FACULTY AND STAFF
The following briefs represent a sampling of academic and professional engagement.
Owen Byer, professor of mathematics, and Deirdre L. Smeltzer ‘87, vice president and academic dean, and co-authors have published Journey into Discrete Mathematics (Mathematical Association of America Press, 2018).
Hilary Moore, instructor of applied social science, Mount Crawford, Va., was inducted into the North Carolina Bar Pro Bono Honor Society as a recognition of her “substantial and valuable legal contributions” through at least 50 hours of pro bono legal services last year.
Audrey Myers ‘88, professor of nursing, defended her doctorate in nursing practice dissertation “Increasing Lead Screening in Children Enrolled in Medicaid: A Quality Improvement Project” at James Madison University. She has been a member of the EMU nursing department since 2015.
Timothy Seidel, professor of peacebuilding and development, is a co-editor of Palestine and Rule of Power: Local Dissent vs. International Governance (Palgrave Macmillan, 2019). The book of essays, part of the “Middle East Today” series, examines the rule of power in Palestine particularly in terms of the impacts of settler-colonialism and neoliberalism, along with forms of everyday resistance to both.
Ron Shultz ‘92, instructor of education, has earned a Doctor of Philosophy in Education degree from George Mason University, with a focus on teacher education. His dissertation was “The (Trans)formation of Teacher Candidates’ Dispositions Toward English Language Learners in the Mainstream Elementary Classroom.”
Carolyn Stauffer ’84, professor of applied social sciences, has been awarded a JustPax Fund grant to support the development of a new Strategies for Trauma Awareness and Resilience (STAR) curriculum focused on sexual harms.
Trina Trotter Nussbaum ‘00, MA ‘18 (conflict transformation), associate director of the Center for Interfaith Engagement, successfully defended her thesis “Self-Care May Not Be Enough: Secondary Traumatic Stress and Organizations: A Multiple Methods Study.” She is also pursuing a graduate certificate in nonprofit leadership and social entrepreneurship.
Barbara Wheatley, professor of education, and collaborators received the National Association for Gifted Children Curriculum Studies Award for their science unit Project Kaleidoscope: A Summer Curriculum Unit for Talent Development.
FAREWELLS
Daryl Byler ’79, MA ’85, leaves the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding after six years as executive director. He is now director of fundraising for the DC Bar Association in Washington DC.
Undergraduate Academic Dean and Vice President Deirdre Longacher Smeltzer ’87 ended 20 years of service to EMU this spring. She was a faculty member and chair of the mathematical sciences department and director of cross-cultural programs before moving to her current position since 2013.
Professor Ann Graber Hershberger ‘76, who began as assistant instructor in the nursing department at Eastern Mennonite University and served in several influential leadership roles over 33 years of service, will retire June 30. She is currently director of cross-cultural programs and at work updating the nursing department’s Sacred Covenant, which she helped develop in 2004.
Professor Kim Brenneman ‘85 has retired after 30 years at EMU, where she taught undergraduate and graduate psychology classes, chaired the department, conducted research, and led four cross-culturals to India.
Professor Judy H. Mullet ’73 retires after 32 years of teaching psychology and teacher education. She directed the Honors program and co-founded and co-led Student Kairos Place, among many other contributions.
Professor Chris Gingrich concluded 23 years at EMU this spring in the business and economics department. He has retired for health reasons. He was the “true blue economist” whose hiring enabled the start of the economics major, according to colleague Rick Yoder.
Joan Goodrich ’02 is retiring after 11 years in the business office as accounting coordinator.
Sharon Miller has retired after 27 years of service as the administrative director of the Shenandoah Valley Preparatory Music Program. She will continue to teach and perform at EMU and in Harrisonburg.
Jim Smucker, vice president for enrollment, leaves EMU May 31 to join Keim Lumber Company, Millersburg, Ohio. Jim oversaw undergraduate and graduate admissions, financial aid, athletics and the marketing and communications department. He became EMU’s first full-time graduate dean in February 2013 and moved into his current position in June 2016.
UNDERGRADUATE
1950-59
John Martin ’54, Harrisonburg, Va., is a retired professor and registrar at EMU. He volunteers at Park View Mennonite Church and Virginia Mennonite Retirement Community.
Nancy Fisher ’59, Pittsboro, N.C., is retired from social work. She volunteers weekly at Orange Correctional Center and is a member of the Chapel Hill Friends Meeting transition and support committee.
Edwin Martin ’59, York, Pa., is retired from interventional cardiology. He now volunteers for the American Heart Association.
Harvey Mast ’59, Greenwood, Del., is a retired family physician.
Paul L. Miller ’59, Partridge, Kan., now retired, was the founding principal at Pilgrim Christian High School as well as a pastor.
Virgene Steffen ’59, Dalton, Ohio, taught for more than 40 years in Ohio and Puerto Rico and has been the primary junior librarian at Sonnenberg Mennonite Church, where she is part of the pastoral team.
1960-69
Sandra Erb ’62, New Holland, Pa., is a retired educator who is on the Stumptown Mennonite Church visitation team, attends sewing circles, and has presented about surviving widowhood.
Paul Clymer ’64, Lititz, Pa., is a retired family physician.
Miriam Campbell Elliot ’64, Louisville, Ky., is a hospice health volunteer.
Carl Good ’64, Lititz, Pa., is a retired clinical psychologist. He served as the CEO of Mennonite Health Services, a school psychologist, a board member of Philhaven Hospital, and a Bronx, N.Y., Mennonite pastor.
Thomas Hess ’64, Bethel, Pa., is retired after pastoring at Schubert Mennonite Church.
Mamie Miller Mellinger ’64, Rockingham, Va., is retired from home health nursing and is now a free clinic volunteer. In addition to serving as an elder and the faith development coordinator at Park View Mennonite Church, she is an English conversation partner and reads nursing exams for students.
Edward Plank ’64, Fresno, Calif., is a retired mentor from Fresno Pacific University. He volunteers at the Orchid Society.
Susanna Stoltzfus ’64, Decatur, Ga., is a retired licensed professional counselor. She travels internationally, reads stories to preschoolers, and welcomes and orients newcomers to the Eastlake Commons cohousing community, where she also serves on the emergency preparedness team.
Robert Weaver ’64, Lancaster, Pa., volunteers at the Re-Uzit Shop of New Holland, which benefits Mennonite Central Committee. He also sings in the Gap Male Chorus and in a quartet and a duet at his retirement home.
James Witmer ’64, Alliance, Ohio, is retired after 41 years of pediatric practice. He served 10 years as the medical director of the Hattie Larlham Foundation and 24 years on the Marlington School District Board of Education. He is a Ruritan, and serves on the Christian education commission and the child care center board at Beech Mennonite Church.
Sheldon Yoder ’64, Avon, Ohio, is a retired proofreader who now is a web page designer and photographer for Wycliffe Associates. He serves Meals on Wheels as a cook, baker and driver.
Allan Shirk ’65, Lancaster, Pa., spoke at EMU about a book that developed from a paper he wrote for one of his EMU history classes, Ed Nolt’s New Holland Baler: “Everything Just Went Right” (New Holland Area Historical Society, 2015). Shirk taught for a total of 34 years at Lancaster Mennonite School and at Western Mennonite School.
L Eugene Hershey ’69, Sandston, Va., is a retired corporate pilot for Dominion Energy, who has worked, served and lived in Peru, Bolivia, China and Singapore. He is a member of the board and choir at his church, where he leads music and teaches Sunday school.
Rodney Mast ’69, Millersburg, Ohio, is the owner and pharmacist of Mast Pharmacies, on the board of directors for Killbuck Savings Bank, the president of Pickett Place Association, and a volunteer for Servant Partners in Honduras.
Dwight Roth ’69, Monroe, N.C., is retired after 29 years of teaching. He volunteers at Habitat for Humanity and at White Oak Nursing Home, is a painter and a poet, and sings in the choir at Waxhaw Bible Church.
Doris “Dottie” Driver Scott ’69, Charlottesville, Va., is retired from case management at the Jefferson Area Board for Aging and volunteers at the Loaves & Fishes food pantry.
Jewel Wenger Showalter ’69, Irwin, Ohio, and her husband Richard ’68 are global volunteers with Eastern Mennonite Missions, global consultants with Rosedale Mennonite Missions, and lecturers for Perspectives on the World Christian Movement. She also freelances as a writer. She is retired from communications and administration at Eastern Mennonite Missions.
Delores Swartz ’69, Goshen, Ind., is retired after serving as a chaplain for Bronson Methodist Hospital, associate pastor at Zion Mennonite Church, and chaplain at Greencroft Retirement Community.
Ruth Schwartzentruber Umble ’69, Leola, Pa., is a substitute teacher at Linville Hill Christian School and Hinkletown Mennonite School. She has traveled internationally with mission organizations and to visit her sons and their families. She volunteers her time by knotting comforters for MCC.
Erma Martin Yost Class of ’69, Carlisle, Pa., is retired after teaching high school art for 35 years in New York City and Jersey City, plus a year in the EMC home economics department (1969–70). She and her husband Leon, a photographer who has been documenting rock art in the American Southwest for more than 40 years, exhibit their art in New York City at the artist-run Noho M55 Gallery, of which Yost was a founding member in 1975. Her artwork can be seen at ermamartinyost.com.
1970-79
Lois “Lag” Gochnauer Weaver ’70, Manheim, Pa., is a home health aide for Bayada Home Health Care. She sews for Little Dresses for Africa and knits caps for a local clothing bank.
Christina Buckwalter ‘73, Keezletown, Va., taught English for three months in Moundou, Chad, with Mennonite Central Committee. She is a retired reading specialist and elementary school teacher.
Aaron Kolb ’74, Williamsport, Pa., is a part-time staff physician at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Susquehanna.
Tobias Leaman III ’74, Lititz, Pa., is a driver for Sunrise Transportation.
Janell Roggie Lederman ’74, Sturgis, Mich., is retired after 35 years of teaching nursing at Glen Oaks Community College. She is a volunteer English teacher for the county literacy council and at her church.
Helen Eby Leinbach ’74, North Webster, Ind., is the library director for the North Webster Community Public Library. She has also served as president for Lakeland Kiwanis and as vice-president for the North Webster Chamber of Commerce.
Abram Moyer ’74, Lansdale, Pa., retired after 36 years as controller in local family-owned businesses and eight years in management in local non-profit organizations. He is an active member of Plains Mennonite Church and a board member at Community at Rockhill Retirement Community in Sellersville.
David Schrock ’74, Silver Spring, Md., is the director of financial aid at the Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law.
Nelson Shenk ’74, Bally, Pa., pastors at Boyertown Mennonite Church.
Phyllis Neff Smith ’74, Palm Bay, Fla., is a certified public accountant.
June Smucker-Handrich ’74, Salem, Ore., is a retired nurse who volunteers weekly at the Liberty House Child Abuse Assessment Center.
Roger Stutzman ’74, Buhl, Idaho, is a farmer. He has served on the Idaho Soil and Water Conservation Commission, on the Idaho Sugar Beets Growers board, and as an elder at Filer Mennonite Church.
Janet Nwankwo Unonu ’74, Washington D.C., is a health nutrition officer for the Edward C. Mazique Parent Child Center, and has organized community health fairs and medical missions trips to Nigeria.
Shirley Buckwalter Yoder ’74, Harrisonburg, Va., taught nutrition and family planning to village health workers, was a public health nurse, and served in various capacities with USAID, Goshen College, Mennonite Mutual Aid and EMU before retiring. Her community involvements include Open Doors Homeless Shelter and the Threshold Choir, and she is an honorary member of the Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival board of directors.
Rachel Melhorn Phiri ’77, Ndola, Zambia, is director of the Institute for Women in Ministry at the Evangelical University, formerly Theological College of Central Africa. She began her work there in 2007 with student wives of pastoral students, and eventually helped to facilitate the founding of the institute, a distance learning program, in 2018. Rachel and her husband Dr. Lazarus Phiri, the university’s vice chancellor (president), serve with Pioneers International Mission Organization. The mission of the Evangelical University is to glorify God in providing holistically transformative, Bible-based training in theology and other disciplines to serve the church and community for local and global missional impact.
Philip Baker-Shenk ’79, Sharpsburg, Md., is a partner in Holland & Knight’s Washington D.C. office, where he practices Native American law.
Evon Swartzentruber Bergy ’79, Lancaster, Pa., is vice president of community initiatives at Landis Communities. She is also on the EMU board of trustees.
Sandra Drescher-Lehman ’79, Green Lane, Pa., is a pastor at Methacton Mennonite Church.
Eileen Kay Simmons Gardner ’79, Mechanicsburg, Pa., retired in May 2018 after 33 years as the nursing department’s patient simulation laboratory coordinator at Messiah College, where she is completing a master’s degree in counseling.
Marlin Groff ’79, Kinzers, Pa., is the CFO at Lancaster Mennonite School, a supervisor for Paradise Township, and on the Mennonite Church USA church benefits board. He also chairs the board of directors for the Garden Spot Communities retirement community.
Sue Aeschliman Groff ’79, Kinzers, Pa., is a legal administrator at Gibbel Kraybill & Hess.
Marlene Hess ’79, Marietta, Pa., is a registered nurse and helps assist a single mother with five children. At church she helps with a monthly community meal, mentors young married couples, teaches adult Sunday school and leads worship. She also meets with people who are grieving.
Reuben Horst ’79, Dayton, Va., pastors at New Beginnings Church and is a GriefShare facilitator.
Joan Kenerson King ’79, Telford, Pa., is the senior integration consultant for the National Council for Behavioral Health.
Beth Landis ’79, Eagle, Idaho, is a retired nurse who now volunteers in her congregation and community. She is also a member of the West Coast Mennonite Central Committee regional board.
Kenneth Miller ’79, Goshen, Ind., is the CPA and owner of Cornerstone Financial Solutions.
Edward “Ike” Porter ‘79, Matawan, Mich., is interim district executive minister for the Church of the Brethren Michigan District. He previously served as the director of pastoral care at the Battle Creek Veterans Administration for 22 years and as pastor at several Mennonite and Brethren congregations.
Susan Glick Ruth ’79, Chalfont, Pa., is a homemaker and a member of Line Lexington Mennonite Church.
Phillip ’79 and Marian Hollinger Rutt ’79, Akron Pa., are realtors on the Marian Rutt Team – RE/MAX Pinnacle. Phillip is also a member of the Akron Lions Club, and Marian is a member of the Northern Lancaster County Chamber of Commerce and the American Business Women’s Association in Lancaster area.
Joseph Stoll ’79, Syracuse, N.Y., is a cartographer at Syracuse University and a volunteer photographer for the Syracuse Challengers baseball program for participants with special needs.
1980-89
Dan Hooley ’81, Canton, Ohio, is the interim pastor of LifeBridge Community Church in Dover. He previously was the pastor of First Mennonite Church in Canton and the interim pastor of Friendship Mennonite Church in Bedford Heights.
Mim Shirk ’81, Goshen, Ind., is the new president and CEO of Anabaptist Providers Group, an affiliation of 16 retirement communities and other senior services providers in southeast Pennsylvania identified with historic Anabaptist faith traditions. She served as vice president of Mennonite Health Services for the past 21 years.
Carla Zehr Roes ’82, Lowville, N.Y., is retired after more than 36 years working for Lowville Academy and Central School.
Judith Trumbo ’82, Broadway, Va., president and CEO of Virginia Mennonite Retirement Community, was named the Harrisonburg-Rockingham Chamber of Commerce Business Person of the Year.
Rev. Dale Brown ’84, Smyrna, Del., is a pastor for the Peninsula-Delaware Conference of the United Methodist Church. His community involvements include food pantries, Code Purple Shelters, disaster relief and spiritual formation ministries.
Nancy Wollen Conver ’84, Emmaus, Pa., is a nursing supervisor at the Fellowship Community continuing care community in Whitehall. She recently returned from a medical missions trip to Jamaica and serves on the board of managers for Seaside Home in Cape May, N.J., a Christian vacation ministry for those in need.
Rebecca Derstine Esch ’84, Newton, Kan., works part-time as a natural health consultant, is a certified health coach at the local recreation center, and works part-time as the office manager for her home-based landscape contracting business.
Thomas Lapp ’84, Chadds Ford, Pa., recently established Triad Personal Paperwork Services, providing daily money management services for older adults and those who have difficulty with these skills. He was previously employed as a computer engineer, and in 2018 was elected as a senior member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.
Marie Schuessler Morris ’84, Anderson, Ind., is provost at Anderson University. She is also vice chair of the board of directors and chair of the quality of care committee for Community Hospital Anderson.
Joyce Lehman Peckman ’84, Chambersburg, Pa., is the nurse manager for Keystone Women’s Care.
James Rittenhouse ’84, Green Lane, Pa., is partner at Detweiler, Hershey and Associates.
Michael Slagell ’84, Thomas, Okla., a retired teacher, volunteers with Mennonite Disaster Service, Gideons, and Et Cetera Shop thrift store.
Kathleen Ballentine Wendland ’84, Saint John, Kan., serves as part of the Father’s House of Worship ministry team.
Sherwyn Smeltzer ’86, Harrisonburg, Va., has earned Certified Financial Planner status. He is a financial advisor at Park View Federal Credit Union.
Ingrid DeSanctis ’88, Harrisonburg, Va., assistant professor of theater: playwriting at James Madison University, was awarded the university’s spring 2019 Make Your Next Move Award for her “outstanding work helping students move forward with their career goals and plans.”
Jewel Pitts ’88, Elkhart, Ind., is part of the Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary presidential search committee charged with seeking a successor to the retiring Sara Wenger Shenk ’75. At AMBS Pitts is an associate professor of Anabaptist studies, the director of the Institute of Mennonite Studies and the editor of Anabaptist Witness.
Melody Good Clymer ’89, Collinsville, Miss., teaches third grade at West Lauderdale Elementary School in Meridian. She earned a master’s degree in gifted education from the Mississippi University for Women in 2014. She is married to Michael Clymer MA ’99 (conflict transformation), a math instructor at Meridian Community College.
Lynda Gingerich ’89, Eugene, Ore., is a senior manager for projects and programs at Symantec Corp.
Kirby Keim ’89, Sarasota, Fla., is a software engineer lead at Vertex.
Kimberly Biller Moomaw ’89, Mount Jackson, Va., is a second grade teacher for Shenandoah County Public Schools.
Grace Louise Nolt ’89, Canadensis, Pa., works in creative composition and design for Spruce Lake Retreat, helps her neighbors with outdoor chores, volunteers at the Josie Porter Farm, and is on the board of directors for the Alice Visionary Foundation Project.
Lisa Zendt Shelly ’89, Collinsville, Miss., principal at Northeast Elementary School, was named Lauderdale County School District’s 2018-19 administrator of the year.
Phillip Stauffer ’89, Uniontown, Ohio, is the executive director of the Hartville Thrift Shoppe and of Castaways Resale in Henderson, Nev., a God Behind Bars initiative. He is also president of the Downtown Akron Kiwanis Foundation and on the Lake Chamber of Commerce board of directors.
Deberniere Torrey ’89, Salt Lake City, Utah, is an assistant professor of world languages and cultures at the University of Utah.
1990-99
Kay Weaver Lera ’90, Madison, Wis., is owner of Lera Wellness & Care, a Nurtured Heart Approach consultant, and a registered yoga teacher. She also volunteers in the public schools.
Tisa Wenger ’91, Hamden, Conn., gave a lecture “Religious Freedom: The Contested History of an American Ideal” at Brigham Young University in February. She is an associate professor of American religious history at Yale Divinity School.
Steven Miller ’92, Nampa, Idaho, was promoted to senior vice president of Northwest Farm Credit Services for western Idaho. He was previously the branch manager/relationship manager and vice president in Nampa.
This spring, Delores Saner Jameson ’93, of Harrisonburg, Virginia, visited Costa Rica with her son, sister, and niece to spend time with her host mom, Mayela Hernandez, and family from her 1991 EMU cross-cultural experience. The two families had shared visits several times but lost touch over some years. “We spent a few days at the beach visiting, laughing, sharing memories and eating delicious food. It felt as though no time had passed and our reconnection was stronger than ever,” Jameson said. She is executive director of the Harrisonburg Rockingham Child Day Care Center.
Darvin Martin, ’93, Brownstown, Pa., is the technical sales manager at SOTAX Corporation. He is chair of Lancaster Family History Conference, volunteers at Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society, and has given lectures on local history, local Native American history and DNA as it relates to genealogy.
Regina Christman Martin ’93, Brownstown, Pa., is a garden center office assistant at Stauffers of Kissel Hill.
Tim Ruebke ’93, MA ’99 (conflict transformation), Port Republic, Va., spent 38 days in North Carolina as a FEMA alternative dispute resolution specialist assisting relief efforts following Hurricane Florence. He is the executive director of the FairField Center in Harrisonburg and a member of the Resolution Virginia board of directors.
Eileen Boley ’94, Walkersville, Md., earned a master’s degree in school library media from McDaniel College in 2018.
Kimberly Miller ’94, Harrisonburg, Va., is a reading specialist at Thomas Harrison Middle School.
Kevin Nofziger ’94, Lancaster, Pa., is a stewardship consultant for Everence.
Kristina Kunkel Wilson ’94, Manheim, Pa., is director of advancement for Mt. Hope Nazarene Retirement Community.
Ruth Hoover Zimmerman ’94, Fairfax, Va., is a senior program manager for World Vision U.S., providing financial and implementation oversight for five African countries: the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eswatini, Lesotho, Kenya and Tanzania. She is active in her congregation as well as in affordable housing and community peace and justice initiatives.
Christopher Scott ’95, MDiv ’11, Winchester, Va., has earned a Doctor of Ministry from Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Ky., where he was a Beeson Scholar. He ministers at the church plant The Exchange.
Diane Lazer Emswiler ’96, Broadway, Va., is a school library clerk for Rockingham County Schools.
Rebecca Kauffman ’96, West Liberty, Ohio, is a pastor at Bethel Mennonite Church.
Monica Hartzler Beachy ’99, Millersburg, Ind., is a Title 1 reading teacher for Middlebury Community Schools.
Sharon Kozel Hicks ’99, Maineville, Ohio, is a licensed professional counselor at her private practice Kintsukuroi Counseling.
Danielle Miller Hofstetter ’99, Lancaster, Pa., is a part-time children’s minister for Mellinger Mennonite Church. She previously was a theater director at Lancaster Mennonite High School.
Jonathan Hofstetter ’99, Lancaster Pa., is an attorney and partner at Blakinger Thomas. He is also the board chair for Everence Federal Credit Union and chair of the elders council at Mellinger Mennonite Church.
Jessica Stauffer Kline ’99, Newmanstown, Pa., is a registered nurse at WellSpan Good Samaritan VNA.
Perry Shank ’99, Harrisonburg, Va., was nominated for the Innovation in Education K-12 Award presented at the Shenandoah Valley Technology Council’s TechNite19. Shank holds a PhD in curriculum and instruction from the Morgridge College of Education at the University of Denver and chairs the computer science department at Harrisonburg High School.
Ben Wyse ’99, Harrisonburg, Va., was voted the Best Bike Mechanic of the Blue Ridge in Blue Ridge Outdoors magazine’s Best of the Blue Ridge Awards contest. Wyse pulls his equipment in a trailer behind his own bicycle, and often serves the EMU campus on Wednesday mornings.
2000-10
Christopher Clymer Kurtz ’00, Linville, Va., is the director of development for the Shenandoah Valley Scholars Latino Initiative, which creates college opportunities for Latino high school students.
Alicia Horst ’01, MDiv ’06, Harrisonburg, Va., was part of a Charlottesville-based group that traveled to support people seeking asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border. She is the executive director for NewBridges Immigrant Resource Center and accredited by the U.S. Department of Justice to practice immigration law.
Micah Hurst ’02, MA ’18 (church leadership), Harrisonburg, Va., begins as campus pastor of Hesston College in August. He is the pastor of faith formation for youth and young adults at Weavers Mennonite Church.
Jay Monger ’02, Linville, Va., was named among the Top Forty Under 40 by The NEWS, a magazine focusing on the HVAC business. He is co-owner of Excel Steel and Excel Heating & Cooling.
Felicia Zamora ’02, Managua, Nicaragua, is earning an MDiv at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. She previously worked as a translator for Mennonite Central Committee and Compassion International. Her most recent work was with Provadenic, a nonprofit that trains people in rural areas to provide medical care to their communities.
Rene Hostetter ’03, MA ’08 (church leadership), Harrisonburg, Va., is a palliative care chaplain at Sentara RMH Medical Center.
Rosa Bare ’04, Harrisonburg, Va., is a major gifts officer for WVPT.
Laura Helmuth Church ’04, York, Pa., is the owner of Windham Music Studios.
Eric Kennel ’04, Lancaster, Pa., is the executive director for Compass Mark.
Teresa Lehman ’04, Chambersburg, Pa., is a third grade teacher at St. Thomas Elementary School. She earned a math coaching endorsement from Penn State in 2017.
Tamara Duncan Shoemaker ’04, Harrisonburg, Va., is an English language tutor and teaching assistant for Rockingham County Public Schools.
Caleb Stitely ’04, Bealeton, Va., was named one of the Top 40 Under 40 by the National Business Aviation Association as an industry professional shaping the business aviation industry in profound ways. He is the marketing and client relations manager for Chantilly Air.
Matt Gnagey ’05, Ogden, Utah, was one of 10 faculty to receive the 2018-19 Presidential Teaching Excellence Award at Weber State University, where he has taught economics since 2014.
Aaron Green ’05, MBA ’11, Harrisonburg, Va., was named senior vice president and market leader for branches of F&M Bank in Page, Shenandoah and northern Rockingham counties. He has worked for the bank since 2010.
Rodney and Janae Yoder Hostetter ’05, Ephrata, Pa., traveled to Namulonge, Uganda, to celebrate the ribbon-cutting for the Aliyah Joy House. The six-apartment building named in honor of their daughter, who died at birth, will house families and generate rent income for the Comforter’s Center, a crisis pregnancy center in the capital city Kampala.
Travis Smith ’05, Annandale, N.J., has been named a northeast account manager for Lincoln Fine Ingredients, a national distributor of specialty chemicals and ingredients to the personal care, cosmetic, food and beverage, and pharmaceutical industries.
Heather Bender ’06, Iowa City, Iowa, is the executive director of the Crooked Creek Christian Camp in Washington, Iowa, where she was a camper as a child and later volunteered. She most recently was employed by New Pioneer Food Co-op.
Aubrey Bauman Kreider ’08, Lancaster, Pa., is the director of marketing and communications at Lancaster Mennonite School.
Scott Beckler ’09, Harrisonburg, Va., is a registered nurse at Sentara RMH.
Maria Bowman ’09, Washington D.C., is a member of the D.C. School Food Advisory Board.
Rosanna Shetler Coblentz ’09, Kalona, Iowa, is a registered nurse at the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital.
Jessica Springer D’Onofrio ’09, Millersville, Pa., is a registered nurse.
Andrew Gascho ’09, Harrisonburg, Va., has been named the athletic director for Eastern Mennonite School. He will continue to coach the girls varsity soccer team and serve in communications and IT support.
Amy Yoder Landes ’09, Kalona, Iowa, is an office assistant at the Water Shop.
Alana Wenger Miller ’09, Seattle, Wash., was nominated for the Distinguished Staff Award at the University of Washington, where she is the benefits supervisor in the Integrated Service Center (human resources).
Rev. Sage A. Olnick ’09, Lancaster, Pa., is an adjunct faculty member at EMU Lancaster, a chaplain at Hospice and Community Care and an affiliate community minister at First Unitarian Universalist Church of Berks County. She is also a member of the Unitarian Universalist Ministers Association and the Association of Professional Chaplains.
Joanne Sherlock Senft ’09, York, Pa., is a part-time research tech at Penn State Cancer Institute. She volunteers with the York-Adams County Immunization Coalition and for Caitlin’s Smiles in Harrisburg.
Katherine Spengler ’09, Shillington, Pa., is a physical therapy assistant at Penn State Health St. Joseph Hospital and a volunteer firefighter for Cumru Township Fire Department.
Julia Starks ’09, Charlottesville, Va., is lead nurse practitioner at KidMed.
Lindsay Yoder Swartzendruber ’09, Kalona, Iowa, is an autism consultant at Grant Wood Area Education Agency.
2010-
Ellie Barnhart ’11, MS ’15 (nursing), Salem, Ore., co-authored an article published in American Nurse Today about rotating peripheral IV catheters based on clinical indication. Barnhart is an adult health nurse clinician at Salem Health.
Brianne Ede ’11, GC ’16 (nonprofit leadership), MA ’17 (conflict transformation), Maumee, Ohio, is a program coordinator for Advocating Opportunity, a legal non-profit that provides legal services and advocacy to trafficked persons. She is a certified trained facilitator for Girl’s Circle and plans to co-facilitate a circle for court-involved youth this summer.
Katie Horst ’12, Staunton, Va., was nominated for the Innovation in Education K-12 Award presented at the Shenandoah Valley Technology Council’s TechNite19. Horst is an educational technologist at Stuart Hall School, an Episcopal day and boarding school with campuses in Staunton and Verona.
Ryan Eshleman-Robles ’13, Rockingham, Va., is the new boys varsity soccer coach at Eastern Mennonite School. He earned an MA in curriculum and instruction from the University of Mississippi and taught high school in Mississippi for five years before spending time in Guatemala with his wife, Valeria.
Jennifer Hitt ’13, Mt. Crawford, Va., earned a master’s degree in education with a focus on special education from Averett University this year. She is an assistant administrator at Lutheran Family’s Minnick School in Harrisonburg.
Dawn Mahaffey Murray ’13, Fulks Run, Va., is the owner of The Village Arts Center, a community and arts center in Broadway. She previously worked in early child development, training child care providers in art education.
Aaron Erb ’14, MA ’15 (conflict transformation), Pittsburgh, Pa., was named the 2018 Victim Advocate of the Year by the Allegheny County Juvenile Court and the Pennsylvania Juvenile Court Judges’ Commission. He is the restorative justice coordinator at the city’s Center for Victims.
Alyssa Green ’14, Broadway, Va., has published Things Are Crazy with Daisy: Meet Daisy (CreateSpace, 2018), the first book in a children’s series about a “very curious dog.” Green teaches kindergarten at John C. Myers Elementary School.
Mila Litchfield ’14, Raleigh, N.C., is the volunteer coordinator at Heartland Hospice. She is also the 2018 “Ducks On The Pod” Fantasy Baseball League champion.
Ellen Marie Roth ’14, Vientiane, Laos, works in administration and teaches English language students at Sharon International School.
Alex Wynn ’14, Harrisonburg, Va., is an environmental consultant at Inboden Environmental Services.
Laura Zehr ’14, Hollis, N.H., is a registered nurse at Lahey Hospital & Medical Center.
GRADUATE
Gerry Keener MDiv ’78, Lancaster, Pa., was appointed the eighth president of Eastern Mennonite Missions. He had been EMM’s executive vice president and chief operating officer since 2010.
David W. Boshart ’86, MA ’87 (religion) begins as assistant professor of missional leadership and pastoral care at Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary in Elkhart, Ind., in the 2019-20 academic year. Boshart earned EMU’s Distinguished Service Award in 2012. He taught at EMU from 2010-15. He is married to Shana Peachey Boshart ’85, denominational minister for faith formation for Mennonite Church USA. Since 2010, Boshart has served as executive conference minister for Central Plains Mennonite Conference of Mennonite Church USA. He has held a position as associate professor at the Andrews University School of Education from 2009 to the present.
Christine Poulson MA ’98 (conflict transformation), Staunton, Va., is the executive director of Resolution Virginia, which has released a new license plate celebrating and helping to fund community peacebuilding.
Jonathan Rudy GC ’01 (conflict transformation), MA ’01 (religion), is Peacemaker-in-Residence for Elizabethtown College’s Center for Global Understanding and Peacemaking. He is senior advisor for human security at the Alliance for Peacebuilding, a senior fellow at the Social Enterprise Service Group, and a core member of the Global Partners for the Prevention of Armed Conflict (GPPAC) Working Group on Improving Practice.
Sandy Grotberg GC ’02 (conflict transformation), Chambersburg, Pa., is a retired educator and peace trainer who recently became a Pennsylvania Master Naturalist. She helped co-found Community Uniting! and has been active in the Franklin County Racial Reconciliation group for the past two years.
Tecla Namachanja Wanjala MA ‘03 (conflict transformation), Nairobi, Kenya, was honored at the 2019 Summer Peacebuilding Institute as the CJP Peacebuilder of the Year. She is the chairperson of the Kenya-based Green String Network. Its social healing and reconciliation program Kumekucha was selected as one of the top 10 global governance solutions from among 121 projects presented at the November 2018 Paris Peace Forum.
Matthew D. Hartman MA ’07 (conflict transformation), Damascus, Ore., is co-founder and principal of Just Outcomes, which supports communities and organizations responding to harm. From 2010-17, he was the restorative justice coordinator for the Clackamas County Juvenile Department, where he co-developed a victim impact program and redeveloped a victim-offender dialogue program.
Zaenuddin Hudi Prasojo MA ’08 (conflict transformation), Pontianak, Indonesia, is a lecturer with IAIN Pontianak. He earned a PhD in religious and cross-cultural studies from Gadjah Mada University in 2012.
Jennie Carr MA ’09 (education), Dayton, Va., received the Martha B. Thornton Faculty Recognition Award at Bridgewater College, where she teaches courses on elementary math methods and elementary curriculum instruction and serves in various other capacities.
Adam Blagg MDiv ’12, Harrisonburg, Va., pastor at Otterbein UMC, is the executive committee vice president for Harrisonburg Faith in Action, a coalition of congregations working together to effect systemic change in the community.
Smith Coleman MA ’12 (conflict transformation), Harrisonburg, Va., begins July 1 as the head of the North Branch School, a small progressive school in Afton focused on the environment and social justice.
Caleb Johnson MA ’13 (counseling), an Iraq war veteran, is one of four regional directors for Virginia Veteran and Family Support. “Everyone who goes into human services does so because of their own story,” he said. The agency connects veterans and their families to behavioral health, peer support and justice services, and provides community outreach and education.
Meghan Painter MBA ’13, Elkton, Va., business operations director at Sentara RMH Medical Group, was named among the top 10 rising business leaders under age 40 for 2018 by the Shenandoah Valley Business Journal.
Brittany Caine-Conley MDiv ’14, Charlottesville, Va., was part of a three-member team of clergy who officiated weddings during a recent trip to the U.S.-Mexico border to provide support for people seeking asylum in the United States. She is a United Church of Christ pastor and leader of Congregate Charlottesville.
Gwendolyn Myers GC ’14 (conflict transformation), Monrovia, Liberia, was featured in Time magazine’s “Top Eight Young Reformers Across the Globe Shaping the World.” She was among several thousand global experts in human rights nominated to provide input to the agenda for the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
Ahmad Rahat GC ’14 (business), MA ’14 (conflict transformation), Brooklyn, N.Y., is an associate with KPMG’s Advisory. Working under corporate services, he provides support for efforts such as the development of change management and communications strategies.
Jodie-Ann Geddes MA ’16 (conflict transformation), Oakland, Calif., is co-author with Tom DeWolf of The Little Book of Racial Healing: Coming to the Table for Truth-Telling, Liberation, and Transformation (Good Books/Skyhorse, 2019). Geddes is board president of Coming To the Table, an organization that DeWolf co-founded and which he serves as executive director.
Susan Montgomery GC ’16 (conflict transformation), Knoxville, Tenn., is a self-employed clinical psychologist. She also earned a graduate certificate from the Harvard Program in Refugee Trauma in 2018.
Judith Nasimiyu Mandillah GC ’17 (peacebuilding and leadership), Kakamega, Kenya, is a principal probation officer in Kakamega County. In addition to other involvements, she is also an affiliate member of the Kenya Counselors Western Chapter, an accredited Kenyan legal community mediator, and consultant to the Kenya Children’s Charitable Institution Network.
Silvia Menendez Alcalde MA ’18 (conflict transformation), Lansing, Mich., is a restorative justice facilitator at Resolution Services Center of Central Michigan.
Matthew Fehse GC ’17, MA ’18 (conflict transformation), San Diego, Calif., is the planning and logistics manager for the American Red Cross of San Diego/Imperial Counties and American Samoa.
Valerie Fulton MSN ’18 (nursing), Bellefonte, Pa., won the Pennsylvania School Nurse Association 2019 regional school nurse excellence award (north central region) in March. Her capstone project related to developing an annual safe driving program for high school students.
Quntashea Lewis MA ’18 (organizational leadership), Winston-Salem, N.C., is the new head women’s basketball coach at her alma mater, Salem College. She was previously an assistant coach at Mount Saint Mary College in New York. While at EMU, she was a graduate assistant coach and recruiter for the women’s basketball team.
MARRIAGES
Meghan Cline ’07 to Matthew Boyce, Linville, Va., Dec. 28, 2018.
Hannah Kraybill ’11 to Simon Jilg, Harrisonburg, Va., Nov. 2016.
Rachel Kelley ’13 to Eric Long, Huntingdon, Pa., Sept. 29, 2018.
Rose Jantzi ’14 to Ben Luna, Harrisonburg, Va., Aug. 4, 2018.
Kara Meyer ’14 to Diogo Durante, Bridgewater, Va., July 29, 2017.
Lenore E. Kauffman ’15 to Jonathan M. Bush ’16, Aug 5, 2017.
Malachi Bontrager ’16 to Rachel Springer ’16, Harrisonburg, Va., May 12, 2018.
Samuel Stoner ’16 to Rebekah Hertzler ’17, Dec. 30, 2017.
BIRTHS AND ADOPTIONS
Andrew and Jessica Stauffer Kline ’99, Newmanstown, Pa., Alivia Jane, age 9, Nov. 2018.
Sandy King ’00 and Steven Witmer ’99, Harrisonburg, Va., Kai King-Witmer, Dec. 5, 2018.
Aboubacar Kaba and Mary Hope Brenneman ’04, Leesburg, Va., Timothy Billo Kaba, Mar. 15, 2018.
Gabriel and Bethany Good Cropsey ’04, Leesburg, Va., Tirzah Evangeline, Feb. 18, 2019.
Donny and Martha Sachs Magana ’04, Fremont, Calif., Jonathan Philip, May 14, 2017.
Rachel Miller ’04 and Scott Parkinson, Washington D.C., Lawrence Finnegan, June 17, 2017.
Matt and Erin Nicole Partee Cassidy ‘05, Arlington, Va., Cameron Taylor, Oct. 13, 2018.
Matthew ’05 and Sara Gingerich ’07, Linville, Va., Lydia Grace, Feb. 12, 2019.
Jenny ’06 and Jason Wagner GC ’16, Harrisonburg, Va., Timothy Wayne Crowe, Dec. 5, 2018.
Risa and Benjamin Yutzy ’06, MA ’17, Timberville, Va., Efram Silas, Jan. 29, 2019.
Donald and Kimberly Blake ’09, Carson, Va., Charles Carter, Dec. 12, 2018.
Ben ’11 and Kate Nussbaum Bergey ’10, Harrisonburg, Va., Lydia Marie, Sept. 21, 2018.
Giles ’11 and Amy Histand Eanes ’10, Harrisonburg, Va., Gregory Rubén, May 21, 2018.
Tony ’10 and Yvonne Stauffer Fajardo ’11, Harrisonburg, Va., Thiago Tony, Oct. 11, 2018.
Nicole and John Hostetter ’11, Harrisonburg, Va., Thomas Milton, Nov. 2, 2018.
Mitchell ’11 and Jasmine Martin Stutzman ’11, Hesston, Kan., Wilmer Stutzman, Dec. 13, 2018.
Kendall ’12 and Emily Miller Wenger ’11, Rockingham, Va., Arlo Paul, March 21, 2019.
Austin ’13 and Sarah Schoenhals Showalter ’12, Harrisonburg, Va., Tobin Henry, Nov. 7, 2018.
Justin and Erin Nussbaum Beeker ’13, Broadway, Va., Luke Alan, Dec. 9, 2018.
Brenan and Katie Lown Gray ’13, Harrisonburg, Va., Colin Morrison, Nov. 8, 2018.
Zachary Markowitz and Hannah Miller ’13, Longmont, Colo., Rowena Miller Markowitz, Feb. 8, 2018.
Everett ’15 and Kelsey Blosser Brubaker ’15, Harrisonburg, Va., Loam Oliver, Jan. 23, 2019.
JD and Michelle Zook Spicher ’15, Belleville, Pa., Elaine Laurel, Sept. 21, 2018.
DEATHS
Ammon Schrock, Sarasota, Fla., died Dec. 7, 2018, at 88. A builder and developer, he helped with purchasing and developing Lakewood Retreat, and served on the EMU Board of Trustees from 1980-94.
Lena Beachy Yutzy Showalter ’51, Harrisonburg, Va., died Feb. 26, 2019, at 88. She was a loving and devoted wife to Omar Showalter ’68; a caring mother, grandmother, and friend; and a member of Lindale Mennonite Church.
Rosa Yoder Moshier ’52, New Holland, Pa., died Dec. 21, 2018, at 90. She was married to the late Elton G. Moshier ’52.
Rebecca Herr ’53, Lancaster, Pa., died Aug. 2, 2016, at 84. She was a registered nurse who worked as a missionary in Honduras for 12 years and in community health nursing for 20 years. She loved quilting, sewing and teaching Sunday school at East Chestnut Street Mennonite Church.
Dorcas Zook Musser ’54, Alice, Texas, died March 26, 2017, at 87. She was a retired school teacher, and had four children, 13 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.
Katherine “Kay” Yutzy class of ’56, Goshen, Ind., died Dec. 23, 2018, at 91. While on the Goshen College nursing faculty for 17 years, she joined the Elkhart Missions Network and assisted in upgrading the School of Nursing/Midwifery in Dhamtari, India, to a college status.
Allen Martin ’59, Shipshewana, Ind., died Dec. 9, 2018, at 88. He was married to Ruth E. Nussbaum Martin ’53, and had six children, 14 grandchildren, and 25 great-grandchildren.
Elias Saig ’59, Manhattan, Kan., died March 12, 2019, at 89. He was born and raised in Jerusalem. With encouragement from Mennonite Central Committee workers, he traveled to the United States to study, and later taught economics.
Norman Herr Kreider ’60, Harrisonburg, Va., died Dec. 22, 2018, at 85. Married to Dorothy, he was the owner and operator of Miles Music Co. for 20 years, served as a team leader with Mennonite Disaster Service, and helped in the opening and management of Gift & Thrift.
Mary Wenger Becker ’62, Akron, Pa., died Jan. 9, 2019, at 83. She spent most of her teaching career at John Beck Elementary. She was an accomplished writer and genealogist, and attended Ephrata Church of the Brethren.
Eunice Hess Martin Jones ’62, Provost, Alberta, Canada, died March 31, 2017, at 78. She taught in a Hutterite colony in Alberta, and her teaching career spanned more than 30 years.
Emma Jean Landis ‘62, Tunkhannock, Pa., died Nov. 10, 2018, at 82. She was a nurse in obstetrics, pediatrics, surgery and podiatry; served in Jamaica and on several Native American reservations; started Tunkhannock Adult Day Care; and helped to manage her husband’s medical practice.
Dorothy Yoder Headings ’63, Harrisonburg, Va., died Dec. 27, 2018, at 78. She worked as a nurse, raised a family with her husband Dick, and became a receptionist at Sunnyside Retirement Community.
Ethel Hershey ’64, Lancaster, Pa., died Jan. 15, 2019, at 82. A registered nurse, she worked as an administrator of the Pennsylvania State Health Center in Lancaster from 1969-94. She was an active member of Grace Point Church of Paradise her entire life.
Joseph Stambaugh ’64, Winchester, Va., died Aug. 1, 2017, at 75. He was married to Naomi Long Stambaugh MA ’84 (religion). Joe was employed by IBM as a customer service engineer for 35 years, and was a member of Beekeepers of Northern Shenandoah and of the Christian Motorcyclists Association.
Wayne Alexander ’66, Hudson, Fla, died June 25, 2018, at 73. A native of Elkton, Va., he served in the Army in Vietnam, and then was an FBI special agent from 1970 until his retirement in 1999.
Dolores Godshall Bauman ’66, Pennsburg, Pa., died March 17, 2019, at 76. She taught elementary school, volunteered for a Care & Share Book Shoppe, and served as library director in Hudson, Illinois.
J Allen Brubaker ’66, Harrisonburg, Va., died March 2, 2019, at 81. J Allen spent all of his working life in missions, radio broadcasts, Christian journalism and church relations.
Paul Burkholder ’70, Lititz, Pa., died Oct. 26, 2018. He served as a Mennonite pastor and in financial counseling for Mennonite Mutual Aid Association and Tabor Community Services.
Virginia Chandler ’72, Port Republic, Va., died Aug. 25, 2018, at 83. She taught for 32 years at Shenandoah Elementary School and was a lifelong member of the Port Republic United Methodist Church and a charter member of the Shenandoah River Chapter of Daughters of the American Revolution.
Donald Lee Good ’72, Telford, Pa., died Jan. 9, 2019, at 69. He was a salesman for more than 40 years, was active in his local congregation and volunteered on many service trips with church youth groups.
Lowell Stutzman ’74, Gold Hill, Ore., died March 21, 2016, at 64. He served several terms on the Mennonite Brethren Mission Board and made numerous mission trips, often with groups, in the United States and to South America, Asia, Europe and Mexico.
Philip L. Weber ’74, West Chester, Pa., died June 30, 2017, at age 64.
Frank Earl Farrow MDiv ’77, Rogersville, Tenn., died Feb. 12, 2019, at 87. He was a former teacher, prison chaplain and missionary.
Lois E Troyer ’78, Goshen, Ind., died Dec. 18, 2018, at 60. She worked in patient financial services at Goshen Hospital for more than 30 years, served on the Sonshine Day Care Board, participated in the Goshen Bowling League, and was a member of Benton Mennonite Church.
Sandra Zeiset Richardson ’79, Seattle, Wash., died Dec. 27, 2014, at 57. She and her husband were directors of Camp Camrec, a Mennonite retreat center. Her artwork, primarily in ceramics but also printmaking, painting and metal sculpture, has been shown in several Seattle and national galleries.
Carolyn Schrock-Shenk ’81, Goshen, Ind., died Feb. 6, 2019, at 63. She worked for Mennonite Central Committee from 1987-2000, and then taught peace and justice conflict studies at Goshen College until 2017.
Hirut Dadebo ’00, Harrisonburg, Va., died Dec. 22, 2018, at 61. She worked at Haile Mariam Mamo Memorial Hospital in Ethiopia, followed by 22 years of employment at Oak Lea Nursing Home in Harrisonburg.
Patricia “Patty” Burgers Hinegardner ’03, Bridgewater, Va., died Mar. 3, 2019 at 49. She was the pediatric care coordinator and diabetes educator at University of Virginia Medical Center Children’s Hospital, and had previously worked at Rockingham Memorial Hospital and Massanutten Technical Center in Harrisonburg.
Amanda Sigman ’10, Mountville, Pa., died Nov. 27, 2018, at 41. She was a nurse at Lancaster General Hospital for 27 years.
MJ DREAM HIKERS AT THE SUMMIT
Twelve hikers — including EMU seniors Riley Swartzendruber and Christy Kauffman, Provost Fred Kniss ’79, Wilmer Otto ’73 and former Board of Trustees members John Bomberger ’77 and Gerry Horst ’72 — trekked to the top of Kilimanjaro in March. Their efforts commemorated the life and legacy of murdered United Nations armed group expert, Michael J. Sharp ’05, and raised more than $121,000 for an endowed scholarship in his name that benefits Congolese peacebuilders studying at EMU’s Center for Justice and Peacebuilding.
At the summit, MJ’s father John Sharp scattered his son’s ashes, a moving moment for those hikers who had known MJ well, like his Congolese colleague Serge Lungele, and those who had never met him, like the two EMU students, but who have been inspired by his work and the people he touched.
The eight-day effort earned the attention of former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki R. Haley and Nobel laureates Leymah Gbowee MA ’07 and Dr. Denis Mukwege each of whom sent video greetings and encouragement to the hikers as they made the ascent. Actress and activist Jane Fonda also posted a message of support on her blog,
The first recipient of the Michael J. Sharp Peace and Justice Endowed Scholarship, Congolese peacebuilder David Nyiringabo, began his graduate studies in conflict transformation at CJP in the fall of 2018.
In thanks shared with supporters later, Kniss said he was mindful of their good wishes during the tough mental and physical challenge of getting to the top. “I also thank you on behalf of the future Congolese students who will benefit from the scholarship, and the Congolese people who will benefit from their work,” he said.
EXEMPLARY EDUCATORS
Ten alumni were recognized this spring as top education professionals. In Harrisonburg City and Rockingham County public schools, Teacher of the Year awardees included Jerry Arbogast ’90, Massanutten Technical Center, building management instructor; Tom Baker ’81, Lacey Spring Elementary School, physical education; Seth Crissman ’09, Elkton Elementary School, special education K-5; Tara Cupp ’00, Plains Elementary School, kindergarten; Mary Jo Heckman MA ’05, Thomas Harrison Middle, sixth-grade history; Rachel Henschel ’15, Spotswood Elementary, third grade; Cary Schulte ’77, Fulks Run Elementary School, special education K-5; Angela Strite ’02, Linville-Edom Elementary School, school counselor; and Katrina Yoder ’07, Waterman Elementary, fourth grade. In Lauderdale County School District in Mississippi, Lisa Zendt Shelly ’89, the principal at Northeast Elementary School, 2018-19 administrator of the year.
MENNONITE HEALTHCARE FELLOWSHIP
The Mennonite Healthcare Fellowship Board of Directors met in March at EMU. The group, which includes alumni Dr. Ryan Kauffman ’99 and Matt Tieszen ’10, MA ’15 (biomedicine) and Professor Kristopher Schmidt, hosted a networking event for pre-professional health science students, and President Dr. Lyubov Slashcheva ’11 presented a chapel talk about the “medical industrial complex.”
