Staff
**Job Opening: Office Manager/Executive Assistant**
| The Reverend Debra W. Haffner The Reverend Debra W. Haffner is the director of the Religious Institute on Sexual Morality, Justice, and Healing. She is an ordained Unitarian Universalist minister. She is the endorsed community minister with the Unitarian Church in Westport, CT. Rev. Haffner was the chief executive officer of SIECUS, the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States, from 1988 through May 2000. Under her leadership, SIECUS tripled in staff size, increased its annual budget revenues more than six fold, and opened professional offices in New York and Washington, DC. During Rev. Haffner's tenure at SIECUS, she created the Religious Declaration on Sexual Morality, Justice, and Healing; the National Coalition to Support Sexuality Education; the Commission on Adolescent Sexual Health; and the Guidelines for Comprehensive Sexuality Education, Kindergarten - Grade Twelve. Prior to joining SIECUS, Rev. Haffner served as the Director of Education for the Center for Population Options; the Director of Community Services for Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan Washington; and a Special Assistant in the U.S. Public Health Service. Rev. Haffner is the author of three guides for congregations on sexuality as well as two award winning books for parents. From Diapers to Dating: A Parent's Guide to Raising Sexually Healthy Children, which was called by Kirkus Review "the very best kind of guide for being a better parent," and Beyond the Big Talk: Every Parent's Guide to Raising Sexually Healthy Teens, which the American Library Association's Booklist says, "offers solid advice and resources to parents, who will greatly appreciate her candor." Published in April 2008, her latest book is What Every 21st Century Parent Needs to Know: Facing Today's Challenges with Wisdom and Heart. She is also the co-author of a college sexuality textbook and "What I've Learned About Sex." Rev. Haffner has also published nine chapters in books and encyclopedias, more than 70 articles in professional journals, 14 monographs, and numerous pamphlets for the general public. She has conducted speeches and training workshops in Brazil, Canada, Cuba, Panama, Venezuela, England, Hong Kong, Japan, Israel, New Zealand, Uruguay, Guatemala, England, Spain, and the Netherlands. Rev. Haffner's work has been honored by Planned Parenthood Federation of America, the Yale School of Epidemiology and Public Health, the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, the Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality, the Association for the Advancement of Health Education, and the Society for Adolescent Medicine. She received the Connecticut Sexuality Educator of the Year Award in May 2002 and was inducted into her high school “Wall of Fame” in 2005. Rev. Haffner appears regularly in the national media. She is frequently quoted in the New York Times and the Washington Post, and has appeared on such programs as Nightline, PrimeTime Live, 20/20, Dateline, Crossfire, Good Morning America, Oprah, and the Today Show. Rev. Haffner has a Masters of Divinity from Union Theological Seminary, a Masters of Public Health from the Yale University School of Medicine and an undergraduate degree from Wesleyan University. In 1996-97, she was a Research Fellow at the Yale Divinity School. She is also a Fellow of the Society for Adolescent Medicine. She is currently a visiting professor at Union Theological Seminary and the Yale Divinity School. Rev. Haffner has been married for 25 years and is the proud mother of a 22 year old daughter and a 15 year old son. |
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Dr. Kate Ott Dr. Kate Ott is Associate Director of the Religious Institute on Sexual Morality, Justice and Healing. She holds a doctorate in Christian Social Ethics from Union Theological Seminary in the city of New York. Dr. Ott was Director of Research for the Yale Women Faculty Forum, where she worked on issues of gender equity and professional ethics in Academia. Prior to her research position, Dr. Ott was the Director of Youth Ministries and Christian Education at Fairfield Grace for five years while finishing her doctorate. She has over 10 years of church-related experience in campus ministry, youth ministry and Christian education programs. She teaches ethics and sexuality related courses in university and seminary settings, and offers workshops for sexual and reproductive health organizations, congregations, and national denomination committees on sexuality education in faith-based contexts. Dr. Ott is author of the national report Sex and the Seminary: Preparing Ministers for Sexual Health and Justice in addition to a number of guidebooks for clergy and religious professionals on issues such as sexuality education, HIV/AIDS, and assisted reproductive technologies. She is co-editor of Dr. Letty Russell’s posthumous work, Just Hospitality: God’s Welcome in a World of Difference. She writes congregational resources for ThoughtfulChristian.com and blogs at RHRealityCheck and EverydayCitizen. For two years, she served as senior editor of the Union Seminary Quarterly Review. Dr. Ott has received a Woodrow Wilson Humanities at Work grant for her integration of academic study and community outreach. Also, she received the William H. Fogg Scholarship and Sterling Quadrangle Social Justice Scholarship at Yale for her outstanding academic work and commitment to social justice. Dr. Ott has a Masters of Arts in Religion from Yale Divinity School and an undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin at Madison in addition to her PhD. She teaches at Union Theological Seminary, Yale Divinity School, and Drew Theological Seminary. Dr. Ott has been married for over ten years and is the proud mother of a 7 year old daughter and an 4 year old son. |
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Timothy Palmer Timothy Palmer is Director of Research and Communications for the Religious Institute on Sexual Morality, Justice and Healing. He recently graduated with a Master of Divinity degree from Union Theological Seminary in the city of New York. He was a co-leader of Union’s LGBT student caucus and was a member of the ministerial and spiritual formation resource team. He joined the Religious Institute as an Intern Minister in September 2006. Before entering the seminary, he was an executive speechwriter and director of communications for the IBM Corporation in Armonk, N.Y., for 10 years, most recently in the office of the chairman. Prior to joining IBM, he was a freelance writer serving corporate clients in Texas. His work has been published in The Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Chicago Tribune, Dallas Morning News, Texas Monthly and other major publications. He was actively engaged in sexual justice issues in Texas, providing pro bono services to the Texas AIDS Network, the Human Rights Campaign’s National Coming Out Day project, the Dallas Gay and Lesbian Alliance, and GLAAD. Tim also has a Master of Arts in American Studies from the University of Texas at Austin and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Liberal Arts. He lives in New York City. |
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Katey Zeh Katey Zeh is the Religious Institute Scholar in Residence for 2008. She earned her Master of Divinity degree from Yale Divinity School, where she served as the Women's Center coordinator and as the Divinity School liaison to the Women's Faculty Forum. She organized productions of The Vagina Monologues and was featured on NPR's "Where We Live" for her work on the V-DAY campaign to end violence against women and girls. She volunteers with Planned Parenthood of Connecticut as a pastoral counselor for abortion patients, and serves on the board of the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice of Connecticut. Katey graduated from Davidson College in 2005 with a major in religious studies, where she received the Samuel D. Maloney essay prize for her senior honors thesis, “Affirming the Maternal: Moving Toward a Theology for Mothers."
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Michelle Nickens Michelle Nickens recently completed her Master of Divinity degree at Union Theological Seminary in New York City, with a focus on theology and the arts. While in seminary, Michelle was a convener of Union's chapter of Seminarians for Choice and Reproductive Justice, and the Black Women's Caucus. She was also managing editor of the student news publication, The Union Call, and a performance consultant for institutional events. She was a student intern for the Archives of Women in Theological Scholarship, where she worked with the papers of many pioneering feminist, womanist, and queer theologians. Michelle has more than 20 years of experience in theater and performing arts, and continues to explore ways that performance can be used to encourage dialogue and promote understanding on difficult issues. Her most recent artistic work is a one-woman play entitled "Running Days are Done," based on the stories of women survivors of sexual abuse. She is passionate about the healing power of storytelling, particularly for communities and populations that have been silenced and oppressed. She preaches regularly in the New York metropolitan area, and is currently pursuing ordination through the Alliance of Baptists, a progressive and affirming community. Michelle also holds a B.A. from Howard University. Prior to relocating to the New York area, she lived in Washington, DC, where she worked as a human resources director for corporate and nonprofit organizations.
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Dustin Frazier Dustin Frazier is the Special Assistant to the Director at the Religious Institute. He most recently served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Kazakhstan, where he designed university curricula with emphases on gender and sexual equality, women’s empowerment and HIV/AIDS awareness. Dustin has a Master of Philosophy degree from the University of Cambridge, where he served as the university’s LGBTQ student welfare officer, and a Bachelor of Arts in English literature from Bethany College in West Virginia. He founded the Bethany Gay-Straight Alliance and co-founded Bethanians for Safer Sex, and a coalition of regional college LGBT societies. He also organized yearly “Religion and Sexuality” campaigns that brought together religious leaders, academics, students and community members to foster dialogue at the intersection of sexuality and faith. He was named 2004 Student of the Year by the Lambda Foundation of Pittsburgh for his achievements in LGBT outreach, education and community-building. |
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**Job Opening: Office Manager/Executive Assistant** Organization Religious Institute Posting Position Title Office Manager/Executive Assistant Type of Position Full-Time Salary $35,000 – 45,000, based on experience Work location Westport, CT accessible by MetroNorth
General Purpose The Office Manager and Executive Assistant will assist the Religious Institute in all aspects of its operation, including administrative tasks, office management, database management, website, fundraising, conference and travel logistics, mailings, and program assistance.
Essential Duties
Education and Experience
Skills and Abilities
To apply, send resume and cover letter to info@religiousinstitute.org.
Review of applications beginning immediately until position filled. (To view print-friendly .doc version, click here.) |
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