Profile

Job Title: Principal / Athletic Director

What is your main objective as principal? My role at Concordia is to be a facilitator. To enable and ensure that the teachers serving the families of Concordia have what they need to excel as it pertains to the mission of CLS. I am there to ensure that every student that attends CLS has a safe, Christ-centered environment in which they can grow and achieve according to their God-given abilities.

Credentials and Experience: I earned my Bachelor of Arts degree in Education from Concordia College in St. Paul Minnesota in 1991. It has been my privilege to serve as a teacher and a coach in the Lutheran School System for 20 years. I earned my Masters degree from Eastern Illinois University in Educational Administration in 2009. I currently hold a Type 75 Administration Certificate from the state of Illinois.

Please share an example of how you’ve made a difference in the life of a student and/or family. I’ve seen former students and athletes go on to become successful, productive members of society. Over the years many have returned to say thank you for helping them develop the self-discipline necessary to achieve their goals. I’ve had students who have gone on to teach in their own classrooms email me for specific lesson plans they would like to incorporate into their classrooms.

Why did you choose to become an educator? From the time I entered Kindergarten through my senior year of high school my family moved six times. Besides my family, the only constant in my life was the church and Lutheran School system. By the time I was in fourth grade I had attended four different schools. Although the names of my classmates and teachers changed, the constant of a Christ-centered focus of a Christian education was evident throughout the Lutheran School system. It is a privilege to live and serve in the comfort of being in a community of faithful believers.

What are you most looking forward to at CLS? I am excited to serve at a school that has a long history of providing a quality educational experience in a Christ-filled environment. Concordia appears to be primed to move forward into a new and exciting phase of its ministry. I am grateful that the Board of Directors of CLS has called me to take part in the longstanding tradition of providing Christian education to the central Illinois community.

How is serving as principal a ministry for you? As a principal in the Lutheran school system I am called to be a spiritual leader to the faculty, staff and students (extending to their families) under the direction of the association congregations and their pastors. By my actions and my words I am to be an example of a Christian; charged to serve the families and community that form CLS.

What attracted you to Concordia? The family atmosphere of Concordia appealed to me as a place where my own children could thrive. I am also looking forward to the opportunity to serve with the talented and dedicated professionals that make up the faculty and staff of CLS.

Please explain your beliefs about sending children to Christian schools. I personally have not been in a secular school system. However, in speaking with others that have, the area of discipline is a window into the difference in the two systems. When disciplinary action takes place in a secular system behavioral modification is the focus. In such a system getting the student to conform to the standards of an institution is seen as the only positive conclusion. However in a Christian school, such as Concordia, we are able to go beyond the goal of teaching students the difference between right and wrong. In times of discipline we have the opportunity to recognize that we are by nature sinful human beings, and as such we find ourselves daily in the need for the grace offered to us through Christ’s death and resurrection.

Why would you recommend Concordia to families? Concordia provides an environment in which your son or daughter can develop their God-given abilities in a safe Christ-centered environment. Concordia strives to provide top tier educational instruction and opportunities, not in addition to, but coupled with nurturing the faith of the children God has entrusted to us. Students at Concordia are given the opportunity to participate in a variety of extracurricular activities including sports, fine arts, and academic competitions.

What makes Concordia unique? Concordia’s uniqueness is found in the strength of the Lutheran Central School Association formed by the members of Mt. Calvary, Redeemer and Trinity Lutheran churches that founded it. It continues in its commitment to Lutheran education through Concordia in the central Illinois community.

Tell us about your family. My wife Mindy and I have been married for 22 years. Mindy and I have known each other since our high school days at Concordia Academy in Roseville, Minnesota. Mindy is an RN, spending much of her professional career working in the areas of oncology and hospice care. We have two wonderful kids (one son and one daughter), who both enjoy playing the piano and playing a variety of sports.

What hobbies and interests do you have outside of school? In my time away from school I enjoy taking my kids hunting and fishing. Our family also loves to go camping and visiting amusement parks – the bigger the rollercoaster, the better.