Eastern Mennonite University welcomed five new members to the Board of Trustees. They began their terms June 30, 2021.
A list of the full membership is located at the President’s Office webpage.
Liza Heavener (left) and Shawn Ramer served as interim trustees from March-June 2021, replacing outgoing members Charlotte Hunsberger and Clyde Kratz. They attended the June 2021 trustees meeting and will continue in their first full terms.
Liza Heavener ‘07 has wide-ranging experience working nearly ten years in federal politics, grassroots and campaign strategy and with the United States Congress. Liza currently serves as the chief operating officer at NEXUS Global. She works to unite young investors and social entrepreneurs to catalyze new leadership to accelerate global solutions. She was also a founding member of an organization dedicated to stopping deforestation in Borneo, Indonesia, and assisted in building an orangutan rehabilitation center in the rainforests of Borneo. She lives in Philadelphia, Pa., with her family.
Shawn Ramer ‘83 currently consults for the health and wellness industry. He retired as senior vice president of IT from Bristol-Myers Squibb in 2016. Prior to this, he held global scientific and technology leadership positions at Hoffmann La-Roche. Shawn chaired several pharmaceutical industry forums for information management, served on the board of the eHealth Initiative, and has been involved as board member, former owner, and advisor of Shalom Mountain, a non-profit personal growth center in the Catskill mountains. A third-generation EMU graduate, he also holds a PhD in organic chemistry from the University of Alberta, and was a postdoctoral research fellow at Harvard Medical School. He is married to Victoria Myer ‘83; they have two adult daughters. Shawn and Victoria reside in Conestoga, Pennsylvania, and Escondido, California, and attend Community Mennonite Church of Lancaster.
From left: Gloria Y. Diener ’76, Beny Krisbianto MDiv ’15, and Rajarshi Roy began their terms June 30, 2021.
Gloria Y. Diener ‘76 has been an English teacher at Eastern Mennonite School in Harrisonburg, Va., and Country Day School in Escazú, Costa Rica. She holds a BA in English education from EMU, a MA in English from James Madison University and a Certificate in Spiritual Direction from Eastern Mennonite Seminary. She and husband V. Eugene Diener ‘68 have two adult children. They are members of Park View Mennonite Church, where Gloria has been a worship leader, chair of the elders, Sunday School teacher for children and adults, and a mentor. She has been a member of the Faith & Life Commission of the Virginia Mennonite Conference.
Beny Krisbianto MDiv ’15 is lead pastor of Nations Worship Center in South Philadelphia. He has co-chaired the Indonesian Diaspora Network for the past eight years. He is a member of the Constituency Leadership Council of Mennonite Church USA, on the board of directors for Mosaic Mennonite Conference, and on the board of trustees for Dock Mennonite Academy.
Rajarshi Roy is a professor of physics at the University of Maryland, College Park. He has been Benedict Distinguished Visiting Professor of Physics at Carleton College, director of the Institute for Physical Science and Technology at University of Maryland, and chair of the School of Physics at the Georgia Institute of Technology. His research specialty is the nonlinear dynamics of optical systems and networks. He is active at St. Luke Lutheran Church in Silver Spring, Maryland. He and his wife, Katherine, have deep appreciation for Anabaptist values. Their son, Partha, is a current EMU student.