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Kaestner was the director of the conference and retreat center, Michindoh, in southern Michigan for the past 15 years. He was hired by the Lake Koronis Assembly Grounds out of a field of more than 50 applicants.

Prior to that, Kaestner worked for Boeing in Seattle from 1974 to 1990 and served as the board chair for a Christian camp in Olympia, Wash. He will manage the day-to-day operations at the Lake Koronis Assembly Grounds, which had 19,000 user days last year. So far, he is enjoying the camp and the community.

Kaestner replaces Rev. Wayne Walther, who served as the executive director at the Lake Koronis Assembly Grounds for six years. Walther has accepted a call to the First United Methodist Church in Red Wing, Minn., where he starts in July.

Kaestner and his wife, Bev, have three children. They decided to move to Paynesville partly because their youngest child graduated from high school and they felt that it was a good time for change.