Board Elects 2 New Trustees

April 20, 2021

Ed Brandt, Jon Gruber Named Trustees

The Lancaster Theological Seminary Board of Trustees have elected two members to serve on the graduate school’s governing board. They are:

Rev. Dr. K. Edward Brandt, DMin 1999, Trustee
A native of Elizabethtown, Pa., the Rev. Dr. Kenneth Edward Brandt is a former U.S. Army Chaplain, who retired at the rank of Brigadier General after serving 31 years. In his career, he directed religious support for over 450,000 Guard soldiers, airmen and their families, and senior officers. He received the Bronze Star for Meritorious Service, the Distinguished Service Cross from the Delaware National Guard, and the Defense Superior Service Medal. Rev. Brandt is an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church USA who has served churches in Pennsylvania, Delaware, and California. A 1999 Doctor of Ministry graduate of Lancaster Seminary, he earned a Master of Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College, a Master of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary, and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Findlay. Rev. Brandt lives in Naples, Florida, where he is pastor for Lely Presbyterian Church.

Mr. Jon M. Gruber, Esq., Trustee
Attorney Jon M. Gruber is a senior counsel for the Lancaster law firm of Russell, Krafft and Gruber LLC. He returns to the Lancaster Theological Seminary Board of Trustees after completing 12 years of Board service in 2019. Mr. Gruber practices in the areas of business law and estate planning and administration. He has served in regional leadership positions with the United Methodist Church. He earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Virginia Law School and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Franklin & Marshall College. Mr. Gruber is a resident of Lebanon, Pa.

Also at its April meeting, the Lancaster Theological Seminary Board of Trustees named Mr. Gruber and the Rev. Dr. Harry L. Serio of Fleetwood, Pa., as Trustees Emeriti.

Rev. Dr. Harry L. Serio – Trustee Emeritus
Rev. Dr. Harry L. Serio served Lancaster Seminary as a trustee for 12 years until 2019. He is an ordained a minister in the United Church of Christ, past-president of the Academy for Spiritual and Consciousness Studies, Inc., and author of several articles in the field, including “The Afterlife in the Hebrew-Greek Scriptures.” His autobiography, The Dwelling Place of Wonder, was published in 2016. Dr. Serio earned a Master of Divinity in 1966 and a Doctor of Ministry in 1992 from Lancaster Theological Seminary, and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Ursinus College.