EMU honored this year’s retirees and employees who reached milestone years of service at its annual recognition luncheon on Tuesday, May 12, in Northlawn Dining Hall. Together, the combined years of service represented by the six retirees and 31 employees totaled more than five and a half centuries.
2026 retirees
“That’s 96 years of teaching and mentoring, coaching, problem-solving, caring for students, writing books, supporting colleagues, and helping shape our community into what it is,” Interim President Rev. Dr. Shannon W. Dycus said. “Their work will leave an imprint on generations of students and employees, and we are deeply grateful.”
The 2026 retirees honored at the ceremony were: Howard Zehr (30 years of service), professor of conflict studies; Doug Graber Neufeld (26 years), professor of biology; Deanna Durham (23 years), associate professor of social work and sociology; JD McCurdy (23 years), head softball coach; Kevin Seidel (17 years), professor of English; and Chad Gusler (16 years), associate professor of language and literature.
The following employees, who represent an additional 430 years of commitment to EMU, celebrated milestone years of service:
40 years
Renee Leap (left) and Audrey Shenk (right) reached 40 years of service.
30 years
Howard Zehr (left) and Melody Cash (right) reached 30 years.
25 years
Mark Metzler Sawin (not pictured) reached 25 years.
20 years
Left to right: Beth Brunk, Laura Yoder, Jim Leaman, and Travis Trotter reached 20 years.
15 years
Left to right: Kathy Evans, Wendy Carr, Braydon Hoover, Ron Shultz, and Melvin Felix Garcia (inset) reached 15 years.
10 years
Left to right: Tim Seidel, Paul Yoder, Alena Yoder, Ericka Gingerich, and Trina Trotter Nussbaum reached 10 years.
Five years
Left to right: Lexi Fotis-Brown, Stephanie Mason, Debra Pardini, Courtney Joyner, Justin McIlwee, and Ann Butwell reached five years. Not pictured: Carolyn Kirby, Krista Murray, Gaurav Pathania, Erin Weldon, Mary Ann Zehr, and Nina Zhang also reached five years.
The luncheon was a highlight of the Spring 2026 Faculty & Staff Conference, which provided a time to pause, reflect, and celebrate the close of the academic year together. View the full program of the conference here.
Join the Discussion on “Luncheon recognizes retirees and employees for their years of dedicated service to EMU”