Jeff Parrett is resigning from the presidency of the FCEA, effective immediately, apart from him helping us through the transition period. He is prioritizing self-care, and naturally we all support him in that. Otherwise we would not be who we are as a school..

In the nearly three years since Jeff, Catie, and I began talking about creating an online venue for serious evolutionary astrological education, Jeff has worn more hats than I can count. I get dizzy thinking about them all. Suffice to say, we could not be where we are today without his multifaceted expertise. As Catie and I talk about how to fill his shoes, we realize that we are talking about hiring at least two or three people – it will take that many just to cover all the bases Jeff covered on his own. 

Without Jeff Parrett, the FCEA simply could not have existed. That is really the bottom line.

For starters, Jeff supplied the seed money we needed to get the project off the launching pad. He’s done so much beyond writing a check that I feel bad even mentioning money right off the bat. But money is so often the elephant in the living room, and in the FCEA it is our policy never to “ignore an elephant,” so to speak. That’s what makes us counselors. Jeff’s investment launched us and I thank him for his generosity and his faith in the importance of this work we do. I’m happy to say that the school has already been successful enough that he’ll not lose a penny. 

Beyond the financial support he offered, Jeff is a man who understands technology. While we are making every effort to keep the school as warm-hearted and human as possible, there is no escaping the fact that we are a tech company. The limits of my own “tech savvy” are basically emailing people and punching a “record” button. Without Jeff, I would be about as useful as a French Poodle in that category.  You all know how complex Moodle is – you see that as you work through our FCEA courses. Behind that “somewhat” user-friendly face there are bells and whistles beyond my imagining . . . maybe beyond your imagining too. Little of that could have been gotten right without Jeff’s knowledge and skills, not to mention his willingness to put in long hours of digital headbanging. Some of those tasks are completed, while some are not. But the school is a living, breathing technological phenomenon – once again, thanks to Jeff.

Then there’s the business side of things, where yet again, Jeff was always operating “above and beyond the call of duty.” Just “simply” hiring someone in the state of California practically requires a law degree. Then there are all the rules and regulations that must be obeyed – who’s responsible if someone slips on a banana peel while sitting at home in front of a computer taking FCEA101? We’ve had a lawyer. We’ve had an accountant. Jeff has been on top of all of it, with patience beyond my wildest imagining.

I often joked with Jeff about being ‘the hardest-working retired guy I’ve ever met.” He gets the irony – and after playing such a pivotal role in launching the school, he’s ready for his life to be a little less “ironical.”

My new book, The Endless Sky, should be available about the time you are reading these words. Here’s the dedication: