Rev. David Ostendorf is a United Church of Christ Minister currently serving as Executive Director of the Chicago-based Center for New Community.  Since 1974 he has been engaged in social, economic, and racial justice organizing, and in that capacity has worked closely with the nation’s religious and civic community at every level.  The Center, established in 1995, is committed to building democratic communities for justice and racial equality.  Its faith based organizing commitments, and its commitments to build a racially just society are carried out nationwide.

Experience: From 1981 until 1993 Dave served as Executive Director of PrairieFire Rural Action, a rural education, training and organizing group based in Des Moines, Iowa.  Prior to that he served on the national staff of Rural America.  He began his organizing work in the coalfields of southern Illinois. He has over fifty articles on social, economic, and racial justice issues published in newspapers, magazines and books.

Dave holds a Bachelor of Arts with High Honor from Elmhurst College (1969) and the honorary Doctor of Divinity (1987); a Master of Divinity from Union Theological Seminary in New York (1972); and a Master of Science from the University of Michigan (1974), where he was a National Science Foundation Fellow.