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 |
| 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 |
| Kelly Chatman (2026) ELCA at large | Executive Director, Center for Leadership and Neighborhood Engagement | Maplewood, MN |
| DeWayne Cook (2028) Secretary ELCA at large | Chief Development Officer, Western Michigan University | Maple Grove, MN |
| Paul K. Erbes (2028) Western Iowa Synod | Vice President for Advancement and Marketing, Habitat for Humanity | Sioux City, IA |
| Joseph Falese (2026) Metropolitan Chicago Synod | Senior Vice President, Student Affairs, Lewis University (Retired) | |
| Bishop Stacie Fidlar (2028) ELCA Region 5 | Bishop, Northern Illinois Synod | |
| Rev. Preston Fields (2028) Northern Illinois Synod | Senior Pastor, Salem Lutheran Church | |
| Morgan Gates (2026) Texas-Louisiana Gulf Coast Synod | Director for Houston Area Campus Ministry – ELCA | Houston, TX |
| Rev. Greg Kaufmann (2026) Northwest Synod of Wisconsin | Northwest Synod of Wisconsin, Assistant to the Bishop, (Retired) | |
| Mercy Ndosi-Shoo (2028) Nebraska Synod | Internal Auditor, Valmont Industries Inc. | |
| 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) | |
| Patricia Cornelius Woods (2028) ELCA at large | Director of Finance and Administration, Northwestern Memorial Foundation (Retired) | |
| 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 |
| Preston C. Fields | Pastor, Salem Lutheran Church | Dekalb, IL |
| Terry Goff | Retired, Caterpillar, Inc. | Hanna City, IL |
| Jennifer Rafanan Kennedy | Executive Director, Pittsburgh United | Pittsburgh, PA |
| 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 |
| James Nieman | President, Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago | Chicago, IL |
| 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. | Ballwin, MO |
LSTC Alumni Board
LSTC’s Alumni Board advises the administration on alumni relations, continuing education, fundraising and communications.
Review Members
The Rev. Cindy Crane ’88
Director, Lutheran Office of Public Policy
Madison, WI
The Rev. Michael Fick, ’04
Pastor, Ebenezer Lutheran Church
Chicago, IL
Board Chair
The Rev. Stacie Fidlar, ’95
Rock Island, IL
The Rev. William E. Flippin, Jr., ’05
Assistant to the Bishop for the Southeastern Pennsylvania
Atlanta, GA
Dr. Melissa James, ‘04
Deacon, Agape House Garden Steward
La Mesa, CA
Board Vice Chair
The Rev. Liz Kocher, ‘17
Manhattan, Kansas
The Rev. Dr. Carrie Lewis LaPlante, ‘04, ‘15,
Pastor, Faith Lutheran Church
Eldridge, IA
The Rev. R. Keith Lingwall, ’67
Retired
Tucson, AZ
The Rev. Charles V. Newman, ’04
Pastor, Crossroads Lutheran Church
San Tan Valley, AZ
The Rev. Beverly Rautenberg-Panko, ’98
Retired
South Sioux City, NE
The Rev. Jason Wahlstrom, ‘01
Pastor, Holy Nativity Lutheran Church
Crystal, MN