CER Welcomes Rev. Elaine Strawn as Temporary Staff

By Central East Region of the UUA

Central East Region UUA Logo

As you have likely heard by now, Rev. Sunshine Wolfe has been promoted to the Regional Lead position in the Pacific Western Region. We wish Sunshine all the best in their new job and thank them for their six years of service to the congregations of the Central East Region.

The Central East Region has hired Rev. Elaine Strawn (she/her) to fill in temporarily as we begin our job search for Sunshine’s replacement. (Check out the job description.) You may already know Elaine from her decades of service to the Wooster OH congregation, her Good Officer work for the UU Ministers Association, and her leadership in the Commissioned Lay Ministry program. Elaine will be on staff half time starting on July 1 and is the person to send your questions, news and concerns. You can reach Elaine at estrawn@uua.org. You can learn more about Elaine below, and if you’re attending CER Summer Institute this month, you can find her and say hello!

As always, CER operates as a team, and we’re all here to help your congregation bring the love and grace of Unitarian Universalism to the world. Please reach out for support when you need it.

The CER Team - Rev. Dr. Megan Foley, Beth Casebolt, Rev. Renee Ruchotzke, Rev. Alia Shinbrough, Lenore Bajare-Dukes, Rev. Sana Saeed and Rev. Elaine Strawn.

headshot of Elaine Strawn.

Rev. Elaine Strawn (she/her) is an ordained Unitarian Universalist minister, a Spiritual Director, and a facilitator of classes on spirituality and leadership. Prior to working with the Central East Region, she served for 23 years as the minister of a growing UU congregation, a Good Officer for her UUMA Chapter and an adjunct consultant for the Central East Region. Currently she serves as co-chair the region’s Commissioned Lay Ministry Council.

Elaine holds a MDiv from Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, DC and a DMin from Meadville Lombard Theological Seminary in Chicago, IL.

In her past lives, Elaine has been a community organizer, a Fair Housing advocate and the staff development person for Planned Parenthood.

Elaine enjoys hiking, gardening and work on Elder Wisdom. Her spiritual practices include Tai Chi, Centering Prayer and small group worship experiences.

In the interest of allowing the CER staff some down time over the summer, Better Together is taking a break and will be back on August 12th.