Staff

Executive Director

Barb Schwery
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Barbara Schwery is Executive Director for BeFriender Ministry. Barb was the lead trainer and consultant with the BeFriender Ministry National Office from 1995 to 2006 when it was a center of the University of St. Thomas. She is a certified BeFriender Ministry workshop leader.

She holds a master of ministry from Seattle University and a bachelor's degree in social work from the College of St. Catherine, Saint Paul, MN.

Barb has been involved in pastoral ministry since 1981 and has one unit of clinical pastoral education. As a church-affiliated pastoral minister, she initiated, developed, and maintained BeFriender Ministry programs. She provided direct pastoral care as well as training and ongoing supervision for a variety of volunteers, including BeFriender ministers.

She has served on the BeFriender Ministry advisory committee and the Hopkins Health Care Center advisory board. Barb also has been a member of the Association of Pastoral Ministers since 1981, serving on the executive board and committees, including the Archdiocese of Saint Paul-Minneapolis Coalition of Ministries. She is a member of the National Association for Lay Ministry.