Our Team
We bring a wide range of backgrounds to the mission, but we’re united by a steadfast faith in Christ and a passion to provide a rich education for our local youth.
Mark Mueller
Mark Mueller attended Lutheran schools for all but three years of his formal education – including Trinity Lutheran School (TLS) in Cedar Rapids. He completed his undergraduate and graduate studies at Concordia University in Nebraska. Mark first served at Resurrection Lutheran School on the south side of Chicago as a teacher, coach, and athletic director for five years. Then, following a one year stint at Leo High School in Chicago (teaching and coaching), Mark accepted a position at Trinity in Cedar Rapids as a teacher, coach, and AD where he served for 31 years. In his last seven years at TLS, Mark served as principal.
Mark and his wife Silvia have three children. Their youngest son, Taylor, teaches and coaches at Mayer Lutheran High School in Minnesota, whom Mark has assisted with the boys’ varsity basketball team. When he's not running, biking, swimming, or lifting, he can probably be found working in his backyard.
Mark’s motto: Whatever you do, "Work at it with all your heart as working for the Lord." (Colossians 3:12) Never settle.
Chairman of the Board
Jan Doellinger
Member Ex Officio; Assistant to the President – Schools, Iowa District East
As the Iowa District East Assistant to the President – Schools, Jan’s role is to support and encourage the church workers in Iowa District East who serve in early childhood and day school (elementary, middle, and high school) ministries.
Jan graduated from Concordia Teachers College (now Concordia-Nebraska) in 1973 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Education and a Lutheran Teachers Diploma and received a Master’s Degree in Administration from Concordia Teachers College (now Concordia Chicago) in 1983. Over the course of her career, she has served at St. Paul’s in North Tonawanda, NY, Trinity Lutheran School in Davenport, IA, Faith Lutheran Middle and High School in Las Vegas, NV, and Central Lutheran School, Newhall, Iowa. This past spring, Jan was awarded the Master Educator award for her prolonged superior service in Lutheran educational ministry by the faculty and Board of Regents of Concordia Nebraska.
Jan is married to Rev. Jerry Doellinger, part-time pastor at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Marion. They have a son and daughter-in-law in the Dallas area, and four wonderful grandchildren. Two of her favorite pastimes are fishing and golfing with her husband.
Kristin Stien
Kristin Stien is a lifelong member of the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod, rooted in faith through her home congregation of St. Stephen’s in Atkins, Iowa. Her educational journey began at Central Lutheran School (PreK–8), continued at Benton Community High School, and led to Iowa State University. Today, Kristin serves as a Consultant at 1P1Ag where she helps farmers navigate the intricate details of their operations’ finances.
Kristin and her husband live on a farm with their three children, where faith, family, and farming are deeply intertwined. In her spare time, Kristin loves watching ISU sports, boating, walking, podcasting, and reading. She’s passionate about living the life God has called her to, wherever that may lead. She believes God reveals Himself not only through His Word, but also through the work we do—for her, in agriculture, where His provision is so tangible.
Looking to the future, Kristin is excited to help build a school that encourages students to discover how God is present in every part of life—including their careers—and to embrace their unique callings with purpose and joy.
Secretary and Treasurer
Frank Parris is the principal at Central Lutheran School in Newhall, where he has served for seven years. He grew up in Iowa and graduated from Eldora-New Providence High School. He attended Concordia University in Seward, Nebraska for his undergraduate and master’s degrees in elementary administration, so he could be a Lutheran Educator like his mother. Frank has been in the Lutheran Education ministry for over 35 years, serving in IA, IL, KS, NC, and WI. He has served as a classroom teacher for grades 2, 4, and 6, and a PE teacher, Athletic Director, coach, and administrator for two-year-olds through eighth grade. Frank also served on a Lutheran High School Education Council in Springfield, IL for 5 years.
Frank has four sons who all graduated from Lutheran High Schools in Springfield, IL, and Centralia, IL, and is also blessed with six grandchildren, ages three months to six years – with one more on the way in August.
Frank enjoys traveling — especially to the Smoky Mountains of North Carolina — golfing, spoiling his grandchildren, watching the Cubs, Hawkeyes, and his CLS students in their activities.
Franklin O. Parris, M.ED
Tom Gerhold currently works as a Research Associate in the Dept. of Internal Medicine at the University of Iowa. He also serves as state representative in the Iowa Legislature for House District 84 and is proud to have helped pass the Education Savings Account bill in 2023 – a bill which now gives parents freedom to send their children to the school of their choice.
Tom was baptized and confirmed at St. Stephen’s Lutheran Church in Atkins, Iowa and currently serves on their elders committee. He attended Central Lutheran School (CLS) in Newhall from kindergarten through eighth grade. His siblings, nieces, nephews, and cousins also attended CLS, and now his grandnieces and grandnephews CLS as well.
In his spare time, Tom enjoys traveling with his wife, Julia, bicycling and participating in RAGBRAI with friends – a seven-day bicycle ride across Iowa.
Tom Gerhold
Sandra Lingard grew up in Central Florida. She attended the University of South Florida in Tampa and earned a BS in Business Education, and later earned her MS in Business Administration from Indiana University-Fort Wayne. Sandra recently retired from Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids, where she was a professor in the Business/IT Department for 14 years. She served in the classroom for 31 years, primarily in public middle and high schools. She also served at St. Paul Lutheran Church and School in Lakeland, Florida, for seven years, and at community colleges in both Florida and Iowa.
Sandra is married to Rev. David C. Lingard, who is the pastor at St. Andrew Lutheran Church in Van Horne. Together they enjoy Iowa’s bike trails, road trips around Iowa backroads, and have completed both of the Iowa Pork Producers Tenderloin Trail Challenges.
In her “happy age” years, she enjoys playing with her cat Lily, traveling, gardening, collecting typewriters, volunteering with the Van Horne Lions Club, driving for the Benton County Volunteers, and serving as a CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) for children in need of assistance involving the court system.
Sandra Lingard
Rev. Schanbacher has served as Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church – Blairstown, Iowa for the past eight years. He grew up in rural Benton County and served as a trustee and chairman on the CLS School board for more than 10 years.
Over the years, he has also held vocations as a contractor and grain/dairy farmer, but at the age of 40, he felt called to the pastoral ministry. This prompted a move to St. Louis, Missouri, to attend Concordia Seminary, where he received his Master’s of Divinity in 2005. Under his new office, Rev. Schanbacher has served congregations in Cuba, St. James, and Jefferson City, MO.
From 2010-2018, Rev. Schanbacher faithfully served as pastoral advisor to the Calvary Lutheran High School board of directors. He helped grow the Calvary mission from 30 students to over 130 students. During that time, Calvary transitioned from operating in a borrowed space in a local college, to purchasing 20+ acres of land and completing two phases of construction.
Rev. Schanbacher is blessed to be married to his wife, Janette, and has four adult children with spouses. Jeff enjoys making dairy products, home renovation projects, restoring classic and street rod cars, and, when time allows, helping his brother on the farm.
Rev. Jeffrey Schanbacher
Erin Zellers
Erin grew up in Fargo, ND (nary a wood chipper in sight ;). She has always had a love for children and art, and decided to pursue a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree from Minnesota State University – Moorhead. After college, she grew her marketing and design skills working for a passionate group of creatives at an advertising agency in Fargo, ND. She spent several years growing deep roots in the Fargo community, advancing her career, and raising two boys. Then in 2009, her husband threw her a curveball and decided to change course from bank software support to enter the pastoral ministry at Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
For the next four years, they made strong bonds in the seminary community and eventually landed at a small rural congregation in Central Minnesota. Despite the initial shock of country living, she abruptly learned to love the calmer, quieter lifestyle, and they welcomed a third child to their family – a girl! In 2023, her husband took his second call to Zion Lutheran Church – Hiawatha, where they have been immersed in all things Hawkeyes, pork chops, and sweet corn.
Erin is married to Rev. Kevin Zellers, Jr, and continues to love working with children, dabbling in art and design, and building community and camaraderie among neighbors, family, and friends.
Director of Development