Lutheran Education Podcast

Matt Bergholt returns to the podcast after several years and a career change to talk about his new role as Director of Project Management Office and Continuous Improvement for Lutheran Church Extension Fund in St. Louis, MO. He was tasked to help the organization migrate into a modern financial institution and help push CEF forward. He’s excited about being able to work across the entire organization help everyone come together for continuous improvement.

Two high school theology teachers join the podcast this week. David Pratt, from Faith Lutheran Middle and High School in Las Vegas, NV, and Doug Braun, from Lutheran High Westland, in Westland, MI, talk about the importance of sharing their knowledge and faith with students who are about to embark on college and adulthood. They talk about the current challenges facing teachers of theology in educating teenagers in high school in an ever-changing culture as well as the wide variety of backgrounds that establishes their students’ world views. 

We kick off Season 9 of the Lutheran Education Podcast with one of LSEM’s resource room teachers, Kasey Mathews. Kasey recently was named LSEM’s inaugural recipient of the Kathy Krause Resource Room Teacher of the Year award. In this episode, Kasey talks about the close relationships she’s built with not only her students, but also their parents and what makes them successful in helping their children in their education.

Donna Lucas, Principal at Abiding Savior Lutheran School in Lake Forest, CA, is the recipient of the 2026 Charles A. Winterstein Administrator of the Year. She joins the podcast to discuss the various stops across the country that she’s made throughout her career. Through those roles she’s embraced diversity and has learned that people from all corners of the country are still all pretty much the same. However, how she communicated and learned from colleagues changed depending on the amount of Lutheran schools there were in the areas she served. She also talks about how she went from teaching to eventually joining the administrative side of education.

Justin Fierro, Principal, and Brooke Weise, Director of Student Services at Immanuel Lutheran School in Giddings, TX, join Dr. Tracie Salgado to talk about their school’s partnership with LSEM and their unique approach to supporting their students with learning differences.

Brian Broderick, Executive Director of the Michigan Association of Non-Public schools and President/CEO of LSEM, Stacy McGhee, talk about education across the state of Michigan and MANS involvement with legislative matters in regards to being able to participate in funding and aid to non-public schools. In this conversation, Broderick, McGhee and Richard Schumacher talk about the wide range of efforts and value that MANS brings to non-public schools and LSEM.

Travis Grulke, the district education executive at the Michigan District LCMS and assistant to the president, makes another appearance on the podcast. Travis and Richard talk about some important topics and current events in Lutheran education as well as happenings in education across the country and within the political climate. They also chat about slowing down some of technology and AI that students have access to.

Richard Schumacher,  Senior Director of Operations at Lutheran Special Education Ministries, hosts a solo podcast about LSEM – including stories from the beginnings back in 1873 when it was founded as the Lutheran School for the Deaf to where it is today serving students with various learning disabilities within their own Christian schools across the country. Schumacher talks about the value and benefits of partnering with LSEM and its flexibility in working with schools both large or small — a mission that enables LSEM to reach and serve any student within a Christian setting.

Mindy English, LSEM’s Director of Programs and Services, joins the podcast to talk about hands-on, multi-sensory learning. English spent most of her career in education in early childhood education, specifically with children from ages 0-3 through kindergarten.

Dr. Linda Hensel, professor of education and department chair for special education at Concordia Wisconsin, and Dr. Kara Bratton, assistant professor in the School of Education Doctoral Program at Concordia University Irvine, join the podcast to talk about social emotional learning in our classrooms. They talk about their passion in working with children on these skills in a Christian setting rather than letting outside influences like social media sway our students.