Board of Directors

The affairs of WELS Foundation are managed by a volunteer board of directors consisting of between seven and thirteen directors. Not less than five nor more than eleven of the directors must be laymen representing financial, investment, trust, or legal backgrounds. All must be communicant members of a WELS congregation. Directors are elected to terms of four years by WELS through its Synodical Council. The Director of WELS Ministry of Christian Giving also serves as an ex officio member of the board.

Sarasota, FL Ascension Lutheran Church Term Expires: 6/30/2013	Paul Beitlich, Chairman Mr. Beitlich is a senior partner, since 1990, and full shareholder in the law firm Icard Merrill. He specializes in real estate, banking, foreclosures, collections, workouts, REO, real estate and commercial lending and real estate title law. In 1987 he was elected into partnership the law firm of Siemon, Larsen, Mattlin & Purdy in Sarasota, FL. In 1988 that firm merged with his current firm. From 1983-1987 he practiced at Siemon, Larsen & Purdy’s Chicago office. In 1982 he commenced his career with Williams, Parker, Harrison, Dietz & Getzen in Sarasota, FL. Mr. Beitlich received his undergraduate degree with honors from the University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse in 1979. He received his Juris Doctorate degree with honors from the University of Florida in 1982. Mr. Beitlich also serves of the WELS Church Extension Fund Board and previously served 12 years on the WELS Ministry of Christian Giving Commission.
Memphis, TN Gloria Dei Lutheran Church Term Expires: 6/30/2012	Donald Schuppe, Vice Chairman Mr. Schuppe, a retired Certified Public Accountant, practiced forty years with Price Waterhouse LLP, twenty-four years as a partner. He served in the Milwaukee, WI and Baltimore, MD offices and as managing partner in the Toledo, OH and Memphis, TN offices, retiring June 30, 1991. Subsequent to retirement he served on the Board of Directors of Union Planters Bank of Memphis. He also served on numerous professional and community service boards, as well as the WELS Coordinating Council, South Atlantic Mission Board and as lay representative to the WELS-Board for Home Missions.
Janesville, WI St. Matthew Lutheran Church Term Expires: 6/30/2014	Mark Schultz, Secretary Mr. Schulz is a partner in the Janesville, Wisconsin law firm of Meier, Wickhem, Lyons & Schulz, S.C. He continues his practice in the areas of estate planning and wealth building; probate and administration of living trusts; real estate transactions; and business and commercial transactions. Mr. Schulz is a Director of the Real Property Probate and Trust Section of the State Bar of Wisconsin. He serves on a number of WELS boards and committees. He is Chairman of the Asia Pacific Rim Administrative Committee of the WELS Board for World Missions. He is a member of the Planning Committee of the Confessional Evangelical Lutheran Conference. He is past board chairman of WELS Kingdom Workers.
Johnsons Creek, WI Immanuel Lutheran Church Ex-officio member	Rev. Dave Liggett Pastor Liggett is an Ex-officio member of the Foundation Board as director of WELS Ministry of Christian Giving. He also serves as the President of the Foundation. Pastor has served the Lord in WELS in the following ways: 29 years as a parish pastor serving in Stoddard, WI; Sleepy Eye and North Mankato, MN; 5 years as a Christian Giving Counselor serving the Minnesota, Dakota/Montana and Nebraska Districts and now serving as the Director of the Ministry of Christian Giving since 2005.
Fox Lake, WI St. John Lutheran Church Term Expires: 6/30/2015	Mr. Tim Boerneke Mr. Boerneke has been a loan officer with Farmers State Bank for nearly twenty years, a Community Bank serving the Fox Lake, WI area. In addition to lending, he serves the bank in many capacities including operations and security. He serves commercial, non profit, residential and consumer clients with lending, investment and insurance needs. Previously, he was a Senior Underwriter for seven years for a Fortune 500 corporation serving the Midwest. He has served on numerous civic, community, church and Winnebago Lutheran Academy boards. He currently is on the Board of Directors for the Association of Lutheran High Schools serving all secondary high schools in the WELS, in addition to serving on the WELS Foundation Board.
Bonita Springs, FL Crown of Life Church Term Expires: 6/30/2014	James E. Brenn Mr. Brenn is the retired Chief Financial Officer of Briggs & Stratton Corporation and a certified public accountant. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee and a MBA from Northwestern University. In addition to his service on the WELS Foundation board, he serves on the board and is treasurer of the Betty Brinn Children's Museum in Milwaukee, Wis. and on other non-profit boards.
Wauwatosa, WI St. James Lutheran Church Term Expires: 6/30/2015	Timothy McDonald Mr. McDonald is an attorney with vonBriesen & Roper, s.c. His practice focuses on health and welfare, corporate pension, 401(k), profit sharing, executive compensation, non-qualified deferred compensation, employee stock ownership, cafeteria, and flexible benefit programs. Mr. McDonald works with publicly-traded and private for-profit businesses, tax-exempt entities, and religiously affiliated institutions. He has been recognized as a Best Lawyer in America® in Employee Benefits Law since 2007. Mr. McDonald serves as a director of the Wisconsin Lutheran High School Foundation.
Medford, WI Immanuel Lutheran Church Term Expires: 6/30/2013	Gene Knoll Mr. Knoll is a lifetime banker serving Central Wisconsin throughout his entire career. He has served as CEO, President and a director of a $500 million banking institution which also operated a $150 million trust department. Retiring from his full time banking career in 2008, Knoll is now semi-retired and works part-time for a community banking organization which operates seven offices located throughout Central Wisconsin. He has served on many state banking committees during his 36 year banking career. Knoll also served a six year term as a director of Bankers Bank of Madison, Wisconsin. Bankers Bank serves the needs of community banks located throughout Wisconsin and Iowa. As needed, Knoll also provides business administrative services to his home congregation, parochial grade school, and the church provided daycare service Little Lambs Academy.
Burlington, WI St. John Lutheran Church Term Expires: 06/30/2015	Rev. Paul Prange Pastor Prange is the WELS Administrator for Ministerial Education, responsible for the schools and programs that train the next generation of pastors, teachers and missionaries. He has served as a home mission pastor in Austin, TX; and Roscommon, MI; as a world mission teacher at East Fork Lutheran Schools on the White Mountain Apache reservation; and as a tutor, professor, and president at Michigan Lutheran Seminary, Saginaw, MI. He holds certificates in German, education, and nonprofit management, and is a regular contributor to the Forward in Christ magazine.
Mankato, MN St. Paul Lutheran Church Term Expires: 6/30/2012	Eugene Braam Mr. Braam founded an accounting practice in 1973 where he continues to serve his client today. He is a certified public accountant and registered investment representative. Mr. Braam was appointed to the Internal Revenue Service Advisory Council in 2001 and re-appointed again in 2002 and 2003. Mr. Braam was appointed by then Minnesota Governor Arne Carlson to serve on the Minnesota State Board of Accountancy in 1992 and re-appointed in 1996. He was the first Enrolled Agent in the nation to serve as their board chairman. Mr. Braam has served as a director and secretary for the Minnesota Valley Lutheran High School Foundation.