Our Ministerial Staff

Reverend Jo Ellen Witt heads our staff. Read on to learn a little bit more about her. To contact her by email, click here.

Rev. Jo Ellen Witt attended the public schools in her native St. Joseph, MO before attending William Jewell College in Liberty, Missouri. During the years following graduation she was busy rearing her three children, teaching school and operating her own tax preparation business. In 1988 she entered the Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City, graduating in 1992. Her ordination was celebrated at the Wornall Road Baptist Church in Kansas City where she had served as Minister of Worship and Pastoral Care. In 1995 she moved on to become the pastor of the First Baptist Church in Marysville, Kansas, remaining there until September of 2003 when she was called to Roundy Memorial Baptist Church in Whitefish Bay, WI. In Wisconsin she quickly became involved in an ecumenical group of ministers, the North Shore Rotary Club and several other service organizations. In her spare time she sharpens her photography skills, often while traveling with her three grandchildren. After the grandchildren have gone home, reading is the choice relaxation.

Our music ministry is equally important here at Roundy Memorial, and we are blessed to have this ministry headed by Wilanna Kalkhof. To learn more about her, read on.

Wilanna Kalkhof, a native of Louisville, Kentucky, received her Bachelor and Master of Music Degrees from the University of Louisville School of Music. Before moving to Milwaukee, Wilanna was a piano instructor in the University of Louisville Collegiate and Preparatory Departments and a soprano soloist with the Louisville Bach Society.

She moved to Milwaukee in 1976 with her husband, Les, who won an audition to play violin in the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra. Wilanna became a member of Roundy Church, and in 1980, she accepted the position of organist and choir director. Her position is now that of Minister of Music.

Wilanna has been the keyboardist for the Milwaukee Symphony since 1977. She has appeared as soloist in the Symphony's Subscription and Children's Concerts, as well as on tour performances in Wisconsin. As a member of the orchestra, Wilanna has also performed in Germany, Austria, Holland, Cuba, and on East Coast tours with numerous appearances at Carnegie Hall in New York City. She was also a member of and soloist with the Milwaukee Chamber Orchestra for many years.

The Kalkhofs live in Whitefish Bay and have 2 children, Natasha and Eric.

Student intern

This is a picture of our student intern, Laura Roehsner, who will begin Sept. 1, 2006. She is a student at the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee, majoring in music education.