Our Leadership

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Donna Wildemann

Donna Wildemann earned her Bachelor of Arts in History from Wellesley College and her teaching certification from the State University of New York at New Paltz, with a concentration in early childhood development. She has taught across multiple grade levels, bringing a broad perspective to her work with students. Specializing in literacy, she is trained in the Orton-Gillingham approach and has extensive experience in curriculum development, ensuring instructional materials are both inclusive and evidence-based.

Ms. Wildemann also served as Director of Christian Formation at her church for four years, where she developed programs to support faith development across age groups. In addition, she has completed leadership and group skills training through a program at the U.S. Army War College and has pursued further leadership development through military-affiliated training.

Outside of school, Ms. Wildemann enjoys quilting and traveling. Having lived overseas for approximately 15 years, she values the global perspective these experiences bring to her work and relationships.

Tina Toburen

Pastor Tina completed her studies as a Phi Beta Kappa graduate from Gettysburg College in 2008 with a B.A. in Psychology and M.S. of Divinity from Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg in May 2012. Pastor Tina was pastor of Grace Lutheran Church and associate pastor of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Pennsylvania before being called to Trinity Lutheran Church in December of 2016. She currently serves as pastor and oversees chapel and all worship services; she also teaches middle school religion classes. She serves on the TLS Board of Directors (ex officio) and its Executive, Finance, Strategic Planning, and Trustee committees.

Pastor Tina is a member of the Hilton Area Clergy Group. She enjoys reading, hiking, kickboxing, and spending time with her husband Ben and dog Scully.

Trinity Board of Directors

Affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA), Trinity Lutheran School operates under the auspices of a Board of Directors and a Head of School. The Board of Directors—composed of 11 members who represent the school community, active members of Trinity Lutheran Church, and the community at large, plus Trinity Lutheran Church’s senior pastor (ex officio)—is responsible for the direction of the school by establishing policies, creating a long-range plan, and maintaining Trinity’s mission. The Head of School’s responsibilities include supervising daily operations, implementing policies, and upholding Trinity’s academic standards.

Board members are appointed for three-year terms, serving no more than six consecutive years. Anyone interested in serving on the Board of Directors is encouraged to contact the Head of School or a current board member.

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Anne O’Bara

Anne Obara is currently the secretary for the Trinity Lutheran
Church School board as of October 2023. She has been a member
of Trinity Lutheran Church for over 40 years.
Anne is determined to help with the school needs, and help create
a better connection between the school and the church, mainly by
supporting each entity as much as possible. In addition, she
wants to look at future goals of the school to see what is viable
and help with whatever the board decides is important to
accomplish. At this point in time, Anne loves being a small part of
this adventure of continuing all the wonderful things happening at
Trinity Lutheran School. Go Lions!!!

Representing:

Church

Ken Surles- Law

Representing:

School

Josh Carpenter

Financial Advisor and Certified Financial Planner with Edward Jones in Hampton since 2016
Medic/Fire Fighter with City of Hampton 2010-2016
BS in Business Administration from Christopher Newport University. Major: Finance. 2010
Hampton Public Schools from K-12, graduating in 2006
Currently a volunteer youth soccer coach with Isle of Wight County Parks and Rec
My wife is Katelyn Carpenter. She is a speech and language pathologist, most recently with Norfolk Public Schools (2010-2021). She a part of TLS boosters club and a room mom for the past two years.
Our son is a second grader, last year being our first year at TLS. Our daughter is in kindergarten at Smithfield Baptist Preschool and will be attending TLS next year.

Representing:

School

Craig Zuidema

Craig has worked in the financial services industry for over 30 years. He is a graduate of Old Dominion
University with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and a Master's in Business
Administration with a concentration in Accounting. Craig serves on the Board for the Virginia Peninsula
Chamber of Commerce, the Chapter Board for the Tidewater Chapter of the Virginia Credit Union
League and sits on the Statewide Advocacy Council for the Virginia Credit Union League. Craig's
daughter, Lilly, has attended Trinity Lutheran School for 3 years and is a rising 6th grader. He is a
lifelong resident of Hampton Roads and in his spare time he enjoys playing music, traveling and
spending time on the beach with his daughter.

Committee: Finance

Representing:

School

Ed Matz

Ed Matz is a retired lawyer from the state of Illinois. He now lives in Newport News, is a member of Trinity Lutheran Church, and serves as the congregation’s Chair of the Property Committee. Mr. Matz’s interests include historic preservation. He has extensively restored his century- old house and is the current president of the North End Huntington Heights Preservation Association and president of The One City Historical Foundation. He also enjoys fine music and regularly attends opera performances.

Representing:

Church