• News Release
• Date: October 1, 2008

• Contact: Jolene Weaver
• 717-581-4390

Village Appoints New Board Members

Carol D. Hess, Board Member-- Carol D. Hess was elected to serve a three-year term on Brethren Village's Board of Directors effective October 1, 2008.

A Conestoga Church of the Brethren member, Hess is the Manager of Human Resources Consulting Group for Cargas Systems, Inc., and was previously employed by Lancaster Laboratories, Inc. Receiving her undergraduate degree from Ursinus College and her M.B.A. from Saint Joseph's University, Hess is committed to community improvement by her participation at Brethren Village and also serving on the board at the United Way of Lancaster County, and the Elizabethtown College Leadership Council.

Growing up in the Brethren community, Hess remembers vividly her childhood memories of "Christmas caroling at the Village during the holidays with the Conestoga church choir," she stated. Hess also had multiple generations of her family call Brethren Village home, including her grandparents and great-grandparents.

Hess has two adult daughters and resides in Lancaster.

Robert J. Allen, Resident Council President-- Robert J. Allen was elected to serve a two-year term on Brethren Village's Board of Directors effective July 1, 2008.

Allen is Resident Council President for the Village, and has made the campus his home for the last nine years in Fieldcrest. Allen has been married to his wife Jean for more than 60 years and has two children, four grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.

Allen is a dedicated member of the First Baptist Church and serves as a council member and choir member, chairs the Finance Committee, and is a former choir director and moderator.

Allen served in the U.S. Naval Reserve and attended Wilkes College and Franklin & Marshall College. Allen's professional careers included work as a public accountant, vice-president for a clothing manufacturer, and serving in leadership at the American Baptist Church in Valley Forge (PA) until 1993.

Vivian S. Ziegler, Resident Representative-- Vivian S. Ziegler was elected to serve a one-year term on Brethren Village's Board of Directors effective October 1, 2008.

Ziegler has called the Village home since 2003, and resides in a cottage with her husband Earl. Married for more than 57 years, the Ziegler's have six children, seventeen grandchildren, one great-grandchild and previously resided in Lampeter.

Ziegler is a member of the Lititz Church of the Brethren. She has been a Sunday school teacher for more than 50 years, and also served as a pianist and organist.

Professionally, Ziegler was a middle school librarian for 25 years teaching at Southwestern School District in York County and then Solanco School District. Ziegler is also an accomplished author and has penned two biographies.

The Ziegler's enjoy traveling and hosting tours across central Pennsylvania, the United States and internationally.

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