Executive Board

The Women of the ELCA 15-member churchwide executive board is elected every three years or at the following convention.

The convention is made up of voting members from our 64 WELCA synodical women’s organizations plus the members of the churchwide executive board. The triennial convention is the highest legislative authority in our organization.

Between conventions, the executive board functions as the board of directors for the organization and the interim legislative authority. The primary role of the board is to steer the organization in the right direction, helping it meet its mission. The board has an oversight role, monitoring the activities of the organization and ensuring that the organization is well-equipped to fulfill its mission. It establishes broad policies to guide and protect the organization. It monitors legal requirements. It receives regular reports from staff.

The board for the 2023-2026 triennium was elected at the Twelfth Triennial Convention in Phoenix, September 19-21, 2023.

Myrna Wells-Ulland of Phoenix, Arizona, is serving as churchwide president. Lorie Garcia of Corpus Christi, Texas, is vice president; Gwendolyn Edwards of Bellevue, Nebraska, is secretary; and Jennifer Armstrong-Schaefer of Latrobe, Pennsylvania is treasurer.

Front left: Myrna Wells-Ulland (president), Lorie Garcia (vice president), Gwen Edwards (secretary) and Jennifer Armstrong-Schaefer (treasurer). Back left: Maria Lokensgard, Anna Jetson, Sheena Foster, Yma Mulero, Tracy Williams, and Jennifer Ackerman. Not pictured: Jean Pishaw, Julia Sabella, Ginger Cutrell, Joyce Brooks, and Merrily Burmeister.

Executive Board: 2023–2026

Board members may be contacted by sending a message to our office.

OFFICERS

Myrna Wells-Ulland, president
Phoenix, Arizona
Grand Canyon SWO (2D)

Lorie Garcia, vice president
Corpus Christi, Texas
Southwestern Texas SWO (4D)

Gwendolyn Edwards, secretary
Bellevue, Nebraska
Nebraska SWO (4A)

Jennifer Armstrong-Schaefer, treasurer
Latrobe, Pennsylvania
Southwestern Pennsylvania SWO (8B)

Jennifer Ackerman
Elyria, Ohio
Northeastern Ohio SWO (6E)

Joyce Brooks
Detroit, Michigan
Southeast Michigan (6A)

Merrily Burmeister
Bemidji, Minnesota
Northwestern Minnesota SWO (3D)

Ginger Cutrell
Manchester, Tennessee
Southeastern SWO (9D)

Sheena Foster
Silver Spring, Maryland
Metropolitan Washington, D.C. SWO (8G)

Anna Jetson
Spring Grove, Minnesota
Northeastern Iowa SWO (5F)

Maria Lokensgard
St. Peter, Minnesota
Southwestern Minnesota SWO (3F)

Yma Mulero
Carolina, Puerto Rico
Caribbean SWO (9F)

Jean Pishaw
Kent, Washington
Northwest Washington SWO (1B)

Julia Sabella
Hillsborough, New Jersey
New Jersey SWO (7A)

Pastor Tracy Williams
Long Beach, California
Southwest California SWO (2B)