Board of Directors

Melanie serves as Chair of the Board of Directors for Mission Central. She also serves on the Special Events Committee helping to plan, promote, and execute some of Mission Central's most memorable events over the past 5 years.
Currently the Director of Children’s Ministries at Aldersgate UMC in Mechanicsburg, Melanie has more than 30 years of professional experience in Early Childhood Education. She and her husband, Tim live in Enola and enjoy camping, kayaking, hiking, and biking, seizing every opportunity to get outdoors. Also an avid runner - Melanie was a driving force behind the Mission Central Monster Mash and Dash.

Jim Foster serves as the Treasurer for the Mission Central Board of Directors after a lengthy and successful tenure as Board Chair.
He has been a member of the United Methodist Church and its predecessor for about 50 years. Jim served three UM churches in various capacities, including Chair of Trustees, Chair of Finance and Delegate to Annual Conference. Since retiring from his career as an attorney in the financial services industry, he has served as a volunteer and Board Member of Computer Ministry and Board Member of New Digs Ministry, both housed at Mission Central. Apart from the Church and related ministries, his passions include hiking and trails. He has thru-hiked the 2,190-mile Appalachian Trail (A.T.) in 2007, as well as several other trails. Currently, he helps to manage a section of the A.T. for Keystone Trails Association and was past President of the Cumberland Valley Appalachian Trail Club. Jim personally maintains a one-mile section of the A.T. between Mechanicsburg and Carlisle as well as a portion of the Darlington Trail.

Russell W. Goodman is a licensed local pastor of the Susquehanna Conference of the United Methodist Church. He founded and leads New Branches Ministries, an online church service with worldwide scope. He is an assistant chaplain with UPMC and with several nursing homes, principally the Spring Creek Rehabilitation & Health Center. He is extensively involved in interfaith relations in Central Pennsylvania and served as co-chair of Harrisburg Mayor Eric Papenfuse’s Interfaith Advisory Council. He is a board member of the World Affairs Council of Harrisburg.

Goodman also has worked in web journalism, video production, newspapers, newsletters and magazines with a focus on logistics, business and trade.

He was editor in chief of Keller International Publishing’s SupplyChainBrain web site, print component, newsletters and lineup of videos. Prior to joining Keller, Goodman directed editorial coverage for two leading international commerce magazines, Foreign Trade and International Business. Goodman was managing editor of the Journal of Defense & Diplomacy, a bimonthly edited in Washington that reported on and interpreted the interplay between security and political issues. From Washington, Goodman, as editor-in-chief of Middle East Insight magazine, directed coverage of business and political affairs in that critical part of the world. He also developed and edited Eastern Europe Law Week, a newsletter that covered legal reform in post-Soviet Europe.

He holds degrees in journalism and law.

Goodman lives in Harrisburg with his wife, Joyce M. Davis. Their son is Cole Davis Goodman.

The Vice Chair of the Mission Central Board of Directors is Rev. Dr. Dennis R. Keller who retired after 42 years in ministry as an elder in the Susquehanna Conference of the United Methodist Church. He has pastored churches in York, Centre Hall, Hanover, Camp Hill and Mechanicsburg, and as Superintendent of the Harrisburg District from 2009-2015. Dennis has served on numerous district and conference boards and committees, including more than 20 years on the Conference Board of Ordained Ministry. He has attended three General Conferences as a reserve clergy delegate, and has been a delegate to the Northeast Jurisdictional Conference four times. He has also been a member of the World Methodist Council and has attended World Methodist Conferences in Seoul, South Korea and Houston, Texas. Dennis and his wife, Betsy are longtime supporters of Mission Central, promoting its vital ministry in churches they have served, and volunteering. Over the years, they have been involved in numerous mission projects and work camps. In 2008, they were part of a team that volunteered at an orphanage and medical clinic in Puttur, India, not far from where Betsy’s grandparents were missionaries in the 1920’s and 30’s. Dennis is grateful for the opportunity to serve as a member of the Board of Directors of Mission Central. The Keller’s live in Camp Hill and have two grown daughters and four grandchildren. They delight in time with family and friends, enjoy the outdoors, and love to travel.

Rev. Dr. Kathleen E. Kind is Director of Connectional Ministries of the Susquehanna Conference of the United Methodist Church. She was appointed to the Board of Mission Central by the Bishops of the Susquehanna Conference.

Rev. Sara Shaver is a retired elder in the United Methodist Church, and has served congregations in the South Alabama Conference, at Camp Hill UMC in the Susquehanna Conference, and as a District Superintendent. She brings both pastoral and administrative experience, along with a deep passion for disaster response and mission engagement. Sara was appointed to the Board of Mission Central by the Bishop of the Susquehanna Conference.

Sara considers mission work less as “trips” and more as “journeys,” believing they strengthen faith while meeting real community needs. Having lived through hurricanes, tornadoes, and flooding in South Alabama, she brings both firsthand experience and a heart for practical service to her role with Mission Central.

Outside of ministry, Sara is a hiker who enjoys daily walks and devotions, traveling (with England a favorite destination so far), and exploring new places - Alaska and Greece are high on her list. She’s an “extroverted introvert,” a fan of ’80s and ’90s pop music, and loves coffee, fall weather, and a good book.

Jason is a local licensed pastor from Mount Wolf, Pennsylvania and was appointed to the Board of Mission Central by the Bishop of the Susquehanna Conference.
With years of experience in both ministry and mental health, he believes in a holistic approach to restoring others’ hearts. He is married to Liz and has two children and a cat named Sprinkles. In his spare time, he enjoys reading, learning new things, and finding the best buffalo wings.

Secretary, Sandy Zirbel has been part of the Mission Central community for more than 20 years, first connecting through her small group and continuing ever since as a committed volunteer and supporter.
Sandy served as a Discipleship Coordinator at Camp Hill UMC, where she organized small groups and studies that helped people build meaningful connections.

Sandy brings a background in education, having taught special needs children in both Wisconsin and California. Her lifelong commitment to service was shaped early on, watching her mother volunteer and experiencing firsthand the joy that comes from helping others.

Originally from Green Bay, Wisconsin, Sandy earned her degree in Elementary and Special Education from the University of Wisconsin - Whitewater. She and her husband, Brian, have been married for 40 years and have two children and two grandchildren. The Navy brought their family to the area in 1997, and it has been home ever since.

In her free time, Sandy enjoys cooking, especially making soup, as well as hiking, reading, photography, traveling, and spending time with her grandchildren.