Lisa Longacher assumed the position of director of development at Hesston College in January 2024 after joining the college as a development officer in 2021. She also took over the role of acting VP of advancement in February 2024. Longacher has always enjoyed developing relationships and aiding the success of worthwhile causes like Hesston College. “It's important to support our Mennonite colleges in order to ensure that students can continue to be educated in a community that cares deeply about their education as well as their development as young adults,” she says. As a Hesston graduate, Longacher is very familiar with the history and traditions of the college. After obtaining her associate degree, Lisa completed her B.S.N. at Eastern Mennonite College (Harrisonburg, Va.), now Eastern Mennonite University. Lisa held various positions in health care over her career, including as an R.N. on the neuroscience floor of the University of Virginia Health Sciences Center where she began her career. Lisa would eventually transition to a position as the director of an outpatient dialysis center in Aurora, Colo., and later served as a school nurse for Aurora Public Schools. After leaving this position, she took a job as a corporate trainer for a health information management data integrity company where she worked 16 years before returning to Hesston College and joining the development team. Longacher works remotely from Colorado and enjoys running trails, reading and creating fiber art in her free time. She and her husband have three sons.