Dear Staff and Faculty,
Today is a bittersweet one for Seminary Relations. Philanthropic Advisor Paul Hanson’s last day with Luther Seminary will be Friday, January 6. An exciting call has been extended to him by the ELCA. Starting January 9, he will serve as Churchwide’s Senior Director for Transformational Gifts and Strategic Initiatives, essentially working alongside the presiding bishop helping to manage her portfolio. Please join me in congratulating Paul on this important moment in his career and vocation.
Paul has faithfully served Luther for nearly 12 years. Colleagues across the Seminary know Paul’s pastoral heart and quick sense of humor, coupled with his demands for excellence and a passion for our mission. And yeah, he is one of those professional fundraisers who makes our work look easy—he is always having way too much fun to ever let others see him sweat.
I’ll share plans to identify Paul’s successor soon. For now, it feels good to keep our focus on gratitude for Paul. A community-wide send-off for him will be held on Wednesday, January 4 (specifics TBD). More info will be shared before we all break for the Christmas holiday.
Many thanks,
Heidi Droegemueller