UBS board elects first woman chair
An ABS trustee since 1988, Mrs Robinson
has been chairman of the ABS board since 1996. Earlier in her career
she served for 12 years with the United Presbyterian Church as a missionary
in Korea. From 1984 until 1998 she was Director of Episcopal Social
Ministries, a community outreach program based in Baltimore, Maryland.
She is currently a Lay Associate at Brown Memorial Presbyterian Church
in Baltimore.
UBS ‘privileged’Commenting on the appointment, the Rev Fergus Macdonald, General Secretary of the UBS, said,“Sally Shoemaker Robinson is an outstanding Christian leader whom UBS is very privileged to have as chair of the new Global Board.” The board elected Neil Crosbie, Chief Executive of the British and Foreign Bible Society, as Vice Chairman. Mr Crosbie was a member of the forerunner of the Global Board, the UBS Executive Committee (UBSEC). The members of UBSEC held their final meeting at the World Service Center on May 22. At a farewell dinner Mr Macdonald presented each member with a certificate and gift commemorating their service. The General Secretary was among several members who paid warm tributes to Dr Eugene Habecker, President and Chief Executive Officer of the ABS, for his five years as chairman of UBSEC. UBSEC members who gave their recollections at the dinner included the Rev Thomas Nlandu Mukoko, General Secretary of the Bible Society of D.R. Congo. After 24 years as General Secretary and 21 years on UBSEC, he has now retired from both positions. Dr Mary M Khimulu, a board member of the Bible Society of Kenya, recalled having served on the UBS General Committee, the predecessor of UBSEC. At the time of her nomination in 1987, she was the youngest member and also the only woman serving on it. In common with five other members of UBSEC, she is continuing in service as a member of the UBS Global Board. The implementation of the Global Board is one of a set of major changes to the UBS governance structure which have been in preparation for two years. They were formally adopted by delegates at the UBS World Assembly in South Africa last October. ComprehensiveDesigned broadly to make the structure more comprehensive, the changes now in place also include four Area Boards, each with 12 members, structured on a continental basis: Africa, the Americas, Asia-Pacific and Europe-Middle East. UBS Program services will be delivered on the basis of eight regions, UBSEC having recently agreed to the request of the Asia-Pacific Area Board to unite the East Asia and Indo-Pacific Regions. “The first meeting of the Global Board is the final step in establishing a new governance system for the UBS,” said Mr Macdonald. “It will respond to the needs of the growing number of Bible Societies in our Fellowship by being more inclusive and more consultative.” The full list of members of the Global
Board [Jan. 2001] is as follows:
(WR 361/1 - 7/8.01) e-149 [PHOTOS] |
READING,
England — The first meeting of the new UBS Global Board, which took
place at the Fellowship’s