Leadership
Leadership Board
Ryan Koch, Moderator
Glennon Heights Mennonite Church (GHMC)
Learn more about Ryan here.
Albuquerque Mennonite Church (AMC)
Linda Mawhorter has been a member of Albuquerque Mennonite Church since 2017. The hospitality and open attitude attracted her immediately. Originally from Denver, she lived in Albuquerque for ten years in the 90’s and again now since 2014. Linda is a retired physician. She then graduated from Bangor Theological Seminary in 2013, volunteered and now works part time as a Chaplain at UNM Hospital. Linda lives with husband, Phil, and their two dogs, Teddy and Max, and enjoys reading, cooking, and (New) Mexican food. “I look forward to learning about MSMC and the broader workings of the Mennonite church.”
First Mennonite Church, Denver (FMC)
Kim grew up and was baptized in FMC, Denver and has also raised her children there. She has been involved in many ways over the years at FMC including choir, teaching Sunday School / MYF, being an MYF sponsor and serving on the church board as youth advocate, as vice-chair and chair.
Kim has been engaged in the larger church groups as well, in capacities such as delegate to MCUSA, MYF sponsor to many conventions and a camp counselor at Rocky Mountain Mennonite Camp. Kim and husband Tim have 2 children; daughter Courtney lives in Castle Rock with her husband, Matt and son Tyler lives in Westminster.
Kim is a teacher in Jeffco Public Schools — currently teaching 3rd grade. With family and friends, Kim enjoys traveling, skiing, finding great restaurants, scrapbooking, and attending CU football games. Kim looks forward to serving on the Mountain States Mennonite Conference Board and supporting our group of churches.
Mountain Community Mennonite Church (MCMC)
Wilmer Villacorta is an ordained minister with MCUSA and a professor at Fuller Theological Seminary. Mountain Community Mennonite Church is the place he calls home where he serves as an elder and digital media coordinator. He is married to Jeannie and has four adult kids and two grandsons. Wilmer has served in the LB before and he looks forward to reengaging fruitful conversation on behalf of the conference. Two books he has published deal with topics of power, spiritual formation, gender equity, and fostering equal partnership for women in leadership.
Rocky Mountain Hmong Mennonite Church (RMHMC)
Beloved Community Mennonite Church (BCMC)
Connie is a Kansas native, but has lived most of her life in Colorado (Joes, Walsenburg, and now Littleton for 24 years). Before that, she graduated from Hesston (KS) and Goshen (IN) colleges in Liberal Arts and German. She also spent a year in Switzerland and West Germany as a Mennonite Central Committee Trainee and another three months in East Germany on a Goshen College study service trimester. Connie was a volunteer for at the International Guest House in Washington, DC through Mennonite Board of Missions (MBM) for 15 months. It was in DC that she met her spouse, John Beck, at a Mennonite Church-sponsored young adult square dance where they paired up for the Virginia Reel.
After several years of doing administrative assistant work at a nonprofit in DC (For Love of Children) and then at First Mennonite in Denver, she became a Zumba dance instructor and taught classes at the local rec center in Littleton until everything shut down for COVID. Connie enjoys traveling with John and being a cat mom to two kitties. John and Connie are both huge lovers of science fiction. She has also been using Duolingo to learn Spanish for over 5 years and loves to sing, enjoying almost any opportunity to do so.
There are many family gatherings with siblings, Vern (and Marilyn), and Carol; and many trips to Hesston, KS to see parents Ed and Kathrine in assisted living at Schowalter Villa. Our church, BCMC, is based in Littleton and is meeting in homes of participants. “I hope to be a helpful addition to the Leadership Board.”