WELS Foundation Staff

WELS Foundation is headquartered in the WELS synod administration building located in Waukesha, Wis. Day-to-day operations are carried out by synod employees assigned to WELS Foundation.

James A. Holm, CFP®, accepted a call to serve as a WELS Christian giving counselor in 1996 and now serves as the executive director of WELS Foundation and WELS Investment Funds. Prior to joining WELS, Jim was a financial advisor with American Express Financial Services. He is a graduate from the College of Financial Planning and is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ certificant. In 2014 he received synod certification through the non-parish staff ministry program at Martin Luther College.

Contact Jim at [email protected] or 414-256-3206 with questions regarding WELS Foundation administration, policies and budgets, and how WELS Foundation can serve WELS members and ministries.

Kyle Bartsch joined WELS in 2024 as the program development and research administrator for WELS Foundation. He supports WELS Foundation by promoting WELS Foundation’s deferred giving instruments, assisting in facilitating complex gifts, researching new opportunities for giving instruments, and staying current with respect to rules and regulations related to deferred giving.

Prior to joining WELS, Kyle was a registered representative at Landaas & Company, a Milwaukee-based independent wealth advisor, and previously was an administrator for UMB Fund Services, a mutual fund servicing company.

Contact Kyle at [email protected] or 414-256-3212.

Kathleen Everson joined WELS in 2025 as the investor and donor services specialist for WELS Investment Funds and WELS Foundation.

Prior to joining WELS, she held various back-office operations positions with Allspring Global Investments, Wells Fargo Asset Management, and Strong Investments.

Contact Kathleen at [email protected] or 414-256-3207.

Megan Butz was hired in 2014 as the accounts payable specialist for the WELS finance team. In October 2021, she joined WELS Foundation as the donor services and gift administrator.

Prior to joining WELS, Megan worked at a local credit union as a teller and member service representative.

Contact Megan at [email protected] or 414-256-3262.

Diane Scherzberg is the marketing coordinator for WELS Foundation, WELS Investment Funds, and WELS Church Extension Fund. She oversees communication efforts, including website content, e-mail broadcasts, electronic and print communication, webinars, direct mail, event presence, and communication with WELS organizations.

With more than 25 years of experience in marketing, Diane has a strong background in content creation and branding. Diane holds a BBA in marketing with a minor in economics from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and an associate degree in marketing from Madison Area Technical College.

Contact Diane at [email protected] or 414-256-3230.

The information contained on this website is not intended as legal advice. For legal and tax advice, WELS Foundation encourages you to consult an attorney or tax professional. The figures cited in the examples on this website are for hypothetical purposes only and are subject to change. References to estate and income tax include federal taxes only. Individual state taxes and/or state law may impact your results.