ACC Board
Sara Gurulé
Sara Gurulé is a Constituent Engagement Representative at Mennonite Mission Network, and she works out of Lancaster, PA. Sara holds her BA in Biblical and Religious Studies with a minor in environmental studies (Fresno Pacific University, ’19) as well as her MA in Theology and Peace Studies, concentrating in environmental sustainability (Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary, ’22). She also volunteers in the Coalition to Dismantle the Doctrine of Discovery as chairperson for the Story Sharing Committee. The natural world has always been a part of Sara’s experiences of faith, wonder, and care, and she loves to learn from all of her relations. Some of that learning includes spending time outdoors, reading, and building relationships through her work at MMN and beyond. In her free time, Sara loves to spend time with her wife and two cats, go on walks, and knit.
Harrison Horst
Harrison is an urban planner and data analyst with degrees in sociology (EMU ’18) and sustainable urban development (DePaul ’22), where he researched the relationship between urban food systems, gentrification, and equity. In 2018, Harrison worked for CSCS as part of a Climate Futures Fellow team co-producing a podcast on climate change and Anabaptist faith called Shifting Climates. Harrison is also a founding member of the Sustainability Alumni Network, which connects recent graduates from Mennonite colleges and universities interested in sustainability and leverages its collective resources to make positive change related to climate change and environmental issues. In his free time, Harrison enjoys doing crossword puzzles, practicing Mandarin, and biking around Chicago.
Deirdre Longacher Smeltzer
A mathematician by training, Deirdre worked for 20 years at Eastern Mennonite University as a faculty member, department chair, and academic dean. In 2019, Deirdre spent six months as a visiting faculty member at the Oregon Extension in southern Oregon before beginning her current Senior Director position with the Mathematical Association of America in 2020. During her tenure as EMU’s Undergraduate Dean, Deirdre participated in the establishment of the Center for Sustainable Climate Solutions and served on the CSCS Oversight Board for three years. Currently, Deirdre serves as Vice Chair of Harrisonburg’s Environmental Performance Standards Advisory Committee, is a member of the Bridge of Hope – Harrisonburg/Rockingham Board, and holds several roles within her church congregation. Deirdre loves hiking, cooking, and spending quality time with family and friends.
Tyler Goss
Tyler Goss (he/him) lives in Harrisonburg, Virginia, on the land of the Siouan, Monacan, Monahoac, Catawba, and Cherokee peoples. He works in Student Life at Eastern Mennonite University, where he focuses on building community and cultivating student leadership. Tyler’s connection to ACC started in 2021 when he biked across the country as part of the "Climate Ride," an experience that strengthened his commitment to climate justice and collective action. Tyler comes from the Church of the Brethren faith tradition, but has been immersed in the Mennonite world for many years. Tyler loves running, cycling, nonviolence, finding bold thrift-shop fashion statements, and making others feel welcome.
Andrew Yoder
Andrew is the CFO of a start-up renewable energy technology company based in Harrisonburg Virginia. Andrew has worked in the renewable energy space since 2015 with experience in solar development, facility operations, and renewable energy finance. He has undergraduate degrees in Economics and Environmental Sustainability (EMU ‘16) and his MBA (EMU ‘20). Andrew is passionate about climate related dialogue and expanding access to renewable energy. In his free time Andrew enjoys running, board games, musicals, gardening, and spending time outdoors. Andrew lives in Harrisonburg Virginia with his wife Alena and their six chickens.
Dave Hockman-Wert
Dave is in search of new adventures, having recently retired after working for nearly 23 years with two federal science/land management agencies (US Geological Survey and US Forest Service), doing GIS and data management related to aquatic ecosystems. He has an MA in Environmental Studies from the University of Oregon, where he focused on religion’s influence on environmental attitudes and behaviors. Having finished a long stint as part of the Mennonite Creation Care Network’s council in 2023, he is happy to be back on board with a Mennonite environmental organization. Dave lives in Corvallis, Oregon with his wife, Cathleen, and two cats, Lenny and Squiggy. He is a member of Corvallis Mennonite Fellowship, serves as treasurer of the Pacific Northwest Mennonite Conference, and is on the board of Drift Creek Camp, a Mennonite camp in an Oregon Coast Range old-growth forest.
Adrienne Derstine
Adrienne recently moved to Harrisonburg, VA after having lived outside Hutchinson, Kansas where she worked on a regenerative meat and dairy farm, managing the grazing of the dairy herd, tending to chickens and pigs, and sometimes milking the cows in the early morning. Prior to farming Adrienne served with Mennonite Central Committee in Burundi where she managed Food Security programming and coordinated various emergency response projects related to climate change. Adrienne holds a deep reverence for the outdoors and is interested in the intersection of climate, spirituality, and peacebuilding. Adrienne enjoys exploring nature with her husband and son, quilting, reading historical fiction, and baking.
Anika Reynar
Anika Reynar (she/her) grew up on the Canadian prairies and now lives in the Mystic River Watershed, which flows into the Boston Harbor. She holds a bachelor's degree in Social Ecology from Canadian Mennonite University ('17) and master's degrees in environmental management and religion from Yale University ('24). Anika is endlessly curious about what people hold sacred, and how these understandings shape and are shaped by experiences of migration and displacement, economic pressures, and the structures of our built environments. These curiosities have led her to work with refugee communities, in urban and rural agriculture, and alongside Indigenous communities living in defense of their ancestral lands. She now works as a facilitator and mediator in environmental policy processes. Anika is nourished by sharing good food, creating art, and moving between places by foot, bike, and kayak.
Kirstin De Mello
Kirstin De Mello (she/her) is the climate advocacy and education coordinator for Mennonite Central Committee U.S. She advocates for climate policy that encourages right relationship with the Earth, climate justice, and a just transition. Kirstin first worked in bird conservation and outdoor education, later graduating from Eastern Mennonite University’s Center for Justice and Peacebuilding with a masters in conflict transformation and restorative justice. For fifteen years, she was involved in community peacebuilding initiatives in Zimbabwe, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, and the U.S. Climate action is a thread woven throughout her adult life. She finds joy and hope in taking part in collective nonviolent direct action. Currently, Kirstin lives with her spouse, Merwyn, in Washington, D.C., on unceded Piscataway land, and enjoys nurturing two native plant gardens, planting trees, and singing in her church’s choir.
Lorraine Stoltzfus
Lorraine grew up on a Mennonite dairy farm in Pennsylvania, with a father who did contour farming to prevent erosion before that concept was well-known. After graduating from the University of Wisconsin Law School, Lorraine spent 33 years as an Assistant Attorney General in the Environmental Protection Unit at the Wisconsin Dept. of Justice, enforcing Wisconsin's environmental laws. Recently retired, she is grateful for the opportunity as an ACC board member to encourage the broader Mennonite Church to acknowledge and work on issues of climate change and environmental justice. Lorraine believes music lifts the soul and spirit in challenging times, and enjoys singing at Madison Mennonite Church and in the Wisconsin Chamber Choir.
