Paul D. Leichty is a co-founder of Anabaptist Disabilities Network (ADNet) and has served as the organization's Director (now Executive Director) since September 2004. 

After graduating with B.A. in Music from Goshen College (Goshen, Indiana) in 1974, Paul served for two years in community and church development work through Mennonite Voluntary Service in Orocovis and San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Following a return to Northern Indiana, Paul established a private music teaching business and eventually went on to earn an M.Div. degree in 1982 from Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary (AMBS), Elkhart, Indiana.  During his final year in seminary he was a student at the Seminary Consortium for Urban Pastoral Education (SCUPE) and an intern and interim pastor at Lawndale Mennonite Church in Chicago.

Called to a small racially mixed urban congregation in Norristown, Pennsylvania, Paul served for ten years in that community, helping to found, in 1990, Norristown New Life (Nueva Vida Norristown) Mennonite Church, a bilingual, multi-cultural congregation.  Returning to Indiana, he served for five years as Senior Pastor of First Mennonite Church of Fort Wayne.

The birth of a son with developmental disabilities in 1978 spurred an interest in working with persons and families with many kinds of disabilities.  This interest was further sparked by becoming acquainted with the work of John McKnight in "Asset-Based Community Development" (ABCD) during his time in Chicago and the subsequent urban pastoral work with numerous persons facing the challenges of addictions and mental illness. 

Since 1997, Paul has developed his own career path piecing together part-time jobs utilizing interests and skills in church music, community development, computers in ministry, and disability advocacy.  As one of the first caregivers of the Goldenrod Community in Middlebury, Indiana, Paul worked daily with persons on the autism spectrum from 2000 to 2003.  As a consultant to the Mennonite-related advocacy programs for disabilities and mental illness off and on since the late 1990's, Paul was in a unique position to join with others to restructure the advocacy programs and form ADNet in 2003. 

Paul Leichty currently lives in Goshen, Indiana with his adult son, Nathan.  He also has a daughter, Renita, who lives with her husband in Algonquin, Illinois.

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