Michelle Stith, née Henderson, also known as Chel Stith, was in 2005 President. A of the

Church of Scientology The Church of Scientology is a group of interconnected corporate entities and other organizations devoted to the practice, administration and dissemination of Scientology, which is variously defined as a cult, a business, or a new religiou ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

. She has since moved on to being the Deputy Executive Director of the

of Pasadena. Stith has been quoted in the press answering questions about Scientology and its practices. According to Scientology publications, Stith has attained the Operating Thetan level of "OT III Expanded". In 2005, she stated that she had been a member of Scientology for thirty-four years. Stith commented on the 2004 production of '' A Very Merry Unauthorized Children's Scientology Pageant'', stating that Scientology did not want to protest the theatre production, and was quoted as saying "This is not litigation material." In July 2005, Stith defended Scientology in media sources, after the

Tom Cruise Thomas Cruise Mapother IV (born July 3, 1962) is an American actor and film producer. Regarded as a Cinema of the United States, Hollywood icon, he has received List of awards and nominations received by Tom Cruise, various accolades, includ ...

incident with

Matt Lauer Matthew Todd Lauer (; born December 30, 1957) is a former American television news personality, best known for his work with NBC News. After serving as a local news personality in New York City on WNBC, his first national exposure was as the ne ...

on '' The Today Show'' where

Brooke Shields Brooke Christa Shields (born May 31, 1965) is an American actress. A child model starting at the age of 11 months, Shields gained widespread notoriety at age 12 for her leading role in Louis Malle's film ''Pretty Baby (1978 film), Pretty Baby ...

' use of medication for postpartum depression was discussed. Stith called criticism by the media "hogwash", and stated "This is a very practical religion." In August 2005, Stith was quoted as asserting that Scientology has 40,000 members in the Los Angeles area alone. In 2005, Stith has asserted that Scientology has grown more internationally in the past five years, than in all previous years combined, and that its current membership numbered 10 million. Stith stated that her sister was a member of the Sea Org, and has five children, when asked about rumors of coerced abortions within Scientology. She went on to note that she herself is a mother of four, works as an artist, and also works forty-hours per week for Scientology. In 2006, Stith's pregnancy and delivery was reported on in the '' Chicago Daily Herald'', in a report analyzing the silent birth practices of Scientology, and how this would apply to

Katie Holmes Kate Noelle Holmes (born December 18, 1978) is an American actress. She first achieved fame as Joey Potter on the television series ''Dawson's Creek'' (1998–2003). Holmes made her film debut with a supporting role in Ang Lee's '' The Ice Sto ...

. The birth of Stith's fifth child, a boy, was described, in which Stith refused painkillers, and there was silence in the delivery room. All of the medical personnel were also quiet, and when the baby was born, the

physician A physician, medical practitioner (British English), medical doctor, or simply doctor is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through the Medical education, study, Med ...

whispered to Stith "It's a boy." When asked about L. Ron Hubbard's own use of medications, and the presence of certain medications in the coroner's toxicology report after Hubbard's death, Stith stated: "He might have been taking some medicine for asthma, but he certainly was not under any medicine for psychiatric reasons."

References

External links

Article in which Michelle Stith is mentioned and quoted in the ''Daily Trojan''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stith, Michelle Year of birth missing (living people) Living people American Scientologists Artists from Los Angeles Scientology officials