Alicia and Bob are parents of Mara Anderson-Skelly who is a first-year student in Environmental Studies and Identity Studies.  Mara sings in Aurora and is also taking piano lessons.  In Fall 2021, she was one of the Raptor Resource Project interns, catching and tagging birds of prey, and is now a Sustainability Intern, working on various projects on campus. 

Alicia graduated from Luther (1986) and serves as campus minister at Penn State with an ELCA campus ministry.  Originally from the Chicago area, she has lived in Pennsylvania for more than 25 years now.  In her free time, she likes to bike, walk and train her dogs (Aspen and Lola), listen to podcasts, read biographies, and watch PBS documentaries.  She enjoys knitting simple socks and hats, and baking bread. 

Bob is from rural Pennsylvania and recently retired from his career as a clinical psychologist.  He enjoys spending time outdoors hobby farming and volunteering with Meals on Wheels.  He reads non-fiction, history and current events, enjoys biking and projects around the house. 

Luther has been part of family life for many years.  They regularly spend time in Decorah in the summer, biking the Trout Run Trail, enjoying pizza and ice cream, and getting together with friends.  Their older daughter Jessa Anderson-Reitz and lives in St Paul.  Jessa and her husband, Luke Hanson, are Luther graduates (2014) and help transport or host Mara for school breaks or trips to the airport.  

Ami Berger and Brian Lindeman are the parents of Noah Lindeman, a current first-year student at Luther with interests in exercise science, data science, economics, intramural basketball, and hanging out in Ylvy with his friends. Ami and Brian live in St. Paul, Minnesota, and are thrilled to be officially part of the Luther family, as they have many family members and friends who are Luther alums. Their family also includes Noah’s younger brother Aaron, a current high-school junior, and Macy, a somewhat overweight Wheaten Terrier.

Ami is the Director of Communications at St. Paul Academy and Summit School, a private K-12 school in St. Paul, and also serves on the Board of Directors for the Minnesota Jewish Community Center as the Vice President for Communications. She is a graduate of Bates College (BA ’92) and the University of Virginia (MA ’95). Brian is the Associate Vice President for Admissions and Financial Aid at Macalester College, which is also his alma mater (BA ’89). Before returning to Macalester, Brian served in financial aid and admissions roles at Buena Vista College, Smith College, and Oberlin College.

Jenny is the mom of Ethan, a first-year student at Luther College. She lives in Great Falls, Montana with her husband where they are trying to get used to an empty nest and having both their sons far away in the Midwest. Buying cross country skis seems to have helped, as did a trip to Decorah last December to see Christmas at Luther!

For work, Jenny serves as the Director of the Northern Rockies Institute of Theology, a continuing education arm of the Lutheran Church, ELCA in Montana. She is also a freelance writer for various publications in the state. For fun, Jenny loves to spend time outside, walking and hiking, as well as time inside, reading and writing.

Through her experience as a parent of a Norse, Jenny has become a big fan of Luther College.

Hello we are the "Stoutners". Cory, Christin, Carli and Hannah (first-year student). We live in the small city of Whitehall, Wis. Cory teaches Special Education at the local high school and Christin manages a local insurance agency. Carli is a fourth-year student at UW-Stout, majoring in Hospitality and Tourism.

We have thoroughly been impressed with the campus and community here at Luther College. Hannah has settled in and has found her new home. Hannah is a communications major,though she is very active in the music community choir, Concert Band, and orchestra. As a family we enjoy musical theater, singing in the car, eating fabulous food but most importantly spending time together.

Cory enjoys golfing, reading a good book, and usually has a rack of ribs smoking in the smoker. Christin enjoys attending Broadway productions, volunteering in multiple organizations, and cooking alongside Cory. We are empty nesters besides the two puppies we acquired once Hannah left home. We were always present in our girls' high school careers and with Hannah's permission we are happy to continue to serve with the Parents and Family Council here at Luther College.

Chad and Melissa (Bonikowske) Thomley are the proud parents to Luther students Anna Thomley (Class of 2023) and Allison Thomley (Class of 2025). Anna is majoring in Data Science and minoring in Spanish and Management.  She is a member of the Luther College Swim and Dive team and has been captain her junior and senior years.  She also plays trumpet in the Symphonic Band and Trumpet Studio.  She is a member of SAAC (Student Athlete Advisory Committee) and is a student worker in the alumni office.  Allison is majoring in Visual Communications and minoring in Art.  She is a member of the Luther College Track and Field Team.

Chad is a Wealth Advisor for Thrivent Financial.  He graduated with a B.A. from Luther College (’92) double majoring in Mathematics and Management.  He has his Master of Science in Financial Services degree from The American College.  Chad is an avid Packers, Brewers, Bucks, and Badger fan.  He also sings and plays piano in a praise band at our church, Good Shepherd Lutheran in Madison, Wis.

Melissa was a high school math teacher and instructional math coach.  She graduated with a B.A. from Luther College (’93) majoring in Mathematics with minors in Computer Science and German.  She has a M.A. in Educational Technology from California Polytechnic State University, Pomona.  Melissa enjoys crafting, cooking and walking outside.

Both originally from Wisconsin, after graduation from Luther, Chad and Melissa moved to Southern California.  They moved back to Madison in 2003 to raise their daughters.  In their spare time they enjoy traveling and attending their daughters’ swim and track meets.  They have had the opportunity to connect with parent alumni of current students and form new friendships with other parents of athletes on the swim and track teams.  Although they visited Luther while living in Southern California, they appreciate the closer proximity to Decorah allowing them frequent visits for family weekend, homecoming, Christmas at Luther and band concerts. 

Karin Trail-Johnson is a parent to Elise, a Luther first-year student. On a recent visit to campus it was exciting to see how Elise is fully immersing herself in the small liberal arts college experience and also connecting with the dynamic town of Decorah. She has found faculty eager to engage with students, made friends from places near and far, enjoys her student employment job and choir as well as other co-curriculars. Decorah has become a second home with a welcoming downtown, events and places to experience the beauty of the natural world.

Karin has worked as a higher education administrator for over 30 years and has a deep commitment to the transformative influence small liberal arts colleges can have on students and communities. Thankfully, Luther is a place that nurtures a holistic, student-centered approach to learning.

Karin would love to talk with others interested in supporting students in thriving and building a sense of belonging to the Luther community for students and parents. Besides working in higher education, personally, Elise is her third child to attend college so the transitions towards empty nesting is also a welcome conversation! Karin and her husband, Doug, live in St. Paul Minnesota.