2018 Board Member Interviews: Kris, Jana and Angela
Kris Metzger
Kris is a native of Milwaukee, graduating from Wisconsin Lutheran High School, and continuing on to earn a BS in education from Dr. Martin Lutheran College. She served as an elementary educator, then developed her creativity as a potter, sculptor and designer, before transitioning into the field of development and fundraising in 1999 working in the development office at WLC. Kris currently serves as the executive director of the Wisconsin Lutheran High School Foundation.
Kris and her husband Hans have been married for 42 years, have four grown children and twelve grandchildren. Three of their children graduated from WLC with an undergrad degree; the fourth child graduated from WLC’s Adult and Graduate Studies program.
Kris worked with Sharon Schoeneck, Pat Freer, and Marlene Schumacher to first start the Butterfly Brunch, and then the CWLC.
Kris shared, “I strongly believe that God has blessed every female with a unique set of gifts. It is the job of each of us to discover and then put to use these gifts to serve God in a million different ways. For those of us with a little more mileage on us, it is our responsibility as Christian sisters to love and mentor our younger sisters in the faith. This is why I am involved in the CWLC. It has been a joy to meet and work with others who share this mission. It has been a special gift to meet some of the young women who will be Christian leaders in our world in the future.”
“This group has done a lot to raise the profile of WLC, not only in our church body, but in the greater Milwaukee community. We have raised a lot of money and started scholarships. We have impacted dozens of students by supporting an incredible array of leadership programs. We have introduced WLC to many people who never had set foot on the campus before the Butterfly Brunch. We have brought many high-profile speakers to campus who spoke on a variety of topics.”
Kris enjoys gardening, motorcycling, walking, spending time with the ‘grands,’ coffee with friends, and shopping.
When asked what encouragement she would give to those looking to get involved with the CWLC, Kris said, “The Butterfly Brunch committee is a great fit if you like planning and running events alongside a great group of women. There are many moving parts to coordinate, and there is a great feeling of satisfaction when the event successfully comes to pass!”
Jana Johnson
Jana was born in Sioux City, Iowa, and attended high school at Martin Luther Prep School in Prairie du Chien, WI. She graduated from Dr. Martin Luther College with a degree in elementary education. Her marriage to Dan Johnson after graduation began her travels around the United States, as they served at Christ the Lord Lutheran School in Clearwater, Florida, Shoreland Lutheran High School in Somers, WI, and then on to Arizona Lutheran Academy in Phoenix, Arizona. When Dan accepted the role as President of Wisconsin Lutheran College in 2008, they returned to Wisconsin where they are raising three children, Connor, who is a sophomore at WLC, Cassidy, a senior at Kettle Moraine Lutheran High School, and Caitlin – an 8th grader at Bethlehem Lutheran School.
Jana previously served as an elementary school teacher and is now the Executive Assistant to Bill Meier at Kingdom Workers in Milwaukee. She spends much of her spare time on bleachers as all three children play a lot of sports! Jana is an avid reader, belonging to a monthly book club. Yet, she finds time for volunteer work, including serving on the CWLC board of directors and on the Leadership Initiatives Committee. “I am very passionate about WLC and our amazing students! Serving on the CWLC board has been a good way to learn more about what is happening in classes and on campus. I’ve served with some wonderful women as we strive to mentor the young women on campus, helping them to discover their leadership potential.” Commenting on the Leadership Initiatives Committee, Jana noted, “This is an exciting committee. We have the privilege of vetting the grant requests from the WLC students requesting funding for their various leadership projects. It is truly inspiring to see their passion and zeal to help others as well as to improve the college and its students in the process. I encourage women to consider serving on a CWLC committee. It really isn’t a huge time commitment, and you get so much in return.”
Angela Ebeling
Angela serves on the CWLC board as the WLC faculty representative. Angela was born in Bluffton, OH to dairy farmers. She graduated with a B.S. in chemistry from Wisconsin Lutheran College and an M.S. and Ph.D. in soil science from UW Madison. She had the opportunity to be a lecturer for a semester and then conduct post-doctoral research with a soils professor at UC Berkeley when she and her family lived in California for a year. Currently she is an associate professor of biology at Wisconsin Lutheran College and teaches courses such as environmental science, biostatistics, and research strategies. She enjoys doing research with students on soils and biosolids to gather data that farmers can use to better help them manage nutrients and protect water quality.
She also volunteers at St. John's Lutheran Church and School in Wauwatosa. Teaching half time, doing scholarship and service, while raising a family is challenging and rewarding; Angela says she is thankful for those various vocations. She is married to Dan Ebeling, also an alum and current professor at WLC. Together they are raising their four grade school and high school aged children - Alyssa, Silas, Amos, and Reina.
Angela and her family love to camp and explore National Parks to enjoy and wonder in God’s amazing creation. They lived in China for half a year, and all six are studying Mandarin!
“I first heard about the CWLC when as a faculty member I learned of their faculty/staff partnership grants and applied to receive funding to be able to pay students to do research with me. I serve on the CWLC board because I believe that what they do has a very positive impact on the women at WLC. It is also part of what I do for service as a faculty member at WLC. By serving on this board I have seen how God can use people with varying interests and talents to serve His kingdom.”
Angela added, “If you are looking for a way to serve young, Christian females and to have a positive impact on their lives – by giving of your time, talents, or treasures (or all of the above) - this organization gives you ample opportunity to do that.”