Administration & Financial Services Team
David Robinson joined the Indiana Conference office in December 2021. He has 30 years of finance experience in not for profit and the public sector. Most recently David served 10 years as the CFO of an Episcopal Diocese.
He began volunteering in his church at an early age and was appointed assistant church treasurer at nineteen while in college at Xavier University. David enjoys teaching church finance. He has written articles and led several national workshops on church administration.
He jokes his formation began watching the deacons at his Baptist church and now has a career in church work. He has mused writing a book on church administration citing stories from ‘those old deacons’.
When not at work he sings in a community gospel choir. He and his wife like to travel with their children to sporting competitions .
Heidi Harding has worked with the Conference for over 20 years, gaining experience in budgeting, church finances, and clergy taxes. As the Associate Director of Financial Services, she leads the finance team in its daily operations at the Conference level. She is enthusiastic about assisting churches in their financial journey; be it transitioning to new accounting software, understanding clergy taxation, or working with year-end reporting. Heidi has a son in the Army and is a proud grandmother. Outside of the office, Heidi enjoys kayaking, hiking, and camping.
Emily grew up in New Albany, IN, where she attended Main Street UMC. After high school, she attended Indiana University in Bloomington where she majored in Non-Profit Management in the School of Public and Environmental Affairs. While there Emily completed an internship with Outdoor Ministries in the South Indiana Conference. Post graduation, Emily worked for the March of Dimes in Lexington, KY. In 2010 she moved to Indianapolis and began work with the Indiana Conference, moving into the role of Camp Registrar in 2011. As Camp Registrar and Finance Assistant, she strives to make camp registration a smooth process for everyone and to help people find the site that best suits the needs of their camper or retreat group. She is passionate about advancing camp attendance and has been since her days as a camper when she invited friends to attend with her. Emily and her husband, Chris, were married in 2006. They have a four-year-old son and a dog who thinks she’s a person. In her free time, Emily enjoys watching the Indianapolis Colts and “NerdyTV.” She co-hosts a Bible study in her home and is a part of the mom’s group at Center UMC where she attends church. Emily has volunteered as a counselor for a week of senior high camp at Indicoso since 2005 and a few years later became one of the co-directors for that event.
Roscel S. Carandang serves as Conference Assistant for the Annual Conference in the Administration and Financial Ministries Team. She brings with her more than 30 years of administrative experience, in addition to many years in event coordination, media coordination, Web development and design, graphic design, fund development, community organizing and ministry outreach. Always interested in making this world a better place for the growth of God’s kingdom, she volunteers and supports many local not-for-profits from women/family/homeless shelters, feeding the hungry, environmental concerns to animal rescue.
Born in the Philippines and a lifelong Hoosier, Roscel comes from a very large, close-knit Filipino family. She says she attributes her deep love for the Lord from being taught to lead a prayerful life by her grandmother and mother. She is aware that all her talents are God-given and is excited to apply them to promote ministry at the Indiana Conference in making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. She lives daily by this Scripture: “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6).
Born in the Philippines and a lifelong Hoosier, Roscel comes from a very large, close-knit Filipino family. She says she attributes her deep love for the Lord from being taught to lead a prayerful life by her grandmother and mother. She is aware that all her talents are God-given and is excited to apply them to promote ministry at the Indiana Conference in making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. She lives daily by this Scripture: “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6).
Jonathan Gerber, MBA, has worked in the Finance and Accounting industry for over 10 years and has expertise in asset management, accounting, and financial analysis. Prior to working in Finance and Accounting, Jonathan was a Human Resources Manager in the United States Navy for 4 years. As a seasoned Financial expert, he is passionate about advancing both professionally and personally; in the Fall of 2021 he Graduated from Butler University with a Master’s of Business Administration Degree with a Concentration in Entrepreneurship & Innovation. He is constantly striving for excellence in all aspects of his career and is passionate about helping the Conference in moving discontinued churches, parsonages, and other real estate. On a daily basis Jonathan enjoys reading the Wall Street Journal as well as other various periodicals relating to real estate, finance, and accounting. In Jonathan’s free time, he can be spotted as a captain of an ice hockey team teaching other adults how to play hockey and on the golf course attempting to score pars.
Brenda Gross joined the Indiana Conference Office as a Conference Assistant on January 4, 2010. She has almost 40 years of administrative experience gained from working in many different fields, ranging from airline maintenance to advertising. Currently, she assists the Church Development Team and deals mostly with the IMPACT and ADAPT programs. She is a graduate of the Krannert School of Management at Purdue University and is an avid Boilermaker sports fan. Her husband, Abbey, works for Indiana Farm Bureau Insurance as a field underwriter. They have two adult children, Amanda, a Physical Therapist, and Jackie, an attorney. She is a member of Chapel Hill United Methodist Church in Indianapolis.
Anne Hayton has been employed by the Indiana Conference since 2010 and her current positon is Accountant. Anne has a long work history with churches, including Presbyterian, Christian, and Lutheran where she has been a Bookkeeper, Assistant to the Controller, and Finance Administrator. Anne holds a degree in Accounting from the University of Phoenix and specializes in stream-lining archaic processes with modern practices and is also known for her attention to detail.
Anne feels she has been able to use her previous experiences working in church offices as a way to relate to Treasurer’s at the Indiana Conference, knowing that many are volunteers and not full-time paid staff. She is always eager to help them in any way possible.
Anne is a lifelong member of Connection Pointe Christian Church and is an active small group leader in Student Ministries. She has been leading her current group since they were in the 6th grade and now they are seniors. Anne’s passion is to help mold and create strong Christian Leaders for the next generation.
Anne’s claim to fame is being an “extra” in the movie Hoosiers when it was being filmed in her hometown of Brownsburg, Indiana. In her spare time Anne loves to be outdoors, spend time in her woodworking shop, and taking short weekend trips with her husband of over 26 years.
Anne feels she has been able to use her previous experiences working in church offices as a way to relate to Treasurer’s at the Indiana Conference, knowing that many are volunteers and not full-time paid staff. She is always eager to help them in any way possible.
Anne is a lifelong member of Connection Pointe Christian Church and is an active small group leader in Student Ministries. She has been leading her current group since they were in the 6th grade and now they are seniors. Anne’s passion is to help mold and create strong Christian Leaders for the next generation.
Anne’s claim to fame is being an “extra” in the movie Hoosiers when it was being filmed in her hometown of Brownsburg, Indiana. In her spare time Anne loves to be outdoors, spend time in her woodworking shop, and taking short weekend trips with her husband of over 26 years.
Elsie Miller began her career with the former South Indiana Conference of the United Methodist Church in 2004. She was hired as a contract worker entering data in the Conference database. After being asked to join the Conference team permanently, Elsie worked with leaders in Church Development, missions, ministry, and database management. Currently working as a business analyst for the Indiana Conference of the United Methodist Church, she is relied upon to maintain the non‐financial side of the Conference database, answer procedural questions, and work with software designers and programmers. Elsie is proud to call Indiana home and enjoys spending time with family and the great outdoors.
Growing up in the Mt. Olive United Methodist Church, Ruth Ellen Needler regularly attended our church camps. From her first experience at Camp Lakewood to dedicating her life to Christ at Camp Adventure to experiencing fun and community with her youth group at Epworth Forest, the camping ministry holds a special place in her heart. Shortly after graduating high school, Ruth Ellen started working for the former Northern Indiana Conference and it was especially meaningful when she became the camp registrar a few years later helping other campers and their parents attend our life-changing church camps. For over 40 years, Ruth Ellen has worked for the former North Indiana Conference and has continued that service for the Indiana Conference.She is currently the Associate Director for Administrative Services. While raising 3 sons, Ruth Ellen and her husband became very involved with sporting activities from running their local Little League baseball organization top residing over high school football parents to organizing concession stands for all sports. After their sons graduated high school, they continued cheering from the sidelines watching them play football and baseball at the college level. In her spare time, Ruth Ellen enjoys remodeling homes with her husband, watching sports, traveling and spending time with friends and family – especially her granddaughters.
Laura Santos joined the Indiana Conference in May 2011 as a part-time Conference Assistant with the Administration team. She also assisted the BOOM, Church Development, Camping, and Financial teams. She currently works with the Finance team in Accounts Payable. Laura was born in the Philippines and holds a BS in Elementary Education. She came to the United States in 1973 with her husband and two sons. She worked as a Claims Adjustor with Fireman’s Fund, Aetna, and Liberty Mutual before her retirement in 2008.
Lisa Timmerman has been employed by the Indiana Conference of The United Methodist Church since May 2005. In the late 1990’s, she served the area office part-time entering data. Currently, she enjoys overseeing the online registration process. She is married and has three children. Lisa enjoys reading and spending time with her family, especially her grandchildren.
Matt Wolf attended Indiana University in Bloomington and graduated in 2003 with a B.S. in Business with an emphasis in Computer Information Systems. Upon graduation from IU, Matt spent 17 years as the Technology Manager for the Eppley Institute for Parks and Public Lands at Indiana.
In 2015, Matt helped to found Seven Oaks Classical School in Ellettsville, Indiana, and now serves as the board president of the charter school.
Matt and his wife, Nikki, have been married for 20 years and have six children. They live in Gosport, IN, and attend Gosport United Methodist Church. In his free time Matt enjoys hiking, working outdoors, and spending time with family.
In 2015, Matt helped to found Seven Oaks Classical School in Ellettsville, Indiana, and now serves as the board president of the charter school.
Matt and his wife, Nikki, have been married for 20 years and have six children. They live in Gosport, IN, and attend Gosport United Methodist Church. In his free time Matt enjoys hiking, working outdoors, and spending time with family.
Pamela Lane came to the Indiana Conference of the United Methodist Church with about 15 years of experience in the field of Human Resources and Billing. Her home church is Emmanuel Church in Greenwood. She lives in Franklin, IN and has been married to her high school sweetheart for 22 years; together they have a 10-year-old daughter and 3-year-old son. She spends her time taking her kids to various activities, serving her local church in both children’s ministry and their online campus, reading, and baking. Her favorite color is yellow.
Destiny Cochran is the new HR Generalist. She comes to the Indiana Conference with 15 years of experience in identifying the needs of executives and elected officials. Born and raised in Indiana, Destiny’s childhood was spent in the church and was involved in the worship and prayer teams. Destiny holds a degree in Psychology from Indiana University.
She is the mother to a vibrant, academically-driven teenager who is involved in theatrical arts. Her hobbies include writing, painting abstract art, and reading.
Angela was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio. Angela attended the University of Cincinnati where she obtained a degree in Business Administration with a major in Accounting. Angela has worked as a Benefit Administrator since 2010. Angela is married and currently resides in Cincinnati Ohio with a loving Pitbull named Ace.
Robert Johnson joined the Indiana Conference Office in February 2023. He has non-profit experience and 14 years of United Methodist Church financial administration experience in Nashville, Tennessee. Robert grew up in Evansville, IN as a member of Methodist Temple UMC. He graduated from Emory University (Candler School of Theology) with a Master of Divinity degree and Belmont University with a Master of Accountancy degree. Robert and his wife, Meg Lassiat, live in Westfield IN. When not working, he enjoys hiking, running, reading, and spending time with family and friends.
Charlie Rownd is a graduate of The Ohio State University. In April, 2012, Charlie retired from the Federal Bureau of Investigation with over 24 years of investigative experience. Prior to his transfer to the FBI’s Indianapolis Division in 1998, Charlie worked in the Detroit, Michigan and Springfield, Illinois Field Offices. Charlie supervised the White Collar Crime program, Safe Street Task Force program, and the Field Intelligence Group program while assigned to the Indianapolis Division. In 2009, Charlie was designated the FBI’s case agent for the 2012 Indianapolis Super Bowl. Charlie came on board with the Conference in 2012 to provide leadership and instruction on issues of security, risk management, and policy development.