As we enter the season of gratitude, I first want to say that I could not be more thankful for the opportunity to join Shanna and Ligia as a full-time staff member. I’ve been a member of UCG for more than 12 years and have served as Youth Coordinator part-time since 2021. It has been a joy to work alongside our youth during work tours, share stories around campfires at our annual Church on the Prairie campouts, and keep our Mystery Trip tradition alive, traversing across Florida to various top-secret locations, and earning my affectionate nickname of Tour Guide Tami. 🙂 Throughout my time as Youth Coordinator, I have always held a full-time position elsewhere, and I am so excited to finally have the freedom to focus all my efforts on UCG.

My undergraduate degree is in tourism and event management, and I most recently served as a Race Director for Ragnar Events, hosting overnight relays that span 200+ miles. I am a bit of a nerd when it comes to logistics- helpful when coordinating the travel, meals and projects for work tours! I also have served as a graduate program director and career advisor at the University of Florida and hold a Master of Education degree in Student Personnel in Higher Education; I love designing curriculum and seeking out guest lecturers, and I am thrilled to lend that experience here when I take over small groups and seminars from Shanna! I also loved hearing my students’ stories about who they want to become, and how I can help them in their becoming; it’s a joy making that personal connection here as well, with our youth. I look forward to hearing your stories, too, now that I will be serving the entire congregation!

My new title, Director of Programming and Development, is kind of a fancy way of saying I cook up cockamamie ideas and ask other people to finance them – it’s fitting, then, that my second graduate degree is a Master of Science in Entrepreneurship! I will certainly be bringing my entrepreneurial spirit to this role, and I look forward to breathing new life into our current programs like men’s and women’s retreats and our annual All-Church Retreat, as well as introducing new opportunities for connection, learning, and service. While it may seem like my previous roles are not connected, the common theme that emerges is that, throughout my career I have served as a curator of experiences that help people grow.  It is my hope that, through this role, I can offer a wealth of experiences that will strengthen our connections to each other, allow us to do good work in service to the greater world, and bless us with a healthy, well-nourished congregation in body and soul.

As our primary development officer, I will end with an ask – three, actually! I ask for grace, as I figure things out in this new position. I ask for trust that I will, indeed, figure things out. 🙂 And I ask for the willingness to show up as our full selves and offer our gifts of time, talent, and service to our beloved church community so that we may grow, together.

With love,

Tami <3