Work History & Resume
For In-Depth Review of Professional Leadership Background Before Seminary,
please review this page
Highlights of Professional Experience in Congregational Ministry
Full Curriculum Vitae
Professional and Related Experience
Associate Minister, Foothills Unitarian Church, Fort Collins, CO, 2012-current
Check out the Our Work Together page for a summary of my ministry as an Associate at Foothills. (Note: Moved to Associate in February 2014, a month after moving to full time; originally hired in August 2012 as 3/4 time Assistant)
Consulting Minister, Two Rivers Unitarian Universalist, Carbondale, CO, 2010-June 2012.
Priorities included Board Development, Leadership Development, Membership, and Adult Faith Development and Worship. Key accomplishments of our shared ministry:
Leadership and Strategic Planning Consultant, HB Management, Denver, 2007-June 2012.
Chaplain, Clinical Pastoral Education, St Anthony North Hospital, Westminster, CO, 2010
Ministerial Intern, Unitarian Universalist Church of Boulder, 2009-2010.
Chaplain Intern, Denver Women's Prison, Colorado Department of Corrections, 2008.
Director of Operations, Options Home Care Services, Denver, CO, 2000-2007.
Dramaturg/Assistant Director, Colorado Shakespeare Festival, Boulder, CO, 1998-2001.
Unitarian Universalist Leadership, Service and Participation
Other Community Service and Participation
Publications and Presentations
Education and Certification
Academic and Professional Awards
please review this page
Highlights of Professional Experience in Congregational Ministry
- Extensive experience in ministry partnerships with well-respected colleagues - Over the past 8 years, I have been blessed to serve with the Rev. Howell Lind, the Rev. Robert Latham, and the Rev. Marc Salkin, and by the mentorship and extensive support from the Rev. Nancy Bowen - all of these partnerships and relationships have grounded me in Unitarian Universalism and the practice of Unitarian Universalist ministry.
- Intentional Continuing Education in Large UU Churches - Because I knew I felt a call to be in a larger church, and yet felt I had not been exposed to the many different models of large churches in our movement, over the past few years I have been reaching out to colleagues and staff members in a number of large churches to better understand their structures and practices. In the fall of 2013, I traveled to First Universalist Minneapolis to spend four days observing and talking with the leaders and staff members, and I have continued in dialogue with their Senior Minister, the Rev. Justin Schroeder (who grew up at Foothills) since then. I have also been in dialogue with the Rev. Daniel Kanter, senior minister at First Unitarian in Dallas, particularly seeking his council as I considered the potential implications of inside candidacy at Foothills.
- Training and Early Career in Developmental Ministries - Both my work in Boulder and in Carbondale were developmentally-oriented, meeting the congregation where it was and helping them grow to their next possible stage.
- Intensive Study in Fostering Spiritual Depth in Congregational Life - Initiated as a result of a fellowship from the Fund for Theological Education, I have been continuously studying congregations who offer their members tools to foster spiritual depth; this area of study significantly influences my ministry and what I see as the potential of our Unitarian Universalist congregations.
- Proven Success in Young Adult Ministry - My internship in Boulder focused on young adult ministry; before I began there were fewer than 10 individuals under age 30 each Sunday and none in leadership positions; after my internship we regularly saw over 20 young adults present in worship and young adults fill many church leadership positions and are integrated into the life of the church.
- Key Experience in Board and Leadership Development - I served an emerging congregation in Carbondale, CO for two years; the focus of much of this work was on board development and creating the systems and structures to support the healthy mid-size congregation they were dreaming of becoming. I have also led multiple workshops on leadership development and facilitated board retreats for various congregations.
- Grounded in Story-Based Preaching and Creative Worship Leadership - My theatre background serves me well in the creation and staging of creative worship services that move us through a shared transformative experience and integrate the elements of a service into a cohesive whole. I am especially committed to using stories to ground the delivery of our message and have a regular practice of seeking out rich stories from diverse sources for use in preaching.
Full Curriculum Vitae
Professional and Related Experience
Associate Minister, Foothills Unitarian Church, Fort Collins, CO, 2012-current
Check out the Our Work Together page for a summary of my ministry as an Associate at Foothills. (Note: Moved to Associate in February 2014, a month after moving to full time; originally hired in August 2012 as 3/4 time Assistant)
Consulting Minister, Two Rivers Unitarian Universalist, Carbondale, CO, 2010-June 2012.
Priorities included Board Development, Leadership Development, Membership, and Adult Faith Development and Worship. Key accomplishments of our shared ministry:
- Moved the congregation from pulpit-supply relationship with many guest ministers to a relationship with a single minister.
- Implemented a visioning process using an adapted version of Appreciative Inquiry.
- Created a Worship Committee, Pastoral Care Committee, and a Committee on Lifespan Membership, all of which took the day-to-day running of the congregation out of the hands of the Board, and empowered new lay leaders.
- Strengthened the Board’s understanding of its role and sent 2 lay leaders to Russell Lockwood Leadership School.
- Increased worship services to 3-4 times a month. Moved our worship space to a local community center.
- Increased Sunday attendance from an average of 30 adults and 10 children to 50 adults and 15 children in the past year.
- Intentionally reached out to multiple generations, resulting in reducing the average age on a Sunday from 65+ to <50.
- Built and strengthened partnerships with local allies and organizations.
Leadership and Strategic Planning Consultant, HB Management, Denver, 2007-June 2012.
- Provided coaching for executives and managers on individual as well as team basis.
- Facilitated annual strategic planning process, including a 2 year intense focus on re-defining their mission and vision.
- Facilitated quarterly leadership retreats.
- Facilitated 360 Feedback programs for the organization and work with individuals to implement leadership development plans.
- Provided Meyers-Briggs Facilitation and Workshops, and led Emotional Intelligence assessment and training.
Chaplain, Clinical Pastoral Education, St Anthony North Hospital, Westminster, CO, 2010
- Served as the chaplain for the cardiac unit, as well as on-call for the whole hospital as needed
- Intensive learning units related to pastoral counseling and end-of-life issues
- Provided chaplaincy support to hospital staff as well as patients and their families
Ministerial Intern, Unitarian Universalist Church of Boulder, 2009-2010.
- Concurrently served as the Unitarian Universalist Campus Minister for the shared liberal religious ministry, PRISM at the University of Colorado Boulder, 2009-2010.
- Regularly preached and led worship
- Revitalized the young adult ministry through a year-long process of visioning and collaboration with all members and leaders
- Taught adult religious education classes in theology and leadership development
- Provided pastoral support for members and participated in all other areas of congregational life in support of the Lead Minister
- Supported the Developmental Ministry at a critical stage, bearing witness to and helping to shepherd the transformation of UUCB as recently outlined in the UU World.
Chaplain Intern, Denver Women's Prison, Colorado Department of Corrections, 2008.
- Provided direct pastoral counseling and support to inmates and correctional staff.
- Helped lead worship in support of the primary chaplain serving the New Beginnings Church.
Director of Operations, Options Home Care Services, Denver, CO, 2000-2007.
- Started in-home personal care agency and as its founding employee, I imagined and oversaw its growth to serving over 750 Medicaid-eligible elderly and disabled consumers with over 1200 active employees throughout New Mexico and Oklahoma.
- Led a diverse group of employees and consumers, and maintained budgetary authority and control for our five district offices and corporate office with annual sales reaching $17 million.
- Created and implemented processes so that the organization could run routinely and systematically to support delivery of in-home personal care for our consumers, while meeting state regulatory requirements, as well as regular audits by multiple state agencies with oversight authority.
Dramaturg/Assistant Director, Colorado Shakespeare Festival, Boulder, CO, 1998-2001.
- Hired to facilitate and formalize the new works program for CSF.
- Oversaw play solicitation process; submissions grew from 25 to over 100.
- Collaborated with and supported playwrights and directors in development of plays.
- Assisted with Educational Outreach programs for Boulder area elementary schools to introduce participants to Shakespeare and the theatre.
Unitarian Universalist Leadership, Service and Participation
- President, MDD Chapter, Unitarian Universalist Ministers Association, 2014-current.
- Faculty for Preaching, Summer Seminary for UU Youth, Summer 2015.
- Liturgist and Preacher for Sunday worship, MDD Annual Meeting, 2015.
- Vice President, MDD Chapter, Unitarian Universalist Ministers Association, 2011-2013.
- Conference Planning Team Chair, MDD UUMA Chapter, Ministers Retreat, 2010-current.
- Member, Unitarian Universalist Ministers Association, National, Chapter and Cluster, 2009-current.
- Worship Team Planning Member, Standing on the Side of Love Worship and Witness Event, Denver Capitol Steps, 2013-2014.
- Worship Leadership, Central Cluster Ingathering, September 2012.
- Conference Planning Team Member, Pacific Western Regional Assembly, UUMA Gathering, April 2013.
- Facilitator, Board Retreat, First Unitarian Society of Denver, August 2012.
- Planning Team, Front Range Unitarian Universalist Ministers Association, 2010-2011.
- Facilitator, Post-Sabbatical Leadership Conversation, Prairie Unitarian Universalist Church, August 2009.
- Youth Chaplain, Middle School Cluster Conference, Boulder, CO, January 2009.
- Guest Preacher, Multiple Services, First Unitarian Society of Denver, Columbine Unitarian Universalist Church, High Country UU Fellowship, High Plains Church - Unitarian Universalist, Prairie UU Church, First Universalist Church of Denver, and Unitarian Universalist Church of Boulder, 2007-2012.
- Active lay leader in strategic planning, membership, Coming of Age, and worship, First Universalist Church of Denver, 2005-2011.
- Member, Unitarian Universalist Church of Boulder, 2000-2002.
Other Community Service and Participation
- Immigration Advisory Council for Rep. Jared Polis, with Foothills member Anne Hall, 2013-current.
- Alumni Board Member, Iliff School of Theology, 2012-2014.
- Core Team Member, Clergy Immigration Network, Boulder-Denver Cluster, Organized in partnership with American Friends Service Committee, Denver, CO, 2011 - August 2012.
- Student Ambassador, Iliff School of Theology, 2008-2011.
- Student Representative, Iliff Student Senate, Iliff School of Theology, 2008-2010.
- Licensed Foster Care Provider, Denver Dept of Human Services, Denver, CO, 2005-2009.
- Conference Chair, Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of the Americas (LMDA), Annual International Conference, Denver, CO, 2001.
- Member, LMDA, 1996-2005; Regional Vice President and Board Member, LMDA, 1998-2004.
- Volunteer Advocate, Women United, a coalition between working class and middle class women to fight poverty, 1998-2000.
- Volunteer Staff, Women’s Resource Center, University of Colorado, Boulder, 1997-2000.
- Member, Association for Theatre in Higher Education, 1996-2000.
Publications and Presentations
- Invited Speaker, offering Unitarian Universalist Faith Witness to the issue of immigration, Families United Rally with Rep Jared Polis and Rep Luis Gutierrez, June 2011.
- Invited Panelist, "On Becoming a Center of Transformation," with other local religious leaders, including Rev. Mike Morran and Michael Durall, Boulder-Denver Cluster Spring Forum, January 2010.
- Invited Panelist, “Faith Communities and Sexual Identity,” with religious leaders from various parts of the U.S., as a part of the Power of One Conference, University of Puget Sound, in Tacoma, WA, May 2009.
- “Difficult Dialogues,” presentation with Don Kugler, Geoff Proehl and L. Indra Lusero at the Association for Theatre in Higher Education (ATHE) Annual Conference in Denver, Colorado, August 2008.
- “Landfire,” Focus on the Fabulous – Colorado GLBT Voices, Published by Johnson Books, Boulder, Colorado, 2007.
- “Migrant,” Matter: Journal of Literature, Art and Movement, Wolverine Press, Fort Collins, Colorado, 2006.
- Mourning Agenda, collection of poetry and prose, morningstar productions, Denver, Colorado, 2001.
- “Towards a Dramaturgical Sensibility,” On-Stage Studies, Academic Journal of Theatre Production and Dramaturgy, University of Colorado, Boulder, 2000.
- “Dramaturgy of Solo Performance,” Presentation at the ATHE Annual Conference, San Antonio, Texas, with Guillermo Gomez-Pena, Paul Bonin-Rodriguez and Lisa Lusero, August 1998.
- “Training for the Director/Dramaturg Collaboration,” Presentation at the ATHE Annual Conference, Chicago, Illinois, with Kevin Trudeau, Harriet Power, Richard Pettingil and Geoff Proehl, August 1997.
Education and Certification
- UUA Final Fellowship: Anticipated, November 2015
- Ordination: Unitarian Universalist Church of Boulder, January 29, 2012
- UUA Preliminary Fellowship: September 24, 2011
- Iliff School of Theology, Master of Divinity, 8/2007 - 6/2011
- University of Colorado, Boulder, Master of Arts, Theatre Arts, 8/1997-5/2000
- University of Puget Sound, Tacoma, WA, Bachelor of Arts, Theatre Arts, 8/1993-5/1997
Academic and Professional Awards
- Student of the Year, Iliff School of Theology, 2011.
- Women’s Alliance Scholarship for students entering ministry with the intent of improving the lives of women, 2009.
- Fund for Theological Education Ministry Fellowship, for outstanding students entering the second year of seminary, 2008-2009.
- Chancellor’s Fellowship, University of Colorado, Boulder, awarded each year to the five most outstanding entering graduate students to the entire University, 1997-2000.