Introducing Carol Bremer-Bennett, Executive Director of World Renew, who is the new Integral Board Chair. She is born to the To’aheedliinii (Waters Flow Together) Clan and born for the Todich’iinii (Bitter Water) Clan of the Navajo Nation. The Integral Board is made up of the Presidents and CEOs of our 21 Members, and they oversee all of Integral’s work …
How long have you been in your current role at World Renew and what did you do before that?
I have been in post for 8 years. Before I was in education in the Southwest of the USA working with indigenous populations – I was a superintendent and Executive Director in a school system there.
You have served on the Integral Board for several years. What would you say is the main benefit to you of being part of the Integral Board?
The main benefit for me personally is the connection with other leaders in this space. The relationships that have been built, the way we can take time to grow spiritually together and also share our struggles and joys with one another have been powerful for me. I have grown as a person and a leader as a result.
What would you say is the main added value of your organisation being part of Integral?
We desire to learn as an organisation and it is beautiful that Integral provides such a learning space. There is a real sense of everyone in Kingdom work together, for the benefit of the people who are most vulnerable in the world. I find there is not so much of a territorial mindset – people are willing to share their great successes but also their failures meaning that we can learn together. This is one of the big benefits for our organisation. The other is that we can do more together – we can go to places and serve in disasters in ways and in places that we would not be able to do alone. There is real power in doing this work together which results in a greater impact for the world.
Do you have a most treasured ‘Integral’ memory?
Some of the spiritual retreat sessions – two stand out in particular: Otto de Bruijne on Elijah hearing God’s still small voice and Chris Hall on the spirituality of the Desert Dwellers. I still refer back to them in my notes! It is hard work being a leader in the humanitarian sector. We need time to feed our souls again, to fuel our passions once more and to connect with each other. Those two retreat times were important and amazing times for me.
What is your vision for Integral going forward?
I am excited for a vision of Integral that the tables enlarge and the circles include more voices from people from the global majority world. I am also excited to see how we are going to be able to partner with organisations that are closer to the regions where most of us work, and therefore include more global majority world voices in the leadership of the Alliance. I believe that will make us better, more authentic and connected, as well as being able to do our work in a more effective and impactful way.
Tell us one thing about yourself we may not know
I have six children – they range in ages from 16-37, and five out of those six are adopted. I myself am adopted and so that theme of being an adopted child has been strong in both my life and spiritual life. The truth is we are all adopted! I remind people that I am not the only one who is adopted, we all are as children of God.
