OGDENSBURG -- Janice A. Shoen, former development director for the Diocese of Ogdensburg, has been selected to serve as a member of the National Advisory Council of the U. S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Bishop Terry R. LaValley nominated Shoen as the lay woman representative for Region II which covers all of New York State.

She will serve a four-year term beginning in September and attend two meetings per year in Baltimore.

Bishop LaValley called Shoen “a woman of strong faith and keen intellect who continues to share her gifts most generously in service on many parish, diocesan and community boards and committees.

“It’s a real honor and privilege for the Diocese to have Jan represent our region on the National Advisory Council,” the bishop said. “As a wife, mother, grandmother, and professional woman, Jan will bring important insights and a wealth of faith-filled experience to the table.

“The Church of Ogdensburg congratulates Jan and promises her our prayers as she begins her term on the NAC,” he said

The National Advisory Council was formed in 1968, three years after the close of Vatican II to “serve as a continuing instrument of understanding and unity in assisting the bishops of the United States in their apostolic service to Christ's Church.”

Shoen and her husband, Bill, reside in Ogdensburg where she is a parishioner of St. Mary’s Cathedral and serves as parish trustee.

She is also a member of the Claxton Hepburn Medical Center board of directors and president of the CHMC Auxiliary. In addition, she serves on the St. Joseph’s Foundation board, Society for the Propagation of the Faith board, Sisters of St. Joseph investment committee and the Mater Dei Foundation board.