Introducing the Senior Leader candidate—KC Slack!

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And now the moment we’ve all been waiting for: the Leader Search Committee is thrilled to present to the WES community the candidate to be our next Senior Leader: Rev. KC Kvasnička-Slack (ka-vaz-NEECH-ka slak)!  KC has spent the last four years serving as the minister at the Unitarian Universalist Church of the Verdugo Hills in the Los Angeles area.

Listing all of the reasons we are enthusiastic about them would make this message way too long, but here are some starting points:

  • Excellent Platform Experience – We loved the platform KC created for us during the candidating process. It appealed to both our heads and hearts and included both personal story-telling and humor.
  • Deed Before Creed – In our initial interview, KC told us they were attracted to WES as a community that places deed before creed and is committed to living out our values. 
  • Commitment to Social Justice – KC has a strong commitment to anti-oppression and other social justice work, and was described by their references as someone who is skilled at meeting people where they are and journeying together with them.
  • Caring for the Community and Its Members – KC has excellent pastoral skills; indeed, colleagues turn to them for care and support.
  • Navigating Conflict – KC demonstrates a strong ability to understand and work through conflict both interpersonally and organizationally. While we did not have the opportunity to see this first-hand (!), it was a noted strength in all of their references. 
  • Intellectual – One of KC’s seminary professors called them “brilliant” and one of the top students she’s had…ever. 
  • Diversity of Experience – KC brings a variety of relevant life experiences to us, including work with children and teens, in chaplaincy and patient support, and in the arts.
  • Connecting Ability – All seven committee members spent at least 30 minutes one-on-one with KC during the candidating process. Each member had very different conversations based on their own preferences and priorities. And in all seven cases, we thoroughly enjoyed those conversations. KC related to each of us as individuals and as members of a unique humanist congregation, and connected us to their own life and experience.

Now comes the time for the rest of the community to begin to get to know KC as we have. You can start by watching their introductory video message here and it is posted below. You can also visit KC’s search website, which is at https://revkckvasnicka.carrd.co/. But to really get to know them, you’ll want to participate in Candidating Week, April 24th to May 1st, which includes the following:

  • The platform service on April 24th,
  • A number of get-to-know-you events, some for particular groups within the WES community and others open to all, between the 24th and 31st, and
  • The platform service on May 1st, which will be followed by a short special membership meeting to vote on calling KC to WES!

We are still working out the schedule for the get-to-know you events, and details on the membership meeting will come from the moderator, Sonja Kueppers. Stay tuned for both of those!

The WES community has been on quite a journey the last few years, and a new chapter of WES’s history will begin soon. We on the Search Committee believe that calling KC Slack to be our next Senior Leader will be an exciting start!

As always, if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to write to us at search@ethicalsociety.org.

Thanks,the Leader Search Committee (Perry Beider, Julie Grimes, Marty Kaufman, Andrea Naranjo, Christine Parcelli, Susan Runner, Jenna Umbriac)