Three new members begin their terms July 1, 2022, on the EMU Board of Trustees. A list of all board members is located at the President’s Office webpage.
Margie Mejia Caraballo ‘84 is an associate pastor at Templo Alabanza Spanish Mennonite Church and a claims representative at the Social Security Administration. She previously worked for 18 years as a social worker. She resides in Rock Island, Illinois, with her husband Josue and two children.
Caraballo serves as a board member of Mennonite Church USA Executive Board and on the Mennonite Central Committee Central States board. Locally, she is a board member for both the Rock Island Civil Rights Commission and the Quad Cities Juvenile Justice Coalition. She was EMU’s Alumna of the Year in 1997 and was inducted into the Rock Island High School Hall of Fame for social work contributions in the community in 1995.
Ral Obioha ’08 is an immigration attorney and founder of the Law Office of Ral Obioha, PLLC, a Houston-based law firm. She represents clients seeking U.S. permanent residency and citizenship. She is also executive director of an NGO in Nigeria started by her parents, Civil Resource Development and Documentation Center, which works for the protection and promotion of human rights, women’s rights, gender equality, and good governance in the country and beyond. She also volunteers with multiple organizations, providing free legal services to low-income families, and is a guest lecturer at Yale and Columbia universities. In 2018, Obioha founded the “Vic & Oby Scholarship Fund,” named after her parents, to help other ambitious young immigrants go to college.
After earning her bachelor’s degree in psychology and history from EMU, Obioha was awarded a merit scholarship to Howard University School of Law. In addition to her juris doctorate, she also holds a masters of law in international human rights law from American University. In 2021, she was named both a Super Lawyers’ Texas Rising Star and EMU’s Outstanding Young Alum. She and husband Grant have one daughter.
Jane Hoober Peifer ‘74, MDiv ‘97 is a spiritual director and retreat leader. She was pastor of Community Mennonite Church, Harrisonburg, Va from 1989-99, and pastor of Blossom Hill Mennonite Church, Lancaster, Pa from 1999-2013. She also leads virtual day retreats for pastors and conference ministers as a part of Eastern Mennonite Seminary’s Lily Grant-funded program to “help pastors thrive.”
Peifer served on the Mennonite Church USA Executive Board, Everence Federal Credit Union Board and the Tabor Community Services Board in Lancaster, Pa. She has held leadership positions in Virginia Mennonite and Atlantic Coast Conferences of Mennonite Church USA. Since 2015, she continues serving as a member of the Steering Committee for Mennonite Spiritual Director Network.
Peifer has authored five children’s books, all published by Menno Media. She lives in Harrisonburg with her husband Daryl and they attend Shalom Mennonite Congregation. She and Daryl have two children and five grandchildren.
Outgoing trustees include Evon Bergey ‘79, Herman Bontrager ‘72, Anne Kaufman Weaver ‘88, MDiv ‘16, Kevin Longenecker ‘91, and Vaughn Troyer ‘93. Many thanks for your service.