September 22, 2020

We’re pleased to announce that Shelly Rohe has been hired to be the new AIM Administrator, who will be taking over from our beloved administrator Rev. Helen McFadyen.  Shelly will start working in December and Helen will be training Shelly during the month of December.

Shelly grew up Lutheran, a minister’s granddaughter, full of questions.  It was not until she came to Unitarian Universalism six years ago that she found religious peace and a spiritual home.   She became active with the Disabilities Task Group, now The AIM Team, at the First UU Church of Rochester, MN five years ago and went through the credentialing process to be an AIM Certified Congregation.  She became a co-chair of the committee until moving to Los Angeles, California earlier this year.  She is proud of the work the committee and congregation have done and continue to do.

Shelly has been a long-time advocate for people with disabilities. In high school, she worked with elementary students with learning disorders and mental health concerns.  She graduated from college with a degree in psychology already working with people with developmental disabilities; learning and growing in various positions for approximately 10 years.  She found out in 2006 that she had brain tumors and in 2013, after having one in her brainstem removed, she discovered another side of disability.  She has seen disability from all angels—professional to lived experience and believe disability to be part of the fabric of life. While she believes in all Seven Principles, she pays particular attention to the 7^th– Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.

In addition to project management skills, she has attended several marketing seminars gaining social media marketing, eNewsletter, and graphic and website design skills and has worked on advertising for ABILITY Magazine.  She has volunteered for a number of disability-related organizations.  With her experiences and skillset, she is uniquely qualified for the AIM Administrator position.   She now brings her enthusiasm, energy, experience, and skills to AIM.

CONTACT AIM ADMINISTRATOR:

E-mail:  aim@uua.org

We are delighted to introduce Elizabeth Foster, who is doing a part-time student ministerial assignment with EqUUal Access this year.  You may remember Elizabeth as our 2020 Sermon Contest Winner.  Welcome, Elizabeth!

Hi, I’m Elizabeth Foster and I’m excited to be the new EqUUal Access Student Minister. I’m a second-year M.Div. student at Boston University, and I also hold an M.S. in Nonprofit Leadership from the University of Pennsylvania. I’m originally from Chicago, and I spent several years in Philadelphia working with community nonprofits serving children and teens. I also coordinated religious education programs for the First Unitarian Church of Philadelphia, and later directed religious education programs at UU congregations in Boston. During my first year of seminary, I founded the BU Cross-Disability Club to provide a supportive space for disabled students on campus and to challenge ableism in our spiritual communities.

During the pandemic, I’ve found joy in experimenting with new recipes, taking walks, playing music, and spending time with my adorable tortoiseshell cat, Jade. In more normal times, I enjoy contra dancing and help organize Boston Does Broadway, a series of community singalongs benefiting local charities. I also sit on the Executive Board of the Riders Transit Access Group for Boston’s MBTA.

I’m looking forward to getting to know all of you this year, and to working with you to shape our shared vision of EqUUal Access and disability justice within the UUA and our larger communities.