Board of Trustees

Nominations for Three-Year Terms (2023-2026):

• Dorit Bergen, (2nd term) First Unitarian Society, Madison WI
• Autumn Mahoney, (2nd term) Community UUs in Brighton MI
• Terry Mark, (1st term) UU Fellowship of Elkhart IN

Nominations for Fill Vacancy (2022-2025):

• Barbara Gutsch (2022-2025), (1st term) appointed by Board to fill vacancy; election now to complete the term, UU Fellowship of Salina KS

Continuing Members:

• Rae Jane Araujo (2021-2024), (1st term) Heritage UU, Cincinnati OH
• David Jackoway (2021-2024), (1st term) UU Church of Indianapolis IN
• Hans Kelson (2021-2024), (1st term) UU Church of Bloomington IN
• McKenna Revel (2022-2025), (1st term) UU Church of Lexington KY
• Patty Notch (2022-2025), (1st term) First Unitarian Church, Des Moines IA

Nominating Committee

Nominations for Two-Year Terms (2023-2025):

• Helen Dwyer, (3rd term) All Souls Unitarian Church, Indianapolis IN
• Mary Shelden, (1st full term) Church of the Larger Fellowship
• Carol Torrens, (1st term) UU Church of Bloomington, Normal IL

Nominations for Two-Year Terms (not on slate last year) (2022-2024):

• John Lunsford, (2nd term) First UU Congregation of Terre Haute IN
• Mel Priese, (2nd term) Eliot Chapel, Kirkwood MO

Nomination to Fill Vacancy (2022-2024):

• Rev. Daniel Miyake, (1st term) appointed by Board to fill vacancy; election now to complete the term, UU Church of East Liberty, Clarklake MI

Continuing Members:

• Jim Wilber, (1st term) Olympia Brown UU Church, Racine WI

Midwest Unitarian Universalist Conference (MUUC)

Nominations for Three-Year Terms (2023-2026):

• Rollie Hanson, (2nd term) First Unitarian Society, Milwaukee WI

• Rev. Molly Housh Gordon, (1st term) Unitarian Universalist Church, Columbia MO

Nominations for Three-Year Terms (2022-2025) (names not available for Annual Meeting in 2022):

• Rev. Alex Jensen, (1st term partial) UU Congregation of Grand Traverse, Traverse City MI

• Diana Tarver, (1st term) UU Fellowship of Salina KS, filling the position left vacant by Barbara Gutsch

Nominations for Three-Year Term (2021-2024) (names not available for prior slate):

• Dianne Hubbard Kennedy, (1st term partial) All Souls Unitarian Church, Indianapolis IN

Biographies of Nominees

Board Nominees

Dorit Bergen, First Unitarian Society, Madison WI

Dorit Bergen has been a Unitarian Universalist and a member of the First Unitarian Society of Madison (FUS) since 1976. She currently serves on the FUS Board of Trustees and as one of their lay ministers. Dorit helps coordinate the FUS team that volunteers mornings at one of the Madison area shelters, and is the First Unitarian Society liaison to the Dane Sanctuary Coalition.

Outside of FUS she is the current president of the council of a local peer to peer support group for seniors, and co-president of a chapter of a teacher charitable organization. Dorit is a retired middle school math teacher.

Barbara Gutsch, UU Fellowship of Salina, KS

Barb Gutsch is an 18-year member of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Salina, KS, where she serves a contracted ‘lay leader’ in the absence of a minister, leading services, workshops, religious education, managing the website, and officiating weddings and funerals.  She has been an active participant in the MidAmerica Region where she has served as a board member of the Midwest Unitarian Universalist Conference, the Prairie Star District Southern Cluster Leadership team, Midwest Leadership School Staff, and Prairie Star District Camp Star Trail Staff.

Barb is a retired Navy Lieutenant Commander and enjoys traveling with her wife of 30-years, especially to see their two young-adult children; one who sails tall ships in Washington state and the other who studies theater lighting design and jazz bass performance at Oberlin College and Conservatory in Ohio. She spends summers as a recreation director at Fair Hills Resort in Minnesota.

Autumn Mahoney, Community UUs in Brighton MI

Autumn Mahoney lives just outside Detroit, Michigan, and has been a member of Community Unitarian Universalists in Brighton since 2012. There, she served on the CUUB Board of Trustees for six years, including time as board secretary. She has also been active on the Communications Team and currently serves as the congregation’s technology coordinator. She comes to Unitarian Universalism from a pagan perspective, and grounds her own spiritual practice in a deep connection with the natural world.

Autumn is a computer scientist with a bachelor’s degree from Michigan Technological University. Professionally, she serves as Chief Scientific Officer for a tech company in Ann Arbor. Outside of work, she can often be found inventing in her home lab or mentoring her daughters’ middle-school robotics team.

Terry Mark, UU Fellowship of Elkhart IN

Terry Mark has been a member of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Elkhart since 2005 when he and his wife, Annette Long, signed the book. He has served in a variety of leadership roles, including board president and board secretary. He was born and raised in Elkhart, Indiana. Terry and Annette are the proud parents of two adult twin daughters. Terry works for the Elkhart County Convention & Visitors Bureau, where he serves as director of communications and public relations.

Nominating Committee Nominees

Helen Dwyer, All Souls Unitarian Church, Indianapolis IN

Helen Dwyer is originally from Grand Island, NY. After graduation from Franklin College, Franklin, Indiana, she became a member of All Souls Unitarian Church Indianapolis and has remained there over 42 years. Ms. Dwyer served on committees including Fine Arts, Marketing, Religious Education, Adult Education, and Communications. Ms. Dwyer served 8 years as secretary on the Church Council.

Ms. Dwyer has served on the MidAmerica Nominating Committee since 2019. She has also been a CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) working with Child Advocates since May 2010.

John Lunsford, First UU Congregation of Terre Haute IN

John Lunsford lives in Terre Haute, IN and along with his husband David is a member of the First Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Terre Haute. John currently serves as chair of the Building and Grounds Committee as well as Board Member and Past Board Chair. On Sundays and most church functions he runs the Audio/visual system at the church. Technically retired since 2014, he enjoys boating on any river and the seemingly endless maintenance projects any church seems to need. David is active in the church and works at a local area hospital, they share their home with a small furry tornado named Molly.

Rev. Daniel Miyake, Universalist Unitarian Church of East Liberty, Clarklake MI

Rev. Dan Miyake is currently serving as the settled minister of the Universalist Unitarian Church of East Liberty (UUCEL) in Clarklake, MI. He received his Master of Divinity degree from Earlham School of Religion (a Quaker seminary) in Richmond, Indiana, and worked as a Chaplain Resident at a level 1 Trauma Hospital in Charlotte, North Carolina. Rev. Dan was ordained by UUCEL on November 1st, 2020.

Rev. Dan also holds a Master of Music Education degree and plays the French horn. As a transgender man, Rev. Dan has been active in supporting LGBTQ+ issues and events in his local area, including serving on the Board of the Jackson Pride Center.

He currently lives in Clarklake, MI with his wife, Erica, and their two tri-pod cats, Nova and Frank. Rev. Dan and Erica both enjoy fishing, boating, going to parks, collecting rocks, minerals, and gemstones, and exploring antique stores.

Mel Priese, Eliot Chapel, Kirkwood MO

Mel Priese is a third generation Unitarian Universalist member of Eliot Chapel in Kirkwood, MO where she hopes to continue the legacy of involvement and leadership that her grandmother and mother began with Eliot’s founding. As a youth, Mel participated in RE, OWL and the Senior High group, often helping plan and lead activities. She also helped plan and host youth conferences as a member of the Southern Area Youth Council, and has attended various UU enrichment programs throughout her youth and young adult career such as the Youth Midwest Leadership School, Youth Summer Seminary, and the Meaning Makers spiritual retreat. Currently she works with Eliot's Young Adult Group to build a strong and inclusive community.

After graduating in May 2019 from the University of Missouri - St. Louis with a Bachelors of Liberal Studies in Art and Music, Mel completed a social justice internship through the UUCSJ, working with the Rural & Migrant Ministry, Inc. in New York State.

Mary Shelden, Church of the Larger Fellowship

Mary Shelden (Ph.D., CRE-C, she/her) is a credentialed religious educator, writer, and lifelong UU. She has also been a consultant for the UUA and for her professional organization, LREDA, regarding programs and materials related to the credentialing of religious educators.

She and her partner of over 25 years live at the edge of a 400+-acre fen preserve. They have a beloved daughter, Marjorie, and son-in-law, Jake, and a beautiful beagle grandpuppy, Apple, who has magnificent velvet ears.

Carol Torrens, UU Church of Bloomington, Normal IL

Carol has been a member of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Bloomington/Normal, Illinois, since 1998. Throughout her time there she has served on many committees and task forces, has taught RE at all grade levels, has taught K-1 OWL, and has twice been on the Board of Directors including terms as secretary and vice president. Carol attended Midwest Leadership School in 2018 and was selected to be a lay staff person for the next three years, although the COVID pandemic sadly brought an end to MWLS in 2021.

Professionally, Carol is a librarian, currently a department manager at the Bloomington Public Library. Her two kids are young adults and have provided her with 4 grandchildren. She's actively and regularly involved in caring for these little ones.

Midwest Unitarian Universalist Conference (MUUC) Nominees

Rollie Hanson, First Unitarian Society, Milwaukee WI

Rollie Hanson has been a member of the First Unitarian Society of Milwaukee since 2005. His search for a religious community and spiritual home brought him to Unitarian Universalism. He is committed to social, racial and gender justice, particularly for young people. He also is concerned with the wellness of the earth and environmental issues. He served in his congregation as a Pastoral Care Associate, a Worship Associate have also has been a member of the Children’s Religious Education Committee. He taught Children’s Religious Education for various grades over the past 12 years and is currently a Youth Advisor for the High School Youth. He will be participating in Beloved Conversations at First Church this spring and looks forward to engaging more on anti-racist, anti-oppression work this year. He is starting his first term with the MidAmerica Region Committee.

His day job is working as an attorney in a small practice in the Milwaukee area. He does some general practice areas such as Estate Planning, Probate and Bankruptcy as well as litigating consumer issues such auto fraud, illegal collection actions and defending homeowners facing foreclosure.

Rev. Molly Housh Gordon, Unitarian Universalist Church, Columbia MO

Rev. Molly Housh Gordon serves as minister of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Columbia, Missouri, where she lives with her spouse, two spunky, young children, and one sweet, old dog. Molly is passionate about poetry, theology, mutual aid, faith-based community organizing, and the life-saving message of Unitarian Universalism in Mid-Missouri. In addition to her ministry, Molly is a published essayist and aspiring children’s book author.

Rev. Alex Jensen, UU Congregation of Grand Traverse, Traverse City MI

Reverend Alex Jensen (he/him) is the Senior Minister of the UU Congregation of Grand Traverse since August 2021. Ordained in 2021, Rev. Alex is a first-career minister; after a variety of ministry settings, he brings a depth of experience from serving as a Ministerial Intern at the First Parish in Wayland, Massachusetts, as a Chaplain in hospital and domestic violence support programs, as well as through his work as a Unitarian Universalist leader since his youth and early teens. Rev. Alex is a graduate of Harvard Divinity School, earning his Master of Divinity in 2021. He also holds a B.A. in Human Communication and Peace Studies from CSU Monterey Bay, as well as a minor in Music.

Rev. Alex became a Unitarian Universalist in his early teens after searching for a spiritual community. Growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area, Rev. Alex joined the UU Congregation in Fremont, CA, bringing his whole family with him shortly after! Rev. Alex believes that Unitarian Universalism is a saving faith with a lifesaving message of love, acceptance, belonging, and inclusion. Rev. Alex experienced this firsthand after wrestling deeply with his identity and sexuality as a gay teen. Unitarian Universalism held room for him to feel loved as he was with no exceptions, moving him to come out in his young adult years. Rev. Alex strives to create Beloved Community in his ministry, where all feel welcomed to bring their whole and fullest selves.

In his free time, Rev. Alex enjoys hiking and other outdoor adventures. He also is an avid musician (violin) and enjoys playing, singing, and creating music with others.

Diane Hubbard Kennedy, All Souls Unitarian Church, Indianapolis IN

Diane Kennedy has been a member of All Souls Unitarian Church in Indianapolis IN since 1981. She has served as Treasurer and Vice President and as a Board member. She co-facilitated a Chalice Circle this year as well as serving on the children’s programming committee, the adult programming advisory board, a worship associate, a member of the finance committee, and co-president of the Channing Club, the Church’s social group. Previously she co-led Roots and Wings, the new member orientation program, and chaired the religious education committee.

She practices estate planning and administration law. She also serves on the Advisory Board for Concord Neighborhood Center.

Diana Tarver, UU Fellowship of Salina KS

Diana Tarver is a past president and currently the administrator of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Salina, Kansas. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in Biochemistry and has worked in various educational roles as well as laboratory and clinical settings. She lives with her husband Don and enjoys spending time with grandchildren, reading, gardening, and doing volunteer work. She is active with the League of Women Voters and the NAACP.