BFUU - Key Persons
Ben Burch: I grew up in Davis, and attended a UU Sunday school at the Davis Fellowship (later Church) in the ‘60s, and was later involved in LRY (UU youth group) there as well. After flirting with anthropology and East Asian studies (BA and MA), I got a library degree, and worked in that area until my retirement in 2009. I was already active in BFUU at that point (having joined around 1997), and continue to do, having served on the board several times. Currently serving as Treasurer, I hope to continue to play a role in making BFUU a sustainable beacon for our 7 principles, as well as continuing to move us toward truly building a beloved community, and at the same time encouraging us to bring our principles to our participation in the broader local community.
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Membership Committee
Ed was born in Chicago, IL and came to the Bay Area in the mid-60s with his family. Since then he has made the Bay Area his home, moving to Berkeley in 1976 after college. Ed became a peace activist in response to the Vietnam War. He is also very passionate about the use of energy efficiency and renewable energy; a passion he brings to his work in construction and maintenance.
Ed is an avid reader, and likes to write prose poetry and scientific non-fiction. He likes to spend time in nature, with regular trips to the beach and mountains. Ed has been married to Mary Kay Coen since 2009.
Gene Herman, AKA poppa green gene, has a BA in Political Science UNC-Charlotte, and an MA in Educational Psychology College of St. Rose. He is currently serving as BFUU Poet Laureate, and is a Co-Chair of the Social Justice Committee. He is a member of Green New Deal.
Gene has served BFUU as a member for close to 30 years in many capacities. He had led BFUU Qigong/T'ai Chi for many years. He was twice the Board President, and was Chair of the Personnel Committee.
Paikea Melcher (she/her) Board Youth Member
Jean Marie Stine officially became a Unitarian-Universalist in 2002 in Northampton MA, though she had long admired UU principles and thought that if she ever joined a "church" it would be the UU. After moving to Berkeley CA, she discovered the BFUU and, along with her partner Frankie Hill, joined the congregation, where they served on the Sunday Services, Hospitality and Caring Committees, helped clean and straighten the Fellowship Hall after services each week. In the process, they developed an attachment to BFUU that has never waned. When circumstances caused them to move to Oregon, where they joined the Unitarian-Universalist Church of Eugene, their hearts remained behind. Now that they live in Mexico, where they have joined the Unitarian-Universalist Fellowship of San Miguel de Allende, Jean Marie volunteered to fill an empty space on the BFUU board until the next election. She is a much published writer and the proprietor of a very small publishing company.
Job Titles:
- Chairman of Personnel Committee
- President
Kathy Riehle has been a member of BFUU since 2013. She has served on many committees, and is currently Chair of Caring, COM, Hospitality, and Personnel. She serves as Supervisor for the office staff. She has also served several times as BFUU delegate to GA.
Kathy also brings to BFUU her experience as a board member of a 2000+ association, for which she served as Secretary/Treasurer for 13 years. Before retiring, she had been Office Manager for a nursing home, and for a small appliance company.
Kathy has raised 4 children, she enjoys the outdoors, and loves music, books and being with people.
Phoebe Sorgen became a BFUU friend 27 years ago when she enrolled her boys in the RE program. Though unavailable on Sunday mornings due to work, she became active via the Social Justice Committee, which she eventually chaired. After becoming a BFUU member, she was elected to the Board during the time that BFUU transitioned from lay led and hired Rev. Kurt Kuhwald in hopes of increasing membership. She served on the then newly reconstituted Personnel Committee, and has also been on the Aesthetics and Nominating Committees.
For effective peace, democracy, and human rights advocacy, Phoebe was a 2005 Outstanding Woman of Berkeley and 2015 Tom Paine Courageous Spirit awardee. As a Peace & Justice Commissioner, she wrote many Resolutions that were adopted by the City of Berkeley. Some were adopted by other cities.
Phoebe is a Green Party County Councilor and state delegate to the GP-US National Committee (the decision making body.) She serves on the GP-US Peace, International, and Conflict Resolution Committees, and is active in the Women's Caucus. Despite those responsibilities, and being on the Steering Committees of Move to Amend and Berkeley Citizens Action, she also serves as a BFUU Board of Trustees Alternate because our beautiful BFUU community means the world to her.
Rev. Dr. Carrie Knowles describes herself as a recovering psychologist and recovering attorney, who graduated from Starr King in 2011 and was ordained to UU ministry in 2013. Along with providing pastoral care at BFUU and preaching at Bay Area churches as a guest speaker, she writes poetry, short stories, and is working on a memoir.
Rev. Carrie is in the office most Tuesdays from 2pm-6pm. She can be reached by phone at 510-841-4824 ext 5.
Job Titles:
- He / Him ) - Community Minister
Rev. Tom McAninley is a long time member of BFUU, serving on the board for the maximum of eight years, being president or co-president for many of those years. He also served many years on the Worship Committee. He was ordained by BFUU in 2017, and began serving as Community Minister in 2019.
Shae Jewell (she/her/Shae) - Sexton
Shae was born in the south burbs of Chicago where she resided until her early 30's when her adventurous soul could no longer take the flat Midwest. After three years in Tucson AZ exploring the desert, she made her way to a job as a Year Round Camp Director residing in the hills of Marin County, and spending summers in the High Sierras. A prankster at heart with a love for laughter, she can now be found hiking a trail, reading a book, or just relaxing. She loves most things outdoors, as well as staying current on topics related to Youth Development, Resident Camp, and The Work of Byron Katie.
Job Titles:
- Chairman
- Treasurer
- Convener
Sharon Hwang Colligan is a lifelong Unitarian Universalist lay leader. She holds a bachelor's degree from New College of California with a focus on Multiculturalism and Religious Education, has recently completed a certificate in Front End Web Development from FreeCodeCamp.com, and enjoys the theology of a healthy organizational infrastructure. She is Director of Operations for IM4HI, managing their finances and operations, she is Chair of the Worship Services Committee at BFUU, serves as board treasurer of a ten-unit low-income housing cooperative in San Francisco's East Bay, and has provided ongoing support to an Oklahoma Cherokee friend incarcerated on California's Death Row since 1992. She is also a happily homeschooling mom, fluent Esperantist, relational database design enthusiast, and dabbler in Traditional Chinese Medicine. Spreadsheets obey her, for which we are all grateful.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed on www.bfuu.org are those of individuals and are not necessarily those of BFUU, its officers, or its trustees.
Better known as Eva's mom, Stephanie is a lifelong Unitarian Universalist. She grew up in the First Unitarian Church of Denver and was active in the UU Society of San Francisco as a young adult.
Stephanie served BFUU in the early 2000s as a board member and on the Religious Education and Sunday Services Committees. She is delighted that BFUU continues to provide a loving and inspiring spiritual home for her and for twelve-year-old Eva. Stephanie lives in Berkeley where she practices acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine professionally.
Susan is a SF Bay Area native who has lived in Berkeley since 2003. She holds a BA in Political Science from UCB and an MBA from CSU East Bay. Susan has enjoyed a variety of office positions but most enjoys working for a community based, community-enriching organization.
Susan is in the office from 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. She can be reached at 510-841-4824 ext. 1