Synod Staff

The Northwest Synod of Wisconsin is supported by the following staff:

Rev. Dr. Duane Pederson was elected to a six-year term as bishop of the Northwest Synod of Wisconsin of the ELCA in June 2007. At the time of his election, he was serving as senior pastor of First Lutheran Church in Eau Claire, WI. Born in Kalispell, MT, Pederson grew up on a farm and ranch. He attended Concordia College, Moorhead, MN, where he majored in English and Religion. He graduated from Luther Seminary with a M.Div. in 1981 and was ordained the same year. While serving Hope Lutheran Church in Bozeman, MT (1981-1985), he received a M.Ed. in Counseling from Montana State University. He served Edison Park Lutheran Church in Chicago from 1985-1994 and earned a D.Min. at McCormick Theological Seminary in 1991. Pederson served First Lutheran Church in Eau Claire, WI from 1994-2007.

As the pastor of the synod, he relates to rostered and lay leaders, congregations, specialized ministries, ELCA churchwide, Conference of Bishops, Region V, Wisconsin Council of Churches, the Lutheran church in Malawi and southern Brazil, and colleges and seminaries. He is a member of the Board of Regents at Augsburg College and the Board of Directors for Lutheran Social Services of Wisconsin and Upper Michigan. In the Conference of Bishops, the bishop is a member of the Roster Committee and the Middle East Ready Bench. He is the chief executive officer of the synod, presides at Synod Assemblies, and represents the synod in ecumenical and inter-faith endeavors.

Rev. Todd Iverson graduated with honors from the University of Arizona with a BA in Interdisciplinary Studies and from Luther Seminary with a M. of Div. in 1997. He served Big Drywood Lutheran Church north of Cadott, WI (1997-2002) and Our Savior's Lutheran Church in Superior, WI (2002-2007). He was called to the synod staff in November 2007. His primary areas of responsibility include the mobility and call process, the candidacy process for rostered leaders, stewardship, and the synod staff connection to the Leadership Support Commission and its committees.

Rev. Amy Odgren is a graduate of Gustavus Adolphus College and Wartburg Theological Seminary. She entered ordained ministry serving as a mission developer and associate pastor after a 16-year career supporting people with disabilities. She joined the synod staff in 2007 to focus on evangelism, outreach, and mission support. Although her primary roles is to engage congregations in reclaiming their evangelical identity, she also works on identifying mission fields within our synod, developing new congregations, and encouraging congregations in transformational ministry.

Rev. Greg Kaufmann completed 12 years of education in the Missouri Synod, graduating from Seminex in 1977. He served parishes in Granby, CO and Chippewa Falls, WI before joining the synod staff in 2000. He is the director of the Synod Resource Center and Lay School of Ministry. His other areas of responsibility include Book of Faith, Synodically Authorized Ministry, Youth Workers' Network, Youth Board, Faith Formation Fanatics Network, Raising Up Leaders, ELCA’s Fisher's Net Select, ELCA’s Shared Ideas for Ministry website editorials.