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Dr. John E. Bauer to be Installed as Bethesda President and CEO

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Watertown, Wis. (August 13, 2008) -- Dr. John E. Bauer will be formally installed as president and CEO of Bethesda Lutheran Homes and Services, Inc. on Saturday, August 16 at the Schujahn Memorial Chapel of the Good Shepherd on Bethesda’s Watertown campus. The service of installation begins at 2 p.m. and will be followed by a reception in the chapel concourse. The public is invited and encouraged to attend.

Participants in Saturday’s service will include Rev. Earl Bleke, Bethesda’s Chief Religious Life Officer, as liturgist, and Rev. John Wille, president of the South Wisconsin District of the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod (LCMS), as installer. Special guest speaker for the service is Rev. Mark Jeske from Time of Grace Ministries, based in Milwaukee.

Bauer earned his doctorate in education administration and supervision from Marquette University and, for 22 years, served as chief academic officer for Wisconsin Lutheran College. He was also the executive director of the CHARiS Institute, an affiliate of the college devoted to the scholarly study of challenges facing the church.

While new to his position, Bauer has a long association with Bethesda. He served on its board of directors for 10 years, five of those years as chairman of the board. During that time, he helped plan the affiliation of Good Shepherd Communities with Bethesda, a move that nearly doubled the organization’s size. After leaving the board in 2006, he came to work for Bethesda as Integration Manager, coordinating the many details of the affiliation process and ensuring the adoption of best practice recommendations. He also served for nearly one year as interim chief operations officer for the organization.

Bauer and his wife Jacqueline currently reside in Watertown. They are the parents of three adult sons and have recently become grandparents.

Now in its second century of service, Bethesda Lutheran Homes and Services, Inc. provides services and supports to individuals with developmental disabilities throughout the country and around the world. Bethesda offers many different types of services for individuals and their families, including a variety of residential settings, supported-living programs and outreach services.

For more information on Bethesda’s services and support programs, call the public relations office at 800.369.4636, ext. 3817, or e-mail: pr@blhs.org.