Meet Our Staff Team

Pastor Mark has served as Grace's lead pastor since 2015. His primary charges at Grace are preaching and teaching the holy Scriptures, and stewarding the mysteries we call baptism and holy communion. He also visits the sick, prays with people, supports others in discovering and developing their ministries, nurtures good partnerships in the community, and tries to keep Grace attuned to our purpose and vision. His wife Jennifer is a development director with Wisconsin Conservation Voters and they have two daughters, Hope and Iris, both students in the Dodgeville School District. He likes to read, hike, play tennis, and watch the Cubs.

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Vicar Matthew, a Master of Divinity student at Wartburg Theological Seminary, is serving on our ministry staff during the 2024-25 year. As the pastoral intern, he is with us to learn from the congregation and Pastor Mark as he gains experience for Word and Sacrament ministry in the ELCA. Prior to beginning seminary, Matthew has served as a Music Minister, and for a time worked for a company that sold school supplies. He and his wife Steffanie, who both hail from Appleton, have four children, Hayleigh, Gabriel, Lukas and Riaan. When not working, Vicar Matthew enjoys being outside, especially gardening, and being with his family, as well as cooking, baking, and painting.

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Emily Sullivan has two roles at Grace Lutheran Church. One is keeping our office running smoothly and being our "first line" of hospitality for the community. As CYF Ministry Director, Emily focuses on Christian education programs for children from birth through 8th grade, including confirmation, and nurtures a community of friendship and mutual support for Grace families. Emily has a bachelor's degree in English Education (ages 10-21), and her work experience prior to Grace is in public education.  Originally from Barneveld, Emily, her husband Ian, and their children, Rowen and Leo, now reside in Dodgeville with their dog, Rigby.  In Emily's free time, she enjoys crocheting, reading, baking, and spending time with her family and friends.

Quinn is the Director of Music Ministries and leads the congregation in song on the pipe organ and piano.  Quinn is a graduate of Valparaiso University where he studied pipe organ and church music and was the Morning Prayer Coordinator at the Chapel of the Resurrection - the nation's largest collegiate chapel. A Mazomanie native, he now resides in Mineral Point with his husband, Mike, and cat, Liza. In his free time, he enjoys traveling and finding new restaurants with Mike along with taking walks around town or the area state parks.

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Hi! My name is Leta Willie.  I am the choir director here at Grace.  We have the Grace Choir that sings September-May at our 8:00 service, and the Spirit Choir that sings during our summer worship.  I recently retired from teaching 6th grade at Dodgeville Middle School.  My husband, Bob, and I live in the country north of Dodgeville and have two adult children, Matthew & Sarah that live and work in Iowa.  Music is a huge part of all our lives, "come, let us sing to the Lord".​​​

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I am delighted to be part of the Grace Lutheran music team where I supplement once a month for Quinn. My grandfather instilled the joy of playing at church in me many years ago. I continue to find contentment and peace in playing. When not playing, I enjoy pulling weeds with my husband near my Mazomanie home and spending time with my family which I can do more now since I am recently retired from teaching.

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Cooking brings me joy because it brings joy to others. Cooking is personal; no matter how sophisticated or simple the dish may be it is made with your hands and heart to share with others. I graduated from The Culinary Institute of America in NY(where I met my husband, Burke) and had the pleasure of cooking professionally for a number of years in hotels and private restaurants throughout the states. We decided to settle down and raise our family here in Dodgeville. We are blessed with our two boys, Will(12) and Wyatt(5). I am currently a Lunch Lady at Dodgville High School where I enjoy seeing the students every day and love the work life balance to enjoy my family to the fullest. When I am not in the kitchen at work I enjoy cooking at home with my husband with our dogs underfoot, hiking with our boys, family movie nights and just watching our boys grow. Faith, family, and food are a gift and I am thankful to be here.​

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Patty is currently the Director and Lead Teacher of the preschool.  She loves teaching preschool and finds it extremely rewarding.  She loves the students but also enjoys building relationships with the families.  Patty received her teaching degree from UW-Platteville.  She went on to teach in the Riverdale school district for four years before staying home to raise their family.  She and her husband love spending time with their three adult children.  Alex is currently pursuing his PhD at UW-Madison.  Thomas is a project manager at EPIC and Olivia is a junior at UW-LaCrosse.    Patty loves being in the kitchen and trying new "healthy" recipes.  She also enjoys live music, reading and spending time with their rescue dog, Doris.     

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Nicole has been working with the preschool for three years.  She loves being able to work with this age group.  Their love for learning is truly incredible!  Her own three children have all attended the preschool and loved it.  When the opportunity came to join the preschool team she jumped at that opportunity! The Grace Christian Preschool children and their families that we get to work with are all amazing!  What an honor it is to be a part of their love of learning!

Nicole also works part time as the Financial Secretary for both the church and preschool. We are grateful for her ministry of keeping our financial house in good order in service to God's mission.   

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My name is Maribeth Zinkle and I'm a substitute preschool teacher and board member at Grace Christian preschool.  I've been married to my husband Josh for 13 years and I've been a stay-at-home-mom for just about as long. We live in the country just outside of Dodgeville on a hobby farm of sorts. There we raise our children Pyper, Fox, Winter and a whole mess of animals. When I was asked to be a substitute at Grace a few years ago I was excited to say the least. The days I work there always bring me so much joy. The people I work with are the best and the children are always amazing. 

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I have been a custodian here for almost twenty years. I have met so many wonderful people while working here at Grace. I take pride in my job because so many people depend on our custodians, and it allows us to contribute in a significant way. In my spare time my husband Keith and I enjoy spending time with family; we have two little granddaughters that enjoy camping with us, and of course spending time in my garden.  

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