Pella Opera House Board Member Biographies

Martin Wesemann is the Board Chair of the Pella Opera House and also serves on the facilities committee.  He has been the Director of Core Corporate Engineering for Pella Corporation since 2005 with over 22 years manufacturing and engineering experience. Martin?s wife, Natalie, also volunteers on the partner?s committee.  He also serves on the Marion County Habitat for Humanity building committee.  Martin, Natalie and their three sons live in Pella and enjoy playing cards, boating on Lake Red Rock, tennis and attending the children?s sporting events.    

Mark Wiskus is the Board Vice-Chair and has served on the Pella Opera House board for two years. He chairs the finance committee. He currently serves on the COC finance committee board and the local Kiwanis board. He is the past president of the Des Moines area Down Syndrome group and participates as a volunteer in the Special Olympics. Mark is one of the founding partners in a not-for-profit ?Partnership for Special Needs Families? that presents specialized free financial education and estate planning to families with a special needs children. Mark is a New York Life agent in Pella and works in Advanced Estate planning and Business succession. Mark and his wife, Christine, have two children and live in Pella

Davis Folkerts chairs the Programming Committee for the Opera House and has served for two years. Davis has served as organist and choir director at numerous churches across the Midwest and East coast, as well as serving as Professor of Music at Central College.

Chris Klein chairs the Pella Opera House?s Membership Committee and joined the board in May of 2007. She also serves on the Pella Historical Board, is Treasurer of P.E.O., local Chapter BU, and volunteers in the Pella community. Chris currently designs and sells jewelry for her home based business, Klein?s Designs. She enjoys spending time with her family, especially her grandchildren.

Larry Peterson chairs the Fundraising Committee of the Pella Opera House. Larry is an ordained pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. He has served as a pastor for over 28 years and as a counselor in psychiatric facilities in several states across the nation. Larry presently serves as the hospital chaplain at Pella Regional Health Center and hospice chaplain for Hospice of Pella. Larry is the Secretary/Treasurer of the Pella Ministerial Association, President of the Pella Good Samaritan Free Medical Clinic Board, and a member of the Red Rock Critical Incident Stress Management Team. Larry enjoys bicycling and with his wife Karin, attending their daughter Sarah?s dance and sporting activities.

Elaine Sagers is joining the Opera House board in the role of Marketing Committee Chair. Elaine has almost 30 years of Marketing experience with various national brands including L?eggs Pantyhose, Mattel Toys and now heads marketing and customer service at Pella Corporation. After living in North Carolina, Cincinnati, and Los Angeles, Elaine relocated to Pella with her family which includes two teenage children, Andrew and Jillian.

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