DeMichele to leave Area UMC director post

Lynne DeMichele has announced her "early retirement," effective Dec. 31, 2002. Citing the pressures of an ever-expanding work portfolio and its effect on her health, DeMichele expressed her "sorrow and disappointment" at leaving her work for the Area Church, describing it as "a labor of love."

The past several months have been especially challenging. "Our shrinking budget coupled with the loss of Matt Carlisle last spring [former associate director, now at UMCom] have put a strain on our ability to fulfill our communications obligations," she said.

Lynne has served as Area Communications Director for over 12 years. During that time she has witnessed a revolution in communication technology.

News releases are now distributed via the Internet, meetings take place via e-mail, and even the HUM has changed dramatically under her leadership. Moving from typewriters to desktop publishing early on, she continued to expand the vision of church communications, convening the first Area meeting to begin exploring how computers might be put to work for the Indiana connection. Other initiatives included establishing a system of HUM news "stringers" around the state as well as developing a still-growing network of district communicators, and providing distance training opportunities through teleconferencing.

On a wider connectional level, Lynne was the first journalist to go into Monrovia, Liberia in 1991 as the civil war there was winding down. Her reports on Operation Classroom mission work there appeared in New World Outlook and Response magazines, as well as many other publications. Since then many more of her articles on the work of the Indiana church have appeared in UM newspapers across the country. After a visit to Zimbabwe a few years ago, her articles on Africa University appeared in several church-related newspapers and magazines, helping to spark nation-wide support for that pan-African, UM-related school.

Lynne has received many awards by the Associated Church Press and United Methodist Association of Communicators for excellence in writing and editing. The Hoosier United Methodist News has been noted as one of the outstanding conference publications in the denomination.

Lynne brought to the post as Indiana Communications Director a broad background in writing and editing for newspapers and magazines, as well as in public relations.

Bishop White indicated how much he relied upon her "savvy" especially in relating to the public media. "My complete trust and reliance upon Lynne as she related to the press was a source of assurance as she often became my voice to the greater Indianapolis and Indiana communities.

"Lynne will be sorely missed by those of us who were close with her, and by those who have been the recipients of her outstanding journalistic gifts."

A committee is currently at work under Bishop White's leadership in preparing for the selection of a new Director of Communications.

Last updated on 01/14/2004

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