Staff
The work of Women of the ELCA is carried out by the women who participate in the organization in congregations and synods across the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
In the churchwide office in Chicago, nine women serve as staff, providing support and resources to you. To contact a staff member by email, please use our contact form and add the staff person’s name to the subject line. Thank you.
Congregational unit support »
Eva Yeo, director for membership, supports the more than 4,500 congregational, intercongregational, and special units of our organization and relates to congregations that currently do not have a unit of Women of the ELCA.
Eva Yeo
800-638-3522, ext. 2450
Gather magazine »
Elizabeth Hunter is the editor. She is responsible for publishing, planning, editing, and managing the magazine, and its advertising.
Cindy Novak is the managing editor. She is responsible for writing, editing, and managing the magazine’s website, social media sites and e-communications. www.gathermagazine.org.
For questions about the magazine’s content and Bible study, contact:
Elizabeth Hunter
800-638-3522, ext. 2537
[email protected]
Cindy Novak
800-638-3522, ext. 2978
Gather Subscription Services:
PO Box 336
Congers, NY 10920-0336
844-409-0576 (toll-free)
or 845-267-3074
intergenerational programs, editor for Boldcafe.org »
Elizabeth McBride is the director for intergenerational programs, digital engagement and editor of Boldcafe.org, our monthly online publication for and with young adult women and their friends. She also creates print and digital content, manages the organization’s website, the e-newsletter, Bold Connections, and our social media channels.
Beth also connects with young adult women across the church and plays a lead role in Women of the ELCA’s presence at the ELCA Youth Gathering and networking events involving young adults. She conducts monthly online dinner events (B.Y.O.D) to bring different generations together with a Cafe author.
Elizabeth McBride
800-638-3522, ext. 2745
Discipleship »
As director for discipleship, Valora Starr develops and coordinates programs, events, and conversations that involve discerning God’s call, understanding God’s gifts, and responding to God’s presence in our lives. Valora also serves as coordinator of Women of the ELCA’s global education network and administers the scholarship program, which offers annual scholarships for post-secondary education and graduate studies.
Valora Starr
800-638-3522, ext. 2741
MEETING PLANNING
As director for meeting planning, Gabriela Contreras coordinates the design, development, implementation, and evaluation of the national triennial gathering and convention of Women of the ELCA, two multi-day, multi-faceted events that include workshops, business sessions, fellowship opportunities, exhibit space, worship, servant events, plenary sessions and more. The director for meeting planning also coordinates other events hosted or sponsored by the churchwide women’s organization.
Gabriela Contreras
800-638-3522, ext. 2747
Interim executive director
Jennifer Hockenbery, interim executive director of Women of the ELCA as of July 1, 2024, loves to read, write, jog, and spend time with her young adult children. She comes to WELCA from St. Norbert College where she was Dean of Humanities and Professor of Philosophy. Before that she taught philosophy at Mount Mary University, a women’s college in Milwaukee, Wisc. for 22 years. While there she became especially attuned to women’s issues and the need to talk about the way women consider their own nature and vocations. Her book, Thinking Woman, published in 2015 guides readers through different perspectives about what being a woman might mean and what supporting women might look like. Throughout her academic career she has been most interested in how people might learn to pursue wisdom through conversations with each other. Her book, Wisdom’s Friendly Heart: Augustinian Hope for Skeptics and Conspiracy Theorists, shows readers how the African theologian, St. Augustine, found a way to promote dialogue and hope in times of dangerous and violent political divide in the Roman Empire. She has also written numerous articles and book chapters on Martin Luther as both theologian and philosopher and is very interested in the role of Katie in the development of Lutheran understandings of marriage, family, and power.
Her goals in her interim role include creating spaces for listening to participants and leaders in WELCA as well as working with the staff and board to create a strategic plan for a strong, healthy, financially sustainable WELCA that will meet the needs and support the dreams of current members while building outreach to even more women who could find support and inspiration through the organization.
Jennifer Hockenbery
414-803-9517