By Robert Rhodes, Mennonite Weekly Review
AKRON, Pa. — Mennonite Central Committee executive director Robb Davis resigned his post, effective immediately, on Oct. 23.
MCC executive committee chair Ron Dueck of Winnipeg, Man., said Davis cited concerns that his leadership style was not compatible with MCC’s future needs.
“We are indeed sorry to see Robb leave,†Dueck said in a statement announcing the resignation.
The resignation by Davis, who joined MCC on June 1, 2005, was accepted by the MCC executive committee Oct. 24 and announced Oct. 25.
In an interview Oct. 25, Dueck said a basic reason for the resignation was “difficulty in providing clarity of leadership†as the growing relief, development and peace agency examines plans for its future operation.
“I think there was a little lack of direction in changes that were being made,†Dueck said, though he added that the executive committee and MCC board were “quite happy†with Davis’ performance.
“We have had a number of meetings in the past couple of months to see how MCC can best work with the churches . . . to be more efficient and more effective [and to determine] whether we needed to be more aggressive in our programming or more accepting of the status quo,†Dueck said. “There were some concerns about the speed with which some of these changes were being made.â€
Dueck said Davis asked that his resignation be immediate because “he thought he might be ineffective in speaking for MCC†while a new executive director is being sought.
Davis — who recently organized a meeting of U.S. religious leaders with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in New York — had previously served as a senior vice president for Freedom from Hunger in Davis, Calif.
In its announcement, MCC said its executive committee will appoint an MCC staff member to handle Davis’ administrative responsibilities until an interim director is found.
Once the interim director is in place, the committee will begin its search for a long-term replacement for Davis.
Dueck said the executive committee was to meet Oct. 25 to decide who will take on Davis’ responsibilities for the near future.
Davis could not be reached for comment.
The opinions expressed in articles posted on Mosaic’s website are those of the author and may not reflect the official policy of Mosaic Conference. Mosaic is a large conference, crossing ethnicities, geographies, generations, theologies, and politics. Each person can only speak for themselves; no one can represent “the conference.” May God give us the grace to hear what the Spirit is speaking to us through people with whom we disagree and the humility and courage to love one another even when those disagreements can’t be bridged.