Two alumni of Eastern Mennonite University, Andy Dula ’91 and Kevin Ressler ’07, were tapped to contribute to the Lancaster Chamber‘s “Words that Activate Change” series. The chamber serves Lancaster, Pennsylvania, area business leaders.
“The Words That Activate Change series is focused on uplifting voices in our community that encourage dialogue, cultivate transformation, offer thought-provoking ideas, and challenge all of us to be better, be stronger, and, most importantly, be advocates for systematic change within both our community and our workforce,” according to the website.
Dula’s essay is titled “Leadership as Confession, Humility, and the Courage to Act.“
Dula is chief operating and financial officer of EGStoltzfus. Dula holds several community service and leadership positions, including a member of the Board of Directors for Goodville Mutual Insurance Company; member of the Board of Trustees of Praxis Mutual Funds; member of the Board of Trustees of the Lancaster Chamber of Commerce; past chair of the Board of Trustees of Eastern Mennonite University and past vice chair of the Lancaster Mennonite School Board. Dula has also chaired and served on various committees at Blossom Hill Mennonite Church, where his wife, Michelle Witmer Dula, is lead pastor. He holds a Master of Business Administration from Millersville University. His daughter and son attend EMU.
Ressler’s essay is “Paying The Cost: Learning About Racism And A Call For Business To Invest In Its Eradication.”
Ressler is president and CEO of United Way of Lancaster County. He is married to Melissa Ressler, executive director of the Lancaster Downtowners, and they share two children, Acacia and Iriana. Kevin, a Lancaster native, attended and graduated Conestoga Valley from Kindergarten. He earned a B.A. in Justice, Peace, and Conflict Studies from EMU and an M.Div. from Lancaster Theological Seminary. Much of the focus of his life’s work has been approaching inequity and disenfranchisement in our social systems both through street activism and board room advocacy knowing that changing persons without changing the systems ends up maintaining the same problems in the next generation. He is board treasurer for Meals on Wheels of Lancaster, vice-chair for Everence Federal Credit Union; and serves at large for UPMC Lititz, Conestoga Valley Education Foundation, Partnership for Public Health, Lanco MyHome. Ressler frequently guest preaches on Christian ethics and does consulting for institutions and individuals desiring developing personal and institutional anti-oppression practice and cultural competency.