The Rev. Dr. Rochelle A. (Shelly) Stackhouse was ordained in the United Church of Christ in 1982. A graduate of Princeton Theological Seminary, she has served churches of varying sizes as Senior, Solo and Interim Pastor in Michigan, New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut as both settled and interim minister. She received a PhD From Drew University in Liturgical Studies and has taught at numerous seminaries, most recently Yale and Lexington.

She and her husband, P. Gavin Ferriby, are the parents of three adult children and three demanding cats.