The Iowa Mennonite School has welcomed a new administrator this week. Jeremy Ours officially started at IMS on Friday as the new Director of Advancement, taking over for Larry Schwartzedruber, who is moving on to a development position at Pleasant View. Ours said the board took advantage of the new hire to add a few additional responsibilities to the position. He explained along with fundraising and development, he’ll also be doing marketing, communications, and public relations for the school.

Ours graduated from Eastern Mennonite High School in Virginia, and then Eastern Mennonite University. His wife, Sheila, is a 1993 graduate of IMS. He and his family have been living in Kalona since 2004, and before taking the position at IMS he had been working at Integrated DNA Technologies in Coralville. He realizes it’s a big switch between that and being Director of Advancement. He said that job, which he did for almost 16 years, put him in positions that gave him the tools to succeed at this new job. Ours said his primary goal is to increase enrollment at the school, and is excited to get started.