Baltimore/Wilmington Office:
Amy Sens, Baltimore/Wilmington City Coordinator. Amy works with volunteers, local support committees, churches, and placements to maximize the impact volunteers can make for social justice causes, and to maximize the impact the LVC experience can have on volunteers. She is a 1999-2000 DC alum, and received her MDiv from Harvard Divinity School in 2003. She is also a candidate for ordination in the United Church of Christ.
San Francisco Bay Area Office:
Vy Nguyen, San Francisco Bay Area City Coordinator. Vy is a recent graduate of the Divinity School of the University of Chicago and is an ordained minister in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). He has a deep passion for raising awareness with others about many of our global issues. With an undergraduate degree in Religion, focusing on Environmental Science from Texas Christian University, in Forth Worth, TX, Vy integrated his ecumenical and social justice experience he helped to initiate and coordinate the Young Adult Ecumenical Forum on Globalization and Economic Justice, as well as by serving as a U.S. representative to the World Council of Churches Consultation on Global Climate Change in Tarawa, Kiribati Island. Before coming to LVC, he interned with the office of Ecumenical and Inter-Religious Relations at the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America church-wide office in Chicago. As a Disciples Peace Fellow, and has traveled throughout the Unites States speaking with youth and young adults about social justice and peace issues.
Chicago/Milwaukee Office:
Joanne Otte, Program Director. Joanne is the volunteer support person for Chicago and Milwaukee volunteers. She also provides program support, does church fundraising and local recruiting. She is a 1998-99 Twin Cities alum.
Lauren Sanders, Chicago/Milwaukee City Coordinator. Lauren Sanders grew up in New Orleans and Northeastern Kansas. After being graduated from William Jewell College and then Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, Lauren completed an AmeriCorps VISTA position with Housing Action Illinois. In her “spare time” (on the “El”), she enjoys reading children’s science fiction and fantasy. Lauren provides volunteer support and will be involved in church fundraising and local recruiting in Chicago and Milwaukee.
Puget Sound Office:
Darla DeFrance, Puget Sound City Coordinator. Darla is a graduate of Princeton Theological Seminary and Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary in Berkeley, CA. Her undergraduate degree in mathematics is from Duke University. Most recently, Darla has served as associate pastor of Northridge Lutheran Church, Kalispell, MT. She has also served as a Lilly Pastoral Resident at Thrinity Lutheran Church in Moorhead. Since January she has been a volunteer at LifelongAIDS Alliance and has served as guest pastor at Church of Mary Magdalene, and congregation and day shelter of homeless women.
Twin Cities Office:
Rachel Orville, Twin Cities City Coordinator. Rachel provides support for the Twin Cities volunteers, works with the local support committee, and assists with local recruiting. Rachel worked as a job counselor to welfare recipients after completing LVC in the Twin Cities in 2001-02.
Andie Aase, Development Associate. Andie focuses on working to build and strengthen ties with churches and congregations in the Twin Cities area. She is a 1998 -1999 DC alum, and received her MTS from Harvard Divinity School in 2004.
Washington, D.C. Office:
Ellie Grantson, Development Associate. With over 20 years of administrative and fund development experience, Ellie most recently for nine years was the Office Manager/Director of Operations for the Luther Institute in Washington, DC. She has also held positions at Lutheran Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, American Theological Library Association in Chicago, and Christ Seminary-Seminex in St. Louis. Her deep experience is reflected in her wide proficiency of constituent relations, non-profit accounting and development software, team leadership and office management.
Born in Ghana, Ellie graduated with an economics degree from the University of Ghana in 1979. She also attended St. Louis University in the United States. She is married to the Rev. Emmanuel Grantson, pastor of St. Michael’s Truth Lutheran Church in Mitchellville, MD. They are the parents of two adult sons.
Elizabeth Herr, Development Director. Elizabeth (known to many as Beth) comes to LVC with four years of development experiance in outdoor ministries. She gradutated from Shepherd University in 2001, with a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree, and has worked in various camps in varying capacities over the last 10 years. Beth currently resides in Gettysburg, PA and is active in her local community, having served an executive term on the Board of Directors of the YWCA of Gettysburg and Adams County, and her congregational council where she helped lead a major capital campaign. She is a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals and an active member of the Association of Lutheran Development Executives.
Kelly Shinn, Recruitment Coordinator. Kelly grew up in Arvada, CO, and graduated from Luther College in Decorah, Iowa. Following college, she headed back to Colorado to join Urban Servant Corps. After her USC year came to a close, she was then hired on as the Program Manager at Rainbow Alley. In 2004, Kelly and her partner, Jami, moved to Holden Village in Washington state. Kelly served for over two years as Staff Coordinator. Now with LVC, Kelly works to recruit and place individuals who are passionate about working for peace with justice.
Charles Spring, Washington DC City Coordinator. Before joining the LVC staff in August 2005, Charles participated in faith-based community organizing, affordable housing advocacy, and peacemaking work in Colombia. With LVC, he enjoys helping people make connections between local issues and global trends. He and his wife Carol are excited about raising their first child, Rebecca Joy, born in December 2005.
Michael Wilker, Executive Director. Mike grew up on a hog farm in Southern Minnesota. Since then he's been a Lutheran Volunteer in Chicago, an LVC staffer in Washington, DC, a seminarian in Berkeley and Oakland, an intern in the South Bronx, and a Lutheran pastor in Watsonville, California and Freeport, New York. Leading the staff team, supporting volunteers, gathering with donors and alumni and playing with his family give Mike hope and courage.