Jon is a native of Washington State with years of experience in large churches across the U.S. After studying religion at a small liberal arts college in Ohio, he made his way to Texas to serve as a youth director at Highland Park Presbyterian Church in Dallas. Following nearly six years in Dallas, Jon attended Princeton Theological Seminary, earning a Master of Divinity and M.A. in Christian Education. For eight years, Jon served as Associate Pastor of Discipleship at Covenant Presbyterian Church in Austin, TX.
Jon is married to Abby, and they have two sons, Thomas and Eliot. Jon is an avid trail runner, cyclist, outdoor enthusiast, newsletter subscriber, and devoted Arsenal fan.
Anna sensed her call to ministry while studying psychology at Hope College. She got her Master of Divinity at Princeton Theological Seminary after which she worked in the Milwaukee area as a college chaplain at Carroll University and a pastoral staff member at Crossroads Presbyterian Church. Anna’s passion for ministry lies in offering compassionate pastoral care and teaching and leading others in contemplative spiritual practices.
In her spare time, you can find Anna exploring local trails and trying new restaurants with her fiancé, Thomas. She’d love to connect with you over a cup of Earl Grey Tea.
Frank has enjoyed a long and multifaceted career in the financial services industry. He retired from J.P. Morgan Chase after a 23 year career, having served in senior positions in Chicago, Hong Kong and London. He has served as CFO and Treasurer for a number of private and public corporations. He also served on the board and audit and risk committee of Discover Bank for 13 years.
Ordained as a Deacon at Noroton Presbyterian Church in Darien, CT in 1979, Frank joined First Church in 1987. He has been active in the non-profit space, having served as an officer and board member for the Lake Forest/Lake Bluff United Way, the Spirit of 67 Foundation, and the CROYA Foundation. At First Church he has been a member of the Finance Committee since 2008, and served as Treasurer of the Church from 2019 to 2024.
Frank is an avid golfer and collector of Chinese porcelain. He resides in Lake Forest with his wife Jane. They have two adult children, Scott and Anne, who live in Winnetka and Los Angeles, respectively, and 4 grandchildren.
Garrett Dee is our Mission Director.
Suzie has been a part of the field of early childhood for the past 25 years as both a Preschool and Kindergarten teacher. Her entire career was spent at the Gertrude B. Nielsen Child Care and Learning Center in Northbrook, IL. She became the coordinator of both programs 8 years ago. Working with staff, families and children has been so fulfilling and something she is incredibly proud of. She feels honored to become a part of The First Presbyterian Preschool. Its reputation and long standing history in the community she grew up in makes her proud to join its staff and to work with its dedicated teachers and supportive families during the upcoming school year. When she is not at school, she enjoys spending time with her family, has a knack for woodworking and is a volunteer for CASA of Lake County.
Dr. Robert McConnell has built a dynamic career as a conductor, organist, and composer. He has conducted performances of Bach’s St. Matthew Passion with the Calyx Vocal Ensemble, the St. John Passion with the Oregon Bach Festival, and has appeared as a guest conductor with the Joffrey Ballet, Lyric Opera of Chicago’s Opera in the Neighborhoods Program, Door County’s Peninsula Music Festival, the DePaul School of Music Opera Theater, and the Northwestern Opera Theater. As an organist, Robert has performed with the Grant Park Music Festival, Chicago’s Music of the Baroque, and the Bach Week Festival Orchestra. As a sacred musician, Robert has served as Music Director of St. John’s Lutheran Church of Wilmette, Associate Organist at Church of the Holy Spirit in Lake Forest, and currently serves as the High Holy Days Conductor and Organist at KAM Isaiah Israel in Hyde Park. He is a graduate of Northwestern’s Bienen School of Music where he studied conducting with Victor Yampolsky, composition with Augusta Read Thomas, and organ with Margaret Kemper.
Sarah Seccombe has been on staff at First Presbyterian Church since October 2006 in a variety of roles including Family Faith Formation Assistant and Sunday School Superintendent, coordinating events for children, youth and families. Sarah studied child development at Southeast Missouri State University, received her Bachelors of Arts in 2016 from National Louis University and looks forward to continuing her education. She is excited to take this next step and continue working with the children and families that make up our church community. Having lived in the Lake Forest and Lake Bluff communities for over 25 years, she now resides in Spring Grove with her father and shih tzu-poodle mix, Wrigley.
Karla Finley has recently joined First Presbyterian Church of Lake Forest as Executive Assistant to Senior Pastor Jon Wasson. Karla brings 20 years’ experience in higher education administration to the role, having worked for the past 12 years at Lake Forest College in faculty support and more recently as executive assistant to the Vice President for Advancement. Prior to work at the College, Karla was Director of Development Special Events at Northwestern University, where she managed the University president’s entertaining along with all hosted fundraising events. Karla has served as a Deacon at the First Presbyterian Church of Deerfield, where she has been an active member for the past 27 years, and was chair of Deerfield’s Christian Beginnings preschool council. Having spent most of her childhood in Lake Forest, Karla returned to the community in 2005 with her husband Gary and two daughters. Karla is thrilled to have been welcomed back to the Church where she was confirmed in 8th grade and participated during high school as a Sunday School kindergarten teaching assistant.
Patrick has been married for 21 years and has two children in college. He has completed an MBA from University of Phoenix and has completed graduate work at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He also has a Bachelor degree in Accounting from Western Michigan University. In his spare time he enjoys doing home improvement projects around the house.
