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.
Eric Kurtz
Eric Kurtz is executive director of Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) Great Lakes. He has an MS in Land Resources from the Institute for Environmental Studies at University of Wisconsin-Madison. Prior to working for MCC, he was stormwater manager with the Elkhart County (Indiana) Soil and Water Conservation District. He has also worked with rural indigenous communities in Northern Argentina, documenting land use in support of a land rights claim. Eric lives in Goshen, Indiana, with his wife, Carmen Horst, and daughters Elisa and Nayli. His family attends Walnut Hill Mennonite Church, where Carmen is co-pastor.
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.
Sibonokuhle Ncube
Dr. Sibonokuhle Ncube is Regional Co-director for Africa and Europe with Mennonite Mission Network. She is a mother, social justice advocate and development expert. Licensed for ministry in Mennonite Church USA, she was a deaconess in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. A recent graduate of Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary, she is a student at Bakke Graduate University. She previously earned a doctorate in development. Known for her passionate speaking, intergenerational, and cross-cultural insights, she has two decades of experience working with climate change responses, climate finance governance, and disaster preparedness in southern Africa. She has long experience with Anabaptist Climate Collaborative and our predecessor Center for Sustainable Climate Solutions, being part of our first Global South Voices tour in 2018. She continues to teach and write on climate and discipleship in a global context. She serves as the Africa representative on the Mennonite World Conference Creation Care Task Force. A member of the Brethren in Christ Church of Zimbabwe, she was for many years the National Coordinator of their Compassionate Development Services. She currently attends Eighth Street Mennonite Church in Goshen, Indiana, with her family.
Brian Sauder
Brian Sauder serves as the President and CEO of Faith in Place, a nonprofit empowering people of diverse faiths and spiritualities to be leaders in advancing environmental and racial justice by providing resources to educate, connect, and advocate for healthier communities.
Ordained by the Mennonite Church, U.S.A. - Brian Sauder also serves as an Adjunct Professor at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary, Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago, and McCormick Theological Seminary—teaching public ministry courses for future clergy and faith leaders on organizing for environmental justice.
He is an award recipient of the University of Illinois Business School's Community Scholar, a Central IL Business 40 Under 40 winner, and a 2019 Midwest Energy News' 40 Under 40 winner.
Brian Sauder grew up in rural Tazewell County, IL and received his B.S. in Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences from the University of Illinois, his M.A. in Religion from Urbana Theological Seminary, and his M.B.A. from the University of Illinois.
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.
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.
