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November 2007 - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

HEATHER FELTMAN NAMED PRESIDENT/CEO OF LUTHERAN SOCIAL SERVICES OF NEW ENGLAND

Heather L. Feltman has been named president/CEO of Lutheran Social Services of New England, effective Jan. 7, 2008. She succeeds Edith M. Lohr, who has led the organization for 17 years and will retire at the end of this year.

Feltman, 43, assumes the leadership of Lutheran Social Services after three years as executive director of Lutheran Disaster Response, a collaborative ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and Lutheran Church Missouri Synod (LCMS). LDR specializes in long-term community recovery efforts in the wake of disaster and works in partnership with FEMA, the Red Cross, Salvation Army, and other well known national disaster responders.

During Feltman’s tenure, LDR grew from 15 to 40 affiliate organizations collaborating in disaster response. LDR has placed a special emphasis on developing networks of local congregations prepared to respond to local needs. In the wake of Katrina and Rita, among other disasters, its financial oversight for the support of disaster response efforts grew from $10 million to $33 million, including both donations and federal dollars.

She led the effort to transform a loosely coordinated church-sponsored agency into a key player in the nation’s disaster response system.

A graduate in social work from Illinois State University, Feltman earned a master’s degree in non profit management from Regis University in Denver and a master of arts in religion with honors from Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary in Columbia, SC. She is a consecrated diaconal minister of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

Prior to her leadership position with Lutheran Disaster Response, Heather Feltman was director of community partnership for Lutheran Family Services in the Carolinas. She has worked in many capacities as a case worker and advocate for children and families in California, Illinois and South Carolina.

She has served as a member and consultant on numerous boards and commissions of church and secular human service organizations, including the Lutheran Services in America Public Policy Advisory Council, the ELCA’s Division for Church in Society and the South Carolina Association of Non-Profit Organizations Public Policy Advisory Council. On accepting her appointment, Heather Feltman stated, “"Lutheran Social Services of New England has a long history of serving the most vulnerable persons in society. I look forward to serving with the committed staff of LSS to further the mission and mandate of LSS as well as anticipating how we continue to position the organization to best serve people in need.”

Heather Feltman is married to the Rev. Ronald W. Feltman, associate pastor of Epiphany Lutheran Church in Elmhurst, Illinois. He is also market conduct specialist for the Chicagoland Regional office of Thrivent Financial for Lutherans. The Feltmans have one son, Seth, 17, who heads off to college next fall.

Feltman succeeds Edith M. Lohr, who is retiring after 17 years of leadership. During Lohr’s period in office, LSS of New England tripled in size. Today, the organization has a budget of $60 million and serves 4,200 people on a daily basis in 54 programs throughout the region.