June 29, 2011:  Much to the dismay of the entire Bronxville community and Concordia College, two stalwart members of the Concordia College administration will be departing shortly:  Paul Grand Pre and Emma Oxford.

Paul Grand Pre, vice president for institutional advancement at Concordia since 2004, has accepted a position as director of board relations with Save the Children, headquartered in Westport, CT.  Save the Children and Concordia College have had a history of partnering on various community initiatives.  During his tenure, Grand Pre greatly strengthened Concordia's advancement effort through the many strong relationships he cultivated with alumni and friends of the college.

His two daughters, Paige and Taylor, attended the Bronxville School, and he has been an active member in community organizations, having previously served on the board of trustees of Village Lutheran Church and the board of regents of Concordia College (chair of the finance committee).  Grand Pre also served as president of the Cedar Knolls Colony Association and coached Eastchester Youth Soccer, and he currently serves on the board of the Bronxville Historical Conservancy.

At the same time, Emma Oxford, director of community relations since 2009, will be relocating to Washington, D.C., where her husband, Michael Elliott, has been named president and CEO of ONE, the global advocacy group co-founded by Bono that targets extreme poverty and preventable disease.

The nation's capital is familiar territory for Oxford and Elliot, who moved to Bronxville from Washington 15 years ago.  They have been deeply involved with many aspects of life in the village and have been global travelers, spending two years in Hong Kong.  Their daughters, Roxana and Gina, attended the Bronxville School, where Oxford served as PTA president in 2001-02.  For the past three years, Oxford has been responsible for "bringing the world to our backyard," introducing a host of stimulating speakers to the Concordia campus, and helping to develop travel and international art programs.

Dr. Viji George, president of Concordia College, noted that "both Emma and Paul came to Concordia from within the community and brought a strong passion for liberal arts education to their positions.  Over the years they have proven to be invaluable resources to the College in not only extending Concordia's historic mission, but also in furthering our thriving bond with the surrounding community.  Surely they will be missed," he added, "but the Concordia family wishes them great success and fulfillment."

Pictured here:  Emma Oxford and Paul Grand Pre.