As president and CEO of St. John’s United, David Trost leads a health and human services organization of more than 700 associates who support older adults, children and families. He has served in various executive roles in his 29 years at St. John’s United, including as the executive director of Mission Ridge, the largest continuing care retirement community in Montana.
Trost also served in a leadership role during the formative years of the Eden Alternative, a culture change movement that improves the well-being of older adults and their care partners. He maintains strong governance experience, serving as the chair of the Big Sky Economic Development Corporation. Trost brings expertise in the areas of adoption, family stabilization and mental health. Moreover, he is responsible for expanding the St. John’s United Family Services program to embrace living opportunities within nurturing environments.
Dr. Damyn Kelly is a skilled strategic leader who has worked for two decades as the chief executive of organizations serving many disenfranchised members of the community. His work has improved the lives of the formerly incarcerated; those living with mental illness, developmental and intellectual disabilities; and the homeless. He has leveraged his experience, industry knowledge, and strong commitment to community advocacy, to bolster the business practices and financial success of several social service agencies.
Damyn currently serves as the President & CEO of Lutheran Social Services of New York. As CEO of Southeast Bronx Neighborhood Centers, Inc., Damyn had great success managing a multi-service agency serving more than 6,000 children and families in a variety of educational, vocational, and behavioral treatment programs across 11 facilities.
The Rev. Jeff Thiemann is Board Chair for the Church Benefits Association and is on the Steering Committee of the Church Alliance. He was executive pastor at Saint Matthew Lutheran Church in Walnut Creek, California.
Prior to answering a call to ordained ministry, Jeff worked in a variety of business settings including as President and CEO of Portico Benefit Services, a ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America that provides innovative health and retirement programs to those who serve, as President and CEO of a Silicon Valley startup and nearly 20 years at Hewlett-Packard. He earned a bachelor’s degree in computer science engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a Master of Divinity from Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary and graduated from Harvard Business School’s The General Manager Program.
David Duea is the President & CEO of Lutheran Community Services Northwest. LCSNW provides services to people in Oregon, Washington and Idaho with support to meet life’s most difficult challenges and thrive in communities that are healthy, just and hopeful. David led significant growth for the organization over the past seven years, including bringing Compass Housing under the Lutheran Community Services umbrella, expanding their services to include emergency services and affordable housing.
He holds a B.A. from Pacific Lutheran University in social work and an M.B.A., with a focus on total quality management, from City University. David and his wife Jane live in Tacoma, Washington. They have two adult children that live in Seattle and San Diego.
The Rev. Tiffany Chaney serves as Vice President of Mission and Spiritual Care for Advocate Health Care’s Illinois and Wisconsin Divisions, where she leads chaplaincy, clinical pastoral education, clinical ethics, and faith–health partnerships. She is also Pastor Developer for Gathered by Grace, an ELCA mission community.
A Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives, Tiffany brings more than 27 years of leadership experience in health care across community and academic health systems, consulting, and physician practices, along with service in nonprofit governance and board leadership. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Finance, Master of Business Administration, and Master of Science in Health Administration from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and a Master of Divinity from the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia. Her leadership has led to invitations to preach, teach, and write on faith, equity, strategy, communications, and organizational change.
Stephanie Chedid is a board director and CEO known for leading business transformations, strengthening governance, and driving sustainable growth in complex, regulated organizations. She is a member of the LSA Policy and Advocacy Committee and serves on the boards of MyPath Companies, MHS Health Wisconsin, and the UWM Foundation contributing expertise in audit, risk, advancement and strategic planning to help the organizations exceed quality, retention, and financial targets.
As acting CEO and board member of Luther Manor, she restructured governance, rebuilt leadership, restored financial stability, improved resident experience, and earned national recognition for excellence in senior care. Previously, Stephanie transformed Cleary Gull Advisors’ institutional division, building nationally recognized capabilities and delivering significant revenue growth. She is recognized for her strategic vision, fiduciary leadership, and commitment to mission-driven impact.
Eileen Fitzgerald is the founder and principal of ThruSight LLC, a strategic consulting and advisory services firm. She brings more than 30 years’ experience as a strategist and a seasoned leader, with deep expertise in housing affordability, community development, philanthropy and nonprofit management. Eileen is an innovator and a change agent with a strong track record of success who utilizes her deep expertise to support organizations and senior executives.
Prior to ThruSight, Fitzgerald served as head of housing affordability philanthropy at Wells Fargo, and also served as president and CEO of Stewards of Affordable Housing for the Future (SAHF), a collaborative of nonprofits that collectively owns and operates more than 160,000 affordable rental homes nationwide, and as CEO and COO of NeighborWorks® America.
The Rev. Barbara Lund serves as Senior Director for Operations and Innovation for the Evangelical Lutheran Church Service and Justice Home Area, which leads the ELCA’s engagement in service, promotes efforts to call and act for justice and supports the freedom of Christians to love and serve their neighbor globally and locally. Under her direction, the ELCA’s global and domestic ministries deepen and extend the ELCA’s faith in action.
Pastor Lund has served the ELCA Churchwide Organization as the Asia Pacific Desk Director, Global Education Events Director, and as a pastor in Tokyo, Japan. Pastor Lund holds a Master of Divinity from Luther Seminary in Saint Paul, Minnesota.
The Rev. Michael Meyer serves the LCMS Office of National Mission (ONM) as managing director, Congregations and Districts. In this role, he designs, develops and implements ONM strategic and operational plans and ensures their faithful execution by the various programmatic departments that serve districts, congregations, schools and Recognized Service Organizations (RSOs) throughout the Synod. This includes the supervision of the RSO program, School Ministry, Youth Ministry, Campus Ministry and Disaster Response Training. In each of these programs, Meyer facilitates collaboration with district leadership to increase local capacities throughout the Synod.
A graduate of Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, Meyer also holds a bachelor’s degree in music from Southern Methodist University in Dallas. Meyer and his wife, Heather, a doctor of physical therapy, reside in Chesterfield, Mo., with their three children.
