LSS Board of Directors 2011-2012

	Heather L. Feltman (ex-officio, voting) is president and chief executive officer of Lutheran Social Services (LSS), one of New England’s largest faith-based human service organizations. She has extensive nonprofit executive leadership experience, with a record of success in operational expansion of NGOs, strategic visioning, and fundraising, having raised more than $15 million for the organizations she has led. Prior to leading LSS, Feltman was executive director of Lutheran Disaster Response. She is a fellow of the Malcolm Wiener Center for Social Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government and has earned three master’s degrees. She is a consecrated diaconal minister of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. She is a member of the board of directors of the Alliance for Children and Families.
	Jeffrey P. Kinney (Chair) is the current chair of the LSS board of directors. He is a corporate banker with Wells Fargo Bank. Kinney earned a bachelor of arts degree from Wittenberg University and an MBA from DePaul University. He also sits on the board of Boston Rescue Mission.
	Gail Phillips Bucher (Vice Chair) retired after more than 30 years with The Gillette Company, as a cosmetic chemist, corporate quality analyst and technical database administrator. She is currently a trustee with the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. She holds a bachelor of science in pharmacy from the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and a master of science in pharmacology from Northeastern University. She volunteers with the Harvard Square homeless shelter.
	Dr. Donald N. Sweet (Financial Secretary) has managed, run and owned businesses in both the manufacturing and business services sectors, both domestic and international. He received a master of business administration from the University of Connecticut and a doctorate of business administration from Nova Southeastern University.
	Karen L. Gaylin (Secretary) has been an HR professional for 15 years in the financial services, high tech and healthcare industries. She received a bachelor of arts in economics and art history from Wellesley College. She currently works as an HR Business Partner with Lifeline Systems Company, a division of Philips Electronics NA. She previously served on the LSSNE governing board from 1993 to 2000 and was president of the board from 1997-2000. In addition to serving on the LSSNE board, she is an Overseer of Boston Baroque. Karen has been active as a volunteer/board member for various cultural and social services organizations in Massachusetts, Virginia and California over the past 20 years.
	The Rev. Carl J. Anton is a retired pastor of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod. He is a member of the New England District board of directors and former member of the Institutional Review Board University of Connecticut Health Center. He received a master of divinity from Concordia Seminary, a bachelor of science in education from Concordia Teachers College, and a master in education from Rutgers University.
	Dr. Wisam K. Breegi is president and founder of the Mandaean Refugee Resources Project, an advocacy group that helps resettle Mandaean refugees in the United States. He also is president and owner of Breegi Jewelers Business Venture, Boston. He holds a degree from the College of Veterinary Medicine and Surgery, Baghdad University, Baghdad, Iraq. He has several patents pending. He is a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association and several other professional medical organizations.
	David P. Forsberg is immediate past president of the Worcester Business Development Corporation, a non-profit economic development organization. He has held several high profile positions including: chief development officer with the Mass. Port Authority; chief development officer for the City of Worcester; secretary of the Executive Office of Health and Human Services of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts; regional administrator/federal housing commissioner for HUD. He received a bachelor of arts from Bowdoin College, and a master of urban affairs from Boston University. He served as chair of the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority, city councilor of the City of Worcester, as well as many other area boards and committees.
	Ralph F. Gerenz has extensive experience in business, strategic planning and systems analysis. He sits on the board’s Performance and Quality Improvement Committee. He formerly served on the governing board of the Greater Nashua (N.H.) Habitat for Humanity. He is a member of Christ the King Lutheran Church, Nashua, N.H. Committed to the mission of LSS and knowledgeable about its programs, Gerenz is eager to present the LSS story to churches and other groups.
	Barbara L. Giger is Lutheran member engagement specialist with Thrivent Financial for Lutheran, Giger was formerly the VP for Family Life of New England with the LCMS and the Mission-Ministry Vision Consultant for Lutheran Women’s Missionary League nationally. She has served several terms on various LSS boards and program committees over her 20 years of engagement with the agency.
	Garth H. Greimann is a leader in the Boston business and financial community. He is immediate past chair of the LSS board of directors. Currently he is the chief administrative officer of Berkshire Partners. Prior to joining Berkshire, he spent 12 years in domestic and international commercial banking, primarily with The First National Bank of Boston. He received a bachelor of arts from Dartmouth College.
	Sonja Hegymegi is a retired certified public accountant. Hegymegi received an associate in science of accounting from Bentley University, a bachelor of science in business administration from the University of New Haven, and a master of business administration from the University of Bridgeport. Sonja is a member of the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia’s board of trustees and finance committee.
	Juliana Badaro Langille emigrated from Brazil in 2001. She is the executive director of Community Connections of Brockton, Mass., a not-for-profit that partners with parents, residents, community groups, service agencies, businesses and others who want to strengthen Brockton's families, neighborhoods and community. A former LSS client, Langille lived at the Ruth House, an LSS program in Brockton offering transitional housing for homeless teenage mothers and their children. At Ruth House, she learned to be self-sufficient in her new country, while attending Brockton High School.
	William F. Swanson is a private investor and former bank analyst and portfolio manager. He is the former president of The WMG Company and Griffin, Swanson & Company, both private investment management firms. Prior to that, he worked as a computer programmer and systems analyst. He holds an A.A.S. in data processing and a bachelor of arts, in political science. He is the co-founder and former treasurer of the Namibia Support Fund, Inc. and the former treasurer of Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service.
	The Rev. James Keurulainen (Ex Officio, non voting) has served as President of the New England District, Lutheran Church Missouri Synod, since he was elected in June of 1997. Prior to being elected as President of the NED, he served as Pastor at Zion in Pittsburgh, PA, from 1974-1977, and as Pastor at St. Luke's in Dedham, MA, from 1977-1997. He is married to Priscilla, and they have two grown sons, Scott and Eric.
	The Reverend Margaret Gatter Payne (Ex Officio, non voting) is nearing retirement after her second term as the bishop of the New England Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. A graduate of Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Penn., she was ordained as a minister in the Lutheran Church in America in 1984 following graduation from Princeton Seminary in New Jersey. She was was assistant to the bishop of the New Jersey Synod, where she coordinated stewardship education in the New Jersey Synod. As a member of the Conference of Bishops, Bishop Payne serves as advisor for the Multicultural Ministries Program Unit of the ELCA and the Racial Justice Ministry Coordinating Team. In addition, she serves as Chairperson for the Theological and Ethical Concerns Committee of the ELCA Conference of Bishops.