The Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) Nominating Committee nominates candidates for all positions elected by the General Assembly except for President and Moderator. Candidates for elected positions may also be nominated by petition.
As part of the vetting process, all applications will be vetted through the Ministries and Faith Development and Congregational Life staff group. The reason is to be mindful that folks involved in misconduct or allegations of misconduct are not appointed or nominated to committees until due process is complete.
Election Slate for General Assembly 2024
The Nominating Committee submitted the following slate of nominees to the Board of Trustees. The election for these positions will take place at General Assembly (GA) 2024.
Photos and biographies for each candidate will be added as they are received.
Board of Trustees
- Emily Jaworski Koriath - position #6 (3-year term ending at GA 2027) Emily Jaworski Koriath (DMA, PSEP, RYT-200) is the Music Director at the UU Church of Boulder, Colorado and the editor and primary author of Trauma and the Voice: A Guide for Singers, Teachers, and Other Practitioners. In addition to her congregational work, she teaches voice and works with singers on healing emotional trauma to facilitate more authentic artistry. Emily combines voice science, body awareness, Somatic Experiencing ®, and spiritual connection to help singers reclaim their joy and freedom in singing. Emily has been serving Unitarian Universalism for the past ten years, beginning with her appointment as the Director of Music Ministries at the UU Church of Concord, NH. During her doctoral studies, she stepped away from program leadership and served in supporting capacities at Arlington Street Church in Boston, and the Starr King Fellowship in Plymouth, NH. In 2019 Emily served as the Music Coordinator for the UUA's General Assembly in Spokane, and she has presented professional development workshops at the Association for UU Music Ministries' national conference every year since 2016. Emily's musical philosophy was profoundly shaped by Sarah Dan Jones, composer of the beloved "Meditation on Breathing" and the first music leader to serve on the UUA's Board of Trustees. From Sarah Dan, Emily witnessed singing that exists to build community, to connect us to our spirits, our values, and each other. Through her work in Unitarian Universalism, she has completed training in Systems Theory, Ethics, Multicultural Competency, and Examining White Supremacy Culture. She participated in "Undoing Racism for Community Organizers" presented by the People's Institute for Survival and Beyond in New Orleans. During her doctoral coursework at Boston University, she worked closely with choral conductor and human rights activist Andre de Quadros, studying his method of Empowering Song for choral organizations and disenfranchised populations, teaching music to incarcerated youth in Massachusetts, and touring with the social justice choir Voices 21C.
- John Simmonds - position #3 (3-year term ending at GA 2027) John Simmonds has served in a variety of lay leadership positions at the UUA and congregations where he was a member. His service included positions on the Panel on Theological Education, church Boards of Trustees, Task Forces, and Bylaws, Capital Campaign, Ministerial Search, Personnel, Stewardship and Worship Committees. Professionally, Simmonds is a software engineer at heart. He currently works in the financial industry and recently transitioned from managing technology teams and projects to working in the areas of technology contracts and client communications. Simmonds also served on the Acushnet Cultural Council, which is part of the Massachusetts Cultural Council, and more recently on the board of the Rhode Island Council for the Humanities. He lives in Rhode Island.
- Rev. Sam Trumbore - position #8 (3-year term ending at GA 2027)
Commission on Appraisal
- Rachel A. Feltner (1-year term ending at GA 2025) Rachel was born in Dayton, Ohio, and has spent most of her life in southwestern Ohio. She currently lives in Cincinnati with her boyfriend, Demis, and pet chinchilla, Chili. Even so, Rachel spends much of her time in Dayton. For work, Rachel is a community organizer for Leaders for Equality and Action in Dayton where she is developing a parent leadership and advocacy initiative. Rachel has been a member of Miami Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in Dayton for nine years. She came to Unitarian Universalism in her early twenties while searching for a supportive community. Throughout her years at the Fellowship, Rachel has served in many leadership roles including President of the Board of Trustees, Social Action Representative to Program Council, member of the Ministerial Search Committee, and member of the Healing and Repair Taskforce. She also enjoys working on worship services, facilitating small groups, and organizing events for the church. As a humanist, Rachel finds her spiritual inspiration through our faith’s work for justice and the challenging work of living into covenant.
Nominating Committee
- cristy cardinal (3-year term ending at GA 2027) cristy cardinal (they/them) has been a member of the UUA Nominating Committee since GA 2021. They are a candidate for UU ministry, currently serving as a chaplain intern at St. Vincent Mercy Health in Toledo. They graduated from Starr King School for the Ministry in May 2023. They believe in a vision of Unitarian Universalism that is liberatory, with love at the center. They live in Southeast Michigan with their three children and two feline overlords, and they are a member of First UU of Ann Arbor.
- Andreas Rivera Young (3-year term ending at GA 2027) Andreas Rivera Young is a graduating senior at Brown University studying political science and history. He worked as a Connections Coordinator for GA Youth. He also previously served as the Junior/Senior Dean of GA Youth at the UUA. His home congregation is the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Waynesboro.
The Election Campaign Practices Committee carries out the UUA's election campaign policies.
Our UUA Needs You and Your Service
Do you want to help make real and concrete changes to our Unitarian Universalist Association?Do you want to put your skills and expertise to work for our faith movement? Do you want to explore a passion of yours through denominational service?
The UUA Nominating Committee is seeking nominations for our denominational committees elected by the General Assembly. Applications received by February 1st will be given priority for consideration for the slate of candidates to be voted on at the General Assembly.
Have any questions about serving? Reach out to the nominating committee at nominating@uua.org
Nomination Procedures
The UUA Bylaws provide for nomination of elected positions by two procedures:
- Nomination by the Nominating Committee
- To be considered by the Nominating Committee, an applicant must:
- Be a member of a Unitarian Universalist (UU) congregation
- Complete the Volunteer Leadership Application. Applications remain active for two years, after which we ask volunteers still interested to re-apply.
- To be considered by the Nominating Committee, an applicant must:
- Petition
- To run by petition, a candidate must:
- Be a voting member of a UU congregation
- Secure signatures of at least 50 members of certified UU congregations with no more than 10 from any single congregation
- File requisite papers with the UUA Secretary by the May 1 preceding the election
- To run by petition, a candidate must:
May 1st Deadline
People interested in running by petition have until May 1 to submit a completed petition.
The bylaws stipulate:
The Nominating Committee shall endeavor to nominate individuals so that the membership of the Board of Trustees and each elected committee reflects the full diversity of the Association, especially in regard to historically marginalized communities, but also balancing among size of congregation, lay and ordained, geography, age (including youth and young adults), and gender, among others. The Nominating Committee shall consult with groups and organizations including those traditionally underrepresented in Unitarian Universalist leadership, to help inform the nominating process.
What Is the Nominating Committee Looking For?
In order for UUA committees, commissions, and boards to function as effectively as possible, each candidate needs to have the requisite skills, as well as the ability and time to follow through on their tasks and commitments. In addition, the Nominating Committee strives to equip committees, the board, and commissions with people who can offer a variety of cultural competencies and life experiences, with the belief that this will help these working groups to make more effective decisions.
The Nominating Committee is particularly interested in identifying qualified candidates who also have connections to, and understanding of, ethnic communities other than those of European descent, youth and young adults, and people with disabilities. The committee does not believe that one must personally be a member of a particular group in order to have developed such cultural competencies. Work and volunteer experience, travel, and study are examples of avenues through which people can develop cultural competencies and sensitivities outside of their own ethnic, age or cultural community.
The Nominating Committee also strives to create working groups which include the participation of people of varied genders and sexual identities, who also represent people from a variety of geographies.
Those seeking our nomination should already have demonstrated their leadership skills in their local congregation, district, UUA, theological school, and/or other affiliated Unitarian Universalist organization.
To communicate directly to the Nominating Committee, nominating@uua.org.