Jay Wittmeyer Appointed to Heifer International Board of Directors

 

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (May 17, 2012) – Jay A. Wittmeyer, Executive Director for Global Mission and Service for the Church of the Brethren, has been appointed as the Church’s representative to the Board of Directors of Heifer International.

Wittmeyer will represent the founding denomination of Heifer, which began as the Church of the Brethren’s Heifer Project. Heifer International helps poor families feed themselves through the gifts of livestock and training, and now has projects in 40 countries including the United States.

Wittmeyer has been in his current position since 2009, working out of the Church of the Brethren’s general offices in Elgin, Ill. His responsibilities include directing the Brethren Volunteer Service, the Global Food Crisis Fund, international missions and Brethren Disaster Ministries. He travels extensively to strengthen Brethren partnerships, support staff and guide programs. Some of the more challenging areas the denomination is engaged are northeastern Nigeria, South Sudan, North Korea, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and Haiti.

Wittmeyer previously served as Director of Pensions for Brethren Benefit Trust. He also served two years as assistant director of Lombard Mennonite Peace Center, where he worked as a large-group mediator.

Additionally, Wittmeyer spent 12 years in South Asia, working in community development and health with the United Mission to Nepal; and in Bangladesh, working in agriculture extension and education with Mennonite Central Committee.

Wittmeyer holds a Master of Arts in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages and a Bachelor of Arts in the Teaching of English from the University of Illinois. He also holds a Master of Arts in Conflict Transformation from Eastern Mennonite University with a focus on organizational development.

About Heifer International

Heifer’s mission is to end hunger and poverty while caring for the Earth. Since 1944, Heifer International has provided livestock and environmentally sound agricultural training to improve the lives of those who struggle daily for reliable sources of food and income. Heifer is currently working in 40 countries, including the United States, to help families and communities become more self-reliant.  For more information, visit www.heifer.org or call 1-800-696-1918.