Announcing a Transition for Ben

Dear RCC community,

Holding a mix of regret and gratitude, the members of the RCC stewardship circle are writing to share that our program director Ben Scott-Brandt will leave his position on March 1, 2024.

Ben has been just the right person to foster and hold our community together while we grew quickly from a self-organized idea into a mutually supportive, bi-national network of over 350 retreat centers. Rooted in a belief about the profound power of retreat centers to support shared flourishing in the world, Ben has listened deeply across diverse communities to identify shared needs and dreams, and to help create elegant spaces for mutual learning, grief, hope, and action. His remarkable capacity for connecting, curiosity and compassion nurtured multiple seeds through germination into unfolding: the Racial Healing Initiative, Community Calls, annual gatherings for retreat center leaders, and so much more. We’ll miss Ben immensely, AND we always knew that this was never just his work alone to tend! We wish him joy, rest and clarity as he enters into the next phase of his vocation.

At the same time, we celebrate Ben and all of the gifts he’s brought to the RCC, the Stewardship Circle is also turning attention to what’s next for our leadership, funding, and governance structure. With our core values at the center, we’re in active discernment around next steps that will best serve the sustainability, power, and necessity of the RCC vision. Please stay tuned for news about how this inquiry is evolving and reach out to any member of our Stewardship Circle with your questions, insights, or interest in being involved in next steps.

In a spirit of hope and collaboration,

The RCC Stewardship Circle

Francisco Burgos (Pendle Hill)

Nanci Lee (Tatamagouche Centre)

Michael Shewburg (Five Oaks Centre)

Oren Slozberg (Commonweal)

Kirstin Vander Giessen-Reitsma (GilChrist Retreat Center)