Administration, Northwestern Memorial Foundation (Retired) | Chicago, IL |
| Ginni Young (2026) Treasurer Arkansas-Oklahoma Synod | Commercial property owner and manager (Retired) | Tulsa, OK |
LSTC Foundation Board of Trustees
LSTC’s Foundation Board of Trustees has 15 volunteer members who guide the seminary’s endowment investments.
Review Members
| Clarence Atwood, Jr. | Retired, Director of Internal Audit, University of Chicago Medical Center | Chicago, IL |
| Michael Cooper-White | Interim President, Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago | Chicago, IL |
| Kristi Ferguson | University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Prof. of General Internal Medicine, Retired | Iowa City, IA |
| Preston C. Fields | Campus Pastor, Lutheran Campus Ministry UW, Madison, WI | Middleton, WI |
| Terry Goff | Retired, Director, Emission Regulations & Conformance, Caterpillar, Inc. | Hanna City, IL |
| John Kotovsky | Retired, Chief Mission Officer, Lutheran Social Services | Kirkwood, MO |
| Carrie Lewis La Plante | Pastor, Faith Evangelical Lutheran Church | Eldridge, IA |
| Roger Lewis | Retired, Executive Director, Children’s Hospital and Medical Center Foundation | Omaha, NE |
| Harry Mueller | CEO, Delta Group Electronics | St. Louis, MO |
| John R. Reed | Manager, Business Intelligence Technology, American Airlines | Ft. Worth, TX |
| Maryjeanne Schaffmeyer | Retired, Chief Operating Office, Appleton and Theda Clark Medical Centers | Appleton, WI |
| Sarah Stegemoeller | Retired, Nonprofit Corporate + Tax Attorney | Santa Monica, CA |
| Laurence Tietjen | Retired, President, Experitec, Inc. Executive Coach | Ballwin, MO |
LSTC Alumni Board
LSTC’s Alumni Board advises the administration on alumni relations, continuing education, fundraising and communications.
Review Members
The Rev. Michael Fick, ’04
Pastor, Ebenezer Lutheran Church
Chicago, IL
Co-Chair
Dr. Melissa James, ‘04
Professor of Gender Studies and Sociology, University of San Diego
La Mesa, CA
The Rev. Liz Kocher, ‘17
Campus Pastor, Lutheran Center at University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Manhattan, Kansas
Co-Chair
The Rev. Dr. Carrie Lewis LaPlante, ‘04, ‘15
Pastor, Faith Lutheran Church
Eldridge, IA
Duane Miller, ‘79
Retired Pastor
Des Moines, IA
Stephanie Wood, ‘15
Pastor
Davenport, IA