Board of Directors

Harvard University scholar Dr. Antonio M. Oftelie has been elected to the Lutheran Services in America Board of Directors.

Ken Daly, an accomplished executive with a career spanning five decades and a new member of the LSA Board of Directors, believes that curiosity and passion are the keys to success.

Lutheran Services in America, Incorporated (LSA) has welcomed two new members to its Board of Directors and announced newly elected officers following its Annual Conference in Minneapolis, Minn. in April.
Larry Bradshaw, President and CEO of National Lutheran Communities & Services (NLCS), was elected by member CEOs as a Director during the Annual Meeting of the membership that took place on April 27 in Minneapolis. James P. Zils, retired insurance industry executive, was appointed as a Director by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). Both terms run from July 1, 2016 – June 30, 2019.

Congratulations to Bill Hanawalt, Executive Director of Peace Community Center, for being one of nine people nationally selected as a “White House Champion of Change for Summer Opportunity.” Bill was chosen because of his commitment to advocating for summer learning, meals and violence prevention in Tacoma, Washington. Peace Community Center is a member of the LSA network and Bill has served on our board.

LSA congratulates our Board member Wendy Goldstein on being selected as the “Person of the Year” by the Brooklyn Home Reporter, the largest weekly news publication in Brooklyn, NY.

For Fred Kraegel, service to others is second nature. Born in Tokyo, Japan, his family relocated to the United States and settled into the Maryland suburbs of Washington, DC when he was a toddler. Fred was the oldest of five children born within seven years of one another. He credits his mother for instilling values of compassion and consideration for those less fortunate. With her roots as a pastor’s child raised in a church parsonage, Fred’s mother encouraged her children to give back during their youth. With frequent trips into Washington, Fred began his service by supporting communities in his own backyard. “Growing up in Washington, DC, we were encouraged to act accordingly; to give to others and support those in need, to give clothes and food,” Fred reminisced. Fred, a 40-plus year veteran of the business world has carried this spirit of service throughout his career and continues to support organizations and individuals alike, through his vocation and avocation today.

Lutheran Services in America (LSA) welcomes the nomination of prospective board members who are committed to our mission and vision and share our core values. If you are called to serve as a leader helping to guide the work of one of the nation’s largest health and human services networks through active service on the Board of Directors, we invite you to submit a nomination form.

Just ask Jodi Harpstead, Chief Executive Officer of Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota (LSS). Jodi says that the question she is most frequently asked during an interview, "How can an organization celebrating its 150th anniversary be relevant and innovative in 2015?" is also her favorite question to answer. For Jodi and LSS, it is part of their DNA and what makes them the strong organization they are today.

Lutheran Services in America, Incorporated (LSA) has announced the appointment of two new members to its Board of Directors. Reverend John Barton Day, executive director of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS) Office of National Mission, and Reverend Donald J. Fondow, district president of the Minnesota North District of The LCMS, joined as Class B Board Directors as of August 10, 2015.

Lutheran Services in America, Inc. (LSA) has elected to its Board of Directors Jodi Harpstead, president and CEO of Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota, and Christie Hinrichs, president and CEO of Nebraska-based organization Tabitha. Dr. Bruce Kintz, president and CEO of Concordia Publishing House, has been appointed to the Board as a Class B Board Director.