2023 Women of the ELCA Gathering

Krish O’Mara Vignarajah is the President and CEO of Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS). She previously served in the Obama White House as Policy Director for First Lady Michelle Obama, leading the signature Let Girls Learn initiative, and at the State Department as Senior Advisor under Secretaries of State Hillary Clinton and John Kerry. At the State Department, Krish coordinated development and implementation of multiple programs including those concerning refugees and migration, engagement with religious communities, the legal dimensions of U.S. foreign policy, and regional issues relating to Africa and the Middle East. Before joining the White House, Krish practiced law at Jenner & Block in Washington, DC, clerked for Chief Judge Michael Boudin on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, and taught at Georgetown University as an adjunct. She holds a B.S. in Molecular Biology and an M.A. in Political Science from Yale College, a J.D. from Yale Law School, and an M.Phil in International Relations from Oxford University (Marshall Scholarship). Krish has been recognized as one of The Daily Record’s Top 50 Influential Marylanders, Top 100 Women, and Most Admired CEOs, as well as a Woman to Watch by the Baltimore Sun.

The Rev. Deborah K. Hutterer is a life-long Lutheran brought to the denomination by default who stayed by choice. Prior to her 2004 ordination, Hutterer created and launched two businesses, worked in the insurance industry, and held many positions at then Augsburg College (now Augsburg University) in Minneapolis, Minn. She served as chief development officer for Lutheran Social Services of the Southwest in Phoenix from 2012 until her election as bishop of the Grand Canyon Synod of the ELCA in 2018. Previously, she was executive director of Faith in the City in Minneapolis from 2008 to 2012 and served as pastor of St. Paul Lutheran Church in Pontiac, Ill., from 2004 to 2007. Bishop Hutterer holds a Master of Divinity degree from Luther Seminary and a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication from Augsburg University.

Performer | Hip Hop Scholar | Humanitarian

If you usually don’t listen to rap music that may change once you hear Dr. Kelly Glow. Her unique style is fun and full of energy, her lyrics are clear and easy to follow, and her universal style appeals to all ages. This 2015 Gospel Choice Award winner was born and raised in Southern California by Rev. O. Dennis Mims (ELCA) and Doris Mims where she fought against the odds to become a first generation Doctor of Education in her family. Her passion for both Jesus and Hip Hop fuels the purpose behind her musical movement and fan club “GLOW GANG” which stands for “God’s Leading Our Way, Go and Never Give Up.” In 2017, she released a Hip Hop version of Martin Luther’s A Mighty Fortress is Our God and appeared on the cover of Living Lutheran Magazine to commemorate the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation. Her mission is to represent the light of God through urban art as described in Matthew 5:16, “Let your light shine before others so that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”