Lake Institute was created in 2002 and exists through the generosity of the late Tom and Marjorie Lake, their daughter Karen Lake Buttrey, and the Lilly Endowment, Inc. We strive to honor the Lake family’s philanthropic values and to bless the community with a place for conversations about faith and generosity.
Faith keeps its eyes fixed on the future in absolute certainty that it will be better than the present or the past.
Thomas H. Lake (1919–1999)
The board of advisors was formed in 2003 to assist Lake Institute in fulfilling its mission, shaping ongoing dialogues, and providing strategic direction.
Elizabeth M. Lynn, Ph.D.
Board Chair
Director, Institute for Leadership and Service
Director, Center for Civic Reflection
Valparaiso University
Fred Kniss, Ph.D.
Vice Chair
Provost
Eastern Mennonite University
Donald Buttrey, J.D.
Honorary Chair
Attorney, Retired
We were eager to replicate the philanthropic mentoring role that my father (Thomas H. Lake) played for so many people. But we also wanted there to be time for conversation and reflection. Dad was very thoughtful, but with a practical bent. He loved getting people together to talk and to look at things from different perspectives.
Karen Lake Buttrey (1945–2010)
Scott Alexander, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Islamic Studies and Director of Catholic-Muslim Studies
Catholic Theological Union (Chicago)
Karen D. Buttrey
Chief Governance Officer
Young Presidents’ Organization, Inc.
David D. Daniels III, Ph.D.
Professor of Church History
McCormick Theological Seminary
Carol F. Johnston, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Theology and Culture
Christian Theological Seminary
J.B. Miller
Retired
Everence Financial (Goshen, IN)
Jerry Nunnally
Senior Philanthropic Advisor Emeritus
Dartmouth College
Dennis Sasso, D.Min.
Senior Rabbi
Congregation Beth-El Zedeck
Sandy Sasso, D.Min.
Rabbi Emerita, Congregation Beth-El Zedeck
Director of the Religion, Spirituality and the Arts Initiative
Butler University in partnership with Christian Theological Seminary
David H. Smith, Ph.D.
Immediate Past Board Chair
Nelson Poynter Senior Scholar
Professor Emeritus of Religious Studies
Indiana University
Safaa Zarzour
Superintendent
Universal Schools
Donald B. Johnson
Chair Emeritus
Don Johnson and Associates
Karen Lake Buttrey
Shakeela Z. Hassan
Daniel Schipp
