Monday, March 3, 2008                                                                   HNU archive

Long-time alumni director accepts new position

Roy Mann, the long-time director of alumni relations at Emporia State University, has accepted a new position as senior development officer with the Provision Ministry Group, an international organization dedicated to church planting.

Mann’s last day at Emporia State will be April 18. A campus and community reception will be held from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m. Thursday, April 17, at the Sauder Alumni Center.

“This is the hardest decision I’ve ever made,” Mann said. “I definitely feel led toward this tremendous opportunity with Provision, but I’ve agonized so much about stepping away from my ESU family.”

Mann, who will serve Provision Ministry Group from an Emporia office location, has served as the alumni director since 1995 and first came to ESU as an assistant director of endowment in 1988. He holds a bachelor’s degree in music education and a master’s degree in educational administration from ESU.

“I think it’s a wonderful opportunity for him,” said Judith Heasley, executive director of University Advancement and president of the ESU Foundation. “I did everything in my power to get him to stay. It’s going to leave a void that will be very challenging to fill. He is ‘Mr. ESU’ in my mind.”

Mann, 51, said the decision was all the harder because of his longevity at ESU, but there was also the strong allure of taking on a new challenge at this stage of his life.

“As committed as I’ve been to ESU alumni, I’ve also maintained a passion for the church, and this opportunity is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to make a difference on a grand scale,” Mann said. “I will truly miss the alumni and volunteers I’ve known over the years, on the alumni board and among chapter leaders, and my colleagues in the office. It’s a difficult time to leave, because we’re on the right track under the leadership of Judy [Heasley], and I’ve really enjoyed working with her. I’m almost embarrassed at all the efforts she made to keep me at ESU.”

Mann will begin on May 1 with Provision, developing new programs and expanding current programs in relationship-based fundraising. The group, based in Irvine, Calif., is a combination of three ministries dedicated to church planting – a church development fund; Stadia, an organization that works on church planting; and Visioneering Studios, comprised of 30 architects who design church facilities. At ESU, meanwhile, Heasley said the nationwide search for an alumni director will begin immediately.

Last Updated April 17, 2008