Guedea Carreño joins AMBS Library as Interim Director of Library Services

Published: June 26, 2025

By Annette Brill Bergstresser

ELKHART, Indiana (Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary) — Lisa Guedea Carreño, MSLIS, of Goshen, Indiana, has been appointed as Interim Director of Library Services for Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary (AMBS) in Elkhart, Indiana. She plans to serve from July 1, 2025, through Sept. 30, 2026.

Since March, Guedea Carreño has been serving half time as Interim Coordinator for the Institute of Mennonite Studies (IMS), AMBS’s research agency. She’ll conclude this role June 30.

“Lisa’s decades of experience in innovative library leadership have prepared her exceptionally well to lead the AMBS Library through this transition time,” said Beverly Lapp, EdD, AMBS Vice President and Academic Dean. “In a time of rapid changes in theological education and the information environment, she’ll work closely with Kajsa Herrstrom, Resource Access Librarian, and others to steward the remarkable collection, physical space and online resources that we have in the AMBS Library.”

Guedea Carreño’s responsibilities will include sustaining traditional practices and adopting emerging information technologies; networking in wider library and institutional settings to adapt to changing realities; ensuring that the library continues to offer the resources necessary for student success and excellence in teaching and research; and collaborating with other organizations in the global Anabaptist community to develop quality resources for the church. 

“We’re grateful for Lisa’s willingness to bring her expertise to AMBS and look forward to seeing her continue to build on the solid foundation established by former library directors Karl Stutzman (2016–25) and Eileen Saner (1986–2016),” Lapp added.

Guedea Carreño brings a wealth of experience in administration, organization and leadership to her library position. From 2014 to 2025, she served as Executive Director of Elkhart Public Library, overseeing services, programs and collections for a district of approximately 96,000 residents. Previously, she served as Director of the Harold and Wilma Good Library at Goshen College (2000–14); as Corporate Librarian for Highsmith, Inc., in Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin (1991–2000); and as a Law Librarian in Manchester, New Hampshire (1985–89). 

While serving at Goshen College, Guedea Carreño was part of numerous committees and strategy groups, and she co-directed three 12-week Study-Service Terms to Nicaragua for Goshen College students. In addition, she was Chair/President of the Private Academic Library Network of Indiana (PALNI) (2010–11).

In her time with Elkhart Public Library, she planned and administered a $9 million operating budget; led a strategic planning process and oversaw implementation of the plan; and directed a process to secure bond funding for space improvements for the main library and its four branches, among other responsibilities. 

A singer, storyteller and published poet, Guedea Carreño also brings creative gifts and numerous church and community connections to her new role. At Goshen College, she organized and co-sponsored multiple poetry readings and art exhibits and was the host of Noteworthy, a radio show of WGCS 91.1 The Globe (2012–17).

Locally, she has served on the boards of the Elkhart Rotary Club (2021–24) and Horizon Education Alliance (HEA) (2021–25) and as a member of HEA’s Finance Committee (2022–25). She has also been part of councils and initiatives of the Greater Elkhart Chamber of Commerce and groups such as the Elkhart County League of Women Voters and the Vibrant Communities Steering Committee. In November 2022, she was honored by the Greater Elkhart Chamber of Commerce as Business Diversity Initiative Nonprofit Leader of the Year.

Guedea Carreño earned a Master of Science in Library and Information Science from Simmons College in Boston, Massachusetts, and a Bachelor of Arts in Music Performance with a minor in English from Goshen College. 

Note: This article includes content that was previously published on March 13, 2025, in an article about Guedea Carreño when she began as Interim Coordinator for IMS.

Located in Elkhart, Indiana, on ancestral land of the Potawatomi and Miami peoples, Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary is a learning community with an Anabaptist vision, offering theological education for learners both on campus and at a distance as well as a wide array of lifelong learning programs — all with the goal of educating followers of Jesus Christ to be leaders for God’s reconciling mission in the world. ambs.edu

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