Tom Colatosti, Chairman

Tom is the CEO and founder of American Security Ventures, a company that provides strategic management services and capital resources to emerging and developing companies in the biometrics, homeland security and cyber-security industries. Tom also represents private equity funds, and as a result serves on the board of directors of several companies. Prior to starting American Security Ventures, Tom was CEO of Viisage Technology. And before that he held a number of executive management positions with large public high tech companies. Tom earned a B.S. and MBA from Suffolk University, and is a decorated Vietnam combat veteran.

Tom has been attending Grace Chapel with his wife Nancy since the 1970’s. They live in Lexington and have two adult sons – Thomas is an IT consultant and Timothy is a law enforcement officer. Nancy has served as a Women’s JOY Bible Study leader and in Vacation Bible School for more than 20 years. She has also served on the Nominating Committee and Ordination Committee at Grace Chapel.

Over the years Tom has taught Adult Sunday School, MAPS, and at prayer meetings. He has served on the Audit Committee as Treasurer, Capital Campaign Committee, Pastoral Search Committee and the Board of Elders. Tom is also on the Boards of Gordon Conwell, Vision New England and Africa Inland Mission.

Brad Gardner served on the Board of Elders at Grace Chapel for two terms (1995 – 2003) and after a two year break, returned for an additional two terms (2005 – 2013). Brad is the liaison to the Assisting Elders in the Communion and Partnership ministry. He has served on the Nominating Committee multiple times and enjoys facilitating groups. He does as much ministry as he can partnering with his wife Denise.

The Gardner family came to Grace Chapel in 1985 and raised their four children (Andy, Stephen, James, and Megan) with the support of Grace Chapel Childrens and Youth Ministries. Now grown, all four children remain local. Brad and Denise are also the proud grandparents of Savannah Grace and Carston James Gardner.

Brad is the Production Manager and a Partner of F.H. Perry Builder in Hopkinton, MA. where he leads a team of Project Managers who remodel some of the finest homes in the Boston area.

Mark Cannister, Elder

Mark and Nancy Cannister both grew up in Pittsburgh, PA where Nancy was a high school teacher and Mark was a youth pastor before moving to New England in 1992. They have been active members of Grace Chapel for nearly a decade and have been involved in children’s ministry, women’s ministry, youth ministries, and adult discipleship ministries. Mark serves as Professor of Christian Ministries at Gordon College in Wenham and is Co-chair of the Department of Biblical Studies and Christian Ministries as well as Chair of the Division of the Humanities. He also serves as an adjunct professor for Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and the Huntington University Graduate School.

Mark has been involved in student ministries for over 30 years serving in both church and parachurch organizations prior to joining the faculty of Gordon College. He has served as President of the North American Professors of Christian Education, Chair of the Association of Youth Ministry Educators, founding Chair of The Boston Project Ministries, and is the Editor of the Journal of Youth Ministry. Committed to reaching the next generation with the gospel, each year Mark leads a mission trip for college students to Swansea, Wales where they teach the basics of the Christian faith in several British high schools and middle schools.

The Cannister home is very busy these days with two teenagers in the mix. Ryan and Kasey are in high school, both are very active in the student ministries of Grace Chapel as well as a variety of school and community activities.

Roy Ciampa, Elder

Roy is Professor of New Testament and chair of the Division of Biblical Studies at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in South Hamilton. Prior to working at Gordon-Conwell, Roy taught in two different theological schools in Portugal, and collaborated with the national Bible society in the revision of their contemporary Portuguese translation of the Bible. Roy has ministered in Angola, Australia, Scotland and the Philippines, and he travels overseas each year to teach and/or support the work of Bible translation. Roy loves helping people learn to be faithful interpreters and translators of the Bible. He also serves on the Advisory Council of the American Bible Society’s Nida Institute for Biblical Scholarship.

Roy and his wife, Marcelle, met at Grace Chapel in 1979, were married through Grace Chapel in 1981 and served as Grace Chapel missionaries in Portugal from 1989 until 2001, when they returned to the Greater Boston area. Roy frequently teaches Adult Development courses at Grace Chapel and has supported the gc@night ministry in a variety of ways. He and Marcelle are transitioning to the Wilmington campus. Roy’s personal interests include motorcycling, boating, enjoying New England’s lakes, coast and countryside. He also enjoys following New England sports teams. Roy and Marcelle have two adult children, Tim and Christina, and they live in Ipswich.

Kurt Drescher, Elder

Kurt and his wife Sharon have been at Grace Chapel for over 20 years. As a volunteer, he has served on the LIFE Community Ministry Team, has coordinated communications for two capital campaigns, and has served on the Marriage Getaway Team. In addition, he serves in other leadership capacities at the church, including co-chair of a WinterBlast, a church-wide evangelical/outreach event and presently serves on the ministry team for the new Grace Chapel satellite campus in Wilmington, MA.

Kurt W. Drescher is the Vice President of Advancement at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. A graduate of Gordon College, Kurt spent more than 20 years of as an account representative and marketing executive in the graphic arts industry.  Much of his work was with clients in the higher education and other non-profits.

Kurt, his wife, Sharon, and their two teenage daughters live in Reading, Massachusetts.

Donald Jin, Elder

Prior to joining Grace Chapel in 2004, Donald has been an active member of a Korean-speaking church in Brookline, MA for over 23 years.  Donald has organized and lead several mission trips to the Amazon and other regions of Peru and Nicaragua.  At Grace, he has served as a leader in the Children's ministry and on the Multicultural Ministry Team for three years.

Donald is married to Kathleen, who serves on the Grace Translation Team and they are blessed with two children, Alex and Dani. They live in North Easton, MA.

Outside of Grace, Donald is a Director of Global Consulting for IDC, an international IT market analyst firm based in Framingham, MA. Donald is an avid photographer and also enjoys golf and kayak fishing during his free time.

Bob Landrebe, Elder

Bob and Jane Landrebe moved from Illinois to New England in 1996 when Bob accepted a job at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary.  Bob serves there as the executive vice president and chief financial officer.  Bob and Jane are blessed to have four children, Nate, John, Kira and Lisa, who are now young adults living in various towns throughout the Boston area.

Bob serves on the church’s Finance Committee.  He previously served for several years as the Treasurer at Grace Chapel.  Bob’s broader ministry includes serving as a mentor and speaker for In Trust, an organization dedicated to educating and helping governing boards of seminaries in the United States and Canada.  Bob recently completed six years of service on the World Relief board where he served as Treasurer for each of those years.

Dan Post, Elder

Dan grew up in a Christian family in NJ and after moving up to MA started attending Grace Chapel in 1997. Dan met and was married to his wife Tracy at Grace Chapel. Early in their marriage they both served in Senior High School ministry and led a summer missions trip to Hungary. Dan and Tracy have three children – Hope, Faith and Grace – who are active in Kidstown, where Dan and Tracy have served. They live, host and lead a LIFE Community in Westford. Dan also serves in Mens Ministry on the leadership team and Tracy in Womens Ministry.

Dan is a Sr. Project Manager for Structure Tone (a construction management company) in Boston, MA.

Ravi Ravichandran, Elder

Ravi is a Director, Strategic Development at BAE Systems. He earned a BEE at Georgia Tech and a PhD at Rensselaer, all in Electrical Engineering.

At Grace Chapel, Ravi has taught adult development classes, served on pastoral search committees, ordination committees, various task forces, and lead LIFE Communities.

Ravi and Barbara live in Winchester with their children Zachary, Zoe, and Matthew. He also serves on the Board of Trustees at Boston Trinity Academy.

Al Reuther, Elder

Rich Swanson, Elder

Gary Thorburn, Elder

My wife Pat and I have been around Grace Chapel since the early 1980s. We live in Maynard. As native New Englanders, we're pretty rooted to the area and long ago made Grace Chapel our church home. Grace has been a wonderful place to raise Ben and Becky, our two children. Those years provided us with countless "Grace moments" that have shaped our lives as much as theirs. This is partly why Pat and I still serve in Kidstown, even though both our kids have left the nest and are now pursuing graduate degrees.

I've been serving on the Elder board since 2004, and was on the board for four years in the early 1990s. I count it a true privilege to serve this way at Grace. I'm really excited about how Grace Chapel has become more diverse in recent years. The Lord has been widening my horizons as I've served with Dana Baker on some multicultural church initiatives, including the 2010 Boston Ethnic America Network Summit.

Most of my career has been working in system software, but I have a degree in plant ecology dating way back to when Earth Day was young. I still enjoy getting outside to hike and "botanize" in local conservation areas. And as a classical music fan, if you call and I don't answer my phone, I probably have my headphones cranked, listening to Mahler or Ives.

Bryan Wilkerson, Senior Pastor

Bill Burke, Executive Pastor

Bill and Terri love to run (he more slowly and less frequently than she!), travel and restore older homes (like their current 1840 model!).   

Bill can be reached at (781)862-6499 x102 or bburke@grace.org.