Danielle Klotz of Goshen, Ind., director of marketing and communication for Mennonite Mission Network, has been named executive director of Anabaptist World Inc., the new independent journalistic ministry being formed by the merger of Mennonite World Review Inc. and The Mennonite Inc. on Sept. 1.
The Anabaptist World Inc. board of directors announced the appointment on June 8.
Klotz has served with Mennonite Mission Network, the mission agency of Mennonite Church USA, since 2014, first as a development associate and then as content team manager, before assuming her current role in 2019.
She has managed the agency’s communication strategy as well as the departmental budget and staff. She has overseen the production of its published materials, including Beyond magazine, and helped develop new digital products, including the Merienda Menonita podcast, a partnership between Mennonite Mission Network and The Mennonite Inc.
She is a graduate of Hesston (Kan.) College in 2012, with degrees in biblical studies and business, and Goshen College in 2014, with a bachelor’s degree in business administration.
She is fluent in Spanish and served for a year in Brazil with Mennonite Mission Network’s Radical Journey program.
“Danielle is exactly the kind of leader we were hoping to attract for this position,” said Anabaptist World Inc. board member Marathana Prothro of Bluffton, Ohio, who chaired the search committee. “Her professional experience in strategic communication, social media and fundraising, as well as her commitment to anti-oppression communication and the global Anabaptist movement, position her well to lead Anabaptist World Inc.”
Klotz said, “I am honored to be stepping into this opportunity. The merger of The Mennonite and Mennonite World Review is another evolution in Anabaptist journalism, and I feel fortunate to participate in this moment to continue building upon the strong foundation that has already been laid.”
Klotz will lead the Anabaptist World Inc. staff in consultation with editor Paul Schrag, who will lead the production of content for the organization’s print and digital platforms, Anabaptist World magazine and Anabaptistworld.org. Schrag currently is editor of Mennonite World Review and publisher of MWR Inc.
Anabaptist World magazine will be published every three weeks, 16 times a year, beginning with the Sept. 25 issue.
In print and online, Anabaptist World will seek to reach members of all Mennonite groups, especially MC USA, the largest constituency of both of its predecessors, MWR and The Mennonite. More broadly, it will appeal to anyone interested in Anabaptism, both within and outside Anabaptist denominations.
Sheldon C. Good, executive director of The Mennonite Inc., who had been slated to lead Anabaptist World Inc., has resigned to pursue other opportunities. He will continue to lead TMI until Anabaptist World Inc. begins in September.
Beginning in July, Klotz will work with Good and Schrag to prepare for the launch of the new organization and its print and digital platforms.
Klotz and her husband, Natanael Fontan, have a 3-year-old son, Francesco, and care for a flock of living creatures including chickens, rabbits and cats.
In addition to Prothro, the search committee included Anabaptist World Inc. board members Dawn Araujo-Hawkins of Kansas City, Mo., Hans Houshower of Bluffton, Ohio, Melody Pannell of Harrisonburg, Va., and Marty Troyer of Houston, Texas.
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