Douglas Day Kaufman began serving July 1 as executive director of the Anabaptist Climate Collaborative. He previously was ACC’s director of pastoral ecology. In that role since 2018, he led pastoral and leadership retreats on climate change, helping congregations reduce their carbon footprint and engage in climate action.

Kaufman became passionate about creation care while serving as a pastor of Benton Mennonite Church in Goshen, Ind. He discovered pollutants compromise the Elkhart River, a frequent baptismal location. His commitment to theologically grounded climate justice advocacy deepened as he completed a master’s degree in theology and ecology at the University of Toronto and became trained as an Indiana Master Naturalist.

“Addressing climate justice is the critical issue of our time, and I am proud of the work we have done first as the Center for Sustainable Climate Solutions and now Anabaptist Climate Collaborative,” he said. “I am pleased to be able to help sustain and grow the organization as we become both independent and more collaborative.”