June 2005

New Board Member

To succeed the Rev. Valerie Thomas, who has resigned from the NEAC board, the board has elected Matthew Hartney, Chair of the Executive Council Standing Committee on HIV/AIDS. Matt works as a lay college chaplain to Berea College and Eastern Kentucky University and as an administrative assistant for the Diocese of Lexington, Kentucky. A recent graduate of Kenyon College, Matthew has spent the last six years as an advocate for youth and young adult ministry in the Episcopal Church, serving both as a peer minister to the Kenyon Chaplaincy and as deputy to the 2003 General Convention from the Diocese of Western New York.

Matthew is an active member of All Saints Episcopal Church in Lexington, Kentucky, serving as music minister since the church’s founding in February of this year. Although new to HIV/AIDS ministry, Matthew hopes to work with other leaders in youth and young adult ministry to help keep awareness and education an important part of their work with young persons.

In her resignation letter, Val said in part: “It has been a wonderful experience for me to have served … Remember always how heavy a load it is even for non-infected members to carry the burden of all of those infected and affected, especially women and children, most of whom cannot speak for themselves. God be with you.”