2026 Awardees: Cathy Seggel and Leia Durland-Jones
The UUA and LREDA will present Cathy Seggel and Leia-Durland Jones with the 2026 Angus H. MacLean Awards for Excellence in Religious Education at its General Assembly virtually on June 16, 2026.
Cathy Seggel & Leia Durland-Jones
Submit Congratulatory Video Clips
Please join the UUA and LREDA in congratulating Cathy and Leia for receiving the 2026 Angus MacLean Awards for Excellence in Religious Education! The official award presentation is pre-recorded and will be shown during General Assembly’s General Session V (June 16, 2026). Due to the unique nature of General Assembly being “everywhere” this year, we won’t be able to celebrate in person. So we’re putting together a video so that Cathy and Leia can feel your love and celebratory spirit.
We’re collecting and piecing together short video clips from those of you who’ve been touched by their ministries over the years. Please send us videos of congratulations or special memories! Make sure you have good lighting and sound quality and make your video clips one minute or less. Send to Ted Resnikoff at tresnikoff@uua.org by May 29 with the subject: MacLean Award clips. We will share out on the MacLean Award page by GA.
About the Award
The Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) presents the Angus H. MacLean award most years to someone who has made outstanding contributions to religious education. The award was established in 1972 by the St. Lawrence University Theological School Alumni Association and the Religious Education Department of the UUA.
In creating the award, the Alumni Association said, “Angus H. MacLean, Dean and Teacher of Religious Education at St. Lawrence University Theological School, was one of the pioneers in Unitarian Universalist (UU) religious education. It is appropriate that we recognize the inspiration and warmth that he gave to us all and his great concern for the religious nurture of both children and adults.”
How to Nominate Someone
Anyone may nominate a recipient. A committee chaired by Nao Bethea, the UUA’s Lifespan Faith Engagement Co-Director, selects a recipient.
A nominee should be a UU who has achieved several of the following:
- Contributed to the quality of religious education at the local level.
- Raised the quality of religious education at the Association level.
- Been innovative in the use of religious education resources.
- Brought dignity to the profession of religious education.
- Influenced religious education and faith development beyond our Association.
A nomination must specify the nominee’s qualities, achievements, and contributions relevant to the award criteria and provide nominee contact information and basic biographical data.
Nominations are welcome throughout the year at faithengagement@uua.org.