Chief Development Officer

Leah Wenger brings more than 15 years of executive leadership experience to her role as Chief Development Officer at ECHO, where she leads global Advancement and Engagement efforts to grow strategic partnerships, mobilize generosity, and connect supporters to ECHO’s mission.

Before joining ECHO, Leah served as Executive Pastor at The Vineyard Church of Central Illinois, one of the largest congregations in the region and within the Vineyard movement. There, she developed systems and strategies that helped leaders flourish at every level of the organization while overseeing key operational and ministry initiatives. Her passion for developing people, cultivating vision, and stewarding resources has shaped her career, from founding the Mahomet Community Emergency Fund during COVID-19 to creating Kingdom Finance, a course focused on faith and financial discipleship.

At ECHO, Leah is especially passionate about building meaningful relationships that fuel long-term impact and help move the organization Fully Forward Together in service of smallholder farmers, the global Church, and vulnerable communities around the world.

Leah holds a B.A. in Sociology from the University of Illinois, a Certificate in Pastoral Studies from the Vineyard Leadership Institute, and an Executive Leadership Certificate from Cornell University.

Leah and her husband, Ben, live in central Illinois and are the proud (and happily tired) parents of three children: Cohen, Claire, and Gia. When she’s not dreaming about ECHO’s future, you’ll likely find her playing the guitar, attempting sourdough, or searching for the perfect cup of coffee.