Welcome our New Children’s Faith Exploration Director

An Exciting Announcement from RevHeather, Minister

I am delighted to share the great news that we have hired a half-time UUSD Children’s Faith Exploration (CFE) Director, Heather Hamilton.

With the support of the CFE Director Hiring Team (Pat Murdock, Paul Barnette, Susan Haase, and myself) and the unanimous affirmation of the Board of Trustees, we are all excited to welcome Heather Hamilton.

Because Heather currently has a Sunday morning position elsewhere, she will not begin her salaried half-time work with UUSD until January 2024, but she will begin getting to know UUSD in November and December during the week with some weekday hours.

Please send Heather your notes of welcome at DirCFE@uussd.org! There is also a CFE Director mailbox in our mailbox system in the multi-use copier area, and you can send her notes via regular mail to UUSD.

Please read on (below) about Heather Hamilton’s background, experience, and enthusiasm for getting to know our UUSD children, families, and community! It will be so wonderful to have her on our UUSD Staff Team.

I want to also take this moment to extend my and our collective, deep thanks to Dar Sellers for serving tirelessly as the Volunteer Coordinator of our Children’s Faith Exploration Program as we worked to recreate this staff position (post-Pandemic), rebuild the program, integrate new families, children, and adult volunteers into the congregation, and go through multiple rounds of the CFE Director hiring process.

Dar: THANK YOU. Without your trust and your determined, incredibly warm-hearted, creative, loving, persevering efforts, we would not now have 32 children signed up for our programs and a Playground for them all to play on. You have nourished this program in every imaginable way and kept it going, and we are endlessly grateful to you!

And to all of you who have supported the CFE Program in any and every way as we have gotten it to this point, thank you. May this transition mark yet another meaningful next step in UUSD’s growth, flourishing, and positive impact in Sussex County and beyond.

Warmly,

RevHeather, Minister

Children’s Faith Exploration Director

Dr. Heather A. Hamilton

Dr. Heather A. Hamilton is an accomplished professional with a rich and diverse background spanning over 20 years in various industries, including education, music, and consulting. Her commitment to diversity and inclusion, coupled with her extensive skill set and dynamic leadership, have earned her a distinguished reputation.

Before relocating to Southern Delaware, Heather served as the lead for Faith Formation of Children and Families at The Unitarian Church in Westport, Westport, CT. In this pivotal role, she oversaw curriculum planning, teaching, parent communications, and provided strategic leadership. Dr. Hamilton managed staffing, including hiring, evaluation and payroll. Heather has always excelled in fundraising to support the needs of the church, all while nurturing a deep love for teaching and fostering individual growth and learning in every child. Heather became a trained OWL (Our Whole Lives sexuality education curriculum) leader for K-6, organized volunteers, lectures, and field trips for the 6-8th graders in the Crossing Paths program (formerly known as the “Neighboring Faiths” curriculum), and implemented the Soul Matters curriculum for K-6 classes. (UUSD also subscribes to Soul Matters.) She enjoyed regular interactions with parents and their children, creating a welcoming and inclusive environment.

Heather’s passion for music education also shines through her over 20 years of experience teaching piano to children and adults. For five years, she served as the Head of Music for the Lower School at Fairfield Country Day in Fairfield, CT.

Heather held the position of Director of Music at Saugatuck Church in Westport, CT for ten years, where she displayed unwavering dedication and resilience during the church’s restoration following a fire that left it without its pipe organ, pianos, and music department. Heather’s “upbeat problem solver” attitude, combined with her creative management skills and commitment, were instrumental in bringing the church and its music back to life.

Dr. Hamilton’s educational journey culminated in a Doctoral degree in Educational Leadership. Additionally, Heather holds two master’s degrees from The Manhattan School of Music in NYC, specializing in solo and orchestral piano performance. She has performed on stages in New York City, including Lincoln Center, and Merkin Hall as well as international venues throughout Canada and Europe.

In her personal life, Heather is happily married to Linda, who retains a full time psychology practice, working with individuals, couples, and families. Together, they share a passion for music and record their original music with an Indie record label in the UK. They have found their slice of paradise in the Delaware beach area with their studio dog Finn. They are thrilled to become a part of the Unitarian Universalist community in Lewes, Delaware.