Joseph Priestley District Hires New District Executive

Image of Rev. David Pyle.

Rev. David Pyle

The Joseph Priestley District (JPD) Board and the UUA Office of Congregational Life are very pleased to announce the appointment of Reverend David Pyle as our new JPD District Executive.

Rev. Pyle is highly effective in the realms of leadership development, program administration, and social justice advocacy. In addition to his parish ministry work, Rev. Pyle has served many years in the Chaplain Corps, U.S. Army Reserve. His military chaplaincy is a plus as it brings a new perspective or an "outsider's eye" to our district and UUA.

Of particular note is Rev. Pyle's experience as a social justice organizer. He led an innovative and very successful congregational based advocacy program, Lift Up Your Voice to End Homelessness. He also served as a facilitator for the California UU Legislative Ministry's Spiritual Activist Leadership Training Program (SALT), helping UU young adults combine their faith with their work to change the world.

Additionally, Rev. Pyle brings experience with district and UUA Congregational Life work. He served as district assistant in the Central Midwest District under then District Executive, Rev. Dr. Ian Evison. During his tenure Rev. Pyle administered the Chalice Lighters and APF programs and provided various consulting services to congregations.

Reverend Pyle, a Meadville Lombard graduate, is the associate minister at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Ventura, CA. He will begin his work as District Executive on August 1, 2014 just as our current DE, Rev. Dr. Richard Speck retires.

Please join us in welcoming Reverend Pyle to our district! If you would like to know more about him, you can visit his Facebook page. If you are at General Assembly, you can also stop by the CERG(Central East Region Group) Welcome Table in the concourse of the Dunkin' Donuts Center from 4-6pm. He will be there with other staff and leaders from the region.

We are deeply grateful for the fine work our Search Committee performed as it recruited our new DE. The committee members are Mike Harris (chair), Carla Johnson, Justis Tuia, Rev. Peter Friedrichs, Rev. Lisa Ward, Rev. Harvey Manchester, John L Bohman, Rev. Scott Tayler.