Rev. Kari Nicewander
Interim Pastor
Kari Nicewander currently serves as the Interim Minister at Saugatuck Congregational Church. Kari has her master’s degree from Harvard, where she studied the intersection of religion and public policy. She has served as an ordained minister and leader in several congregations, including seven years as Senior Minister at Immanuel Congregational Church in Hartford, Connecticut. Prior to this, she lived for three years in Lusaka, Zambia, working with a national organization on HIV/AIDS education and gender-based violence. Kari has extensive organizing experience, as a founding member of the Steering Committee for the Greater Hartford Interfaith Action Alliance, where she has worked on housing, educational equity, criminal justice reform, and racial justice education, helping to lead three successful legislative campaigns. Kari is also a certified racial justice trainer, and partnered with West Hartford Public School to revamp a state-wide curriculum to include people of color in state history lessons. Before Zambia, Kari served in ministry in Massachusetts and in Michigan, where she created extensive partnerships, which included a vibrant campaign for second parent adoption and a successful campaign to keep a majority POC school from closing. Kari has written articles in numerous publications and was a contributing author for Trans-Kin: A Guide for Family and Friends of Transgender People, which won the 2013 International Book Award for Gay and Lesbian Non-Fiction.
Liang-Fang Chang
Director of Music Ministry
Liang-Fang joined Saugatuck Congregational Church in September of 2021, bringing her impressive musical sensitivity to enhance worship on our beautiful Steinway piano and getting to know our world-class Klais organ. She earned her Bachelor of Music with the highest honors from the Fu-Jen University in Taiwan and her Master of Music from the Cleveland Institute of Music. She received her Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of Iowa, where she was awarded the University of Iowa Performance Fellowship and won the UI Concerto Competition performing Schumann’s Piano Concerto. In addition to being a renowned solo pianist, Liang-Fang has extensive experience as a chamber musician. She has performed in recitals and collaborative concerts throughout the U.S., and, as pianist for the Taipei Success Children’s Choir, has performed in major cities around the world. Currently, Liang-Fang is a private studio teacher and an adjunct faculty member at both Western Connecticut State University and Naugatuck Valley Community College.
Jill Madison
Office and Communications Manager
Jill Madison joined Saugatuck Congregational Church as our Office and Communications Manager in October 2023. She is an experienced communications professional who has previously served in marketing and communications roles in higher education institutions across the country, including the University of California Education Abroad Program (UCEAP) in Santa Barbara, CA, and The New School in New York, NY. Jill holds an MFA in creative writing from The New School and a BA in English and professional editing from the University of California, Santa Barbara.
Sarah Bussinger
Director of Christian Education and Faith Formation
Sarah is thrilled to become a part of the Saugatuck Community, joining our staff in December 2024. Sarah brings valuable experience from her career as an elementary and middle school educator, both in public and private educational settings. Sarah holds a joint Bachelor's degree in elementary and special education, as well as a Master's degree in reading, both obtained from Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia. Her life experiences span various locations around the globe, including Pakistan, the Middle East, and London. While she identifies as a Philly girl at heart, she has also resided in California, New York, and currently, Connecticut. In addition to her career as an educator, she has previously managed client relations at an emergency and specialist veterinary hospital and organized and launched her own successful pet services business.
