Hockenbery to serve as interim executive director of Women of the ELCA

by Elizabeth Hunter

by Elizabeth Hunter

Jennifer Hockenbery, Ph.D., a college dean, philosophy professor, and editor of the Journal of Lutheran Ethics, will serve as interim churchwide executive director of Women of the ELCA, beginning July 1.

“We are excited about Jennifer accepting the interim executive director position,” said Myrna Wells-Ulland, Women of the ELCA churchwide executive board president. “She will shepherd the organization through a time of transition and oversee the day-to-day leadership of the organization. Her strong background in Lutheran theology, management experience, astute listening skills and collaborative leadership style will help us to assess our strengths and opportunities and lead conversations and collaborations among board members, staff and participants about our future as Women of the ELCA.”

Since 2020, Hockenbery has been serving as dean of humanities and professor of philosophy at St. Norbert College in De Pere, Wisconsin. She also serves as editor of the Journal of Lutheran Ethics, a role she has held since 2019. Before coming to St. Norbert College, she spent 22 years as a professor of philosophy at Mount Mary University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. As part of her work at Mount Mary, a women’s college, she wrote Thinking Woman (Cascade 2015) which starts a conversation about different views of the nature and vocation of women. The book helps those interested in supporting women to consider varied perspectives as far as what women want and need.

Hockenbery and her children, Luke, Phoebe and Hope, attend Grace Lutheran Church in Green Bay, Wisconsin, which they joined in 2021. Previously, she was a member of Lake Park Lutheran Church in Milwaukee, where she enjoyed teaching Sunday school for two-year-old through confirmation-aged students. She also wrote and directed over 20 Christmas plays in her time there.

“I’m honored to be chosen for this position. It feels like a calling to me—this opportunity to engage with women across the ELCA, as we seek to be nourished together in our faith and active in our care for each other, our neighbors and our world,” Hockenbery said. “Women of the ELCA is a place where I can combine my deep interest in Lutheran theology and my passion for women’s issues.” As the granddaughter of a Lutheran pastor and the daughter of a Reformation historian, she has breathed Lutheran theology since the cradle. Working at Mount Mary University, a women’s college, for over 20 years, she’s thought a lot about the needs of women and how women can work together.

“I think there is a great need for women’s spaces in which women can talk to each other,” Hockenbery said. “Even as there are certainly differences between us, there’s something about women being able to come together that can feed and empower us. I want to continue the work of Women of the ELCA as a welcoming, nourishing space for women. I also want to find avenues to include more women—women who may not know about WELCA. In this interim role, I’d like to inspire conversations about the role of gender in our lives and especially in our faith lives.”

“Each of us has a unique story to tell. Listening to each other will build our knowledge of the needs of others as well as help us to better understand ourselves. Most of all, I want to help women find deeper community with each other and build the funding base to allow new growth, especially for scholarship opportunities.”

Hockenbery is serving a 12-month term following the retirement of Linda Post Bushkofsky, who served 22 years in the role.