This month ELM had two more members join the Board of Directors, ELM’s governing body. Julie Boleyn and Jim Kowalski both bring a wide range of skills and experiences to the Board of Directors.

Julie Boleyn grew up in Oregon, attending a Lutheran church for the first time at the invitation of a high school friend. While still in high school, she became a Sunday School teacher, jr. high youth leader, and sang in the choir. Almost directly upon graduation, Julie started working for a start-up software company as their first employee. While the work was interesting, she found her real joy was always in the volunteer work she did with the church.

In 1997, Julie volunteered on long-term staff at Holden Village. It was there that she discerned a call to the ministry as a parish pastor. In May 2010, Julie completed her masters at Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago.

Julie and her partner, Jeanine Reardon, were married in a church ceremony at St. Paul Lutheran in Evanston, Illinois in October of 2004.  They live in Chicago with their daughter.

Jim Kowalski grew up in suburban Pittsburgh, attending and being confirmed in a Lutheran congregation. He went to college at Emory University on a Navy ROTC scholarship. Jim moved to San Francisco in 1992 with his spouse Bruce Jervis, after the both served four years in the US Navy. They joined St. Francis Lutheran Church shortly thereafter, and Jim has served in many leadership roles there, including on the congregational Council and as co-chair of a capital fund-raising campaign.

Jim worked through April 2010 at Golden Gate University in a variety of capacities, including alumni relations, fund-raising and program administration. He served on the board of Lutheran Lesbian & Gay Ministries from 2003 to 2006 and is delighted and honored to be serving as co-chair of the Prophets and Workers Campaign for Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries.