Five ways to describe him
Cheerful. Uplifting. A blessed husband. A pretty good dad. Closet techno-nerd.

At Lighthouse
Shan enjoys juggling, both bean-bags and ministries. His primary focus is overseeing all facets of church communications and technology. He also derives great joy from interacting with and supporting our Deaf and Interpreter Community! In the office, at the cafe, or on his wi-fi network at home you'll likely find him rooting around in computers and mastering our website.

How many in your family?
Shan and his wife Cathy, are in the busy season of parenthood. Their five children: Hannah, Cassia, Nathanial, Josiah and Micah cross the age spectrum from pre-school to high school. The Wattnems enjoy being together ocean-side anywhere on the Pacific Coast - especially Cannon Beach, Oregon.

Life before Lighthouse
Joining the Lighthouse team in 2006, two weeks after his 40th birthday, Shan brought a passion for people to his kingdom work. A native son of Montana, he arrived in Washington in a Buick sedan at age nine; the Puget Sound region has been his stomping grounds since. Seattle Pacific U. is Shan's (and Cathy's) alma mater - class of '89. Creatively crafting a self-designed B.A. in Public Relations, with a certificate in Cross-cultural Service, he has always had an eye for ministry work. Most recently he served at World Vision U.S. headquarters for 11 years as an Information Technology Analyst.

Factoids
Besides the Bible, Shan enjoys reading Christian fiction. In college he learned to converse in Russian and traveled to many oblasts in the former Soviet Union. He has also studied Uzbek, hoping to do missions work there someday. He celebrates God's creative work in the natural world. His mountaineer Dad led Shan to summit Mt. Rainier and Mt. Bakerin in the Cascade Mountains. Cathy and Shan have loved visiting lighthouses and collecting lighthouse art since becoming engaged in one in 1992 at Admiralty Head on Whidbey Island.