Board of Trustees

I am honored and excited to serve as president of the Board of Trustees, on which I served as member-at-large for the past two years. UUAA has been an important part of my and our family’s life since we moved here from the Netherlands two decades ago. Over the years I have taught SGD classes, served on the SGD committee, been part of Chalice Circles, and participated in social justice activities, including those connected with Vision 20/50. I believe our congregation and faith tradition can do a lot of good in the world at a time when this is sorely needed. bell hooks’ reminder to live purposefully and with commitment–taking responsibility for consciously creating goals, identifying the actions necessary to achieve them, making sure our behavior is in alignment with our goals, and paying attention to the outcome of our actions so that we see whether they are leading us where we want to go–is an inspiration for me personally, and what I have experienced as a member of the BoT and this congregation (bell hooks, All About Love: New Visions). Contact: president@uuaa.org

I have been a member of UUAA for 26 years (and a UU for about 30 years). This past year I have been on the Board of Trustees as a member at large. I have also continued as a Spiritual Growth and Development (SGD) teacher, something I have been doing for the past 17 years. I have also been the parent of two children going through the SGD program, served on the SGD committee for the past three years, and on Reverend Cassandra’s Ministerial Advisory and Support Team.

Outside of UUAA, I am electrical engineer, working for an automotive supplier and spend time puttering in my yard and walking my dogs.

I am happy to be continuing to serve the congregation, and supporting our president.

S. Kerene Moore and her partner Kim have been members of UUAA for about five years, and are excited to have found a church community for their family including three children.  Kerene was raised in Detroit and attended the University of Michigan for undergraduate and law school where she was honored as one of the first Dean’s Public Service Fellows. Ms. Moore has worked her entire career to guarantee that all persons — particularly the most vulnerable — have fair and equal access to the justice system. Ms. Moore represented over 1,000 low-income community members at the Michigan Advocacy Program, fought discrimination at the Michigan Department of Civil Rights, and founded OUTreach, an award-winning pro bono legal advocacy project with Michigan Law’s Outlaws that offers legal support on LGBT-related legal issues. She currently serves as a Judicial Attorney in the 22nd Circuit Court and has served on the boards of the Ann Arbor District Library, Jim Toy Community Center, Equality Michigan, State Bar of Michigan LGBTQA Law Section, and the Ann Arbor Human Rights Commission. Kerene lives in Ann Arbor with her partner and three children.

Joe has been a member of UUAA since 2019. His first service to UUAA was joyfully joining the choir. He signed the Membership Book in March of that year and began serving on the Jackson Social Welfare Fund Committee. The following year he was honored to be asked to serve on Rev. theresa’s Committee on Ministry. He has worked on putting together a lay-led Trans and Non-Binary voices service.

He is passionate about helping us move into the future digitally and socially. As a professional Tech Support person, he is very comfortable with Google Docs and Zoom.

Jeff has been an active member of the UUAA community since moving to Ann Arbor in 1996. Shortly after joining, he participated in the 20s/30s group and has maintained many friendships from that group. He helped form the 2nd Men’s Circle which continues to meet regularly. H also served on the Green Sanctuary committee from 2000-2004 and was a co-chair that helped play a pivotal role in obtaining the Green Sanctuary certification from the UUA.

Jeff has also been very involved in the religious education program, having taught almost every RE/SGD level class from preschool to his current role as a YRUU advisor. He served on the committee previously known as the RE Advisory Committee. Jeff has been on the Nominating Committee (now Leadership Development Team), the Auction committee, helped plan Men’s Retreats and Men’s Dinners, and served a term on the Men’s Council.

Outside of the congregation, Jeff is an engineer, currently working for a manufacturer of medical devices based in Kalamazoo. He enjoys cycling, cross-country skiing, reading, cooking, and playing board games and euchre. His fiancée, Helena, is new to UUAA. Jeff and Helena are getting married in summer, 2022, and look forward to traveling again beginning with a trip to Croatia.

I have lived in Ann Arbor since 2002 and have been a regular UUAA attendee since 2008. I have spent much of my time at the UUAA with the Youth Spiritual Growth & Development groups starting in the nursery, later facilitating 8th grade OWL, Coming of Age, and serving the Youth in YRUU. In addition, I supported “Examining Whiteness” workshops as a participant & facilitator.

I attend UUAA with my two children, ages 14 & 16. I hold a Bachelor’s Degree in Gender & Women’s Studies and a Master’s of Business Administration, both from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. My professional life has included founding and running a non-profit childcare organization, consulting non-profit governance boards, small business owners, and occasionally painting scenery at local theaters.

David is from NY, but has been living in Ann Arbor for 30 years. He and his family have been members of UUAA since 2004 and his children grew up in the Spiritual Growth & Development program. In addition to being on the Board, David serves on the Social Justice Council, has been a Coming of Age mentor, volunteered at Alpha House, and volunteered on the newcomer’s welcome committee. In his professional life, David is a Professor at the University of Michigan, directing several programs in regenerative medicine. He also loves to go 4-5 miles a day with his energetic golden retriever.

I’ve been attending the congregation since 2001 when my wife Tricia and I went on what we call our “church crawl” following 9-11. After visiting several local churches, we agreed that UUAA was the place for us. In the ensuing 20-plus years, I have served on the Program Council, the Leadership Development Team, and a senior minister’s committee to develop staff job descriptions. I have also helped plan our annual auction for over a decade. I’ve found at UUAA a spiritual home, and a welcoming community.

Outside of the church, I have been involved for many years with the Michigan Daily and other publications at the University of Michigan, serving recently as chair of the University’s Board for Student Publications. In the world of athletics, I have a passing interest in Michigan football (my volunteer fact checker Tricia Mooney suggests, with some merit, that a more accurate description would be that I have a “fanatical obsession with Michigan football”), and play in an adult hockey league. In my professional life, I practice law with a small firm where my work involves bankruptcy, tax and general business counseling.