Living lives of service

Paul and Lisa Zendt Shelly ‘89 have long track record of volunteering, professional recognition 

What is your calling? What is your personal mission? 

Questions that, if contemplated, cause a person to pause, reflect and set goals. Clarity often reveals itself along the way. Those who have lived their lives guided by these two answers are morally richer for it; many trudge through life without realizing the importance of discovering their calling and mission. 

Paul and Lisa Zendt Shelly ‘89 have long known it. Their calling is to develop relationships. Their mission is positively touching the people in their community as they learn and grow together. They have risen to the top of their fields while purposefully settling in Mississippi and investing themselves into the life of the community. 

As selected by Eastern Mennonite University’s Alumni Association and its Awards and Nominations Committee, Paul and Lisa Zendt Shelly ’89 are co-winners of the 2023 Distinguished Service Award. Since 1984, the Distinguished Service Award has been given annually to recognize select alumni who have, in notable ways, demonstrated the Christian service and peacemaking emphases of EMU. The award is given to honor EMU alumni who have significantly impacted the lives of others. 

“I’ve reflected on how formative my experience at EMU has been in life guidance and direction,” said Lisa Shelly, adding that she and Paul are both grateful for—and humbled by—the recognition. “EMU introduced me to a broader worldview, challenged me to think deeper and consider multiple perspectives, and encouraged me to serve with awareness of opportunities to learn from other people.” 

With their hearts in the right place, the two got married and became public school teachers in Meridian, Mississippi, in 1989, their graduation year from EMU. Paul started a company that developed software for teachers’ lesson plans and now focuses primarily on assessment software that helps teachers grow students. Educational Leadership Solutions, co-founded in 2003 by Paul and fellow Royal Kevin Baer ‘90, has serviced nearly every school district in the state of Mississippi at one time or another over the past 20 years. ELS is currently used by more than 60% of the state, with forthcoming expansions in Alabama, Tennessee and Kentucky. 

The Shellys have earned widespread recognition. In 2003, Paul earned his district’s Administrator of the Year plaudits, and Lisa was awarded Administrator of the Year for Lauderdale County School District in 2018. Within her first year of becoming one school’s principal, that school improved from a “D” rating to an “A” rating for state testing; it is now upholding that “A” distinction under the helm of Lisa’s sister, Anita Zendt Wansley ’95. 

“The morale had been steadily deteriorating among the staff and students at this new school,” Judy Mullet ‘73  said. “Lisa worked incredibly hard to listen to staff and create a comfortable and positive work environment again.” 

But the Shellys’ legacies don’t end there; they extend through their children. Their son, Zachary, is a data analyst for the NBA’s Sacramento Kings and their two daughters are EMU graduates. Abigail Shelly ‘20 is carving out a path as an educator and high school cross-country and track coach in Washington, and Allison Shelly ‘22  is a content writer for ELS and assistant triathlon coach at EMU for the 2023-24 season following a standout athletic career as a Royal. Both products of Mississippi public schools, the Shelly girls were campus leaders at EMU who live and invite multiple perspectives borne from their experiences. 

“Our two daughters had … an amazing experience at EMU, where they were given opportunities to flourish,” said Paul Shelly, who has volunteered for the past 15 years as a high school cross-country coach. “There were so many people at EMU, including professors, coaches, administrators, staff and friends, who played instrumental roles in who they have become. As a parent, I’m very thankful for all those people who took an interest in our children and their development.” 

The Ohio native Paul and Lisa, from Pennsylvania, have grown by branching out of their comfort zones. Doing so far from their northern roots was a deliberate decision; they wanted to replant deep in southern soil. 

Lisa Shelly said, “We had so much to learn about teaching in schools with a diverse cultural, low socioeconomic demographic. We had much to learn about being Northerners coming to the South with the many complexities of its history.”

Paul Shelly added, “The appeal to stay was that we were able to flourish in our careers and in life because we had a church that became our family and a school system that gave us opportunities to lead, develop professionally and make a difference in the lives of our students. I came to Mississippi for an adventure and an opportunity to serve, but the people of Mississippi have given to me so much love, acceptance, grace and opportunity—far more than I deserve and even before they knew me. And that’s why Mississippi has become home.” 

The Shellys personify service—from teaching in Mississippi and becoming school administrators to residing in an intentional community and supporting the growth and development of Jubilee Mennonite Church, a small Mississippi congregation where Paul served for six years as junior high Sunday school teacher and Lisa headed up the pastoral search committee. (Paul counts a pipeline of at least nine young adults from Jubilee Mennonite who have gone on to become EMU students.)

The couple has gone above and beyond, also volunteering as tutors, board members and coaches at Pine Lake Fellowship Camp. The Shellys continuously plant seeds that will exponentially produce a more just and equitable future. 

Since the 1960s, Pine Lake Fellowship Camp has continued its ministry to many people of different races and backgrounds, and still today, the spirit of fellowship and reconciliation shines upon everyone who comes to camp. 

“Paul has served on the board of Pine Lake for numerous years, and Lisa was very active in the Community of Hope tutoring program, serving on the board and volunteering often,” Mullet said. “She also served as Jubilee’s ministry coordinator for about four years before going back into administration.” 

Paul and Lisa Shelly will be recognized on Saturday, Oct. 14 at the Opening Homecoming Celebration Breakfast in Yoder Arena. Following a morning worship service on Oct. 15, EMU also will host a luncheon in honor of the Shellys, 2023 Alumnus of the Year Andy Dula ‘91, and 2023 Outstanding Young Alum Basil Marin ‘10. 

“When I reflect on my time at EMU and the years since then that have been spent in Mississippi, I think of the many people along the way who have invested so heavily in our lives and given us so much grace, wisdom, time, opportunity, and more,” Paul Shelly concluded. “Any service that we have done along the way pales in comparison to what people have poured into us.”