Augsburg Fortress Announces New Staff Appointments

     CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Augsburg Fortress Publishers, the publishing house of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), announced appointments Feb. 21 of three current staff members to new responsibilities.
     The company named the Rev. Henry F. French vice president of the academic and professional development strategic business group, Keith Moore vice president for e-business, and Rachel Riensche vice president for corporate affairs.  All three positions are new and are part of a significant restructuring of Augsburg Fortress.  The restructuring plan was  endorsed by the publisher's board of trustees in 1999.  Augsburg Fortress is based in Minneapolis.
      French will provide strategic leadership for business units with responsibility for academic publishing, including Fortress Press.  He will report to Kenneth G. Hartwell, chief marketing officer.
     French has been at Augsburg Fortress since 1998 as editorial director for the book team. Before he joined Augsburg Fortress, French was associate pastor at Lord of Life Lutheran Church, Ramsey, Minn.  From 1993 to 1995, French was dean of academic affairs at Luther Seminary, St. Paul, Minn.  From 1991 to 1993, he was overseas program director for Northeast Asia and the South Pacific, ELCA Division for Global Mission.
     French has also served as professor of historical theology, Japan Theological College and Seminary, Tokyo, and as a missionary with the ELCA and the former American Lutheran Church.
     French earned a bachelor's degree from Augsburg College, Minneapolis, a master of divinity from Luther Theological Seminary, St. Paul, Minn., and a doctoral degree from Drew University, Madison, N.J.
      Moore is responsible for providing strategic leadership on the emerging needs and opportunities created by the Internet in serving the church.   This position reports to Charles C. Halberg, chief operating officer.
     Since 1998 Moore has been vice president of information systems and technology.  From 1996 to 1998 he was director of information systems at Augsburg Fortress.
     Moore was software development manager, SCT Utility Systems, Inc., Columbia, S.C., from 1994 to 1996.  For two years beginning in 1992, Moore was information systems manager, Anoka (Minn.) Electric Utility, Inc.  From 1986 to 1992 he was associate portfolio manager and quantitative analyst, America Express (IDS) Financial Advisors, Inc., Minneapolis.  From 1985 to 1986 he worked in product development at Lawson Associates, Inc., Minneapolis.
     Moore earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from Concordia College, St. Paul, Minn.
     Riensche is responsible for providing strategic leadership and direction for legal services, intellectual property management, archives and reference collections, and corporate communication and relationships. Riensche also serves as assistant corporate secretary to the Augsburg Fortress board of trustees.  She will report to the Rev. Marvin L. Roloff, president and chief executive officer.
     Riensche has been at Augsburg Fortress since 1980.  Most recently she was vice president for legal matters, a position she held since 1998.  She was director of the legal unit from 1993 to 1998.  She was director, publication rights and records, from 1988 to 1993.  Riensche was supervisor of copyrights and permissions from 1982 to 1988, and from 1980 to 1982 she was assistant editor, education resources.
       Riensche earned a bachelor's degree from Wartburg College, Waverly, Iowa, and a juris doctorate from William Mitchell College of Law, St. Paul, Minn.
     Previously Augsburg Fortress announced the appointments of Larry Willard as executive director for Canadian operations and Dana Dreibelbis as vice president of the ELCA strategic business group.
     Augsburg Fortress is the third largest Protestant church-owned publishing house in the United States.  Augsburg Fortress provides educational materials, music, books, ecclesiastical arts, electronic worship resources, computer products and other resources for congregations and non-church markets.  It also publishes several magazines, including The Lutheran and Lutheran Woman Today.

[*Gayle Aldrich is publicist for Augsburg Fortress Publishers,
Minneapolis.]

For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or NEWS@ELCA.ORG
http://listserv.elca.org/archives/elcanews.html