News

Ridley heads LCMS housing corporation

Nicole Ridley has been appointed chief executive officer of the LCMS National Housing Support Corporation, which does business as Lutheran Housing Support (LHS). Her appointment by the corporation’s Board of Directors was effective May 1.

Ridley previously served as project director for the nonprofit corporation for almost five years. As CEO, she succeeds Deborah Rutt, who was appointed interim chief executive officer in December 2011, following the death of long-time LHS Executive Director Marie Kienker in October 2010.

A graduate of St. Francis College in Fort Wayne, Ind., where she earned a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Ridley, 44, has been a community development practitioner for the past 22 years.

“I have dedicated my professional life to making a difference,” she said. “It will be an honor to utilize the gifts that I have been blessed with to serve as CEO of the housing corporation, renewing the lives and spirits in communities served by our LCMS congregations, Recognized Service Organizations and districts.”

Ridley is deployed, and currently resides in Alexandria, Va. She and her husband, James, are from Fort Wayne, where they are members of Redeemer Lutheran Church.

Established by LCMS World Relief and Human Care in 2004, LHS lends expertise and financial resources to LCMS congregations, districts and Recognized Service Organizations to act as a catalyst of change for neighborhood renewal.

LHS has partnered with congregations and civic and business leaders to revitalize the Spring Creek Nehemiah area in New York City, the Ezra Housing project in Chicago, the College Hill neighborhood in St. Louis and the Lutheran Community Outreach Center in Fort Wayne. (For more information on these projects, see The Lutheran Witness article at http://witness.lcms.org/pages/wPage.asp?ContentID=1105&IssueID=59.)

Ridley said that by “bringing neighborhoods back to life and addressing persons of modest means’ housing needs, we are helping to meet some of the basic needs of families. Through these opportunities, we are able to share the love of Christ in our actions as well as our words.”