by Melissa Ramirez Cooper, ELCA News Service
Jeff Whisenant, vice president for finance and administration of
Lutheran World Relief (LWR), Baltimore, has been appointed to
serve as acting president of LWR beginning Nov. 1. Kathryn
Wolford resigned as LWR president effective Oct. 31 to become
president of The McKnight Foundation, Minneapolis, starting
Dec. 1. LWR is a ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church
in America, the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, individuals and
parish groups in international relief, development, advocacy and
social responsibility.
Whisenant served in a number of positions at LWR from 1987 to
1999, including senior program director, program director for
Latin America and assistant program director for Africa. He
returned to LWR in early 2006 after serving as vice president for
program operations at Pact, Inc., Washington, D.C. Whisenant
also held leadership positions at ORBIS International in New
York. A former Peace Corps volunteer in the Gabonese Republic,
he earned master's degrees in public and nonprofit management at
New York University and in international political economy and
development at Fordham University, New York. Whisenant earned a
bachelor's degree in chemistry from the University of North
Carolina, Chapel Hill.
"I look forward to working with our board, staff and partners to
continue to extend LWR's programs, serving as a bridge until the
permanent president is in place," said Whisenant. LWR's board of
directors appointed Whisenant. Elizabeth (Betty) Duda, chair,
appointed a three-person committee to manage the nationwide
search for a new LWR president.
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About the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:
The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with 2.8 million members in more than 8,500 worshiping communities across the 50 states and in the Caribbean region. Known as the church of "God's work. Our hands.," the ELCA emphasizes the saving grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, unity among Christians and service in the world. The ELCA's roots are in the writings of the German church reformer Martin Luther.
For information contact:
Candice Hill Buchbinder
Public Relations Manager
Candice.HillBuchbinder@ELCA.org
