Instructor
Shanais Strissel is passionate about seeing people learn and grow towards new potential and finds great joy in that process. Mrs. Strissel holds a Bachelors of Arts degree in Graphic Design from the University of Northwestern St. Paul and a Masters Degree in Public Administration from Indiana Wesleyan University at Marion. She has served as an ordained minister within the Salvation Army and has extensive workforce experience, including serving as an Executive Director for them for over 20 years. A variety of leadership positions in the non-profit sector and in public service have given her a wealth of knowledge and experience within the business world as well as leading the spiritual growth of individuals and congregations.
Shanais’ abilities and core competencies include business administration, multi-site management, program management, team leadership, human resources, policy & procedure enforcement, customer service, client & vendor relations, change management, process improvement, etc. She is a seasoned executive known for clear communication and teaching skills.
Her passion for serving Christ has seen her teach Christian Education and Bible study to adults and children, as well as facilitate numerous church ministries. Shanais was also in charge of running all youth and young adult ministries for the Salvation Army in the state of Missouri and Southern Illinois as well as running a summer camp and creating all curriculum for multiple camps. Since moving to Alabama, she has worked as a Research and Development Manager for a workforce program run by the Dallas County Court System and a Project Director for another work force program in the city of Montgomery.
Over the years, Shanais has lived in many different cities (seven to be exact) as she has worked in ministry, and in 2020 she moved to Alabama with her husband and family. She is currently homeschooling two of her children, who are twins and are enjoying Excelsior Classes. Her hobbies include organic gardening, baking lots of yummy treats, fostering the occasional dog and cat, and creating botanical bas relief projects. She also loves to travel and explore new places. So far her favorite place visited was the Great Sequoia forest in California!
Cultivating a Vision of the Good Life Through Literature
Studying literature is not merely an entertaining way to gain writing skills but also an opportunity to develop a vision of what it looks like to live a good life. Stories are uniquely suited to help us develop that vision because they depict virtues and vices in a winsome manner and help us imagine a world without sin.
