Diakon Honors Emried Cole for More Than 30 Years of Leadership and Service

Catonsville, MD (Wednesday September 16, 2026)

Emried D. “Em” Cole Jr., a leading force in the creation of Diakon and its inaugural board chair, was honored Sept. 15 following his retirement after more than 30 years of service to Diakon, its affiliated organizations and predecessor organizations.

Diakon board members and leaders joined the Delaware-Maryland Synod staff at their office to recognize Cole for a legacy spanning some of the most significant periods of change in the organization’s history.

Cole’s service predates the creation of Diakon in 2000. Over the decades that followed, he served multiple terms as chair and in other board officer roles, helping guide the organization through periods of significant change and growth.

Among those changes, Cole advocated for major decisions that helped shape Diakon as it exists today, including the creation of a separate organization focused on child, family and community services and the transition from Diakon’s senior living business to a greater emphasis on affordable housing.

Those who served alongside Cole in Diakon board leadership described a leader whose influence often came not from seeking the spotlight, but from asking thoughtful questions, carefully considering decisions and bringing the right people together.

“He’s one of those extraordinary people who brings folks together to do great things,” said Doug Hough, a member of the Diakon Housing Services Board of Directors. “And he does it in a way that, at the end, everybody thinks they did it — and maybe they did — but it was Em who provided the guidance and really made it happen.”

Diane Batchik, vice-chair of the Diakon Board of Directors, reflected on the deliberateness Cole brought to his leadership.

“Em Cole takes things with a seriousness of purpose. He doesn’t take things lightly. He investigates before deciding whether we can, should or would do something,” Batchik said. “And when he is clear in that purpose, he knows how to build a team. That is what Em does.”

For Diakon board member Katrina Klettke-Straker, Cole’s ability to connect people and ideas also became personal.

“Em always listens. He always asks questions, and he connects people and ideas,” Klettke-Straker said. “Before long, Em became not just someone I knew professionally, but a dear friend, a cherished mentor and a sounding board. He connected me to people and opportunities I wouldn’t have known otherwise — and one of those was Diakon.”

Bishop Emeritus the Rev. A. Donald Main, a member of the Diakon Housing Services Board of Directors, pointed to one tangible way Cole’s influence will continue: the people he encouraged to become involved in Diakon’s leadership.

“The recruiter-in-chief is Em Cole,” Main said. “We have a fantastic board filled with very gifted people, and a lot of that is thanks to Em’s persistence in asking others, encouraging others to join us and leading Diakon’s ministry.”

Cole’s commitment has extended beyond Diakon to his service to the church, including his work on the synod’s candidacy committee, accompanying individuals discerning a call to ordained ministry.

Bishop William Gohl of the Delaware-Maryland Synod reflected on the qualities Cole and his wife, Wanda, have brought to that service.

“It is a privilege to serve with him and to know Em and Wanda — their leadership, their stewardship, but also their generosity of spirit and their deep and abiding faith,” Gohl said.

The Sept. 15 gathering included remarks from Diakon President/CEO Shari VanderGast, Gohl, Hough, Batchik, Klettke-Straker and Main. Cole was presented with a joint resolution of the Diakon boards, recognition from the State of Maryland, a commemorative Diakon artifact and a letter naming him Director Emeritus.

The Director Emeritus designation is a lifetime honor reserved for past directors who have demonstrated an extraordinary commitment to Diakon. The designation not only recognizes Cole’s service but allows the board to maintain its relationship with him and seek his counsel in the future.

The joint board resolution recognized Cole’s leadership, vision and commitment throughout decades of service, as well as the faith, integrity, analytical skills and persistence he brought to his work. His leadership helped Diakon grow and evolve while continuing to serve tens of thousands of people each year.

While Cole’s retirement brings his formal board service to a close, his designation as Director Emeritus ensures that a relationship more than three decades in the making will continue.