STRONGER, HEALTHIER TEENS

David Balza is first and foremost a Christian husband and father. As of July, 2021, he transitioned into a new career as a franchisee with Chick-fil-A. For the previous 30 years, He was a basketball coach at the collegiate level. Beyond faith, family, Chick-fil-A and sports, he hads several passions. He is a big believer in Christian education and in community service. 

Emily Krill is a faith-based blogger, Christian life coach, and speaker who challenges people to embrace a life of “messy worship” (a.k.a. an authentic relationship with God). She is also a wife, mother of five, and vocalist in a Milwaukee-based Christian contemporary band with her husband and several friends. Emily enjoys cheesecake, coffee, and daily trips to Aldi.

Pastor Wayne Shevey is an energetic and sought-after speaker. As one of the directors of admissions at Wisconsin Lutheran College, Pastor Shevey helps young people learn to navigate their next steps in life. 

Brian Gottschalk has been a coach and teacher at Wisconsin Lutheran High School for 25 years. He has a passion for raising up teen leaders and helping them navigate their faith and life. Brian started and continues to run a youth ministry called VCLA. 

Ron Reuter is a health enthusiast who has made personal fitness both a hobby and a ministry. He loves to work hard and serve others. When he's not working on a project at home, you can find him working out by Lake Michigan. 

Ezra Blumer (pictured with wife, Amelia) is currently studying to become a pastor. His greatest passion in life is the identity given to him by Jesus. Ezra has a huge heart for youth and loves helping the next generation whenever he can. He has had the pleasure of fulfilling this passion in many ways including serving as a director of high school ministry, helping to start a youth night that has reached young adults at over 20 locations around the country, and recruiting the next generation to become leaders in the church for Martin Luther College. Ezra's dream is to see the next generation proclaim Jesus to all the world. 

Missionary Dr. Terry Schultz serves as Artistic Development Missionary with WELS World missions. He encourages and facilitates the use of culturally-appropriate art forms (in music, art, theater, dance) among national churches in foreign mission fields. He is currently involved in indigenous worship music projects in Asia, Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, and North America. Terry spent 15 years as a missionary in Peru and 6 years as a missionary to Haiti while living in the Dominican Republic. Terry is the author of several books, including "No More Fear – Jesus, the Evil Spirits, and You," and a book on infant baptism, "Rescued from the Belly of the Beast." 

Dr. Rhoda Wolle serves as the Vice President of Organizational Development for the worldwide mission organization
Kingdom Workers. As such she supports cultural alignment throughout the organization as well as member care, new
ministry field development, and evangelism mentoring. Her personal mission is the Great Commission and to help equip Christians to serve their neighbor with their God-given gifts. As an educational psychologist, Rhoda has taught workshops on five continents and has spoken to thousands of educators, parents, and teens on the topics of student success and the science of thriving. She is the
cohost of the podcast 5toThrive, and has authored multiple books. 
In her spare time, she enjoys traveling, music, reading, walking, and animals, especially her dog “Smidge”! 

Pastor Greg Lyon has been serving as a campus pastor at Wisconsin Lutheran College since 2015. In his role at WLC, he spends a good portion of his time offering pastoral care to individual students. He earned a Masters of Sacred Theology from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary with an emphasis on pastoral care and is pursuing a masters of counseling through Bethany Lutheran College. He has completed a certificate in trauma counseling through the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. He is the chairman of the WELS Committee on Identity, Gender, and Sexuality. 

Ben Carlovsky is a teacher at Wisconsin Lutheran High School in the theology department. He is excited to have the opportunity to speak to today's youth about relevant topics and to give them tools to navigate them.