Rev. Seaton received her elementary and secondary education primarily in the Chicago Public School system and went on to graduate from the University of Illinois Circle Campus receiving a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Elementary Education. From there she matriculated to Governor State University to obtain a Master of Arts Degree in Administration and Supervision. While raising children and married to her late husband Michael Seaton, she answered the call to ministry and completed a Master of Divinity Degree at McCormick Theological Seminary.Rev. Seaton began her professional career as an elementary school teacher at St. Dorothy’s Catholic School and in various Chicago Public Schools serving grades five through eight. After twenty years in the classroom, she became an assistant principal and then principal for the remainder of her career. For a total of thirty-eight years, Rev. Seaton was a devoted educator with a passion for learning. Her area of specialty was her love for children no one else wanted to love. She was honored for this commitment with several nominations for ‘Teacher of the Year’. In addition, Rev. Seaton was also the recipient of the New Life Compassion Award, Dorcas Fellowship award, Orchid Award and the Rhoyal Role Model Educator Award. On November 12, 2012, Rev. Seaton was commissioned a Kentucky Colonel by the Governor and Secretary of State in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. This was followed by: ‘Person of the Year’ in Sauk Village, IL (December 2015); and the Metropolitan Family Services-Calumet Branch-Community Service Award (September 2017). The National Council of Negro Women distinguished Rev. Seaton as one of the “Women Making History” (March 2019). November 2019, she was honored by the Roseland Business Development Council for her extensive work in the area.Rev. Seaton is an ordained minister whose journey began at Covenant United Church of Christ in South Holland, IL under the leadership of Rev. Dr. Ozzie E. Smith Jr. In this ‘Branch of Zion’, the birthing of a new church start was nurtured, and Rev. Seaton became the founding pastor of Grace United Church of Christ in Sauk Village, IL. The first service was held Sunday, October 5, 2014. Grace UCC is still in its infancy, yet the array of community events it has sponsored are numerous. Currently, they house a food pantry in partnership with the Greater Chicago Food Depository and are developing a 3-acre organic farm which will eventually produce 50,000 lbs. of fruits, vegetables, and herbs annually. Fifty percent of this will be given away to support others committed to food justice. Rev. Seaton spends a portion of her time sharing with other organizations how this congregation ministers outside of the church.Rev. Seaton is the proud mother of two adult children (Veronique Wallace and Ernest Crim III), mother-in-love to Earnest Wallace and Cassie Crim and grandmother to Chloe Amani Crim, Caylee Imani Crim, Earnest Dee Wallace Jr., Elijah Kevin Wallace, Caiya Armani Crim and Caria Amari Crim.Read more about this authorRead less about this author