Fairmount isn’t led by any one person. We’re a democracy. We share leadership among members, pastors, and staff–working collaboratively to embody God’s love and reclaim our humanity.
Our People
Our Staff
Our staff are always happy to hear from you. You can contact them directly using the email or phone number by their profile. You can also learn more about them by clicking their image.
Not sure which staff member you need to contact? Email us at info@fpccle.org, and we will make sure you are put in contact with the correct staff member!
After growing up in the Chicago suburbs, Ryan attended Vanderbilt University where he met his wife, Amanda. They moved to Chicago when Ryan began studying at McCormick Theological Seminary.
Halfway through seminary, Ryan felt the Spirit calling him into community-based social justice ministry. Ryan graduated with a Master of Theological Studies and spent several years working in community organizing and public policy at two faith-based non-profits—Community Renewal Society and Interfaith Worker Justice. Ryan worked on a wide range of justice issues at the city, county, state, and federal levels, including violence prevention, education funding reform, wage theft, restorative justice, tax policy, re-entry and recidivism, and police reform.
In addition to Ryan’s community organizing experience, he also served five PC(USA) congregations—most recently as Associate Pastor for Faith Formation at the First Presbyterian Church of Libertyville in Illinois. Ryan loves every aspect of congregational ministry, but what he loves the most is the people. “The call of a pastor—to walk alongside people of all ages and backgrounds in their spiritual journeys—is a blessing that defies description.”
Ryan also has a strong entrepreneurial streak. He has been involved in three church plants in Chicago (including one that raised money by brewing beer), and over the past two years, has been working to foster connections between churches and social entrepreneurs. He’s served on the launch team for the Small Business Growth Initiative at the Lake County Community Foundation and is also the co-founder of The Spiritual Entrepreneurship Lab, an ecumenical project that aims to align the mission and resources of churches and social entrepreneurs to create new and innovative ways of doing church and business.
Ryan has served in other leadership roles to support the Church, including a term on the Mission Committee of the Chicago Presbytery during its relaunch, redesigning a model to distribute more than $250,000 each year in grants. Ryan has served on the Board of Directors for the Inclusive Collective, a progressive Christian campus ministry with a focus on serving LGBTQ young adults in Chicago. He is also a fellow at the Ecumenical Center for Clergy Spiritual Renewal at Holy Wisdom Monastery.
Rev. Lindsay Harren-Lewis is the Associate Pastor at Fairmount Presbyterian Church in Cleveland Heights, OH, where she has served since July 2018. She works closely with the Care and Serve Councils and has a passion for planning worship services.
Lindsay has served as a Hospital Chaplain at Albany Medical Center in Albany, NY (where she was ordained in 2008), Director of Family and Younger Children’s Ministry, as well as the Pastor for Pastoral Care at First Presbyterian Church in Allentown, PA. She has also served on Presbytery committees, the Mission Agency Board of the PC(USA), and the Board of Stony Point Center in New York State.
While not spending time with her husband and two young boys, Lindsay enjoys getting outside, making things, tending her indoor jungle, learning more amazing facts about whales, and trying to find a quiet moment to herself!
Rev. Genszler brings significant experience to the new combined role at Fairmount for our finances, building, human resources and worship life.
Many of you may recognize him as the former CEO of Lutheran Metropolitan Ministry (LMM). While he was there, LMM launched affordable housing and capital investment initiatives (including “Breaking New Ground,” which Fairmount supported). He was responsible for a staff of 140 and an $11 million annual budget. An ordained Lutheran pastor, Drew also served as Director of Advocacy for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), representing the church to Administrations, Congress, the United Nations, and the media. Most recently, Drew oversaw a $10 million endowment campaign and $3 million annual goal as Director of Legacy and Planned Giving for United Way of Greater Cleveland.
He is a chaplain in the US Navy Reserve and holds a Master’s degree in Christian Ethics from Oxford University. Drew and his partner, Alycia, live in Cleveland Heights and their children attended Fairmount Cooperative Preschool.
Since the age of thirteen, Jim Riggs has served as a church organist in congregations across Pennsylvania and Ohio, spanning several denominations. Most recently, he served for 25 years as Minister of Music and the Arts at Plymouth Church, UCC, in Shaker Heights.
Jim was raised in Central Pennsylvania and earned an Associate Degree in Business Management before discerning a call to church music. He went on to receive a BA in Sacred Music from Seton Hill University and a MA in Organ Performance from Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP).
He is an active member of the American Guild of Organists (AGO), having served as Dean and Sub-Dean of both the Seton Hill and Cleveland chapters. He currently serves on the Executive Committee of the Cleveland Chapter. Jim has also sung with the Baldwin Wallace Men’s Chorus and continues to play organ for their holiday concerts.
Jim is excited about the future at Fairmount and where God is calling the congregation in its music-making. Designing worship services where music and the spoken word are woven together is a deep passion of his. Having studied with noted American composer Alice Parker, he believes in the power of bringing people together through song and shared talents. His ministry celebrates communities of all ages and stages, and he looks forward to imagining new ways to use the Fairmount campus for worship, the arts, and the wider community. And of course, playing the amazing instruments at Fairmount is a true joy.
In his spare time, Jim enjoys being outdoors, gardening, and baking. He lives in University Heights with his partner, Scott, and their two beloved dachshunds, Gus and Giesela.
Kate is a proud graduate from the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism at Ohio University. Kate worked in strategic communications agencies following her undergraduate degree. While she enjoyed the multifaceted, creative, and fast-paced work life of PR, she found herself most fulfilled volunteering with kids at church.
In 2017 she took a leap from PR and accepted a call to full time ministry. She is thrilled to have the opportunity to serve FPC youth and adults on their faith formation journey. Kate also provides communications support at the Cleveland Ecumenical Institute for Religious Studies (CEIRS) and formerly served as Chairwoman of the Capital Campaign Board for United Protestant Campus Ministries (UPCaM). She is currently enrolled at Methodist Theological School in Ohio (MTSO) in pursuit of her Masters in Divinity.
In her free time, Kate enjoys yoga, trying new restaurants, hiking with her fiance, Jeremy, and their pitbull/boxer mix, Rowen. They also have three cats, which feels like infinite cats.
Kate Bouldin, M.Div.
she/her
Director of Youth & Young Adult Faith Formation
Christine Waters is accomplished, adaptable, and has worn many hats—beginning as a marketer in the dynamic music industry, moving into sales within an industry reshaped by technology, and later serving as an administrator, event planner, and project manager for non-profit organizations. At her core, Christine thrives on learning, evolving, acquiring new skills, and adapting to ever-changing technologies and work environments. After earning her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration/Marketing from The Ohio State University, she continued her professional development by becoming a Certified Associate of Project Management and earning a Social Media Management certification.
Outside of work, Christine devotes time to her other passions: fitness, hiking and biking through the local park system, caring for her beloved pets, gardening, exploring the city of Cleveland, and supporting causes close to her heart.
She also brings her strategic thinking to the world of sports, where she enjoys envisioning the perfect roster, crafting play calls to overcome a 4th quarter, 10-point deficit, and fine-tuning 9th inning and time-clock management for her favorite local teams.
Tyler Young serves as Fairmount’s Technical Coordinator. He joined the staff on August 23, 2023, bringing with him extensive experience in music, audio engineering, and media production. In this role, he oversees live production for weekly livestreamed worship services and special events, works with volunteers to film and record content for the church website and social media platforms, manages postproduction editing, and serves as the primary liaison with Fairmount’s A/V technology company.
Tyler holds a Doctor of Musical Arts and a Master of Music in Saxophone Performance from Michigan State University, as well as a Bachelor of Music in Saxophone Performance from Florida State University.
His professional background includes serving as Lead Audio Engineer at the National Repertory Orchestra, Score Reader at Apollo’s Fire Baroque Orchestra, and Audio Engineer at Michigan State University. He has also worked in numerous sound engineer, videographer, and co-producer roles for recorded artists. Tyler’s teaching experience spans positions as Visiting Professor at Alma College, Saxophone Instructor at the Flint Institute of Music, and Graduate Teaching Assistant at Michigan State University.
In addition to his technical and teaching work, Tyler has performed and competed widely, appearing across Ohio, North Carolina, Michigan, and internationally in Berlin.
Lisa is a second year student at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, working towards becoming an ordained pastor. Lisa lives in Stow with her husband, Jason, their two children Sam (17) and Raine (13), and their zoo – Sadie (dog), Everest and Dakota (cats), and Rethu (hamster). Before Lisa started seminary, she taught math at a juvenile correctional facility for 2 years, was a full time mom for 12, and then worked as the Faith Formation Coordinator for 2 years at Pioneer Memorial Presbyterian Church in Solon.
In Lisa’s words, “My path to ministry has been a winding one, but I’m excited to see what God has in store for me as I continue to explore what I am being called to do. In my free time, I enjoy listening to audiobooks, spending time outdoors, and crafting with yarn. I’m looking forward to spending the coming year learning all I can at Fairmount, and welcome your observations, recommendations, and prayers.”
Our Congregation
Fairmount is a spiritual community of several hundred people with a mix of different races, ethnicities, sexual orientations, citizenship statuses, genders, spiritual gifts, and theological views. We invite all Fairmounters to participate in shaping and leading our church in meaningful ways.
Our Session
Each year, we elect members of our congregation to lead us–individually we call them “elders” and collectively they are called the “Session.” Our Session (which also includes the installed pastors–who were also elected by the congregation) is responsible for making important decisions to keep us aligned with our church’s vision and values.
Our current Session members are:
- Vicki Mentrek
- Peter Scheid
- Ben Sperry
- Sarah Stone (Clerk of Session)
- Steve Chapman
- Nancy Gillombardo
- Jerry Parker
- Ruth Wasem
- Susan Wherley
- Peg Zitzner
- Ian Cameron
- Jim Crosby
Our Councils
We have four councils that report to our Session, each with a different ministry focus. These councils are led by elders and other Fairmounters. You can click on the council names below to learn more about their ministry.
The Admin Council
The Admin Council and its sub-committees are called to care for the resources of our church, including our staff, building, and finances.
The Care Council
The Care Council is called to care for our congregation.
The Faith Formation Council
The Faith Formation Council is called to support the spiritual growth of Fairmounters of all ages.
The Serve Council
The Serve Council is called to connect Fairmount with our wider community, including service, justice, and interfaith partnerships.
