The search for the next president of Hesston College will now commence with search committee members identified and affirmed by the Hesston College Board of Directors. The 10-person committee is comprised of the following individuals:

• Luanne (Yoder) ’81 Southern, MSW, Hesston College board member, committee chair
  A native of Yoder, Kan., and Hesston College board member since 2023, Southern has national, state and local experience in health and human services in the governmental, academic, philanthropic and nonprofit sectors.
• Roger Yoder ’79, Hesston College board member
  A Hesston College board member since 2013, Yoder is a retired captain from American Airlines and co-owner of New Horizons Aviation in Goshen, Ind.
• Ken Rodgers ’85, MA,  Hesston College faculty member
  A native of central Kansas and member of Hesston College music faculty since 1988, Rodgers conducts Hesston College Global Voices and teaches piano, organ and music appreciation classes.
• Ben Miller,  Hesston College staff member
  A previous three-year member of the facilities team, Miller returned as director of campus facilities last spring. Originally from Kalona, Iowa, Miller and his family have called Hesston home since 2017.
• Jessica Clopton-Robinson, MBA, Mennonite Education Agency (MEA) member
  Since joining College Hill Mennonite Church in Tampa, Fla., in 2009, Clopton-Robinson has served on several local and broader boards and committees including multiple past and present roles with MEA.
• Jeff Gingerich ’88, PhD, at-large member
  Dr. Gingerich began his career as a faculty member at Bluffton (Ohio) University and has held multiple other advancing roles in higher education over the years. He currently serves as president of St. Bonaventure University, a Catholic university located in Olean, N.Y.
• Pastor Stanley W. Green, at-large member
  Green has served the Mennonite church in multiple capacities nationally and abroad over the years including as a pastor and as president and executive director with the Mennonite mission agencies. He is currently the executive conference minister for the Pacific Southwest Mennonite Conference.
• Reverend Kathy (Goering) Reid, at-large member
  Since retiring in 2021 as executive director of the Family Abuse Center in Waco, Texas, Reid now provides interim executive leadership to Waco area nonprofits. In addition to a long history of service within the church, she also has experience training on the issues of child protection and domestic violence.
• Yvonne Sieber ’71, MBA, at-large member
  Sieber previously served the college as vice president of advancement as well as on the board of directors. She continues to give back to the Hesston community and Mennonite church through serving on various boards and committees.
• Pastor Grace Tijerina ’16, at-large member
  Tijerina currently helps preach at Buenas Nuevas Iglesia Menonita in San Juan, Texas. She has served on the Hesston College board and now serves on the Mennonite Central Committee executive board as the coordinator for Hispanic women.

The search committee will work with Academic Search to conduct a comprehensive and broad search for Hesston College’s next president. Academic Search specializes in recruiting executives in higher education.

The Hesston College board accepted the resignation of former president Joseph A. Manickam effective Dec. 31, 2023. Vice President of Academics Dr. Ross Peterson-Veatch was appointed to serve as interim president at that time.