Our Team
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Susan Arnold
Director of Membership and Social Media Susan joined the Soul Matters staff in the fall of 2016 after serving as the Small Group Program Coordinator at her home congregation, The UU Fellowship of Topeka, Kansas. She writes, “Where I once lived life visualizing myself as a tree with a deep tap root, because of Soul Matters, I now find that my roots, thoughts, and hopes are shared in an interconnected web of roots reaching all over the world." In her role on the team, Susan ensures that those roots connecting us to each other are strong and ever-expanding. Contact Susan by email at susan@soulmatterssharingcircle.com |
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Rev. Scott Tayler
Team Lead and Founder of Soul Matters ”It’s been a great gift to watch Soul Matters grow over the years. What began as a bunch of seminary and preaching buddies supporting each other has organically become a means for deep congregational interdependence. Ultimately, for me, Soul Matters is about healing spiritual disconnection. It mends the divides between and within congregations. It’s grace in action and the interdependent web become real. What a privilege to be a part of that!” Contact Scott by email at scott@soulmatterssharingcircle.com. Click here for consulting info. |
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Katie Covey
Director of Religious Education Resources Katie has been a religious educator since 1984. She is a curriculum author for Tapestry of Faith as well as self-published works. She is also the author of a book called "Full Circle; Growing Lifelong UU's" published by the UUA. The core values that guide her work include: partnership, story-based learning, appreciation for multiple intelligences and taking fun seriously. Contact Katie by email at soulmattersre@gmail.com. Click here for consulting info. |
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Rev. Dr. Michelle Collins
Worship & Small Group Packet Researcher Michelle is a UU minister currently serving as minister of the UU Church of Berkeley, CA. She is a graduate of Starr King School of Ministry and received her Doctor of Ministry this spring from Wesley Theological Seminary. Having used Soul Matters resources for seven years in her parish settings, she brings an excellent eye for what resources serve leaders best. We love it that she considers research “play”! Michelle resides in an awesome “tiny house on wheels” is the parent of a teenage daughter and cares for two highly demanding cats. |
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Molly J. Webster
Music Resources Coordinator Molly is a choral conductor, vocalist, and private voice teacher located in Bangor, Maine. She holds two undergraduate degrees in Music Education, Vocal Performance and a Master of Music degree in choral conducting. She is the music director at The Unitarian Universalist Society of Bangor as well as the director and founder of numerous college and community choirs. Molly is also an active vocalist and guest musician in several local bands. She teaches and performs in all styles and also especially enjoys working with local singer/songwriters. In her spare time, she enjoys the outdoors, camping in her "work-in-progress" camper van, time with friends, and traveling. She has a small dog named Avery and an incredibly large Mainecoon cat, named Kindah. |
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Teresa Honey Youngblood
Family Ministry Coordinator Teresa is a credentialed religious educator, a hospital chaplain, and author of the book Spirited Homeschooling: Home-, Church-, and Community-based Learning in the Liberal Religious Family. She has worked as a journalist, sexuality educator, and middle school teacher. In her free time, she likes to hike in the Ozark mountains, read young adult lit, bake bread and cookies, tend a big garden, and study herbal medicine. |
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Widening the Circle R.E. Research Team
Click HERE to read in-depth bios of the team. Michele Capobianco is a member of the UU Church of Lancaster, PA and has served as a volunteer for in-person RE, and currently co-facilitates the Growing Anti-Racist UUs (GARUUs) course for children. She is Chair of the Criminal Justice Reform Committee, as well as an organizer of the Beloved Community 8th Principle Task Force. She lives with her family in Lancaster, PA and is currently employed by her two young children as a homeschooling mom! April Rosario is a member of First Parish Church in Taunton, MA and serves as their Director of Religious Education. She has grown the RE program from 2 classrooms to 5, brought OWL to the congregation for the first time and started a parents small group. She also created a shared virtual RE program in response to COVID 19 between multiple churches, and will again be serving as this year's Young People’s Program Chair for two UU conferences on Star Island. Christina Strong is the Lifespan Director of Religious Education at First Unitarian Church of Omaha, NE, and the owner of Strong Family Child Care in Lincoln, NE. Christina is collaborating with the staff team at First Unitarian to bring the learnings of Widening the Circle to her congregation, and to work towards the adoption of the 8th Principle. Christina is the mother of four creative and independent UU children, ages 9,15,17, & 22. She has long sought ARAOMC resources for her own biracial family, so that her children may see their identities and family values reflected in literature, arts, history, and science. Adrienne Summerlot is a member and DRE of the UU Church in Bloomington, IN. She is an Our Whole Lives trained educator who believes we can bring a similar comprehensive, inclusive, and holistic framework to our anti racism, anti oppression, multical cultural work in our congregations. She believes we are fortunate to be living in a time that is calling us to be curious, to develop our skills as both parents and educators to provide pathways to have honest and difficult conversations. |
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Youth Packet Research Team
Jakobe Neal is from Eastpointe, Michigan. He is in his second year of undergraduate studies in Secondary Education at Central Michigan University. He works as the Director of Religious Education at the UU Fellowship of Central Michigan. His favorite activity for youth group is Rose, Bud, and Thorn. This activity allows everyone to become engaged in each other lives and allows youth to vent and celebrate their week, openly in a safe place.! Tomas Frere-Jenkins is from Cromer, UK and one of the founders of the Bad Coffee Club for UU youth. He will soon start his first year of university with plans to focus on theology and creative writing. With the thanks to technology, He's excited about bringing thoughts and perspectives from over the pond. He is passionate about creating new projects and fostering new life for future UK Unitarians! |
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Elizabeth McKoy
Creativity Consultant and Creativity Matters Group Leader Elizabeth has been a Theatre and Visual Teaching Artist, Creativity Coach, Integrated Arts Curriculum Trainer, Professional Theatre Director and non-profit Arts leader for over 25 years. She founded and was Artistic Director of the award winning Berkeley Playhouse and prior to that, was Education Director for the Northern Bay Area Institute for Aesthetic Education. In addition to working with SOUL MATTERS she is now the Director of a non-profit online education and creativity community called SOULSTER.org. Elizabeth has been a UU for many years and is also a passionate acrylic painter who loves sketching, writing, singing, dancing, cooking, creating digital stories, directing musical theatre and hanging with her kooky family of 5 kids, socialist NYC mother, supportive husband and her 17 year + old goldendoodle dog. ) |
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Dr. Andrea Natalia Naranjo Erazo
UU Writers Facilitator & Curriculum Team Member Dr. Andrea Natalia Naranjo Erazo runs a journaling group at the National Institutes of Health and teaches about health disparities and the responsible conduct of research. In her spare time she loves watching the sunsets in her rooftop, writing, and learning how to play the guitar. Andrea has been a member of the UU affiliated Washington Ethical Society since 2016. |