Left: Muriel Schmid, our new Administrative Director; Right: Milena Rincón, continuing in her role as Program Director.
CPT is pleased to announce the appointment of Muriel Schmid (Louisville, Kentucky, USA) as our new Administrative Director. Beginning January 2, 2019, Muriel joins Program Director, Milena Rincón (Madrid, Colombia) in a two-director leadership model to guide CPT.
Muriel is an ordained minister who served the Swiss Reformed Church for ten years. Born in Geneva, Switzerland and raised in the French-speaking part of Switzerland, she left her home country in 1995 to study at Princeton Theological Seminary. It was there that she met her life partner and spouse, Christine Jones. She then pursued an academic career and worked for ten years at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City where she founded and directed their religious studies program. Muriel first met CPT in 2010 and joined in 2013. Her encounter with CPT inspired her to leave academia and pursue her vocation in conflict resolution and peacemaking work.
Milena has served with CPT for 16 years, the past two as Program Director. Born and raised in Colombia, she is a member of the Mennonite Church in her hometown of Madrid and does her CPT work from there. She studied Psychology with a focus on Clinical Psychology as an undergrad, and earned a Masters in International Relations from a Swiss university, and a Masters in Political Science from a Colombian university. As a descendant of people who were forcibly displaced, and having witnessed the impact of violence in her own country, Milena is very aware of and sensitive to issues of war, conflict, and the need for sustainable peace.
“We are very excited to welcome Muriel as CPT’s Administrative Director,” said Nathan Hosler, CPT Steering Committee Chair and Director of the Church of the Brethren’s Office of Peacebuilding and Policy. “Muriel’s history with the organization combined with her outstanding administrative leadership will provide the dynamic compliment to Milena’s deeply-rooted, highly-skilled leadership of our program area that CPT needs to move us forward in our work of building partnerships to transform violence and oppression.”
“CPT would also like to take this opportunity to offer our heartfelt thanks for the service of outgoing Interim Administrative Director, Jonathan Shively,” added Nathan. “Jonathan’s particular leadership skills helped position CPT to move to this next step with healthy vigor.”
