It is with pleasure (but a strong touch of sadness) that the Plett Foundation and the Chair in Mennonite Studies congratulate Andrea Dyck on her appointment to the Mennonite Heritage Village (MHV) on a full-time basis as its senior curator. Seven years ago (in 2012), Andrea started in her role as the foundation’s executive assistant, arriving to a dusty desk equipped with nothing more than a pencil. Her first order of business – creating a payroll system through which to pay herself. Since that time, she has mastered many other duties, serving as a valued member of the foundation and the Mennonite Studies team at the University of Winnipeg.

At the Plett Foundation, working with Aileen and before that with Hans, she has kept our financial books in order, paid out grant recipients, maintained our website, and performed essential duties that have allowed the foundation to function smoothly. With her keen eye, she has copyedited Preservings, correcting the many mistakes overlooked by contributors and inserted by the editor. As the journal underwent its recent redesign, Andrea contributed her talent and insight in producing its new look, helping to choose fonts and formats while reassuring a novice executive director of the advisability of such changes.

She also performed a variety of tasks related to the program of the Chair in Mennonite Studies, mostly as managing editor of the Journal of Mennonite Studies, the coordinator of the annual Mennonite Studies conference, and overseer of financial services for the chair’s various research programs. In this capacity she has worked with Royden, who genuinely appreciates the order, creativity, and innovation she brings to her work. With her hard work the Journal of Mennonite Studies is now professionally laid out in-house, the annual conferences run without a hitch, and folks get paid, mostly on time.

MHV’s gain is truly our loss at the foundation and within the Mennonite Studies program at the University of Winnipeg. Andrea has performed her duties with professionalism and humour, managing to answer any question, providing diplomatic advice, and contributing a thoughtful perspective at Menno Tea. While we will greatly miss her contribution to our programming, we look forward to seeing what Andrea will accomplish at the museum and in the broader field of Mennonite history.