Westminster Presbyterian Church: Westminster Staff

APNC_2012_2013

Home > Westminster Staff

Pastors and Parish Associates		Westminster Town Hall Forum
Music and the Arts Staff
Program Staff		Westminster Counseling Center
Administration
Facilities Staff		Open Positions

Pastors

HART-ANDERSEN-TIM Timothy D. Hart-Andersen
Pastor and Head of Staff
Email Tim

Tim began his 14th year at Westminster in fall 2012. He and his family live in Southwest Minneapolis, from where he regularly bikes to work. He first sensed a call to serve others while in Ecuador as a 19-year-old. Almost a decade later he surprised his friends when he landed in seminary. Tim’s ministry in this large, active congregation focuses on three areas: 1) Preaching: from September to June he is in the pulpit four out of five Sundays; 2) Staff coordination: he works with a large, dynamic team; 3) Strategic leadership: he helps Westminster leaders think creatively about the future. Tim finds Westminster to be a community thoroughly engaged in living faithfully in a complex time. He is grateful that the church is willing to learn and change, to grow and take risks, all in an effort to fulfill the gospel mandate to “love God and neighbor.”
Seminaries: M. Div., McCormick (Chicago); D. Min., San Francisco
Other degrees: B.A., Sociology; M. A., Latin American Studies
Community service: Macalester College Board of Trustees; Board Member, Downtown Council of Minneapolis; Founding Board Member, Covenant Network of Presbyterians
Tim's assistant is Polly Ercole.

Meghan K. Gage-Finn
Associate Pastor for Congregational Life
Email Meghan

Meghan received her bachelor's degree from Ohio Wesleyan University with majors in psychology and women's studies, and then served as an AmeriCorps VISTA volunteer in Columbia, Missouri, running a literacy and tutoring program in the public elementary schools. Meghan received her Master of Divinity Degree from Princeton Theological Seminary in 2005. During seminary, she did a yearlong international internship in youth and family ministries with two English-speaking congregations in Lausanne, Switzerland, and during that time served as a delegate to the 2004 General Assembly of the Church of Scotland. Before coming to Westminster in 2007, Meghan served as a Lilly Minister in Residence at the First Presbyterian Church of Ann Arbor, MI. As a Lilly Resident, she served in the areas of children's ministry, evangelism and fellowship, youth ministry and Confirmation, pastoral care, small group ministry, and campus ministry. Her assistants are Claudia Kapitan for New Members and Dan Franklin for Fellowship/Hospitality.

Karen Larson
Interim Associate Pastor for Families and Fellowship
Email Karen

Karen comes to Westminster with a new Master of Divinity degree from United Theological Seminary and years of experience in congregational life and leadership. Karen believes the church is called to create beloved community across generations and out of diversity, so that its people are empowered to join God’s work in the world. Her previous career was as an advertising copywriter, having earned a bachelor degree in agricultural journalism from the University of Minnesota. She grew up on a dairy farm in southern Minnesota and now lives with her partner Jim and their daughters in Minnetonka. Her assistants are Barbara Prince for Families and Dan Franklin for Fellowship.

MICHAEL-Kathy Katherine S. Michael
Associate Pastor for Adult Education and Leadership Development
Email Kathy

Katherine received the Master of Arts degree in Biblical Studies and the Master of Divinity degree from Luther Seminary where she initiated the Ecumenical Ministries program. Previously she studied at the Presbyterian School for Christian Education in Richmond, VA. Kathy has developed Called to Discipleship, a training program for Presbyterian Church officers, and designs Education for Faith and Life programs for Westminster. She has taught Bible classes in congregations for more than 30 years. Her assistant is Claudia Kapitan for Adult Education and Polly Ercole for Leadership Development.

MITCHELL-DOUG Douglas Mitchell
Associate Pastor for Faith in Action
Email Doug

Doug brings a history of leadership in urban mission agencies dealing directly with issues of discrimination, housing, youth, inclusivity, and other critical social justice concerns. Before coming to Westminster in 2001, he served as the president of the City Mission Society of Boston and as the executive director of Greater Birmingham Ministries. He holds a Master of Divinity degree from Pittsburgh Theological Seminary and has done extensive additional graduate work in social ethics and urban politics. Doug's service to the larger church includes chairing the General Assembly's Urban Ministry Support Team, 1989-1993, and serving on the Urban Strategy Task Force, 1991-2000. He is on the Executive Committee of the Board of the Presbyterian Health, Education and Welfare Association, the PCUSA’s oldest and largest social justice organization. His assistant is Dan Franklin.

Stephen Robertson
Associate Pastor for Congregational Care
Email Steve

Steve joined Westminster in July 2011 to serve the ministry of congregational care, leading the church staff and lay leaders in ministries of compassion and care for church members at times of life’s transitions and difficulties. He graduated from Butler University with a bachelor of science degree in Business Administration and spent a decade in commercial banking. Answering the call to pastoral ministry, Steve graduated from Columbia Theological Seminary in 1995 and served as Associate Pastor at First Presbyterian Church in Inverness, Florida, for five years. He then accepted a call for three years as the solo pastor of Eastminster Presbyterian Church in East Lansing, Michigan. Most recently, Steve served for seven years as Associate Pastor of the Chevy Chase Presbyterian Church in Washington, DC. Along the way, Steve also earned an masters degree in Christian Education from Union Presbyterian Seminary and a Doctor of Ministry from Columbia Theological Seminary. Steve has served the larger church through work in areas of Christian Education, youth ministry, pastoral and church relations, and the business affairs of congregations and the presbytery. Steve and his wife, Susan Peacock, along with their cat, Merlot, are settling into their new community and enjoying time with family in the Twin Cities. His assistant is Claudia Kapitan.

Parish Associates

Denise Dunbar-Perkins
Parish Associate
Email Denise

Margaret McCray
Parish Associate
Email Margaret

Dean J. Seal
Parish Associate
Email Dean

Music and the Arts Staff

OHNSTAD-Melanie_2012 Melanie Ohnstad
Minister of Music & the Arts/Organist
Email Melanie

Melanie has served Westminster as organist since November 1995, in addition to serving as Minister of Music and the Arts. Melanie received a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Minnesota in June 1999. She earned a Master of Music in Organ Performance from Arizona State University and a Bachelor of Music from St. Olaf College. Prior to coming to Westminster, she was the assistant organist at St. Mark's Episcopal Cathedral, Minneapolis, where she made three recordings with the Cathedral Choir. Melanie has also served Trinity Cathedral, Phoenix as organist-choirmaster and St. Stephen Lutheran, Wausau, as Director of Music and Youth. Her current area of interest is integrating theology and the arts. Her assistant is Barbara Prince.

LANTZ-Jere Jere Lantz
Director, Westminster Choir
Email Jere

Jere holds masters and doctorate degrees from Yale in conducting. For twenty years he has been the Music Director of the Rochester Orchestra and Chorale. In addition, he directs the Minnetonka Choral Society and serenades Lake Harriet audiences on weekend evenings each summer directing the Minneapolis Pops Orchestra. He has conducted most of Minnesota’s major choruses, including the Minnesota Chorale, Bach Society, Minnesota Center Chorale, Oratorio Society, Winona Symphonic Choir and Soul Liberation Choir. In 1996, he served four months as Interim Director of Music at St. Mark’s Cathedral. Jere has been active in the community serving as an advisory panelist for the Minnesota State Arts Board, as a board member of the American Composers Forum and on the Citizens’ Advisory Committee of Minnesota Public Radio. His assistant is Barbara Prince.

SCHWARTZ-Rodney Allen

Rodney Allen Schwartz
Director, The Westminster Gallery and Archive
Email Rodney Allen

Rodney works with the Fine Arts Committee to curate and install five gallery exhibitions and numerous other exhibitions within Westminster each year, and manage a growing collection of original religious and relevant secular art. He and a group of volunteers are working their way through 150 years of archival artifacts. Rodney earned his Ph.D. at the University of Minnesota’s College of Design and was previously the curator of decorative arts at the Goldstein Museum of Design.

CARTER-Nancy Nancy Carter
Director of Westminster Handbell Choirs
Email Nancy

Nancy is responsible for forming and maintaining a handbell program that enables members of all ages to experience music through handbells and choirchimes. Prior to her work here, she served as director of other handbell programs and children’s music programs, as well as participated in choirs and small ensembles. Nancy has a bachelor's degree from the College of Saint Catherine.

OLLMANN-BRAD Brad Ollmann
Email Brad
Director of Early and Middle Childhood Music

Brad began directing choirs at Westminster in 2006. He currently directs Choristers (Grades 4-6), Seraphim (Grades 1-3), and Cherubs (3 year olds–Kindergarteners). During the day, he teaches general and vocal music at St. Anthony Park Elementary in St. Paul. Brad spends his summers in Mexico and Guatemala studying Spanish and collecting folk songs, lullabies, singing games, and instrumental folk music. His two areas of expertise are in-tune singing in children, and Mexican and Guatemalan music. He is a frequent presenter at the state, local, and national levels, and, in 2001, was recognized as one of fifty distinguished music educators by Yale University. Here at Westminster, Brad’s commitment is to provide an extraordinary choral music experience where children grow in faith as well as musicianship. Wednesday evening rehearsals are a time of joyful music making where children learn quality repertoire they proudly share in worship services. Brad has a Bachelor of Music Education from the University of Minnesota and a Master of Music Education from the University of St. Thomas.

WANYAMA - Shekela Shekela Wanyama
Director of Youth Music
Email Shekela

PRINCE-BARBARA-music Barbara Prince
Director, Global Choir
Music and the Arts Program Assistant
Children, Youth and Families Assistant
Email Barbara