Staff

Jeff has served as Senior Pastor at Highland since 2002.  He is happily married to his college sweetheart, Betty Ann.  Together they are blessed with 4 adult children, a son-in-law, and 2 precious grandchildren.  Jeff loves spending time with family, golfing, and anything that includes his grandchildren!  He was educated at Houghton College (history/business), Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (New Testament), and Dallas Theological Seminary where he earned a doctorate.

Dave Mahler is the Campus Pastor at our Wausau Campus.  He joined our staff in May of 2006.  Dave works in areas of counseling, teaching, custodial staff management, and visitation.  He is married and has 5 children and 11 grandchildren.

Isaiah came to Highland in 2017 from a small town in Northwest Indiana. He and his wife, Amy have been married for 15 years and have three energetic boys. Isaiah is a graduate of Newburgh Bible College with a Master's Degree in Theology.  He has a passion for leading people to become fully devoted followers of Jesus. His hobbies and passions include the Chicago Bears, anything Christmas, and collecting vinyl records.

Janna and her husband have lived in the Wausau area their entire married lives, and have a love for the community.  They enjoy spending as much time as possible with their adult children and their spouses, along with their six grandchildren.  Janna's hobbies include being active in the outdoors and anything family related.  

Ryan spent a decade in pastoral ministry in rural Illinois before coming to Highland in October, 2019. He is a graduate of Northland Baptist Bible College and Maranatha Baptist Seminary. He enjoys reading and being outdoors and is a longtime Packer fan. Ryan is married to Kirstin and is thankful for the opportunity they have to serve together here at Highland.

Dan and his wife, Sue, began attending Highland in 1994.  In 2003, Dan joined the Highland staff and serves as the Weston Campus Pastor.  He received his education at Covenant College and Westminster Theological Seminary.  Dan and Sue have three adult sons, three wonderful daughters-in-law, and a precious granddaughter.  Dan’s hobbies include spending time with family, camping, biking, and being a loyal member of Red Sox Nation!  

Maggie and her husband, Rob, came to Highland in 2013. As a devoted mother of 4, she began volunteering in children's ministry shortly thereafter. Maggie's gifts in structure, planning, compassion, giving, and helping others were well suited to working with children. She joined the staff in mid 2019 helping to further strengthen the team at the Weston campus.

Brian served as Highland’s Worship Pastor 2003-2010, then returned to Highland’s staff to be the Marathon Campus Pastor in 2013. Brian earned his Master of Divinity from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, and was ordained in the Evangelical Free Church of America in 2004. In his spare time, Brian serves the community as a law enforcement chaplain. Whatever he does, Brian’s passion is to relate biblical truth to everyday life, to draw people closer to Christ. Brian is married to Kristin, and they have one teen and three adult children. 

Dan was born and raised in the Northwoods of Eagle River, Wisconsin and joined the Highland staff in 2019 where he serves as the Worship/Youth Pastor at our Merrill Campus.  He earned a Bachelor's Degree in Youth Ministry from Crown College.  He and his wife, Laura, have two beautiful daughters; their favorite thing is spending time together making fun memories.  When Dan has free time, he enjoys playing soccer, disc golf, or ultimate frisbee.

Adam grew up in the Merrill community and started serving as the Discipleship/Children's Pastor at Highland's Merrill Campus in 2019.  He received his Master of Divinity from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and is passionate about discipling, teaching, and leading people into a deeper love for Jesus.  Adam enjoys spending time with family, camping, riding his ATV, and watching the Packers.

Kirstin grew up in Wausau, and joined Highland's staff in 2014 where she serves as the Co-Director of Children's Ministry.  She has a Bachelor's Degree in Bible and Elementary Education from Faith Baptist Bible College.  Kirstin also holds a Certificate of Christian Ministry with the EFCA.   Prior to joining Highland's staff, she taught elementary students for 13 years, both locally and abroad in South Korea and China.  Kirstin is married to Ryan, and enjoys spending time serving the Lord with him. 

Maria joined the Highland team in 2023 and serves as a Co-Director of Children’s Ministry. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Education as well as a Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership. Maria taught art for seven years prior to joining the Highland team. In addition to spending time with her family, Maria enjoys camping, hiking, and creating art in many mediums. 

Chris comes to Highland with 33 years of experience as a machinist and a passion for serving people. He also serves as a Volunteer Administrator of the Centershot Ministries program at Highland. His passion for the sport of archery keeps him busy working as a Ministry Guide providing safety training and support for churches from around the world. He and his wife, Janna, reside in the Wausau area and enjoy filling their time together with their family.

Jolene has worked in non-profit management her whole life.  In addition to a bachelor's degree from a WI University she has earned a certificate in nonprofit management and an EFCA Certificate of Licensing.  She has been on staff as the Administrator since the early years of Highland, where she oversees multiple areas including communication, finance, human resources, and facility coordination of the campuses. Jolene and her husband have four grown children.  Volunteering with a variety of community groups, as well as running a local horse stable, are two of the things she enjoys during her off time.

Cheryl joined the Highland staff in 2019 as an Administrative Associate.  She is married to her high school sweetheart, Gary  “the trumpet guy”.  After many moves, in seven different states, they have happily settled in Wausau. She enjoys spending time with her five grandchildren, doing projects, and reading, and looks forward to seeing what God has planned for her at Highland.

Tracy and her husband started attending Highland in 2019 and moved to Wausau in 2020.  Tracy and Dave have 6 children (bio and adopted), 2 daughter in laws, a soon to be son in law and 1 adorable granddaughter.  Tracy enjoys playing games, hiking, spending time with her adult children and is loving the new stage of grandparenting. 

Byron is originally from Ecuador, is married, and moved to Wausau from Texas in 2024 to join Highland’s staff after a summer internship at Highland in 2023. He studied Business Administration and worked on his Masters degree in International Relations in Ecuador and received a Certificate in Biblical Studies from Rio Grande Bible Institute in Texas.  He worked as a missionary for 4 years in Ecuador and Texas and is currently working with the Spanish ministry. He enjoys drinking coffee while listening to music, visiting new places, walking, reading, and enjoying good times with his family.

Sue joined the staff as the Women's Ministry Director in June of 2017, after attending Highland with her husband, Dan, since 1994.  Together, they have three adult sons, three daughters-in-law and a beautiful granddaughter. Sue received her education at Hope College in Elementary Education.  She enjoys camping, riding bike, snow shoeing and traveling.

Pastor Jeff Weiss has been serving as the Worship Pastor at Highland since 2010, where he oversees the areas of worship, music, and creative arts.  Jeff holds a Bachelor of Music Degree from UW Oshkosh.  He is married to Billie and they have three young children.  He enjoys spending time with his family and friends, visiting state parks (especially Door County), and is an avid Green Bay Packers fan.  

Rachael joined the Highland staff in 2016.  She grew up in the Wausau area and graduated from UW Stevens Point with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Communication emphasizing in Media Studies and Video Production.  Rachael has a desire to glorify God by helping to make videos that show how He changes lives.  In her spare time, Rachael enjoys spending time with her nephews, playing games with friends, and enjoying the outdoors.

Bryan has been serving in the Worship and Youth Ministry at Highland since 1998 and joined the staff part-time in 2013.  He is currently serving full time in the worship and young adult ministries. Bryan has a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Minnesota and a Master’s Degree of Education from Marion College. He loves worship and is passionate about wanting the body of Christ to understand and engage in a true life of worship.  Music, coffee, the smell of a good book (and reading it as well), skiing, and cooking the most amazing food from all over the world are a few of his hobbies. 

Brennan has attended Highland for most of his life and has volunteered and worked part time in Worship and Facilities since his early teen years.  He came on staff full time in 2018 as the Facility Director, and in the fall of 2019 transferred into his new role as Technical Arts Director.  Brennan married his wife, Nicole, in 2017 and they enjoy their dogs, Luna and Ivy. Brennan and Nicole enjoy music, board games, and walking their dogs.

Joe began serving at Highland as the Worship Ministry Coordinator in 2019. He has an IT Programmer/Analyst Associate Degree from Northcentral Technical College as well as a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics (with a Business Administration minor) from UW Green Bay. Joe likes learning new technologies and leveraging them to solve problems and optimize solutions. He has a passion for music and worship, and enjoys golfing.

Andrew joined the Highland family in 2017 and serves as the Lead Associate Pastor. He provides oversight to the Missions Team, G180 Jr and Sr. High School ministries, Young Adults, and regularly preaches and teaches. He received his undergraduate degree from Cedarville University and is currently furthering his education in Christian Apologetics at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.  Andrew and his wife, Megan, have two precious little boys in their home, and they love to travel and experience new cultures, play a good board game, and converse with friends over a cup of coffee.

Jarrod has been serving at Highland since September, 2016 and is currently the Pastor of Junior High Ministries.  Jarrod received his Bachelors Degree in Biblical Studies from Trinity International University, as well as a Masters of Arts in Christian Ministry from Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary.  He married his high school sweetheart in February, 2011, has a beautiful daughter, and two spunky miniature dachshunds.  Jarrod loves the Chicago Cubs, backyard BBQ's, hunting/fishing, and spending quality time with his family.  He is passionate about pouring into teens and helping them become life long disciples of Jesus that make disciples. 

Sarah has served at Highland in Student Ministries since 2013 and joined the staff as the Youth Ministries Assistant in 2016.  She grew up in Brookfield, Wisconsin where she married her high school sweetheart, Scott.  They have been blessed with 4 children.  Sarah's hobbies include spending time with family, gardening, baking and cooking, and taking walks.  

Vianca grew up in California and joined the Highland staff in 2021 where she serves as the student ministries director. She loves spending time with students and has been involved in student ministries since 2012. In her free time she enjoys time with her nephew, playing board games, enjoying a cup of coffee, and traveling.

After spending two summers interning with us, Isaac joined our team as a ministry resident in the fall of 2023 and came on full-time in July 2024 as our Senior High Director. He feels called to full-time ministry and is now serving with our student ministry while working on his bachelor's degree. Isaac and his wife, Joz, enjoy hiking and spending time with their friends and family.