LSS - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
Job Titles:
- Vice President, Community Engagement and Partnerships
Alexis Oberdorfer was named LSS' first Vice President of Community Engagement and Partnerships in August 2021.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
Job Titles:
- Senior Director Brainerd, MN
- Senior Director of Financial and Employment Services
Becky Pakarinen is the Senior Director of Financial and Employment Services. When people first come to see us about their financial situation, they are sometimes unsure of what to expect. Becky feels great satisfaction knowing that after people meet with an LSS counselor, they feel hopeful and empowered to regain control of their finances.
Becky graduated from University of Minnesota Duluth with a Bachelor of Applied Science in Elementary Education and started out her career teaching fourth and second grades in the inner city in Houston, Texas. Her teaching education and experience gave her the skills needed to coach and work with people of all ages and circumstances. At LSS, she started out providing budget and housing counseling in 2008, then moved into a Counselor Trainer role and implemented a new training process for new counselors.
Becky has presented at the MN Social Service Conference on protecting yourself from identity theft and scams. She also was part of a small group that won the Lutheran Social Service of MN Breakthrough and Velocity Award for their work providing student loan counseling to borrowers.
Job Titles:
- Bishop
- Member of the Board of Directors
Job Titles:
- Bishop
- Member of the Board of Directors
Job Titles:
- Bishop
- Member of the Board of Directors
Job Titles:
- Member of the LSS Foundation Board of Trustees
Carrie started with LSS Financial Counseling on our Scheduling Team five years ago, where she set up appointments and provided customer service over the phone. For the past 3 years, as part of the DMP Support Team, she works daily assisting people with DMPs.
Job Titles:
- Program Director, Partnerships and Financial Education Willmar, MN
Cherrish Holland has worked with thousands of individuals and families to increase their financial well-being since beginning her career with LSS Financial Counseling in 1996. She has had the honor of hearing their stories and walking with them on their financial journeys.
Cherrish is a passionate advocate for consumer protection and normalizing conversations about money. She has conducted financial education workshops nationwide for in-person and webinar audiences.
She has been a consultant to several denominations that are addressing economic challenges facing pastoral leaders. Cherrish serves on the Board of Directors of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and has served on the New London-Spicer, Minnesota school board.
Job Titles:
- Member of the LSS Foundation Board of Trustees
Job Titles:
- Member of the LSS Foundation Board of Trustees
Job Titles:
- Financial Counseling Supervisor
Dan Park works full-time as a Financial Counseling Supervisor at the LSS Eustis location in Saint Paul, Minnesota. He has more than 10 years of housing and financial counseling experience in the nonprofit sector and is certified to offer Student Loan Counseling as well.
Dan likes to take an honest approach to counseling and enjoys helping all members of the community meet their financial and credit goals. He is a lifelong Minneapolis resident and enjoys spending time outdoors with his family.
Dan holds a B.A. in Sociology from Hamline University.
Job Titles:
- Member of the LSS Foundation Board of Trustees
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Board of Directors
Job Titles:
- Program Director of Debt Management Operations
- Program Director, Debt Management Plan Operations Duluth, MN
Elaina is the Program Director of Debt Management Operations and Support and has been a major contributor to LSS' financial wellness blog, Sense and Centsibility. She is passionate about everyone thriving in their lives and not just surviving. In her role, Elaina shares her knowledge about the importance of saving for emergencies and retirement.
Elaina has been interviewed by NerdWallet, and her blogs have been published by America Saves and the National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC). She has presented at local and national conferences, discussing financial wellness and debt management plans.
Elaina started with LSS in 2009 providing budget and housing counseling. Over the years, she supervised counselors as well as the scheduling team. She graduated from Hamline University with a Bachelor of Arts in Latin American Studies and earned her Master of Arts in Management from the College of St. Scholastica.
Prior to joining the LSS team, Elaina was a Financial and Employment Planner for the Wisconsin Works (W2) program, providing case management to low-income families.
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Advisory Board
- Member of the Cherish All Children Advisory Board
Gay was inspired to become involved in the work against sex trafficking by a performance of Body and Sold by the Chain Reaction Theatre in 2017. She realized how vulnerable our children are to predatory exploitation. She draws on her experience as Development Officer with The Food Group to support and grow the ministry of Cherish All Children. Gay is a member of Lutheran Church of Christ the Redeemer in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where she is also the part-time Children's Education Director.
Job Titles:
- Secretary of the LSS Foundation Board of Trustees
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
Job Titles:
- Member of the LSS Foundation Board of Trustees
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
Job Titles:
- Vice President, Development and President, LSS Foundation
Named Vice President of Development in October, 2019, Jesse Stremcha provides overall leadership in philanthropy to engage individual donors, congregations and faith communities, and volunteers in the life-changing work of the organization.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Cherish All Children Advisory Board
Jill embodies the phrase "Cherish All Children" in both her personal and professional life. Jill holds a degree in Early Childhood Education from the University of Wisconsin Stout and enjoys substitute teaching at Glenwood city schools. Her passion for empowering youth, community development, and sharing her faith has shaped her involvement at Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Glenwood City, Wisconsin, where she leads JAM (Jesus and Music), confirmation classes, serves on church council and plays in the handbell choir. Her love of running helps support the annual Cherish All Children 5K Run/Walk as she coordinates Glenwood City's own local 5K event to support Cherish All Children. Jill enjoys traveling with her rocky mountain horses, snowmobiling, golfing and 4-wheeling with her husband of 48 years and 8 grandbabies!
Job Titles:
- Financial Counseling Supervisor
Joanne is a Financial Counseling Supervisor. She has been with LSS Financial Counseling since 2000 after spending her previous career years working with people with disabilities and then working in the banking industry.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
Joe Khawaja was named Vice President of Finance in February 2022. He is responsible for Finance, Accounting, Information Technology and Property Management.
Job Titles:
- Member of the LSS Foundation Board of Trustees
Job Titles:
- Executive Director of Cherish All Children
Joy McElroy became Executive Director of Cherish All Children in October 2017, transitioning the organization into Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota. Prior to that, Joy was a Cherish All Children educator, engaging churches in the Saint Paul Area Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) to prevent child sexual exploitation. She has over 25 years of leadership experience in business, education and church organizations. Her life's work has focused on serving and raising up individuals, including a 10 year teaching position at the Promise Program for women seeking self-sufficiency, and creating, implementing, and leading an ELCA program "Youth Leadership in the City."
Joy holds a master's degree in Human Resources from the University of Minnesota, with a focus on training and development. She lives in Saint Paul, Minnesota with her family, attending Christ Lutheran on Capitol Hill where they are active in many youth and community activities.
Job Titles:
- Judge
- Member of the Board of Directors
Karen has been with LSS for more than a decade. She started in Youth Services advocating and guiding youth experiencing homelessness under the LSS Renaissance Program.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Cherish All Children Advisory Board
- Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker
Kay Kinkel is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (LICSW) providing individual and family therapy to adults and children as a contracted therapist with LSS of MN. Kay graduated with a Master of Social Work Degree from the University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA. She has experience providing mental health support to individuals struggling with serious persistent mental illness (SPMI) and trauma as well as anxiety, depression and relationship issues. She also has a Master of Arts degree from the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago and more than 25 years of parish and synodical ministry in the ELCA. Outside of her professional work, Kay enjoys time with friends and family, involvement in her local congregation, St. John's Lutheran Church in Shakopee, and baking and cooking.
Job Titles:
- Member of the LSS Foundation Board of Trustees
Job Titles:
- Secretary of the Cherish All Children Advisory Board
Kerry supported Cherish All Children's accounting functions for many years and supported this transition into LSS. He serves as Chief Accounting Officer for Citizens Alliance Bank. Kerry's work with Cherish All Children serves to shed a light on the critical issue of child sexual exploitation, which is necessary for all children's safety, and that of his nine precious grandchildren. Kerry attends Immanuel Lutheran Church in Eden Prairie, Minnesota.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Cherish All Children Advisory Board
- Pastor
Pastor Liz Eide currently serves Lutheran Church of Peace in Maplewood, Minnesota as a redevelopment pastor. She started in youth ministry working in partnership with Young Life and an ELCA congregation in Owatonna, Minnesota. She received an MDiv from Luther Seminary in 2001, was ordained in 2002 and has served as a solo pastor and on large multi staff teams in Germany, Rhode Island and Minnesota. Pastor Liz loves to create space for people to encounter God's Word in new and challenging ways and counts it as sacred ground to be invited to step into someone's story and wonder together about God's activity there. She gratefully shares life's adventures with her husband and their 15-year-old twins.
London joined LSS Financial Counseling and the DMP Support Team in 2020.
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the LSS Foundation Board of Trustees
- Member of the Board of Directors
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Vice Chair of the LSS Foundation Board of Trustees
Job Titles:
- Member of Our Scheduling Team
Mandi joined LSS in 2007 as a member of our Scheduling Team. Shortly thereafter, she transitioned to the LSS Support Team where she has a variety of roles. Advocating for individuals and their best interest is her passion. Mandi is a past recipient of LSS Spirit Award, in recognition of the commitment to the LSS Mission and Vision. She enjoys the summer months camping and spending time outdoors with her husband, their son and two dogs. She enjoys the long winter months hibernating.
Job Titles:
- Member of the LSS Foundation Board of Trustees
Job Titles:
- LSS' Senior Vice President of Services
- Senior Vice President, Services
Maureen Warren became LSS' Senior Vice President of Services in June 2022, providing leadership to all LSS and Children's Home services. Previously, she served in two other roles: Vice President of Family Services and Vice President of Special Projects.
Job Titles:
- Vice President of Human Resources
Miata Getaweh began her role as Vice President of Human Resources in October 2022.
Job Titles:
- Treasurer of the LSS Foundation Board of Trustees
Job Titles:
- Vice Chair of the Board of Directors
Job Titles:
- Member of the Cherish All Children Advisory Board
- Pastor
Pastor Nathan is lead pastor at Olivet Lutheran Church in Sylvania, Ohio. His more than 30 years of ordained ministry has led him to serve communities in Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin and Ohio. He has served with Cherish All Children for three years and has a passion for the battle against trafficking, especially the exploitation of vulnerable immigrant and refugee communities. He is one of our regular writers of our weekly Wednesday Prayer initiative to 900 subscribers.
Job Titles:
- Program Director of Housing Counseling Services
- Program Director, Housing Counseling Willmar, MN
Nichole Szczesniak is a Program Director of Housing Counseling Services for LSS Financial Counseling. She oversees foreclosure prevention, reverse mortgage and pre-purchase homebuyer counseling services.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
Job Titles:
- Member of the Cherish All Children Advisory Board
Job Titles:
- Member of the LSS Foundation Board of Trustees
- President
Patrick Thueson was appointed to President of Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota in March, 2020.
Job Titles:
- Member of the LSS Foundation Board of Trustees
Job Titles:
- Vice President, Diversity, Inclusion and Social Justice
Paul Slack was named LSS' first Vice President of Diversity, Inclusion and Social Justice in December 2021.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
Job Titles:
- Secretary of the Board of Directors
Job Titles:
- Member of the LSS Foundation Board of Trustees
Job Titles:
- Economic Empowerment and Employment Services Director
Steve Kaari is the Economic Empowerment and Employment Services Director. He is responsible for the management, strategic planning and visioning for LSS' MFIP Employment Services in Minneapolis and the LSS Financial Counseling services at the St. Paul University location.
Sue works in our accounting department at LSS as our Senior Accounting Clerk. She applies 25 years of progressive accounting experience when assisting the people we serve with issues related to DMP payments. Sue has a degree in accounting, regularly attends professional development seminars and workshops, and recently received the LSS Spirit Award. She also enjoys volunteering at many professional and personal levels, and loves the outdoors.
Tammy started with LSS Financial Counseling in 2019 as a DMP Support Specialist, focusing on scanning payments, programming payments for disbursements to creditors, and providing outstanding customer service daily. For more than three years she has greatly increased her responsibilities, including working on crucial DMP accounting tasks. Tammy enjoys spending time with family especially her grandson when she is not working.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
Job Titles:
- Member of the LSS Foundation Board of Trustees
Job Titles:
- Member of the LSS Foundation Board of Trustees
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors