About the Accountability Team

The Accountability Team (AT) was Chartered (PDF) by the Universal Unitarian Association’s Board of Trustees (UUA Board) to act as an accountability partner to the UUA Board to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) goals.

Why the Accountability Team Was Created

The idea for an Accountability Team comes from Widening the Circle of Concern: Report of the UUA Commission on Institutional Change. The structure and focus of the team have evolved since the team was recommended in 2020.

The UUA Board identified that accountability for advancing DEI cannot be outsourced to an independent body, and that accountability depends on relationships.

The UUA Board determined that it could hold itself more accountable by:

• Utilizing process observation
• Building accountability checkpoints into plans
• Understanding who is impacted by decisions
• Getting perspectives from people and groups not regularly at their meetings

What the Accountability Team Does

 The AT may bring attention to equity issues and work collaboratively with the UUA Board as thought partners and advisors to:

• Operate as internal consultants and process observers
• Generate and raise questions as well as offer recommendations
• Bring in perspectives or expertise from stakeholders
• Help processes stay consistent with UUA Covenant and Shared Values

The first area of engagement for the AT is UUA Governance. In consultation with the UUA staff and UUA Board, other areas of focus within the UUA may be explored, such as Widening the Pathway to Ministry, General Assembly, and Regionalization.

The UUA and its member congregations are separate entities. The AT does not hold accountability for the whole faith and does not work directly with individual congregations. Additionally, the AT’s work does not overlap with the UUA’s existing Commission on Appraisal.

The Accountability Team Members

 The AT members are appointed by the UUA Board and can serve up to three 2-year terms.

The current AT members are:

• Elizabeth Foster (she/her)
• Dr. Tuli Patel (she/her)
• Dr. Rob Spirko (he/him)
• Tim Styer (he/him)

UUA Board Liaison: Rev. Justine Sullivan (she/her)
UUA Staff Liaison: Rev. Shige Sakurai (they/them)
UUA Staff Administrative Support: Brent Lewis (he/him)