Our History
Community Center Shanghai (CCS) was founded in 1998 as a community service arm of Concordia International School Shanghai (Concordia). Its purpose was to enhance family and community life for the patrons and neighbors of the newly established international school in Pudong, where social and community services were limited. Activities were primarily planned and executed by Concordia staff and faculty members, alongside numerous volunteers. In 2000, Rose Koopman was called to serve as the first Director of the Family Center. By late 2001, the Family Center Board was led to change the name to Community Center of Concordia reflecting the desire to reach out to all international residents of the rapidly developing Pudong District. New Directors, Paul & Jeannie McKean, led the move to a new location in Beverly Hills neighborhood in 2002 and continued the development of services. Under new Directors, Nate & Christina Showalter, the name was changed to Community Center Shanghai (CCS), while still retaining a close relationship with Concordia through continued financial contributions, facilities support, staffing, accounting and connections with the local government.
The Center expanded its scope of service across the river in the fall of 2005 to serve the larger Shanghai international community through collaboration with Shanghai Christian Fellowship. The Showalters also led another move of the Center to Royal Gardens about the same time, which afforded a larger space for the significantly expanded services they developed in Pudong. CCS opened a second Center in Puxi in the Summer of 2007 at the Sun-Tec Medical Center. Concurrently, services had developed in Pudong such that an even larger location was needed and the Pudong Center was moved to the Green Hills Clubhouse. With numerous accomplishments during their tenure as Directors of CCS, the Showalters were eventually called to other service in 2008. James Weidner, along with his wife Christina and their four children, accepted the call to serve internationals in China. The Puxi Center moved to the Hongqiao Golf Villas in the summer of 2008 for a temporary stay and as of 2009, Shanghai International Community School supported CCS and opened Hongqiao Center in an office building near the lively Hong Mei Road in Hongqiao. In 2010, CCS began developing a presence in Minhang near Zhudi Town. After several years and several moves, in 2013, CCS combined together with Shanghai American School in Minhang to open a new, fully staffed Minhang Center.
By 2014, Pudong Center enjoyed another expansion and settled in current location in the Diamond Court building, right in the center of Green City. This center marvels visitors by its sleek industrial loft design fused with Chinese architectural features, a good representative of CCS being a gateway for expatriates to access the local Shanghai community. January 2015, CCS celebrated an exciting opening of its Downtown Counseling Center at Ambassy Club Puxi (1500 Hua Hai Road), in the heart of the French Concession. CCS has a dedicated team that represents many nationalities and cultures.
CCS Executive Directors post 2010:
Stella Si : 2011 – 2015
Zhen Zeng-Liao : 2016 – 2019
Senait Petros Tekeste : July 2019 – August 2021
Anne Ferri: September 2021 to present