Rector Search Committee Members
The Search Committee Members
Rebecca Elfring-Roberts Co-chair
Baptized and raised at Church of Our Saviour, I returned after college and a youth ministry job about 12 years ago. Stemming from my experiences of Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, youth, camp, and campus ministry, and the Education For Ministry program, I have an enthusiasm for nurturing the spiritual growth of others, and celebrate the transformative power of community and mentorship in the church. I currently serve as a catechist and vestry member at COS.
Professionally, I serve as comptroller on the bishop’s staff in the Diocese of Chicago, with a master of nonprofit administration degree.
My wife, Deacon Jess, and I are raising our two daughters, Eliza (8) and Tilly (3), in the Northcenter neighborhood. I’m excited to be part of this vital discernment work at COS.
Kris Gleason Co-chair
Greg and I came to Lincoln Park as young marrieds in 1976. He was Presbyterian and I, Episcopalian, so we planned to try both churches. We came to COS first and never tried another! Our daughters, Amanda and Laura, were baptized here. With evolving careers, we moved to Minneapolis, Lake Forest and Sydney and experienced church life elsewhere, but came back to COS in 2000. Our daughters gained connection in the wonderful Sr. High Youth group. Greg and I have served on Vestries and as Wardens. We have been CFF cooks, greeters/ushers and lectors. Friendships and spiritual support at COS have been constants throughout our adult lives.
I had a rewarding career in the pharmaceutical industry as a Scientific Director in Global Medical Affairs, Oncology. Now retired, I enjoy tutoring refugee girls at a not-for-profit and working on my dance moves in fitness class.
I am excited to Co-chair the Search Committee with Rebecca Elfring-Roberts. Our perspectives and skills complement each other. We are energized to find out where the congregation wants to go in its next chapter and to identify the new Rector who can lead us there.
Angie Allen
I've been a member of COS since the 1990's and have raised my two children with this community. The strength of our Catechesis and youth programs were a part of what drew us to COS and what has kept us around all this time. My husband and I were also married here and feel that our COS community is a huge and important part of our Chicago community. Over the years, I've been involved in the TTF group (Twenties Thirties and Forties) back in the day, helped support the ASP program, been a regular volunteer with Care for Friends, and have helped with Angel Food and Coffee Hours from time to time. I served on the Vestry from 2019 - 2022 and helped lead our most recent Capital Campaign to raise funds for the new Parish Hall.
Professionally, I have spent my career helping organizations and leaders grow. I have served on the leadership team of a successful growth company and spent over 25+ years as a leadership, change management and organizational effectiveness consultant. I currently have my own executive and team coaching business. My work has included stints in Human Resources and Talent Acquisition and I have expertise in all parts of the talent cycle including hiring, creating the right environment for success, and helping people grow. I'm happy to support this work at COS both because of my love for this community and because I feel my professional expertise may add a valuable perspective to this process.
Davi Bambino
Hello all, I’m Davi. I’m currently 26 years old, and was born and raised in Chicago. I am one of four children and I also have a nephew that I truly adore, Trysten. I was raised in the Baptist church and have chosen to move away from that dogma and find a true connection and curiosity with God and the universe around us. I have been at Church of Our Saviour since 2018, and I’m truly grateful to be a part of this parish. I volunteer here as a junior and senior high youth group leader. I’m also studying Early Childhood Administration, with hopes of becoming a principal. I am happy that I’m able to help move COS towards the future.
Peter Civetta
I first began attending COS in the early 1990s, and the church provided a home and sense of community that I had never experienced previously. After moving around the country, I returned to COS in 2003 with my two elementary aged children, Sophie and Eli. I have volunteered in the 6-9 and 9-12 atria since my return, and it has been a great blessing to experience the Holy Spirit with our amazing children and catechists. I have also been a lay preacher for a number of years.
I work as the Director of the Office of Undergraduate Research at Northwestern University as well as teaching as a faculty member in the Theater Department. I run a small non-profit children theater called the Extraordinarily Sophisticated Imagination Club, and I have taught preaching and performance at seminaries in the area.
COS has helped me to grow in my relationship with God and has enabled me to try and live out God’s call for me into the world, for which I am deeply grateful.
Alex Simmons
After searching for a new church community in the neighborhood, I found Church of our Saviour to be my church home in July of 2023. I have been a part of the Volunteer Choir and was a member of the Tuesday Morning Bible Study Series this past winter.
My professional career is in the corporate healthcare space. I work in Medicaid Project Management for CVS Health | Aetna.
I am so grateful for this opportunity to give back to Church of Our Savior and contribute to the succession of our community. I am honored to serve in the search for our new Rector.
Joel Spear
My wife, Cathleen Watt, and I joined Church of Our Saviour over 30 years ago. We began attending regularly after we moved into the Lincoln Park neighborhood with our first son, Jordan. Jordan and our second son, Ian, both attended The Catechesis of the Good Shephard and were confirmed at Church of Our Saviour. I served on the vestry about ten years ago. I was fortunate to have been involved in our youth service project to New Orleans where we helped rebuild a home damaged by a hurricane.
Professionally, I am an Infectious Disease physician. I practiced at nearby Saint Joseph Hospital for almost 30 years where I had a consultative medical practice and provided care for people impacted by HIV. My career spanned the HIV epidemic from the mid 1980s when it was a uniformly fatal illness to the current state of chronic disease management. I eventually became the Chief Medical Officer at Saint Joseph Hospital. I currently work for a health insurance company.
I am honored and excited to have a role in the selection of our new rector. Church of Our Saviour has a long history of dynamic leadership and service to our community. I look forward to helping to identify the next person to continue our ministry to the Lincoln Park community.
Helen Valkavich
My family and I have been members of Church of Our Saviour since 2011, joining after moving to Chicago from San Antonio, Texas. My daughter, Natalia, enjoyed the youth group and the ASP trip. I have been a member of the Vestry twice and an enthusiastic volunteer for Care for Friends as a cook and as pantry manager. I enjoy the fellowship of the COS “Retirement Club”, even though I am not yet retired.
I currently work for the Social Security Administration as an administrative law judge. Prior to this, I worked as an attorney for various governmental agencies in Illinois, Texas and Alaska. I have lived in twelve different states, attending churches in each, but found my forever church home at Church of Our Saviour. I look forward to working with the search committee.