People
Rev. Megan LeCluyse
Campus Minister and Director
Reverend Megan LeCluyse serves as the Campus Minister and Director of the Christian Association. She came to the CA in August 2012 after completing a dual degree at Princeton Theological Seminary (Master of Divinity and Master of Arts in Christian Education).
As an undergraduate, Megan attended the University of Arizona, where she majored in English and minored in History and Religious Studies. She played piccolo in the marching band all four years, which was an incredible experience (and a ton of work). She also was very involved in the Presbyterian Campus Ministry. Her own experience of campus ministry was one of the best parts of her time in college, and where she formed friendships that have lasted until today.
Outside the CA, Megan pursues numerous interests. She often preaches at local congregations as a substitute preacher. As a transplant from Arizona, she tries to be outdoors whenever it is sunny out. This might be hiking, running, or reading a magazine or novel on her patio. She lives with her sister, Annie, and Penny, a 8 year old mixed-breed, head strong pup.
Lars Peterson
Campus Ministry Association
Lars Peterson earned his Master’s of Divinity with a focus on Adaptive Leadership from Palmer Theological Seminary in 2023. He is currently an Inquirer for ordination with the Philadelphia Presbytery. His theological interests are in the area of Liberation Theology and the Social Gospel. Lars believes the Church has a responsibility to work to create more diverse, equitable and inclusive cultures, both secularly and spiritually. He also serves as a lay leader at Arch Street Presbyterian Church. Lars also works full time as the Manager of the Patient Advocacy Office at a regional acute care hospital. He enjoys running, bicycling, dinner parties, and family outings. Lars is married to Gabriela and together they are raising their 3-year-old son, Abraham, and their 1-year-old daughter, Edith.
Dr. William Kelly
Coordinator of Slanguage
Bill has volunteered with the CA for over two decades, leading and teaching the Slanguage program! His passion for language and providing hospitality to international members of the community goes back to his decision in 1957, as a teenager, to begin studying Russian on his own. He majored in Russian and has a Ph.D. in economics from Rice University. In recent years, he has become interested in the work of his grandfather (Rev. William Kelly, MD), a medical missionary who went to China in 1899 and spent most of his adult life there. After a visit to China in 1997 Bill began to develop a hospitality ministry at the CA for international students, known as Slanguage. He currently is trying to learn some Swahili as part of his clean-water work in Kenya.
In addition to his work with the CA, Bill is engaged in volunteer work at his church. He has travelled to Cuba and Kenya to help install and maintain water filtration systems, providing communities with drinkable water through Living Waters.
Board of Directors
Gary Christensen
Interim Board Chair
After receiving his B. Eng. from Monash University in Australia, Gary Christensen received his PhD (and MA and MSE) in chemical engineering from Princeton University and retired in 2021 as a technical executive from ExxonMobil with over 30 years experience. While he is an advocate for the need for deep technical skills, he also strongly believes in the importance of “people skills” leading him to be sought after as a mentor, even after retiring. Gary is a member of The First Presbyterian Church In Philadelphia where he is currently Moderator of the Board of Deacons, and also serves on the Board of Trustees of the Wenonah Free Public Library.
LaTonya Davis
LaTonya Davis is an Assistant Director of Student Records and Course Management at the School of Arts & Sciences. She is originally from Boynton Beach, Florida, however, moved to Philadelphia in 2020 to join the staff at Penn.
LaTonya holds a Master of Arts in Adult Education from the University of South Florida, complemented by a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, with a minor in Behavioral Healthcare from the same institution.
Above all, she has a burning desire to share the love of God with others. She is active in her church, serving in several ministries.
Megan Esterby
Ex-officio member
Meagan is the pastor across the street at University Lutheran Church. Meagan grew up in northeastern Minnesota, the “Land of 10,000 Lakes,” and received her BA from Luther College in northeastern Iowa. After teaching history at an International School in China for four years and then working in youth and family ministry for several years, she moved to Philadelphia for seminary and then was called to serve UniLu. She is so thankful for the partnership between her congregation and the CA and is excited about Campus Ministry collaboration.
Ariel Hippen
Treasurer
Ariel has been involved with the CA since her first semester at Penn in 2018. She graduated with a PhD in Computational Biology in 2023 and now works as a data scientist at Spark Therapeutics in Philly. In her spare time, her favorite things to do are board games, quizzo, and hiking.
The CA was one of the most influential spaces in my time at Penn, getting me through a difficult pandemic-era grad school journey. I’m interested in joining the board to give back and help future Penn students have the same wonderful experience I did.
Jakob Woerner
Jakob is a PhD student in Genomics and Computational Biology from Illinois. As a lifelong Lutheran, he sees the CA as a second home to grow in his faith and spirituality. Outside of school he enjoys running, hiking, and traveling.
Tia Yang
Secretary
Tia first got involved with the CA in 2013, as a freshman undergraduate at Penn. As a student, the CA was one of the first spaces on campus that felt like a truly welcoming and accepting community. Finding a progressive Christian community on campus was a critical safe space as she developed in her faith throughout college and after, and she is eager to serve on the board to help foster the same types of experiences for current and future Penn students.
Tia works as a news editor and reporter. After graduating, she spent five years in Washington DC covering policy on Capitol Hill before moving back to Philly in 2023. In her free time, she enjoys photography, hiking, and reading science fiction.