The Central East Region’s staff is excited to announce the hire of Shannon Harper, our new Youth and Young Adult Coordinator. Shannon will be starting on September 1st and is already scheduling trips to meet youth, young adults and professional religious educators around the region. You’ll be sure to meet her soon. Welcome, Shannon!

Shannon Harper has been serving the Miami Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in Dayton, OH for five years as their Director of Religious Education. In addition she’s served as the OWL and Youth Event Coordinator for MidAmerica Region for a year and as a contracted staff member before that. She's served on staff at Youth Midwest Leadership School for four summers and most recently as co-dean at the school. Over the years she's served as adult advisor on the Heartland Area Youth Council, supporting youth leaders as well as coordinating and attending dozens of youth CONs, trainings and workshops. She's also served as Youth Caucus Staff for GA, Adult Chaplain at the UU United Nations Spring Seminar, Teen and Youth Staff at the Southeastern UU Summer Institute (SUUSI). Some people have joked that wherever UU Youth congregate, Shannon is there. In addition she served as Youth Committee liaison on the Heartland LREC and as at large member of MidAmerica Youth Advisors Network (MAYAN) Board.

When she's not hanging out with other people's teenagers she enjoys kicking back with her own teenage and young adult daughters and her brand new granddaughter. Shannon is an artist at heart and although she doesn't find much time to get into the pottery studio right now she's always looking for ways to express her creative spirit.

You can contact Shannon once she starts at sharper@uua.org.