Rev. Laura Baumgartner (she/her) – Chair
Laura serves as Pastor at Haller Lake United Methodist Church in Seattle, WA. She first worked with Earth Ministry/WAIPL as an intern during her seminary program and has been part of faith-based environmental efforts ever since.
Laura has lived all over the United States, from Boston to Oakland, and many places in between. She has an undergraduate degree in Chemistry from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Master’s degrees in Environmental Engineering from the Illinois Institute of Technology and in Divinity from Seattle University. Laura is married to her husband Eric and they have a high school aged daughter, Grace and a very fluffy dog, Calvin. She loves to walk, swim, read, and bake.
Andrea Mendoza (she/her) – Treasurer
Andrea Mendoza is in her fifth year serving as the Pastoral Assistant for Social Outreach and Advocacy for the Catholic parish of St. John the Baptist located in Covington, WA. In this role she oversees all of the outreach and justice efforts in the parish and within the past few years have helped launch a Creation Care ministry which has been incredibly active in its short existence. Andrea previously spent several years working for Catholic Community Services of Western Washington in a number of roles.
While Andrea have long had a heart for caring for creation, 2020 was a pivotal moment for her ecological conversion. Immediately prior to the widespread shutdown in March, she had the opportunity to travel to Guatemala with a group from her faith community to a sister parish they have had a longstanding relationship with. Although she had visited Guatemala multiple times before, this was the first time she truly experienced the impact of climate change on their subsistence farming. During the spring of 2020, she discovered Laudato Si’ Movement (then Global Catholic Climate Movement) and enrolled in their Laudato Si’ Animators course, having the opportunity to more intentionally spend time with Pope Francis’ encyclical.
The idea of the interconnectedness of all people and all of creation resonates deeply with Andrea and shapes how she strives to live her life and the ministries she is involved with.
Janet Farness (she/her)
A California native, Janet is currently living in Liberty Lake, WA. Janet lived in Bellevue, WA for almost 20 years and was active with Holy Cross Lutheran helping to found Orchard Gardens on the church property – a learning and growing community that transformed grass into food and community. Holy Cross Lutheran was an active Greening Congregation, partnering with and benefitting from Earth Ministry/WAIPL’s guidance and leadership. She also helped to found Bellevue’s Backpack Meals for Kids which is celebrating its 10th anniversary. In Eastern Washington she is a member of St. Mark’s Lutheran where she partnered with Pastor Edwin Weber to create the Stewards of Creation team that began its journey as a Earth Ministry/WAIPL Greening Congregation. Janet came to the Northwest as the Strategic Research Director for The Seattle Times and she was also the founding Executive Director for Friends of Lake Sammamish State Park in Issaquah before moving east. Janet’s purpose is to partner with the sacred in the healing of the environment and nurture other individuals and communities to find their calling to stewardship of creation. She is a big fan of Earth Ministry/WAIPL and eager to collaborate on its continued call to engage communities and individuals to advance environmental wholeness.
Rev. Victoria Poling (she/her)
Victoria is originally from Seattle. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Forest Resources, a Certificate of Nonprofit Management from the University of Washington, and a Master of Divinity from Seattle University. She brings 15 years of experience working with nonprofits as an outdoor environmental educator, tall ship sailor, program director, fundraiser, and board member. Victoria is a candidate for ministry in the Unitarian Universalist tradition and preaches in congregations around the Salish Sea and beyond. Her call to ministry includes chaplaining organizations in transition. She enjoys hiking, writing, and spending time with her friend-family in Seattle. Victoria is a member of Quimper Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in Port Townsend, WA.
Naghmana Sherazi (she/her)
Naghmana Sherazi is a scientist, an educator, a medical professional and a community leader; she has an MA in English, as well as a BA in Economics from Karachi University, Karachi, Pakistan; an AS in Biotechnology from San Jacinto Community College, Houston TX, and a second BS in Cytogenetic Technology from UT MD Anderson Cancer Center School of Health Professions, Houston, TX. She is an émigré from Pakistan, and moved to Spokane ten years ago. She serves on the boards of Peace and Justice Action League of Spokane (PJALS), Refugee and Immigrant Connections Spokane, Spokane Women Together, Greater Spokane Progress, Spokane Coalition of Color, and Asian Pacific Islander Coalition – Spokane, and is on the steering committee of the Sustainability Action Subcommittee of the Spokane City Council; she also co-chairs Greater Spokane Action, Muslims for Community Action and Support (MCAS) and Sisterhood of Salaam Shalom Spokane Chapter. She is a columnist with Spokane FaVS – a faith-based internet publication, and writes their ‘Ask a Muslim’ column
Naghmana is a single mother and loves to connect with people on the basis of food, music, culture, art, ethnicity, religion, and climate and social justice issues. She ran for City Council from District 1 in Spokane twice, won in the primary but did not win in the General election the second time, raising almost a $100,000 and made history by unionizing her campaign, the first campaign on the East side of the Cascades to do so. She also made history by being the first Muslim, immigrant woman of South Asian descent to run for office and win in a primary in Spokane City. She currently works full time as Climate Justice Program Director at The Lands Council and part as DEI Director for the Spokane Low Income Housing Consortium. She believes in policy work based on community and strives to bring underrepresented and marginalized voices to the forefront.
Rabbi Molly Weisel (she/her)
Rabbi Molly Weisel is the Senior Rabbi at Temple B’nai Torah in Bellevue. She attended rabbinical school at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Los Angeles. While there, she pursued her interest in the intersection of Judaism and the environment, writing her rabbinic thesis on the topic of “Implementing Green Theology in Reform Synagogues.” Rabbi Molly spent her summers working for URJ Camp Kalsman, Adamah Adventures, a Jewish outdoor adventure camp, and interning as a hospice chaplain.
During rabbinical school, Rabbi Molly took an extra year to earn her Masters in Jewish Education. During that year she wrote a curriculum guide for adult learning on the topic of “Intentional Living: Refining Your Beliefs and Realigning Your Actions” as well as co-creating a philanthropy curriculum guide for teens.
In her most recent role as Director of Education at Peninsula Temple Sholom in Burlingame, California, Rabbi Molly was a creative educator and capable administrator who led their school of 250 students through a time of transition and transformation. She also ran the B’nai Mitzvah program and loves to chant Torah and lead text study.
Deaconess Katrina Martich (she/her)
Katrina Martich is on a life-long journey of learning to be a loving member of the community of creation. The journey led her to a career as an environmental engineer, and then in 2019, to consecration by the Lutheran Diaconal Association. Katrina’s ministry serves people who want to practice the spiritual discipline of creation care. She draws upon both theology and engineering to help people wrestle with why we live the way we do, how our faith traditions call us to live, and what practices of creation care and eco-justice contribute to a more just way of life on Earth.
Katrina grew up in Ohio, Wisconsin, and Alabama. She has an undergraduate degree in agricultural engineering from Auburn University and a master’s degree in engineering from the University of Texas at Arlington, specializing in water quality. She’s worked in many places, with favorites being El Paso, TX and Gallup, NM. Katrina fell in love with Spokane when traveling through it on a trip to Glacier National Park. She recently moved to Spokane with her spouse, where she’s a member of Salem Lutheran Church. Katrina finds spiritual restoration in nurturing native plants and creatures on the lot where she lives. In her free time, Katrina enjoys hiking/walking, bird watching, caring for cats, and playing percussion.
Rev. Dr. Kara Markell
(she/her)
Rev. Dr. Markell currently serves as the Assistant Director of Seattle University’s Center for Ecumenical and Interreligious Engagement, a position that brings together her gifts as an educator and public teaching theologian. Her theological roots are nourished by feminist and liberation studies, ecumenical and inter-spiritual exploration, Celtic Christianity and Eco-Spirituality. She actively seeks opportunities to learn from wisdom traditions, gaining new fluencies in religious literacy and interreligious connections.
Kara has served in congregational ministry, as an ordained minister in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), as well as national and regional boards and committees. She is also the spiritual guide for Evergreen Wild Church, based in Kirkland, WA. Kara’s research and writing in adaptive leadership explore the wild edges of religious expression and the intersectional nature of adaptive change. Kara earned her Master of Divinity from Brite Divinity School and is ordained in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). Kara is a life-long educator, earning her BS in Teaching from Minnesota State University and a Master of Music from the Conservatory of Music at University of Missouri – Kansas City.
As an educator, Kara excels in curriculum development and implementation. She is a gifted mentor who delights in nurturing future leaders. As a systems-thinker she brings creativity, curiosity and skill to developing and implementing dynamic learning opportunities, spiritual gatherings, liturgical resources, retreats and academic programs. Kara is a regular consultant and coach for religious communities seeking new ways to adapt to today’s religious landscape.