Concordia elects new board members
JEFFERSON TWP — Keith E. Frndak, president and CEO of Concordia Lutheran Ministries, announced the election of six board members at the annual delegate meeting.
Eighteen board members comprise the governing body and represent 30 Lutheran churches Missouri Synod (LCMS) in the Western Pennsylvania area.
Each will serve a three-year term. They are:
- Rande Casaday of Canonsburg is first vice president of investments and branch manager at Stifel Nicolaus, a financial services holding company, Casaday has been on the Concordia parent board for nine years and currently served on the Concordia Foundation and CLM of Pittsburgh subsidiary boards. He is a member of Peace Lutheran Church in McMurray where he was the president of church council and lay chairman of the Merger Leadership Committee. He has an MBA from the University of Pittsburgh.
- Jennifer Ciccone of Gibsonia is the vice president of human resources for Civil & Environmental Consultants Inc, a 1000-employee professional services firm.
Ciccone graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with an MBA.
She is president of Ascension Lutheran Church in McCandless Township.
- The Rev. Dr. Edward Grimenstein of Bridgeville is pastor of Zion Lutheran Church in Bridgeville.
The Rev. Grimenstein was associate executive director for the Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod Office of International Missions before his arrival at Zion, as well as a chaplain in the U.S. Army serving in Afghanistan/Qatar and Belgium.
He earned his divinity degree at Concordia Theological Seminary in Ft. Wayne and a doctorate in theology from the University of Toronto.
- R. Russell Lucas of Wexford is an attorney in private practice with Andrews & Price. He served on the Concordia board of directors for six years and is a former congregational president of Ascension Lutheran Church in McCandless Township.
He graduated from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law.
- Katie Straszheim of Pittsburgh has 35 years in information technology with Howmet Corp., a business unit of Alcoa/Arconic where she is currently the data analytics and reporting manager for Arconic’s Global IS organization. She recently joined Ascension Lutheran Church and is a member of the choir and praise team.
Originally from Michigan, she earned her bachelor’s degree in computer science at Western Michigan University.
- James Wolf of Prestois a retired international banking executive. Wolf is a current member of the LCMS Board for International Missions and chairman of the Sister Cities Association of Pittsburgh Board. He served on the Concordia parent board for six years and is a current member of the CLM of Pittsburgh Board.
