School Board

Chairman

John Huston has served as the Chairman of the Immanuel Lutheran School Board since 2025 and joined the board as a regular member in 2024. John also serves as Counsel in the Antitrust Division at the U.S. Department of Justice. Previously, he served as the Deputy General Counsel for Postsecondary Education and Competition at the U.S. Department of Education. Prior to serving at the Education Department, John practiced law at Jones Day in Washington, D.C. During the first Trump Administration, John was a senior advisor in the Office of Postsecondary Education at the U.S. Department of Education. He has also served as a congressional campaign manager, legislative director for a member from Indiana, and as a senior policy advisor on the House Republican Policy Committee.

John holds a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center and a B.S. from Ball State University. John and his wife, Lauren, have two boys at ILS. John has been a member of IELC since 2016. 

Acting Headmaster (ex officio member)

Joshua Pautz serves as Acting Headmaster of Immanuel Lutheran School, a role he assumed in 2025. Prior to becoming Acting Headmaster, Josh served as Assistant Headmaster and a teacher. He taught in both the upper and lower schools at ILS, including upper school mathematics and science, second grade, and lower-school Latin.

Josh earned his bachelor’s degree from Hillsdale College and his Master of Arts in the Humanities from Ralston College, where he was a member of the inaugural graduate cohort. His graduate studies focused on the Western philosophical tradition and its foundational languages, and his master’s program included opportunities to study in both Greece and Italy. Josh is an enthusiastic classicist with a deep commitment to classical Christian education.

Josh has been a member of Immanuel Lutheran Church and School since moving to Northern Virginia. As the son of an LCMS pastor, he has a lifelong connection to the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod and a deep appreciation for classic Lutheran education and the Christian formation . Josh and his wife, Erin, are members of IELC. Erin is currently pursuing a master’s degree in architecture at The Catholic University of America. 

Senior Pastor and ILS Superintendent

The Reverend Christopher S. Esget has served as Immanuel's Pastor since 2001. He is married to Kassie, and they have one son, James. He is the author of (Dis)Ordered: Lies about Human Nature and the Truth That Sets Us Free (Concordia Publishing House, 2023). In addition to his work at Immanuel, Pastor Esget serves as the Fifth Vice-President of the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (East-Southeast Region; 2015 – present).

Previously, Pastor Esget served at Bethel Lutheran Church, DuQuoin, IL, where he was ordained in 1998. He attended Concordia Theological Seminary (Fort Wayne, IN) where he earned the Master of Divinity degree and the Master of Sacred Theology degree. His STM thesis was a comparison of the doctrine of original sin in Patristic and contemporary Eastern Orthodox theology.

Associate Pastor and Assistant Superintendent (ex officio member)

A 2011 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, where he earned his bachelor's degree in German Language and Literature, Pastor Hoham served as a U.S. Army officer on active duty for five years. In 2015, he transitioned from active duty to attend Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, IN, where he earned a Master of Divinity degree in 2019. Since then, he has served as a campus pastor and theology teacher at Concordia Lutheran High School (CLHS) in Fort Wayne. While at CLHS, he developed a new Biblical Greek course and taught courses in Church History, Apologetics, and Ethics, as well as conducting pastoral counseling. Pastor Hoham continues to serve as a Chaplain in the U.S. Army Reserve, deploying to Iraq in 2022 as the chaplain in a military field hospital. Pastor Hoham and his wife, Lizzy, have four children who attend ILS.

Vice-Chair

Elizabeth Lewis serves as the Executive Director of the Blair House Foundation, where she helps to manage events and operations for the historic Blair House. Elizabeth has also worked as a real estate advisor and a legislative aid on Capitol Hill. Elizabeth serves as a board member for Children’s National Hospital. Elizabeth and her husband, Aaron, are long time members at IELC and have served in various leadership roles at the church for over 20 years. Their three girls all attended ILS, and their son is currently enrolled. Elizabeth holds a bachelor’s degree from Wheaton College.

Chairman of the Hiring Subcommittee

Matthew Henderson holds a Bachelor of Music from Radford University and a Master of Art from Kent State University. He has been a Lutheran for sixteen years and a member of Immanuel Lutheran Church since 2021. Prior to joining Immanuel, he served at various times as Elder and Head Elder of Concordia Lutheran Church in Triangle, Virginia. He served as Southern District Circuit 9A lay delegate to the 2016 Synodical Convention and represented Concordia at the Southeastern District convention multiple times. He is currently Director of Proposals and Strategic Captures for a defense technology company headquartered in Alexandria.

Budget Coordinator

Originally from Wisconsin, Mr. Van Rooy is a military pilot in the United States Marine Corps. He received a BA in German from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 2011. Following flight training, Mr. Van Rooy flew the MV-22B Osprey for nine years in tours of duty in Southern California (2015-2019) and Okinawa, Japan (2020-2024). He has three daughters who currently attend ILS.

Secretary
Laura is the mother of two ILS alumni and has served in the Parent-Teacher League, as a room parent, and as yearbook editor. She classically educated her sons while living abroad and appreciates a rigorous curriculum, low-tech education, and cultivation of the moral imagination.

Chairman of the Financial Assistance Subcommittee

Manfred Wendt was born and raised in Fort Worth, Texas, before graduating from Trinity University in San Antonio. He brings significant non-profit experience, especially in fundraising and event planning. He is passionate about ensuring children have access to a quality Lutheran education.

Board Member

Mark Hemingway is an American journalist and political commentator known for his reporting and analysis on politics, media, and public policy. He has served as a senior writer for RealClearInvestigations and worked as books editor at The Federalist. Earlier in his career, he wrote for publications including The Weekly Standard, National Review, and the Washington Examiner. Hemingway’s work has also appeared in outlets ranging from The Wall Street Journal to USA Today, and he is a frequent media commentator on political and cultural issues.