In January of 2022, we began an administrative transition where Merle Burkholder began training Joe Kuepfer as the Administrator of Open Hands. There was a phased transition from January to May. At the end of May, the transition was completed and Merle has now retired as Administrator and transitioned into the role of Staff Pastor. As the incoming administrator of Open Hands, I feel deeply grateful to have had the opportunity to serve under the leadership of Merle since 2014. I am also grateful for the opportunity to serve all of the stakeholders of Open Hands, and I’m looking forward to continuing working with the rest of the Open Hands team. –Joe Kuepfer