JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (ABP) — The Missouri Baptist Foundation has named Christopher "Chris" Calmer as its new president. With a unanimous vote on Aug. 12, the board of trustees approved the nomination of Calmer as president, effective immediately.
Since joining the Foundation staff in 1997, Calmer has served as the agency's director of accounting, controller and vice president of operations.
Calmer follows James R. Smith, who retired as MBF president after serving from 1993 to 2010. Smith is now the president of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship Foundation, based in Atlanta.
During his tenure at the Missouri Baptist Foundation, Calmer has overseen all accounting operations. He helped manage more than 1,000 client accounts valued at over $140 million and served as chair of the investment review committee, which makes recommendations for individual client accounts as well as recommendations to the board.
"As we look forward to the coming year, the economic climate will continue to be a challenge for the Foundation," said Tom Ogle, MBF trustee chair. "We're confident that Chris will continue to give the solid advice our clients have come to expect and value in a difficult and changing economy."
The foundation is one of five entities to be sued by the Missouri Baptist Convention in 2002 for changing their governing documents to make their trustee boards self-perpetuating and no longer elected by the convention. A judge ruled in the convention's favor last December, but the ruling is under appeal.
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