Vanessa has been our part-time Administrator since 2005 and hopes to commemorate 20 years of working for the Church in 2025, along with the Church's 200-year anniversary. She has announced her retirement date of June 30, 2025! For now, she divides her time between her office hours at the church and as the owner of the Peterborough Community Theatre, a local gem in our community. When she's not running the church or the theater, she's usually in her garden, working out, walking her dog, or tending to her chickens. Vanessa loves rural living, walking to work, a zero-waste lifestyle, and lowering her carbon footprint. Things she loves but rarely has time for: kayaking, hiking, bicycling, crafting, knitting, watching movies, cooking, and baking.
She has been an instructor for the UUA's Our Whole Lives curriculum at PUUC, an Airbnb host, worked for the Town of Peterborough, and has a background in Biology, receiving her Bachelor of Science degree from Western Washington University in Washington State. Previous jobs include field technician in the search of spotted owls, assistant manager of a paper supply store, receptionist for the municipality of Edmonds, Washington, doctor's office receptionist, Xerox copy clerk (remember Kinkos?), and waitress. But of all the jobs she's had, being a mom, working for the church, and owning and managing a single-screen independent cinema are her favorites. She's looking forward to the expansion of her home with Kevin Goohs, her husband since 2019.
