It is with sadness and gratitude that we announce the departure of our Founding Managing Director Chris Stedman. With an increased role at the Humanist Chaplaincy at Harvard, a demanding speaking and blogging schedule, and a memoir due for publication next year, Stedman has decided to step down to ensure that the individual in the Managing Director role is able to commit to the growth and success of the program in a way that he is unfortunately no longer able to.

That said, there is another reason that Stedman will step down as the Managing Director: we believe that a transition of leadership is firmly in line with the vision of this project. As a community and forum dedicated to housing and supporting emerging voices, State of Formation ought to provide opportunities for new voices to facilitate its progress.

In that respect, we are excited for the future of State of Formation. Our new Managing Director Honna Eichler comes to us with years of experience in interfaith organizing. She is currently a Grants Manager at Interfaith Worker Justice and previously worked as Program Associate for the 2009 World Parliament of Religions which was held in Melbourne, Australia. Honna graduated in 2010 from McCormick Theological Seminary and has blogged for State of Formation and served on the Executive Committee since last fall.

“I want to express my deep and profound gratitude to everyone who has made creating, launching, and facilitating State of Formation such a joy,” said Stedman. “Each and every person involved in the process of dreaming up, launching, and growing State of Formation has inspired me in ways that I cannot even begin to articulate, and watching our Contributing Scholars’ grow as ethical voices has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. I look forward to the amazing things we will continue to do together, and am excited to witness the dedication, energy and vision I know Honna Eichler will bring to State of Formation.”

“Over the past year, I have been impressed, if not overjoyed, with the unparalleled enthusiasm and direction Chris Stedman’s provided to the development of State of Formation.” Eichler began. “While everyone will miss his immediate presence, we are all thankful he will remain as an adviser to the project. I am both honored and excited at the chance to continue the necessary work Stedman started. State of Formation is a project unlike no other: it seeks out voices that are often ignored in traditional dialogue situations while engaging with subject matter that is complex and ground breaking.”

Additionally, we say goodbye to Ian Burzynski, the Assistant Director of Operations. We thank him for the tremendous work he did for State of Formation and wish him luck in his exciting future projects. In his place, we are thrilled to welcome Karen Hernandez, who brings with her a wealth of experience in both the non-profit sector and peacebuilding endeavors. She has expressed particular interest in enhancing State of Formation’s communications, both internal and external, and we look forward to her presence and leadership on the staff.