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2026 Slate of Nominees

Scroll down to see nominees for the Board of Directors, Ministerial Committee, Missional Church Committee, and Camp Friedenswald Board of Directors

Lydia Brenneman
Tom Kauffmann
Georgia Metz

Position: Board of Directors, Member-at-large
Congregation: Lima Mennonite Church, Lima, Ohio
Occupation: Retired

Position: Ministerial Committee
Congregation: Assembly Mennonite Church, Goshen, Indiana
Occupation: Retired

Tom Kauffmann is currently Chair of Leadership Group at Assembly Mennonite and Mentor to two first-time pastors (one CDC, one IN-MI Conference). Tom was a former pastor at Paoli Mennonite Fellowship and Mennonite Church of Normal. He was Regional Pastor for Ohio Conference 2.5 years and Conference Minister for Ohio Conference 17.5 years.
He was a transitional pastor at Albuquerque Mennonite, Assembly Mennonite, & Paoli Mennonite. Tom was a
former member of Ministerial Committee & Board of Directors of CDC. He is married to Amy Gerber Kauffman and father of 4 children and grandfather of 10 grands.

Position: Ministerial Committee
Congregation: Shalom Mennonite Congregation, Harrisonburg, Virginia
Occupation: Pastor, Shalom Mennonite Congregation

Georgia Metz is on the pastoral team at Shalom in Harrisonburg, where she has served since December of2021. She is a 2013 graduate of Bluffton University and has previously been a member of Bluffton First Mennonite, Sojourn Mennonite of Fort Collins CO, and Manhattan (KS) Mennonite Church. Prior to becoming a congregational pastor, she worked in college ministry for 8 years. She is a proud Midwesterner currently living the Mid-Atlantic life in Virginia.

Alaina Dobkowski
Julia Gingrich
Perry Bush

Position: Missional Church Committee
Congregation: Grand Rapids Mennonite Fellowship, Grand Rapids, Michigan
Occupation: Pastor, Grand Rapids Mennonite Fellowship

Position: Missional Church Committee
Congregation: Eighth Street Mennonite Church, Goshen, Indiana
Occupation: Pastor, Eighth Street Mennonite Church

Position: Historian
Congregation: First Mennonite Church Bluffton
Occupation: Emeriti Professor of History, Bluffton University

Mark Roeschley
Will Leichty

Position: Camp Friedenswald Board of Directors
Congregation: Mennonite Church of Normal, Normal, Illinois
Occupation: Farmer and seed businessman

Position: Camp Friedenswald Board of Directors
Congregation: Eighth Street Mennonite Church, Goshen, Indiana
Occupation: CFO at Bethany Christian Schools

Originally from Wellman, IA,
Will grew up at West Union Mennonite Church (Parnell, IA) and has fond memories of times spent at Crooked Creek Christian Camp (Washington, IA). He graduated from Iowa Mennonite School, since renamed Hillcrest Academy, and then Goshen College. Will is married to Kate(Nafziger) Leichty and we have three daughters. Will serves on worship commission and helps with Sunday School for lower elementary ages at Eighth Street Mennonite Church. He enjoys singing in a men’s ensemble called The Open Fifths.

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