Photo: Sheldon C. Good. Photo provided. 

The board of directors of The Mennonite, Inc. has named Sheldon C. Good executive director (ED) of The Mennonite, Inc., effective Feb. 1.

Most recently Good, along with his wife, Jennifer Svetlik, served as Program Coordinators with Mennonite Central Committee in Erbil, Iraq. Prior to working with MCC, Good served as an employment and education team coordinator for Community of Hope, a nonprofit in Washington D.C. He also served a two-year term as the Associate Director for the Washington Community Scholars’ Center of Eastern Mennonite University, also in Washington D.C., and worked as an Assistant Editor and Web Editor for Mennonite World Review.

“Sheldon brings strong communication, administrative and church relations skills to his new role as Executive Director,” says Barth Hague, chair of The Mennonite, Inc. board. “The Mennonite, Inc., board sought someone who was fully capable of carrying forward our goals of sustaining The Mennonite magazine while growing new audiences on digital platforms. We’re convinced Sheldon is just that leader and we look forward to working with him.”

The ED is instrumental in strategic planning and oversight for the organization, giving leadership to a print and multimedia content hub for Mennonite Church USA and beyond and works to develop programs appropriate for the digital age. The ED will also function as CEO of The Mennonite, Inc., and supervises staff, budget planning and content production.

Good is a 2009 graduate of Goshen (Indiana) College with a B.A. in Business and Communication.  His writing has been published in numerous publications, including Sojourners, The Huffington Post and Mennonite World Review.

“A common thread across my work, both within and outside of the Mennonite world, is the challenge of how to listen well. We can’t effectively tell stories, lead organizations, or accompany people if we don’t listen well,” says Good. “I am excited to help tell the story of God’s movement in the world, in the church, in each of us. I hope the stories we tell not only inform us, but shape us.”

Good will work from an office in Philadelphia. He is currently a member of Salford Mennonite Church, Harleysville, Pennsylvania.

“The Mennonite, from our magazine to our online platforms to possibilities that have yet to emerge, is well-positioned to deepen its mission to help readers glorify God, grow in faith, and become agents of healing and hope in our world,” says Good. “I look forward to continuing to find ways for The Mennonite to both provide quality content and build community.”

Hannah Heinzekehr, outgoing executive director, submitted her resignation on Oct. 31. On Jan. 15, she began a new role as the Director of Communications for the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana.

Gordon Houser will continue to work as editor of the print magazine, The Mennonite. Houser was associate editor of The Mennonite, beginning in 1998. From 1992-1997, he served as editor of The Mennonite, the General Conference Mennonite Church publication, which merged with Gospel Herald in 1998.

On Jan. 22, the Mennonite Church USA Executive Board approved The Mennonite board’s appointment of Good as executive director. According to the MC USA bylaws, the EB approves the appointment of the CEO of each churchwide agency, program, board and committee.