Dani Loving Cartwright

Rev. Dani Loving Cartwright, previously Assistant Vice President of Operations, now serves as Vice President of Operations. In this role, Dani directs and manages a variety of administrative and missional activities to ensure efficiency and continuity across the organization. She is a strategic thought partner with the NBA Leadership Team and coordinates the organization’s strategic planning process and the implementation of such plans. Dani is based in Dallas, Texas.

An ordained minister of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Dani has served in regional and pastoral ministry for the past 35 years. Since 2005, Dani served as the Regional Minister & President of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the Southwest, the largest region of the Christian Church (Disciples), which encompasses Texas, New Mexico, the panhandle of Oklahoma, and one congregation in Liberal, Kansas. In this role, she provided critical presence and ministry oversight for more than 400 congregations and over 1,250 clergy. She also handled daily conflict management and crisis response, coaching of pastors and young leaders, and collaborative leadership with the eight geographic areas of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the Southwest and their leaders. During this time, Dani coordinated the transition of the Southwest region moving from a physical office facility to a “virtual” office that resulted in increased opportunities for engagement and innovative ministry across the life of the region.

Dani’s work at the Christian Church in the Upper Midwest from 1997 to 2005 strengthened her administrative acumen as she coordinated the work of the office staff and managed all contracts and purchasing for the region. She worked with volunteers and leaders to plan and implement annual events and ministry programs. She has served as pastor of congregations in Crowley, Louisiana; Burlington, North Carolina, and Gladewater, Texas. Along the way, Dani has also worked as a manager for a temporary personnel service, a bookkeeper for an antique furniture company, a salesperson for a dental equipment company, and as a consultant.

She is a graduate of Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas, where she holds both a bachelor of arts and a master of divinity degree from the Brite Divinity School. She has served on Regional Boards in three Regions and on the General Board of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).

Getting to know Dani

Why do you feel “called to care” about Disciples health and social service ministry?

I am called to care about the Disciples health and social services ministry because it is the front-line of where the church meets the world in the 21st century. The faces of those who need the gifts of God are best seen in the unsheltered, the mentally ill, the ill-prepared, and those struggling to make life work. This is where church best can be found. That is the place to which I am called to serve.

Who is a hero of yours, and why?

I have a lot of heroes and she-roes. I look for them every day! They tend to be children who have accomplished something for which they had to really stretch to get there. Sometimes they are clergy — who have had to “leap tall buildings” to bring a fresh word to the people of God. Sometimes they are the senior citizen who had to push through some time of disease or disaster to come out on the winning side!

If I tried to find you in a supermarket, what aisle would you be in?

Lately, you would find me at the “pick up your online order” line at the grocery store.