Lay Leadership
Our Lay Leadership is comprised of our Senior Warden, our Junior Warden, our Treasurer, our Clerk, and seven other Vestry Members. Each lay leader, other than the Treasurer, is the Liaison to one of our Ten Areas of Ministry.
Richard Shields, Treasurer
Richard started attending St. Barnabas as a college student in the early 1970’s when St. Barnabas was a mission church in the diocese. He met his wife Cari during coffee hour and they were married at St. Barnabas in 1978, after which they moved to New England for nearly 10 years. In 1987, they returned to Glen Ellyn and raised our three children here. Cari and I became involved in various activities including youth formation, mission trips, outreach, vestry, and choir. Both Cari and I have served terms as Sr. Warden, and I am currently parish treasurer while remaining active in the choir & worship consort. Cari and I have also helped lead monthly Taizé Prayer services for more than 20 years.
Suzanne Scott, Clerk,
Outreach Liaison
Suzanne is a cradle Episcopalian. She has been a member of St. Barnabas since 2009. She has been involved in various ministries at St. Barnabas. She currently is a member of the music consort where she plays the recorder. She also serves as Vestry clerk and is the vestry ministry liaison to the Outreach committee. She lives in Aurora, IL with her husband andtwo sons.
Liz Hilsen, PDO
Liz joined St. Barnabas in mid-2023 after a wonderful experience in the Parents’ Day Out (PDO) program. Liz and Brian moved to Glen Ellyn from the city and found a welcoming church home at St. Barnabas! My husband, Brian, and I, along with our sons, Bobby and Hank, are grateful to be part of this community. She currently serve as the liaison to the PDO program and help oversee and organize the nursery.
Pat O’Connor, Hospitality/ Community Life
As a cradle Episcopalian, Pat was baptized at St. Ann’s Episcopal Church in Woodstock, IL on January 13th, 1955. When she was 2, her family moved to Riverside, IL and attended St. Paul’s Episcopal Church. When her family moved to LaGrange, IL, she attended Emmanuel Episcopal Church and participated in the choir and the youth group until moving to Bettendorf, IA her senior year of high school. Following nursing school in Moline, IL, she returned to the suburbs of Chicago and was married at St. Paul’s in Riverside. When she and her husband bought their first home in Westmont, she attended St. Andrew’s Church in Downers Grove. She became a member of St. Barnabas after moving to Wheaton in August 1985.
She served as a Sunday school teacher at St Barnabas through June 1986 until the following fall, when St. Barnabas started the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd program. She became a Catechist in 1987, serving students in the 3-6 classroom until 2017.
Most recently she joined the Memorial Garden Committee 2024 and the Vestry in 2025. She represents the Hospitality/Community Life Ministry.
Mark Slaven, Technology
Mark Slaven has been attending St. Barnabas with his family since the fall of 2022. He and his wife Maureen have three children. Their sons, Joe and Anthony, attend and serve regularly. Their daughter, Sarah, attends college in Ohio, graduating in May of 2026. He said that he and his wife have always sought to plant seeds of faith with our children at home and at churches they have attended, which include Willow Creek and Church of the Resurrection prior to attending St. Barnabas. Mark considers himself a follower of Christ but never committed to a particular denomination.
For vocation, he has careers in Marketing/Sales and Technology. For almost 3 decades, he has delivered technological solutions to larger international organizations. Most recently, as Director of Product Software Engineering at WoltersKluwer, it is that experience I drawn upon leading the Technology Ministry.
He has served as a Scout leader since his sons joined Boy Scouts in first grade. he has held almost all unit level positions which is why he was pleased to assume the role of Charter Organization Representative for St. Barnabas, which is the liaison between St. Barnabas and Scouting America, the current name of what many people know as the Boy Scouts of America.
He feels blessed to be able to do things he enjoys, including traveling with his family, camping, and exploring new cuisines. His main hobby is fishing and he never seems to get enough time to use all of the equipment he has accumulated over time.
Lora Wiens, Music
Lora Wiens grew up the daughter of Music Ministry and a Nurse turned Psychologist as the oldest of 4 sisters. She started attending St. Barnabas in 2002 after she moved to the Chicago area to get her doctorate in Clinical Psychology. In the Spring of 2004, she started dating the woman who is now her wife and the Music Director at St. Barnabas, Cathy Kuna. Lora and Cathy live in Carol Stream with their beloved dog. Jax. She’s been in the choir for most of the time she’s attended St. Barnabas and for the last 10 years, she’s played percussion and occasionally the piano. She enjoys planning and participating in a range of community events, including the Artist Series and the Encouragement Group. She’s happy to serve in the Vestry currently as the Liaison for the Music Program at St. Barnabas.