We are pleased to announce the appointment of Christopher Mohr as the new General Secretary of the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting (PYM), joining us starting November 8th! Chris brings the spiritual grounding and the administrative and governance experience to help shepherd PYM into the next stage in its long history.
He brings more than twenty years of nonprofit leadership experience to PYM. Chris has served as executive director of Friends Center Corporation since 2015, and in that capacity he has increased Friends Center’s visibility within the Quaker community and to seekers who might be drawn to Quakerism. He served as executive director of the Housing Leadership Council of San Mateo County, CA before moving to Philadelphia. As a volunteer he has served as clerk of the San Francisco Meeting and as clerk of the boards of Greene Street Friends School, Friends Publishing Corp/Friends Journal, and the Friends Mutual Health Group.
A native of Martinsville, New Jersey, he is a graduate of Princeton University with an A.B. in Physics. He is married to Robin and lives in the Germantown neighborhood of Philadelphia. They have two young adult children, Isidore and Silas, who were both participants in PYM’s Young Friends program. He is a member of Green Street Friends. Reflecting on his transition to General Secretary, Chris said
“I seek to partner with PYM’s constituent monthly meetings, the Presiding Clerk, members of the Councils and the dedicated staff, to listen deeply together for what the Spirit is calling PYM to do next. Our community needs time to sink down to the Seed, to discern its current state, and uncover how we are called to evolve together as a community is these times. PYM exists to help the network of Quaker meetings as communities throughout our region grow and thrive. I am grateful for the opportunity and eager to serve.”
The General Secretary is the chief administrator of PYM and is responsible for executive leadership and oversight of all staff operations and for the support and integration of all PYM projects, services, and activities. Chris Mohr succeeds Christie Duncan-Tessmer, who has served for 11 years as General Secretary.
Join us in welcoming Chris!