After a nationwide search, we are pleased to announce that Heather Scheeler (MFA, Fiction '18) has joined the program in an administrative position, effective May 5th. Heather will be working with program manager Kathryn McGee on the day-to-day operations of the program and with all facets of our twice-annual residencies. 

"Heather comes to us with a great background in event and financial management, including her notable roles working with the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books and Circe Consulting," said program director Tod Goldberg. "And as an alum of the program, plus a regular part of our residency staff, Heather possesses a wealth of institutional knowledge that will allow her to step right in and help us with the planning and execution of our Spring residency. We're delighted to have Heather with us full time!" 

Heather Scheeler earned her BA in anthropology from Humboldt State University and her MFA in creative writing from the UCR Low-Residency program. She serves as the administrative coordinator for Circe Consulting and has also worked with the Los Angeles Times events team in a variety of positions, starting as an intern and then freelance writer for the Festival of Books, as an event producer, and as a script writer for their business forums and award ceremonies. In her free time, she tends to the maximum number of houseplants she can fit into her tiny apartment in Long Beach and the menagerie of cats, reptiles, tarantulas, and bugs that inhabit her mini jungle.

"I can't wait to start working with Heather," program manager Kathryn McGee said. "She brings professionalism and creativity to work with her every day. Our students and faculty are lucky to have her working on the team." 

Founded in 2008, the Low Residency MFA @ UC Riverside is the premier Low Residency MFA program in the nation and the #1 ranked low residency screenwriting program (Movie Maker Magazine). Housed in the Palm Desert Center, the Low Residency MFA offers majors in fiction, nonfiction, playwriting, and screenwriting, and minors in each, as well as poetry.