Three Elected to Board of Governors

Three men were elected to the community's board of governors on May 17 in South Bend: Mike Coney (New Orleans), Bob McDonough (South Bend) and Pat Murphy (Servant Branch).

Each will serve a six-year term that begins in August. They will join eight other men who already serve on the board: Charlie Fraga (Vancouver/Portland), Joel Kibler (Servant Branch), Kerry Koller (South Bend), Craig Lent (chairman, South Bend), Phil Monaco (Corvallis), Jim Mysliwiec (northern Virginia), Kevin Ranaghan (South Bend) and Mike Zusi (South Bend).

In August, Rich Preuss (South Bend) will complete his second consecutive term of service on the board. Members who serve two terms consecutively are not immediately eligible for reelection, but can be reelected after a two-year break. Mike Coney is currently a member of the board and will begin his second term in August.

Pat Murphy has been the Action division coordinator since its beginnings in Servant Branch in 2002. He is the academic dean of Trinity School at River Ridge, where he also teaches biology and chemistry and coaches wrestling. Pat and his wife Lee Ann moved to the Twin Cities from Florida in 1978 to join Servants of the Lord community. They joined the People of Praise in 1982 and were among the first group of Servant Branch members to make the covenant of the People of Praise in 1985. The Murphys have five children.

Bob McDonough pursued a career in banking for 32 years and became a vice-president of First National Bank in Elkhart, Indiana. From 1987 to 2009 he was president of the People of Praise’s LaSalle Company in South Bend, and continues to serve as an advisor to the company. Bob and his wife Maureen are the parents of five children. The McDonoughs joined the community in 1977. "I am looking forward to the challenge of serving the community in this new way," he says.

Board members are elected by an assembly comprised of "the overall coordinator, head coordinators, principal branch coordinators and program coordinators, each having one vote. Previous overall coordinators and head coordinators who have served as such within six years and who are in good standing may attend and vote but they are not counted as part of the quorum" (Principles of Structure and Government of the People of Praise).