In 2017, the administration of the Rev. Dr. Susan Frederick-Gray began it's six-year term, as steward to the covenant member congregations of the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) make to each other.
As elected chief executive officer, President Susan Frederick-Gray is accountable to the congregations of the Association and works closely with the UUA Board of Trustees in setting policies and establishing programs. The President is the chief spokesperson for the UUA.
The Executive Vice President, Carey McDonald (evp@uua.org), is responsible, under the supervision of the President, for the day-to-day management of the Association. He supervises all UUA senior staff, coordinates the work of the UUA legal counsel, is responsible for personnel matters in conjunction with Ebony C. Peace, Director of Human Resources, and acts on the Association's behalf in the President's absence.
UUA Mission
Keeping with her campaign priorities, Rev. Dr. Frederick-Gray has worked with the UUA Board of Trustees, staff, and various constituencies to define the Mission of the Association. To this effort, three key mission areas have been identified:
- Equipping Congregations and communities for vital ministries;
- Supporting and Training Leaders, both lay and professional; and
- Advancing Unitarian Universalist Values in the world.
These key mission areas aid the Administration in focusing the efforts of UUA Staff to fulfill covenantal commitments and move in the direction set by the General Assembly.
Leadership Structure
For over a decade, the UUA’s Leadership Council (LC) held holistic leadership on key mission and strategic questions, as well as budget determinations. Its covenant named the LC’s role as “engaging strategic leadership discussions; promoting and navigating cross-staff collaboration, priorities, and alignment; providing a mutual accountability group for senior staff leaders; and tending to the wholeness of our organization,” and that it “provides advice to, and supports the success of, the UUA President.” While the organizational structure of the UUA has shifted significantly in the last ten years the membership of the LC stayed relatively constant. To fully align its structure with its mission, the UUA made the decision in October 2020 to replace the LC with a new three-part structure that is transparent in its authority, fully representative of the organization, and organized to address the key strategic leadership needs of the UUA.
Commission on Institutional Change Implementation/Mission Alignment Team
The Commission on Institutional Change (COIC) Implementation/Mission Alignment Team (CIMAT) is charged with the coordination and monitoring of ongoing work to implement the recommendations of the COIC's final report, Widening the Circle of Concern, which comprise the UUA’s core mission priorities. The CIMAT can make decisions that address mission questions (especially resolving questions that fall between or span across current staff roles) and authorize teams, initiatives and projects to continue that work in the appropriate venue.
Membership – Rev. Dr. Susan Frederick-Gray, Carey McDonald, Suzanne Murray, Lisa Gregory, Jessica York, Rev. Carlton Elliott-Smith, Dr. Janice Marie Johnson, Anna Bethea, Rev. Ashley Horan, Shige Sakurai and Rev. Marcus Fogliano
Staff Group Directors Council
The Staff Group Directors Council (SGDC) is charged with the care of the organization through coordinating, reviewing, and consensus-building. Rather than acting as an independent decision-making body, the SGDC has a formal role in providing review and input for specific areas (HR policies/practices, annual budget process, workspace issues, etc.) and provides a channel for systematic implementation of workplace policies. Additionally, the SGDC creates opportunities to build consensus and cohesion across the organization in alignment with the UUA's mission and values, including ensuring that culture change remains at the center and is realized throughout the UUA’s work.
Membership – All staff group directors (these directors report to the President, Executive Vice President, or Chief Financial Officer), with additional Congregational Life Staff representation: Rev. Dr. Susan Frederick-Gray, Carey McDonald, Ebony C. Peace, Rev. Sarah Lammert, Dr. Janice Marie Johnson, Rev. Lauren Smith, Andrew McGeorge, Lisa Gregory, Jessica York, Gayatri Patnaik, Larry Stritof, Rev. Alicia Forde, Rev. Ashley Horan, Mary Benard, LaTonya Richardson, Jason LeBeau, Mike O’Herron, Hillary Goodridge, Shige Sakurai, and Connie Goodbread
Executive Advisory Group
The Executive Advisory Group is charged with supporting the success of the UUA President and Board of Trustees by advising the President and Executive Vice President on their decisions and on overall dynamics, strategies, opportunities, and challenges in the broader UU ecosystem. It is an advisory group, not a decision-making group.
Membership – Senior leaders with highest levels of Associational responsibility: Rev. Dr. Susan Frederick-Gray, Carey McDonald, Rev. Lauren Smith, Andrew McGeorge, Rev. Sarah Lammert, Janice Marie Johnson, Jessica York, Shige Sakurai, and Lisa Gregory
Administration's Reports
President's Report, #UUAGA 2020
By Susan Frederick-Gray
Rev. Dr. Susan Frederick-Gray delivers the President's Report to the 2020 General Assembly (delivered during General Session 2). Rough Edited Captioning CART captioning provided by Alternative Communication Services, LLC. This is being provided in a rough-draft format. Communication Access...
President's Report, #UUAGA 2019
By Susan Frederick-Gray
General Assembly 2019 President's Report (delivered during General Session I) The following final draft script was completed before this event took place; actual words spoken may vary. We are living in difficult and dangerous times. These are no ordinary times, and our work as Unitarian...
President’s Report, #UUAGA 2018
By Susan Frederick-Gray
Part of General Assembly 2018 Event 303: General Session III The following final draft script was completed before this event took place; actual words spoken may vary. Unedited live captions of General Session III (TXT) were created during the event, and contain some errors. Captioning is not...