Our Staff
Interim Pastor/Head of Staff
Rev. William Schram
bill@firstprescaldwell.orgRev. William “Bill” Schram has distinguished himself as an Interim Pastor, having been trained in this specialized ministry, serving five (5) churches in this capacity in Pennsylvania and New York since 2011. Most recently, Rev. Schram served as Interim Pastor in Albany, NY at the Westminster Presbyterian Church. Rev. Schram has served in ministry since his ordination in 1980 after attending McCormick Seminary in Chicago, IL. He completed his undergraduate work at Williams College in Williamstown, MA. He has pastored 12 congregations in 4 states over a career that spans 40 years. In addition to his church work, Pastor Schram has served as Staff Chaplain at the Pocono Medical Center, in East Stroudsburg, for many years.
Worship Leader
Scott Westenberger
scott@firstprescaldwell.orgScott and his wife Michele have been involved in developing and leading worship services for the past 15 years, first at Jacksonville Chapel and then at Emergence Church. He grew up in Northern New Jersey surrounded by music which became an integral part of his life. By day he’s a point-of-purchase display project manager and at night he’s a musician at local restaurants and coffee shops. He and Michele live in Franklin, NJ with their little boy, Jude.
Interim Music Director
Valerie Shondel
valerie@firstprescaldwell.orgValerie Shondel has had a long and distinguished career as an organist, pianist and conductor in the New York City Area. She has brought her unique skills to her positions to build premier and highly successful organizations.
Ms. Shondel was Director of Music at the St Paul the Apostle in New York City and at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Morristown. She continues to work as a freelance conductor, organist and pianist New York City and New Jersey. Most recently, she appeared in concert at Carnegie Hall.
Valerie Shondel earned degrees in Piano Performance and Musicology with a minor in harpsichord from the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music. She continued with doctoral studies at New York University and organ studies with Harriet Dearden and Vincent Carr. Valerie has held faculty positions at Wake Forest University, Greensboro College and Eastern Music Festival. She was also involved in arts management with The International Society of Bassists, The Greensboro Symphony, Kindermusik and The Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra.
A highlight of her career was to perform as Organ Soloist at the Cathedral de Notre Dame in Paris, France. Valerie Shondel is a member of the New York City and Northern New Jersey Chapters of the American Guild of Organists.
Valerie leads a life filled with her passions both at work and at home. She is blessed with three married sons and 4 grandchildren. Her hobbies include cooking, gardening, time with family and yoga.
Interim Director of Youth Ministries/Sunday Sexton
Kaitlyn Heun
Kaitlyn was born and raised in Caldwell and has been an active full time member of the congregation since her confirmation in 2008. She recently graduated Montclair State University in the Spring of 2016 with a BS, with Teaching Certification, in Physical Education and Health. Kaitlyn has been involved with the church on many levels including being the Youth Intern, Pittsburgh Project Advisor, Sunday School Teacher, and being involved in the choir for 15 years.
Youth Ministry & Communications Coordinator
Lauren Restaino
lauren@firstprescaldwell.orgLauren received her bachelor’s degree from Seton Hall University in Public Relations & Journalism. She has been working at FPC since 2014 in several different capacities and now thoroughly enjoys her time working on church communications and assisting with the children & youth programs. Lauren has been involved with the church as a Sunday School teacher and Pittsburgh Project Advisor. She is currently working on her master’s degree in School Psychology at Montclair State University. In her free time, Lauren enjoys singing at cabaret theaters in NYC and seeing musicals and movies.
Office Manager
Christine Brunner
christine@firstprescaldwell.org
Christine was born in New Jersey and is a resident of Denville, NJ. After completing business school, she gained extensive experience working within companies that range from a large publicly traded corporation to a privately owned corporation, and most recently a family owned franchise enterprise. An active participant in community service projects, she helped facilitate the construction of a new children’s park in the role of treasurer and committee member and is continually involved in various school and local service projects. A former Girl Scout leader, she enjoys hiking, camping, travel, and gardening. Christine and her husband Eric have two daughters, Abigail and Rachel.
Administrative Assistant
Irma Clare
Irma Clare is the Administrative Assistant at First Presbyterian Church at Caldwell. Irma holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Human Resources from Bloomfield College. She is a Mom to her son, Uriel, who has Autism, and is dedicated to her son and the organization that cares for him. In her free time, Irma enjoys spending time with family, sewing, watching TV, learning new technology and keeping up to date on Autism and overall research of Autism.
Building Manager / Head Sexton
Chris White
Chris grew up in Caldwell and has a background in building management as well as a number of construction skills. Chris is a husband to Anabela and father to daughters Alyssa and Eliana.
Adjunct Staff
Director, Weekday Nursery School
Kathleen Carlson
nurseryschool@firstprescaldwell.orgBefore stepping into her current role at the weekday nursery school, Kathleen was the teacher of the school’s Kindergarten Enrichment Program. She earned a masters from New York University in Early Childhood and Elementary Education, and is a certified teacher of preschool through twelfth grade. Kathleen lives in Verona with her husband, Bruce and their two children, Evan and Kate.
Superintendent, Prospect Hill Cemetery
David Hicock