ELKHART, Indiana (Mennonite Mission Network) —
Mennonite Mission Network Board of Directors is pleased to announce the appointment of Interim Executive Director
Marisa Smucker as the permanent executive director, effective January 23, 2024. Smucker has served as interim executive director of Mission Network since March 2023.
Smucker is the third executive director in Mission Network’s history, having succeeded Mike Sherrill, who succeeded Stanley W. Green.
“Marisa has clearly demonstrated, throughout the interim period, her leadership skills and understanding of Mission Network’s priorities and future direction,” said
Randall Justice, chair of Mennonite Mission Network Board of Directors.
Smucker said, “I am deeply humbled by the invitation to serve in this leadership role. With great love and respect for Mission Network staff, workers, and partners, I am grateful for this opportunity to continue in our shared work.”
Smucker is an active member of
Belmont Mennonite Church, a former member of the Intercultural Working Group for
Indiana Michigan Mennonite Conference, and serves as a board trustee for
Bethany Christian School.
A 2022 graduate of
Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary with a master’s degree in Christian Formation, Smucker has experience in both international and domestic ministries.
Following her 1994 graduation from
Goshen (Indiana) College in social work, she participated in PULSE (Pittsburgh Urban Leadership Service Experience) and
AmeriCorps in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. While there, she attended
Pittsburgh Theological Seminary.
In 2007, Smucker returned to her birth country, Costa Rica, where she assisted with short-term mission groups and taught English. In 2015, she returned to the United States to accept a position as a church relations representative for Mission Network. In 2019, she was named director of Mennonite Voluntary Service. In 2021, Smucker was named senior executive for the Ventures division of Mission Network.
In October 2023, Mission Network board members, seven staff members, and a Mennonite Church USA representative met with partner Iglesia Cristiana Menonita de Colombia (IMCOL) in Colombia. Pictured from right is IMCOL administrator Oscar Ospinam, President Carlos Moreno, and pastor Peter Stucky who accepted a quilted wall hanging as a 75th anniversary gift from Mission Network. From left,
Colegio Americano Menno Director Rebeca Muñoz and Mission Network Executive Director Marisa Smucker display other gifts. Photo by Martin Gunawan.
About Mennonite Mission Network
Mennonite Mission Network, the mission agency of Mennonite Church USA, is a global nonprofit enterprise that leads, mobilizes and equips congregations to join God’s reconciling work, so that God’s healing and hope flow through everyone in the world.
In 2002, the merger of the General Conference Mennonite Church and Mennonite Church denominations was completed, bringing together the predecessor mission agencies, Commission on Home Ministries, Commission on Overseas Mission, and Mennonite Board of Missions. The newly formed agency, Mennonite Mission Network, was inaugurated February 4, 2002.
