Mennonite Church USA


Executive Leadership welcomes new staff

Laura
Lee Williard

NEWTON, Kan. (Mennonite Church USA) - Mennonite Church USA Executive
Leadership welcomed two new staff within the last three months. Laura
Lee Williard, director of Communications, began February 1, and Rachel
Swartzendruber, associate director of Convention Planning began May 22.

Williard is based in Mennonite Church USA's Great Plains Office in
Newton, Kan. In addition to her bachelor's degrees in psychology and
Spanish, from Harding University in Searcy, Ark., and the University of
Missouri, Kansas City, she also has earned 124 graduate credit hours
toward a PhD in developmental and child psychology at The University of
Kansas.

Before taking on her assignment at Executive Leadership, Williard owned
and operated an independent consulting agency, Creative Resourcing,
where she worked in the areas of communication, curriculum development,
business development and process improvement. Some of her clients have
included H&R Block, Sears, Payless ShoeSource, the Boys and Girls Club,
as well as small businesses.

Prior to relocating from Kansas City, Mo., to Newton, Williard attended
Rainbow Mennonite Church, where she is still a member. "I still feel a
great deal of love and support coming from Rainbow," Williard said.

Her references note a strong ability to understand client needs, work
collaboratively with other communicators and function persuasively, yet
diplomatically in complex situations. These skills make her a good fit
for her new role within Mennonite Church USA as her charge is to lead
the overall communication efforts and provide leadership across the
denomination, including churchwide agencies, area conferences and other
parts of Mennonite Church USA.

Rachel Swartzendruber

Swartzendruber is serving at Mennonite Church USA's Great Lakes Office
in Elkhart, Ind. She previously was employed as an admissions counselor
at Hesston College (Kan.). Her responsibilities include supervision of
planning for youth conventions and building relationships with and
providing resources to area conference youth ministers. She sees her
role with convention planning as one that will create an opportunity for
Mennonite youth to grow in their appreciation for the church and in
their own spirituality.

"Convention provides an opportunity for individuals to strengthen their
relationship with Christ and get excited about the future of Mennonite
Church USA." Swartzendruber said. "Experiencing the sense of community
that accompanies convention is something a lot of young people may not
have the chance to experience elsewhere. I am excited about being
involved in planning such an event, but recognize the challenge of
appealing to youth who find themselves at many different places along
their spiritual journey."

An Iowa native, Swartzendruber's home congregation was Lower Deer Creek
Mennonite Church in Kalona, Iowa, and is a graduate of Iowa Mennonite
School. She is a 2000 graduate of Hesston College and a 2002 graduate of
Goshen College (Ind.). Swartzendruber received her master's degree in
communications from Wichita State University this May. Her thesis was
titled, "Discovering voices among peculiar quietness: An analysis of
Mennonite women's rhetoric in the church press, 1963-1978."