Pastor James Thelen
Pastor Jim Thelen is honored to serve as the pastor of Marco Lutheran Church, where he is committed to sharing the Gospel and shepherding God’s people. With over 35 years of ministry experience, he takes great joy in proclaiming the love of Jesus and guiding others in their faith journey.
Pastor Jim has been blessed with a wonderful family. He and his wife, Kristin, have been married for 42 years and have seven children and 11 grandchildren. Their family has been a source of joy and a testament to God’s faithfulness.
As Marco Lutheran celebrates 50 years of sharing the Gospel, Pastor Jim is excited about what God has in store for the future. He looks forward to continuing the church’s mission of worship, service, and outreach—helping people grow in their relationship with Christ and one another. With a heart for ministry and a deep love for the Lord, he is eager to see how God will work through Marco Lutheran in the years to come as we participate, share and serve our Lord together!
Karen Kuhnly – Chair
Karen retired from her Vice President role after a 30-year career in banking. Karen and her husband Mark of over 40 years, spend winters in Fiddlers Creek and summers in Maple Grove, MN. In her retirement Karen operates a Mary Kay business and enjoys time with their six grandchildren.
She also volunteers for a second-grade class in the inner city at Trinity First Lutheran School when back in MN and at St Matthew’s House when in FL. Missions is an important piece to her faith and she is looking forward to serving in her new role on the Foundation.
Paul Gremel – Treasurer
Paul received a BS in Hospitality Management from Grand Valley State University near Grand Rapids Michigan in 1993. He later added several accounting courses at Florida Gulf Coast University upon re-locating to SW Florida. Paul has worked for Marriott International and now Marriott Vacations Worldwide since graduation in many finance capacities in 8 locations in Georgia and Florida. Previous Marriott locations include Miami (twice), Ft Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, Tampa, and Atlanta. Currently, he oversees operational finance for Marco Island and Caribbean locations for Marriott Vacations.
He has a B.A. in Guitar and Voice, with emphasis on Lyricism from Juniata College, a B.S. in Music Education from Penn State University, and a Master’s Degree in Teaching and Learning from Nova Southeastern University.
Paul lives full time on Marco Island with his wife and son since returning to the area with Marriott in 2009. They enjoy boating, fishing, volunteering at Marco Lutheran and spending time with close friends. Paul previously served as financial secretary for Marco Lutheran. Paul’s son is a proud member of the Lely High School marching band, and Paul and his wife volunteer during football games, other concerts, and participate on the board of the Lely Band Boosters.
Annette Bertelson – Secretary
Annette grew up in rural Nebraska and attended the University of Nebraska Medical Center. Upon graduating in 1978 with her BS in Nursing. She met her husband, Jeff. They married in 1979. Traveling with his firm/firms to various states for business, their final location before retiring in 2018 was Okaukee, WI.
Annette’s career focused on Critical Care, Administrative leadership for Trauma, Healthcare Quality, and teaching. She has served on state and national Trauma Boards. One of the greatest highlights of her career was lobbying in Washington, DC to increase awareness and funding for the healthcare system of care for the injured.
She served as Chair of the Board of Human Care at Marco Lutheran Church 2022-2025.
Kathy Berner – Financial Secretary
Kathy received her Associate in Science in 1978 from the University Wisconsin Center – Marathon County. With encouragement of her friends and family she received a BS in Science from National-Louis University College of Management and Business in 1997. Kathy had worked in accounting and statistics, but truly loved being an executive assistant at various organizations during her career. In February of 2022 she retired from IDEX Corporation where she spent almost 20 years.
Kathy and her husband Scott relocated to Naples in September of 2021 and live year round in Naples. They had been coming to SW Florida to visit family and friends for the last 20 years and love the warm weather. Coming from the Chicago area, Kathy likes to remind her northern friends it can be warm and humid in the summer, but at least you don’t have to shovel humidity. Previously they attended Living Christ Lutheran Church in Buffalo Grove, IL for 37 years and served in various positions. Kathy is currently serving as the president of Women of Marco which is a women’s group at Marco Lutheran.
Scott Loula – Investment Chair
Scott has lived most of child and adult years in MN and WI. Scott and his wife, Jan, spend winters at their home in Artesia, Naples and summers at their lake home in Balsam Lake, WI.
Scott earned a BA in Business Management from University of St. Thomas St at St. Paul, MN. Scott retired from Siemens Energy in 2016 after 38 years in the power, paper, oil, gas industries managing all clients activities in a multi-state territory.
Scott served as an HOA President in Woodbury, MN. He currently serves as an active member of Architectural Review Committee for Artesia HOA, Naples. After joining Marco Lutheran in 2019, Scott serves on MLC administrative and Finance Committee and is current Chairman of MLC Foundation Investment Committee.
Richard Ross – Development Chair
Richard grew up in Saginaw Michigan and attended Northern Michigan University in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula where he received a BS in Accounting and Finance. Upon graduation he returned to Saginaw and pursued a career at General Motors where he worked in various departments including Finance, Sales and Supply Management. He retired as Manager of Worldwide Indirect Purchasing.
He and his wife Vicki have been married more than 40 years and have one son who resides in Utah. Richard enjoys hunting, fishing, skiing, pickleball and cards. Richard and Vicki relocated to Naples in 2023 after wintering on Marco Island for several years.
Richard has served in various volunteer positions. Among them are President of the Lakeshore East Condominium at Higgins Lake, Michigan; Vice President and President of Good Shepherd Lutheran in Saginaw. Board member of the Good Shepherd Lutheran and Holy Cross Lutheran Foundations and member of Marco Lutheran’s Board of Lay Ministry. He is an Eagle Scout and has served in various roles in Scouting over the years.
He believes strongly in the good that Marco Lutheran’s Foundation does to share God’s love both locally and around the world and looks forward to using his talents to future that work.
