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UNITY VILLAGE, Mo.--Rev. Duke Tufty, chairperson of the Unity Board of Directors, announced the appointment of Charlotte D. Shelton, Ed.D., international business consultant, author, and Chair of the Management Division, Helzberg School of Management, Rockhurst University, as president and chief executive officer of Unity. The worldwide spiritual movement is headquartered at Unity Village, Mo. Shelton becomes only the sixth president of Unity since it was founded in 1889. She lives in Shawnee, Kan.
Shelton holds a doctor of education degree and has been actively involved in Unity for more than 30 years.
“Charlotte is a passionate, dedicated and dynamic leader with deep understanding and commitment to Unity principles. She has the important skill, ability and innovative vision to lead Unity to a new era of growth and prosperity. She will help Unity to become a powerful catalyst for positive change in our world,” said Tufty. “Dr. Shelton is a leader of integrity. She has the compassion to help others and the management and administrative skills to lead this great movement.”
Tom Zender, current president and CEO, has announced his retirement, effective February 2007. He will work closely with Shelton during the next nine months. He becomes president ex officio. Zender began his position at one of the most significant moments in American history -- six days after September 11, 2001. When he was appointed five years ago, he became the first leader who was not a member of the founding Fillmore family in the 117-year history of Unity. The movement was founded by Charles and Myrtle Fillmore in Kansas City.
“The Unity movement changed my life swiftly, dramatically, and positively. My spiritual development continues because of the work of Unity. I am so grateful for the opportunity to have served Unity for the past five years. I welcome Charlotte and look forward to supporting her through this period of continued growth and development,” Zender said.
The Board of Directors began the president and CEO search in the fall of 2005. A Design Team began by soliciting broad input from across the Unity movement about the qualities, qualifications and experience needed for the leadership of Unity. This input was sincerely valued and appreciated and was used by the Board in its interview and selection process.
Dr. Shelton is currently the division chair over Management, Marketing and Management Information Systems at the Helzberg School of Management, Rockhurst University, and sits on the Executive Committee for the Business School. Dr. Shelton also holds a visiting professor position in the International M.B.A. Program at Peking University, Beijing, China. She is a founding member and the president of WiseWork, a consulting organization that specializes in innovative organizational development. Previously she was the director of human resources for Ferrellgas of Liberty, Mo., and senior vice president of human resources for Franklin Savings of Ottawa, Kan.
She holds a doctor of education degree from Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Ill., specializing in leadership and educational policy. She also has a M.A. and Ed.S. from the University of Missouri-Kansas City in counseling psychology. She is board certified by the Professional Psychologist Certification Board and the National Board of Certified Counselors.
She is the author of two books based on Unity principles, Quantum Leaps: 7 Skills for Workplace Re-Creation, and The NeXt Revolution; What Gen X Women Want at Work and How their Boomer Bosses Can Help Them Get It. Dr. Shelton is the mother of Laura Shelton Garfield, New York City, and Matthew Shelton, Ph.D., Houston, Texas. She is married to Jim Moore, Ph.D., who is vice president of Engineering and Operations for WDAF Fox TV.
Shelton has been associated with Unity for more than 30 years and is a member of Unity Church of Overland Park, Kan. She has been active on leadership, visioning and strategic planning teams for the Association of Unity Churches International, the service organization for nearly 1,000 Unity churches and centers worldwide. She was recently on the search committee for the president of the Association of Unity Churches International and the 21st Century Transition Team. She has served as a consultant to Unity for the development of the employee Appreciative Performance Communication Process.
“For more than 30 years, I have been richly blessed through my association with Unity. With innovation, I look forward to helping Unity regain alignment with its prosperity teachings, reinvigorate its programs and people and help position its products and services for the 21st century,” Shelton said. “To quote from Unity cofounder Charles Fillmore, I can say my heart and mind are sizzling with ‘zeal and enthusiasm’ about the possibilities that lie ahead as we create the future together!”
Background of Unity
Unity is a transdenominational organization dedicated to supporting people of all faiths on their spiritual journeys and to helping them apply positive spiritual principles in their daily lives.
Unity helps people use the power of affirmative prayer through its prayer ministry, Silent Unity, which receives two million prayer requests each year.
Unity also publishes Daily Word, a monthly inspirational magazine printed in eight languages and circulated in more than 180 countries around the world. It is read by more than one million people daily.
The world headquarters at Unity Village also includes Unity Institute, which offers degree and certificate programs for the education and training of Unity ministers, and a graduate degree program for continuing education and spiritual growth for nonministerial students.
This year, Unity is completing the new Spiritual Life Center for community and business meetings, workshops, seminars and its SpiritPath retreats.
The world headquarters of the Unity movement is located at Unity Village, Mo., an incorporated municipality of 1,500 acres, located 15 miles southeast of Kansas City. There are 500 employees.
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