Current Leadership of First Presbyterian Church

A Presbyterian Church is served by many different ministries, groups, and more. See the leadership of FPC here:

Deacons, Class of 2028

Ann Grosscup grew up in the First Presbyterian then United Presbyterian Church, in Washington, IA. She left Iowa for the Philadelphia area to work in disability administration before returning to Iowa for graduate school. She is still working full time in her third job since retirement. Ann previously served as a Deacon, Elder, and Clerk of Session; and is happy to serve another term as Deacon.

David Ramotowski is currently a PhD candidate studying Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Iowa, where his work focuses on using bacteria to clean up harmful chemicals in soil and sediment to improve public health. He previously obtained his BS from Virginia Tech, and his MS from North Carolina State. David is originally from Alexandria, VA, where he was an Eagle Scout, and attended the Old Presbyterian Meeting House. David has also spent time in Poland, The Bahamas, and Mexico due to his parents’ careers with the U.S. State Department.

Alex Voss and his family (wife Michelle, son Conner, and daughter Kelsey) joined First Presbyterian of Iowa City in the spring of 2024 after worshiping with the FPC community for over two years. He enjoys contributing to worship through and voice and participating in Christian Education offerings such as Big Games and family dinners. While he has contributed to VBX as the games and activities coordinator since 2023, he also serves as a substitute youth group leader, substitute Sunday School teacher, and substitute audio technician. Alex is eager to begin his role as deacon to engage with a larger number of FPC community members.

Outside of FPC, Alex is an Associate Professor of Instruction with the UI Sport and Recreation Management program. His background working in tennis prepared him to teach subjects including event management, facility management, and coaching. In addition to coaching youth sports and hitting tennis balls, he enjoys keeping the Voss household organized through cleaning, laundry, and coordinating schedules.

Janet Williams was raised in a Methodist church outside Muscatine Iowa, and became a Presbyterian when she married Bill. They lived in Brooklyn, NY in their first year of marriage, where she taught nursing in a small school in the Bedford Stuyvesant neighborhood.

After returning to Iowa City, Janet and Bill became the parents of three children who now live in Minneapolis, Evergreen, and Atlanta. Janet is Grandma Jan to six grandchildren. She was the nurse clinician in the Pediatric Genetics program at UIHC, completed graduate school, and then joined the faculty in the College of Nursing. During her faculty career, Janet’s research focused on caregiving by teens in families where a parent had a degenerative neurologic disorder. As a member at St. Andrew, she sang in the choir; and at the Congregational UCC, she sent individual notes from the Membership Committee to those who were mentioned in prayer requests.

Bill passed away in 2021. Janet is now semi-retired from the University, maintaining her role as an Institutional Review Board co-chair. She enjoys volunteering for her neighborhood association, Compeer of Johson County where she serves on the board, and Iowa City Hospice. As a hospice volunteer, Janet makes visits to patients to provide supportive companionship.

Endowment Committee, Class of 2028

Tom Martin retired in 2010 after 46 years in the banking business, where he was President of three different banks. Tom is a lifetime member of the Presbyterian Church. He has served as a member of the FPC Endowment Committee, the Board of Deacons, and as an Elder on the Session. Tom is currently serving on the Finance Committee and the Men’s Group. He and his wife Wanda and have six children, 12 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

 

Nominating Committee, Class of 2026

Ann Burton has been a member of FPC since 1997. She and husband Richard, have two daughters, a son-in-law, and a granddaughter. Since joining this congregation, Ann has served as an Elder, a Stephen Ministry leader, a choir member, a Pastor Nominating Committee member, and has been on a previous Nominating Committee (2007). Right now, she is part of the Cookie Walk committee and helps with organizing choir music. A Presbyterian preacher’s kid, Ann, Richard, and daughter Sara live in Coralville (when they’re not traveling!).

Jeanie Wade-Nagle grew up in Kansas and attended Forest Park Presbyterian Church with her parents, brother and two sisters. She is a retired educator having been a teacher, consultant and administrator. Jeanie lives in Iowa City and has been a member of First Presbyterian Church since 2019.She has been a Deacon, involved Friends of Pasrur (including a trip to Pakistan), Reconciliation Ministries, Jeremiah Justice Initiative, and lately began teaching citizenship ESL classes for immigrants.

Heather Youngquist has been a member of FPC since 2018, regularly attending services with her two daughters, Rose and Lorelei. Heather grew up in Washington, IA, and is the daughter of Robert and Millie Youngquist. Heather attended college at the University of Iowa, majoring in Voice and Music Education, and she went on to earn a Master of Music from Indiana University in Voice with a Minor in Opera Studies. She lived in Chicago for six years following graduate school, teaching voice lessons, singing in various churches, and performing in operas with regional companies in the Midwest and beyond. Heather and her husband, Mike, decided to move back to Coralville, IA, in 2017, when Rose was 6 months old, for a change in lifestyle and to be nearer to family. Heather now works as a Human Resources Manager at UI Health Care, and she volunteers as a Girl Scout Troop Leader, Sunday School teacher, and the Christmas Pageant director at FPC.

 

Elders, Class of 2028

Jen Adams—Jen joined FPC in 2007, and for the past three years, she has served as an Elder. Jen is currently serving on the Christian Education Committee and teaching Sunday School. She is a licensed social worker who has spent her career working with cancer patients and their families and is working as a clinical research coordinator at the UIHC Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center. Her daughter, 15-year-old Vivian, is a sophomore at City High School. Jen and Vivian love spending time snuggling with their chocolate labradoodle, Hazel, while feeding her too many treats. Jen enjoys traveling, reading, movies, TV, and long dinners with family and friends.

Kimberly Kinnard—Kim grew up in the Midwest before life’s adventures led her to California, where she met her husband, Brian. The two first crossed paths while working at a hospital in their original careers as music therapists and later returned to the Midwest in 2019. Today, Kim is a psychologist specializing in forensic assessment. She also runs a small private practice and serves as a Major in the Army Reserves. In her free time, she enjoys reading, playing music, watching scary movies, and spending time with their cat, Rhubarb. And for the record, she once claimed victory in a “stupid human tricks” contest thanks to her impressive dynamic hula-hooping skills.

Mary Ellen Stamp–Mary Ellen Stamp has been a member of First Presbyterian Church since 1981. Mary Ellen and Jerry were married at the church nearly 43 years ago. She has two stepdaughters, Stephanie Stamp and Carrie Clark, and five grandchildren, Ryan, Braden, Demetrius, Lexi and Chase. She recently retired after 44 years at U.S. Bank. Mary Ellen has previously served First Presbyterian Church as an Elder, Deacon, Chair of FPC 175th year celebration, the Nominating Committee and chair of the Worship and Arts Ministry. Currently, she is a member of the Sanctuary Choir, JuBELLation handbell choir, chair of the Finance Committee and a member of the Endowment Committee. She is also serving on the Board of Directors of the United Presbyterian Home in Washington, IA. Mary Ellen enjoys traveling, spending time with her family playing games, and playing French horn in the New Horizons Band.

Dan Thedens—Dan previously served on Session from 2011–2016. He has also served two terms on Deacons, and is currently a member of the Personnel Committee. Dan has been a member of FPC for over 20 years. Over that time, he has been especially active in music programs including the Sanctuary Choir and JuBELLation handbell choir. Dan has also taught junior high Sunday School; he currently gives rides to members needing transportation to church, and occasionally makes the morning coffee. During the week, he is an MRI researcher and Engineering teacher at the University. His family includes, wife Laurie, who is well-known for her singing and food, daughter, Mia, now living in Milwaukee, and son, Nick, who is a senior in Engineering at Iowa.