Jessica Werner, Director

Jess has been involved with VLM since 2006, first as a missionary, then as a site coordinator, and now as the Director of the program. She served in Bahir Dar, Ethiopia in 2006, 2008 and 2009 and became the Director of VLM in 2010. Jess is a former elementary school teacher and a graduate of Notre Dame and the Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE) program. She has taught in several states and countries, and holds a Ph.D. in International Education Policy from the University of Minnesota.

Sister Mary Beth Kubera, D.C., Spiritual Advisor

Sister Mary Beth, a Daughter of Charity of St. Vincent De Paul, has helped the VLM grow its present status. With a vision of a truly lay Catholic missionary organization, she worked tirelessly as an organizer and leader of the VLM in its founding years. She continues her association, providing spiritual guidance to the missionaries, and maintaining her own missionary spirit. She lives in St. Louis, where she is on the Council for the Province of St. Louise.