ELCA NEWS SERVICE
February 11, 2008
Lutheran Deaconess Association Names Lisa Polito Director
08-012-JB
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Lutheran Deaconess Association, a
center for diaconal service and learning at Valparaiso
University, Valparaiso, Ind., named Deaconess Lisa Polito its new
executive director. Polito began her new duties last month,
following the retirement of Deaconess Louise Williams.
Valparaiso is an independent Lutheran university with about
4,000 students enrolled.
The Lutheran Deaconess Association (LDA) prepares women for
ministries of service to those in need in the church and the
world, supports deaconesses in their varied ministries, affirms
people in their own Christian service and assists the church in
its diaconal mission, according to a Valparaiso University news
release. The association works with the university's Department
of Theology to prepare women for deaconess ministry, serving in
congregations or institutions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church
in America (ELCA) and the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod.
Polito, a 1990 graduate of Valparaiso, said she is looking
forward to supporting deaconesses in their ministries and
communicating their stories.
"God continues to bless the LDA with superb leadership,"
said Dr. David Schroeder, LDA board president and associate
professor of information and decision sciences at Valparaiso.
"Polito's love of the deaconess community will guide her
decisions, building on the past 89 years of the education and
formation of women for service and building on relationships with
church bodies globally and ecumenically."
Prior to her new role, Polito was LDA's director of
development and public relations for seven years. Polito was
director of chaplaincy services for Good Shepherd Lutheran Home
of the West in southern California. She has written for the
Lutheran Women's Missionary League Quarterly, and is a conference
speaker and retreat facilitator.
Williams, executive director emeritus, retired from the LDA
after serving 33 years. Under Williams' leadership, the LDA
underwent significant revisions of its education and formation
process. She helped to establish an endowed scholarship fund to
assist students with financial need. Wartburg Seminary, Dubuque,
Iowa, one of eight ELCA seminaries, awarded Williams an honorary
doctor of divinity. She also received the Alumni Achievement
Award from Valparaiso University.
Christi Thieme, a 1998 graduate of Valparaiso, will succeed
Polito as LDA director of development and public relations.
Thieme earned a master's degree in nonprofit management from
Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis, in 2004, and
has been director of fund development at the Indianapolis Civic
Theatre for the past five years.
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Information about the Lutheran Deaconess Association is at
http://www.valpo.edu/lda/contact.html on the Web.
For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or [log in to unmask]
http://www.elca.org/news
ELCA News Blog: http://www.elca.org/news/blog
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