Scharmel Roussel graduated from Parkview High School in Little Rock, earned a B.A. in English from Hendrix College in Conway, and later earned a M.A. in Interpersonal and Organizational Communication from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. She has previously worked in communications positions for the Little Rock School District, the North Little Rock School District, the Arkansas Department of Education, and the Westminster School District (a suburb of Denver, where her son was born). Her son J.P. is now a police officer in Conway. J.P.’s wife attends graduate school at UCA in Conway and works with children with disabilities in Little Rock.

Scharmel has completed the process for certification in “Digital Culture Ministry” from the Richard and Julia Wilke Institute for Discipleship and Lumicon Digital Productions. She is certified to provide workshops online at www.beadisciple.com and looks forward to finding the time to teach again. She previously taught part-time at UALR in the 1990s.

Scharmel has a 13-year-old Shetland sheepdog named “Shamrock,” and he is a joy. She likes to read and enjoys Bible studies and book studies; she has completed Disciple 2. She recently enjoyed Rev. Harriet’s “Spiritual Pilgrimage to France” in May 2007, when a group visited cathedrals and labyrinths. Among her favorite scriptures is “Nothing can separate us from the love of God…” from Paul’s letter to the Romans. Her goal in ministry is to spread that message of God’s loving presence - through print, radio, television and the world wide web. As communications director at PHUMC since 1996, her purpose has been to increase awareness among church members and the public of worship services, events, activities, and opportunities for all in the United Methodist Church, particularly PHUMC.

Along with other staff members, Scharmel belongs to a gym and works out several times a week. She also is a member of the Little Rock Ski Club, has served on its Board of Directors, and earned two bronze medals for Nastar amateur downhill racing at Aspen and Snowmass in 2004. She has skied at resorts all over Colorado, in New Mexico, in Montana, in Austria, in Germany and in Switzerland.