Mrs. Thoelke received her BA from Concordia University in River Forest in elementary education with a Director of Parish Music certification and completed a master’s degree in educational administration from Concordia University, Chicago, where she is also a doctoral candidate. Mrs. Thoelke has served as a school principal at classical Lutheran schools in southern Illinois and Houston. She now serves as Principal of St. Paul's Lutheran School in Brookfield, IL. Mrs. Thoelke is a frequent speaker on classical Lutheran education, serves as a consultant for the LCMS Genesis Project, supporting churches seeking to open Lutheran schools, mentors new classical Lutheran school leaders, and is a member of the Board of Directors of Wittenberg Academy. She and her husband, John, have raised three daughters and now have one son-in-law and a future son-in-law.