407-739-4150  office@seym.org
News
Beverly Ward & Barb Letsch
Beverly Ward & Barb Letsch

Field Secretary for Earthcare Hired!

Beverly Ward & Barb Letsch

Beverly Ward & Barb Letsch

Beverly Ward, of Tampa Meeting, has been hired as Southeastern Yearly Meeting’s Field Secretary for Earthcare! Friends gathered at Fall Interim Business Meeting celebrated as Barb Letsch read this minute from the Search Committee:

“It is with joy and a sense of Spirit that the SEYM FSE Search Committee recommends Beverly G. Ward to the position of Field Secretary for Earthcare. Beverly brings a rich and relevant background and depth of understanding to the environmental issues facing SEYM.”

FIBM enthusiastically approved the Search Committee and Executive Committee recommendations, with Beverly’s employment beginning on October 1st. This is the culmination of months of work by the Search Committee, who had placed ads in Quaker publications and websites and networked with Quaker organizations in their search for qualified candidates.

Beverly has a long experience with Friends and a strong commitment to environmental concerns. Her background includes several academic degrees, leading AVP workshops, and addressing issues faced by vulnerable communities. See full bio below

Monthly Meetings and Worship Groups are encouraged to invite the Field Secretary for a visit by contacting Beverly at fsEarthcare@seymquakers.org, or by contacting members of the Anchor Committee: Phoebe Andersen (Tallahassee), Nancy Triscritti (Tampa), Bonnie Zimmer (Gainesville), and Bill Carlie (Orlando).

 The Field Secretary for Earthcare (FSE) position was created at 2015 Yearly Meeting to assist Southeastern Yearly Meeting, its Monthly Meetings, and Worship Groups in discernment of their Earthcare leadings, guiding monthly meeting youth and adults to projects and activities within their communities that promote care for the earth and linking SEYM efforts with the wider Quaker world. See full job description here>

Bio: Beverly G. Ward

Beverly is a member of and past clerk of Tampa Monthly Meeting. She is a member of the SEYM Earthcare Committee. Her history among Friends goes back to her attendance at a Quaker high school and her interest and concern for our natural world occurred with her studies there in environmental science. Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring struck a chord with her.

She is very well rounded academically with a PhD in Applied Anthropology and a minor in Public Administration. Beverly earned a Master’s in Public Administration and a Bachelor of Arts Degree with majors in Psychology and Film/Drama.

She has taught Cultural Anthropology at the University of South Florida, Community Sustainability, Transportation and Society and Geographic Information Systems and Anthropology among other classes. Her related experience includes principal and owner of BGW Associates, LLC, in which she conducts research, provides technical assistance to communities, local state and federal agencies, and conducts program evaluations, including environmental and social justice. Among her publications and papers is Saving Ourselves: The Need For Knowledge Sharing and Other Technology Transfer Among the Islands and Nation-States of the American Mediterranean in Response to Climate Change and Other Extreme Events. She is a member of the National Academy of Science and Environmental Justice.

Beverly has been deeply involved with Alternatives to Violence in Facilitator Apprenticeships and providing Advanced workshops. She has had a Facilitator Apprenticeship in Trauma Healing in Colombia. She has focused on issues around transportation within vulnerable black, elderly, and ethnic communities. She has a particular interest in permaculture and a commitment to work with SEYM youth.

The Search Committee adds:

“What struck us was the way Beverly has woven her education and experiences in such a way that has opened a unique background and ability to create space for dialogue, activism, and negotiate in conflict management.

“Beverly was clear in her leading to approach the position of the SEYM Field Secretary for Earthcare (FSE) from her understanding and commitment to Friends Testimonies. She was able to clearly address the duties laid out by YM for the FSE. We felt in unity that she would be an outstanding fit with SEYM and the FSE positions.”