(Mennonite Education Agency) – Mennonite Education Agency (MEA) has named Dawn Y. Graber their interim director of K-12 schools, effective May 18, 2020. This part-time role will extend through December 2020, pending further evaluation.

“MEA and the Mennonite Schools Council are blessed to have a person with Dawn’s experiences and appreciation for the Mennonite church,” said Tom Stuckey, MEA interim executive director and CEO. “She provides expertise in accreditation and ongoing support for students, staff and the church.”

Graber is a consultant with Design Group International, which supports organizations and leaders through strategic planning, communications and conflict resolution. In addition, she brings a wealth of experience in educational and nonprofit leadership to her role. Graber served for 10 years as a teacher and then as director of academics and curriculum with Sarasota (Florida) Christian School. She has also served as a board member for Mennonite Church USA, Southeast Mennonite Conference, MEDA (Sarasota Hub) and Sarasota Association of Sister Cities, where she is currently vice president of education.

Graber is part of the MEA Task Group, which is working closely with the Mennonite Schools Council (MSC), as well as the Mennonite Higher Education Association and Mennonite Church USA, to reimagine and reinvent leadership for MEA.

“We look forward to working with Dawn as we network and resource our MSC schools,” said Conrad Swartzentruber, MSC Executive Committee chair and superintendent of Dock Mennonite Academy, Lansdale, Pennsylvania. “Dawn’s gifts of collaboration, listening and building relationships will be particularly helpful during this interim season.”

Graber received her bachelor’s degree in nursing from Goshen College in Indiana and her master’s degree in education from Eastern Mennonite University, Harrisonburg, Virginia, where she specialized in curriculum and instruction. She also earned an Anabaptist Learning Institute certification through Eastern Mennonite College and Bluffton University, Bluffton, Ohio.

“I am forever thankful for the many ways Mennonite Education has greatly influenced and shaped me and my family,” said Graber. “I believe in the difference our schools and programs can make, as we commit to inviting learners to engage whatever topic through an Anabaptist faith lens. I look forward to partnering with our educational leaders to support them in the highly important role of leading their individual schools, especially in this unique time.” Graber’s appointment follows the Feb. 2020 retirement of Elaine Moyer, who served the important role of liaison with Mennonite Schools Council as senior director of MEA. Graber will serve in a similar interim role while the MEA Task Group considers new directions for leadership.

Mennonite Education Agency (MEA), headquartered in Elkhart, Indiana, serves Anabaptist educational institutions by providing resources, programing and support to schools, administrators and teachers. As an agency of Mennonite Church USA, MEA ties church and school together in a complementary way to ensure students receive a quality Anabaptist Mennonite education. mennoniteeducation.org