Our Board

Phil was baptized at St. John’s Lutheran in San Francisco, CA, and confirmed at Zion Lutheran in Corder,

He is an alumnus of Saint Paul High (85) and College (86). He received a bachelor’s degree in

Metallurgical Engineering from Missouri S&T (Rolla) and an MBA from Vanderbilt University. He has

spent his career in the metals manufacturing industry. He and his wife, Tiffany, have two daughters who

both attended SPLHS. Mary graduated in 2021 and Emma in 2023.

  Kristen is a 1991 graduate of SPLHS, and attended Bethany Lutheran College in Mankato, Minnesota where she received her A.A. and was inducted as a member of Phi Theta Kappa. Kristen received her Bachelor of Science degree in Music Management with a minor in Speech Communication from the University of Minnesota at Mankato in 1996, where she became a member of the National Honor Society of Musicians, Pi Kappa Lambda.  Kristen served as a regular substitute teacher at SPLHS from October 1996 – March 1997, and from 1997 – 2001 she worked for a Lutheran Music Program in public relations and development. In 2001, she moved to the retail/corporate world as a Store Manager for Blockbuster, eventually managing stores in Minnesota, Illinois, and Missouri. In 2007 she resigned her position with Blockbuster to be a stay-at-home mom to her 5 children. In 2010 she re-entered the workforce as a part-time preschool teacher at Timothy Lutheran School. In 2015, Kristen accepted her current full-time position with Timothy Lutheran School as the School Services Coordinator.  She is part of a 3-generation family at Saint Paul. Her father was a member of the SPC class of 1966, her stepson and nephew graduated with the SPLHS class of 2011, her son graduated in 2023 and her daughters will graduate in 2025.

Joe Connell is a graduate of Kansas State University and received his Air Force commission through the ROTC program. Joe and his family spent 25 years in service to our nation.  He is currently a senior management advisor to industry and government for space and missile programs. He holds an MPA from Golden Gate University, and MA in National Security and Strategic Studies from the U.S. Naval War College. Joe completed executive education programs at Carnegie-Melon University and the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. Joe served as a LCMS Congregation President in Virginia, where he also co-chaired the Congregation’s LCEF Capital Funding Campaign to build a new worship facility. Joe and his wife Lori now reside in Concordia, MO. 

Mark is President of State Bank of Missouri. Mark was born and raised in Concordia, and has served in leadership positions of many Church and Civic organizations over his 40-year banking career. He

received his Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Central Missouri with a Major in Finance

and a Minor in Economics in 1983. Mark and his wife, Cindy, have 3 daughters, and 5 grandchildren.

They love to travel, and are members of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Concordia.

Lorie grew up on a farm in the Alma community and attended Trinity Lutheran School. She is a 2000 graduate of Santa Fe High School. After high school, she attended Central Missouri State University in Warrensburg where she received her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree in 2005. She then went on to obtain her Master’s of Arts in Teaching degree (middle school science certified) in 2010. 

Lorie is a paralegal at Langdon & Emison law firm where she has been since 2006. She has two sons, Brooks (SPLHS 2023 graduate) who is currently attending Concordia University Nebraska majoring in biology/pre-med and a member of the track and field team; and Tate who is a senior at SPLHS (Class of 2026). They are members of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Concordia. 

Curtis Nierman was born and raised on a dairy farm one mile east of Concordia, MO.  Following in his father and sister’s footsteps, he attended Saint Paul Lutheran High School and graduated in 1991.  He attended Central Missouri State University and Concordia University, Seward, NE where he received his bachelor’s degree in accounting.

Curtis has spent most of his career working for Experian in their finance department.  He has held various roles including financial analyst and billing supervisor.  His current role is tax analyst expert in Experian’s North America sales tax department.  Curtis lives in Lincoln, NE and is a member of Trinity Lutheran Church where he serves on the Board of Elders and Board of Outreach.

Dr. Beth (Royuk) Pester serves as the Director of Dual Credit at Concordia University, Seward, Nebraska. 

A 1992 graduate of Saint Paul, she was born and raised in Knoxville, Tennessee, and came to Saint Paul Lutheran High in the fall of 1988, following her two older brothers, Brent and Brad. Following high school, she attended Concordia College, Nebraska, where she earned Bachelor’s degrees in Secondary Education and Biology, Master’s degrees in Secondary Administration and Teaching; and earned her PhD in Education from Trident University, Cypress, California.

Professionally, she has served as a middle and high school science teacher in Lutheran and public schools in Indiana and Nebraska. She joined the Concordia University faculty in the fall of 2005, serving roles in the Education Department and Directing Student Teaching. 

She is passionate about Lutheran Schools and training future professional church workers to lead in the church and world.

She is married to Harold, and they have two children. Tara, Saint Paul Lutheran High Class of 2023, and Tim, Class of 2025.

Rev. Michael Pottschmidt joined the ministry of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church and School in Concordia, Missouri, as Senior Pastor in February 2018. Before coming to St. Paul’s, he served as Associate Pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Richmond, Virginia, from 2005 – 2009 and then as Trinity’s Senior Pastor from 2009 – 2018. Michael has served as a pastoral counselor of the Lutheran Women in Mission (LWML) Chesapeake District and of the Old Dominion Zone and is the Sr. Pastoral Counselor for the Missouri District LWML. He has been a Rotary Club member and is a Past President of the Rotary Club of West Richmond. He currently serves as a member of the Saint Paul Lutheran High School Board of Trustees, as a member of the Board of Directors for the Concordia Music Conservatory and is a community liaison and member of the Board of Directors of the Whiteman Air Force Base Community Council for the City of Concordia. Michael is a graduate of Concordia College (now University), Ann Arbor and Concordia Seminary, Saint Louis. He and his wife Vickie have two daughters, Evelyn Grace, and Annika. 

Allen is an alumnus of St. Paul College High (83) and continued his education at the University of Central Missouri where he graduated with a degree in Finance.  He is a Certified Public Accountant and currently serves as the Controller for Columbia College.  He resides in Columbia, Missouri with his wife Robyn and their three teenage sons.

Abby Walsh is a 2006 graduate of SPLHS, and attended Northwest Missouri State University in Maryville, MO where she received her B.S. in Biology in 2010. Abby got her start in laboratory and field science doing environmental research along the Gulf Coast in the aftermath of the Deepwater Horizon incident. Later, Abby became a Registered Nurse, and spent 6 years in the ICU, eventually earning a place on the OR Heart Team and working in Vascular Surgery. In 2023 Abby left nursing to pursue her dream of owning a woodworking business, working out of her shop in Concordia on everything from Christmas ornaments and wooden toys all the way up to full in-home installation of furniture. Abby’s family consists of her children Annabelle and Theodore, and her husband Alex (SPLHS ’06 graduate). Abby and Alex’s family includes 25graduates of Saint Paul High School and College, with alumni ranging nearly 60 years across four generations. In 2026, Annabelle will begin her freshman year, followed by Theodore in 2029.

Doug was born in North Tonawanda, NY, and grew up in Abingdon, VA. After 33 years of corporate and international finance, Doug and his wife, Sara, retired in 2014 and now reside in Nashville, TN, where they are members of Our Savior Lutheran Church and Academy.  Doug and Sara have grown children in Tennessee, Florida, and Hong Kong. They are also blessed with 7 grandchildren (3 in Tennessee and 4 in Florida).  In 2003, Doug’s professional career took him and his family overseas to Hong Kong. Doug’s youngest two children attended Hong Kong International School, an LCMS school associated with the LCMS congregation in Hong Kong, Church of All Nations. Doug served on the school’s board of managers for 6 years, including the position of board chairman.  During their time in Hong Kong, God equipped and provided the Werth family with many service opportunities through church and school. Trips and outings in Hong Kong, Macau, Philippines, Vietnam, China, Mongolia, and Cambodia helped to develop servant hearts for showing care and compassion, as well as sharing the Good News.  After 4 years in Switzerland and travel to more than 75 countries around the world, Doug and Sara returned to the United States. Doug currently serves on the board of Concordia Welfare and Education Foundation, a Hong Kong based Lutheran non-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of impoverished rural communities in Asia through education and service.  He also serves on the board of directors for Mission of Christ Network, a Texas registered Lutheran non-profit that deploys missionaries around the globe.