Our Staff

Rev. Amy Wiles 
Pastor/Head of Staff  
​amy@1stpresby.org

Rev. Amy Wiles became pastor of First Presbyterian in the Spring of 2012. She graduated from Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary with her Master of Divinity after teaching music in public school for five years. Besides engaging in ministry at the church, she is also involved in the community as a member of the Eastside Ministerial Alliance, Cedar Valley Interfaith Council, and LINK Board of Directors. Her husband, John, serves as Assistant Professor of Choral Conducting at the University of Northern Iowa in the School of Music. They are the proud parents of a daughter, Ruthie.

Rev. Pat Geadelmann
Associate Pastor of Care and Visitation  
pat@1stpresby.org

Rev. Pat Geadelmann began service as Minister of Care and Visitation at First Presbyterian Church in March 2015. She has a Master of Divinity degree from United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities. She is retired from the University of Northern Iowa where she served in the area of education and govermental reform. Pat is a native Iowan, born and raised in Tipton.

Stephanie Swenson
Director of Children, Youth, & Family Ministry
​stephanie@1stpresby.org

Stephanie joined the staff in August 2017 where she works at both the First Presbyterian Church in Waterloo and Cedar Falls. Stephanie has a love for working with children, youth, and families and has loved being a part of this community of faith. Stephanie is a graduate from the University of Northern Iowa with a Bachelors in Family Services. Stephanie and her husband are recent newlyweds and enjoy living life together one adventure at a time. Stephanie is excited for all of the opportunities available for children, youth and families in the life of the church here and together with Cedar Falls First Presbyterian Church.

Kelley Galyen
Office Manager
​kelley@1stpresby.org

Kelley Galyen and family have lived in Cedar Falls since July, 2007. While Kelley and her husband, Danny, are originally from Virginia, their daughter, Kate, was born in Florida. Danny is Director of Bands at the University of Northern Iowa and Kate currently attends Peet Junior High. A former high school Biology teacher, Kelley spent the last four years serving as the Billing and Project Manager and all-around office administrator for a locally based software company. Kelley is an avid reader and enjoys knitting, sewing and walking/running the area trails. She is excited to have been gifted the opportunity of working to serve First Presbyterian here in Waterloo and is so very grateful for the warm welcome she has already received! The Galyens are currently members of First Presbyterian, Cedar Falls.

Dakota Andersen
​Sanctuary Choir Director
anderdav@uni.edu

A native of Fairfield, Iowa, Dakota Andersen is a junior choral music education/jazz studies emphasis student at the University of Northern Iowa (UNI) where he studies voice with Dr. John Hines, bass.  Currently, he sings with UNI's Concert Chorale and Cantorei, and plays trumpet in UNI's Jazz Band One.  In years past, he has also participated in UNI Opera, UNI Singers, Jazz Band Three, Jazz Band Two, Symphonic Band, and Concert Band. Dakota also works as a stagehand/tech supervisor for the UNI School of Music, serves as the music director for the Beta Nu chapter of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, and is involved with the UNI Guild of Carillonneurs and UNI's student chapter of the American Choral Directors Association. In his free time, Dakota enjoys being in the outdoors (hunting, fishing, and trapping) with his family, learning about space and astronomy, and studying Spanish.

Brenda Sevcik
Organist/Accompanist
brenda@1stpresby.org

Brenda Sevcik is currently studying Music Education and Organ Performance at the University of Northern Iowa. Brenda started playing piano in 2nd grade and began studying organ seriously in late high school. At UNI Brenda also enjoys playing trumpet in the Wind Ensemble. Outside of music, you can often find Brenda running and spending time with her family. She has five older brothers who currently live in four different states. Her favorite food is anything that contains chocolate.  Brenda says, "I am so excited and thankful for the opportunity to be the organist at First Presbyterian and accompany the choir. I look forward to getting to know the congregation!" ​

Melody Steed
​Bell Choir Director
melnkans@verizon.net

Melody Steed serves as First Church's Bell Choir Director. Melody comes with a wealth of experience leading worship in churches of various denominations. She comes to the Cedar Valley from Lindsborg, KS where she taught at Bethany College for 12 years. While there, she directed the Bethany College Handbell Ensemble, developing the program into a thriving ensemble that frequently participated in their chapel services. While she has recently moved to Waterloo, she is not a stranger to the area as an alumni of UNI. She currently teaches at Cunnigham Elementary School as the Music Teacher.