Board meetings are usually held on the first Tuesday of every month, 7 – 9 p.m. Board meetings are open to members of the congregation.
To find out how to attend a board meeting, contact the UUFR office.
To find agendas and minutes of upcoming or past board meetings, click here.
(To find out more about a board member, click “read more”.)
I grew up in Raleigh in a family of 6, with parents who were committed leaders in their small Methodist congregation. Joe and Betsy Cox, key figures in UUFR history, lived a few houses away and Betsy was the leader of the junior garden club I belonged to. All I knew about their faith was that they belonged to some weird church. Joel and I met on a blind date when we were in college, and married in December of my senior year at George Peabody College for Teachers in Nashville, TN. I had become very interested in early childhood special education, autism, and language intervention research through my college experience, which led to us moving to Boston where I got an EdD in a new applied psycholinguistics program.
We moved back to NC in 1978 while I was still writing my dissertation. One of our first “projects” was to find our own church and thereby avoid pressure from both sets of parents to attend one of their Methodist churches. We found UUFR, and I discovered what weird church the Coxes had beIonged to for all those years. I graduated, got pregnant, and we became parents to Dana in 1980. From 1981-1988 I was associated with TEACCH Division, the statewide program in NC for autistic individuals and their families, taking a leave of absence in 1983 when our son Zack was born. Then I made a slight career course revision by going back to school to get a Master’s degree and clinical certification as a speech-language pathologist, and in 1990, I joined the faculty in Speech and Hearing Sciences at UNC-CH, which was my professional home until 2023. For the first decade or so, I primarily provided clinical services and clinical supervision for Master’s students in speech-language pathology. Then I made a transition to a primarily research-focused career, working with colleagues in speech-language pathology, occupational therapy and occupational sciences, special education, and developmental and clinical psychology to conduct research on early signs of autism in infants, the early development of autistic children, and coaching programs for parents of infants showing early symptoms of autism as well as a preschool classroom intervention program for autistic children. Although I am fully retired now in terms of being no longer paid, I continue to work with colleagues on some of this research. Along the way, our children grew up and became middle-aged, we experienced the joys and challenges of loving and living and losing people we loved, and we became grandparents to Cora June, now age 9, and Turner, now age 6. Dana and her husband Mark live in Durham and for the past two years, Zack, his ex-wife Kelly, and our two grandchildren have lived in Raleigh, allowing us to enjoy more time with all of them. My hobbies include singing (started taking voice lessons at age 72!), reading, native plant gardening, sewing, and crocheting. Last fall, I added canvassing for candidates for the NCGA to my list of activities, not because I want that to become another hobby, but because I felt compelled to do something to try to change our political situation in NC. For the last several years, Joel and I also have been simultaneously having an “accessory dwelling unit” built in our backyard, doing a DIY renovation of the main room at our beach cottage, and overseeing renovations of our primary home to make it more likely we will be able to age in place two blocks away from UUFR. Maybe all of those projects will come to a conclusion soon??? We would like to have a stoplight installed at the intersection of Dogwood and Wade.
UUFR has become my community. I enjoy the services and participating in the choir. Because of my involvement in the choir I have made good friends. I enjoy many hobbies and activities, i.e., sewing, knitting, pickleball, walking and traveling. I also enjoy cooking and dining. I retired last year in July, and I am looking forward to learning new things and traveling to new destinations. I enjoy visiting with my grandchildren when I can, but because they live some distance from me, I don’t get to see them as often as I would like. I have been a HR professional and a professional in a Director role in the hospitality industry. Both positions required that I know how to relate to and lead people, organize, manage operations, and recruit,
I was raised in the Protestant Christian tradition and our family were members of a large Methodist congregation in Cary, attending regularly for over thirty years. Over the years however, we all found the messages and focus there resonated with us less and less. When our oldest daughter and future son-in-law were to be married in Winston-Salem in 2015, they insisted that the officiant be someone who married same sex couples. Within the religious community there, that ruled out all denominations except Unitarian Universalist. The minister from the UU Fellowship of Winston-Salem, Rev. Lisa Romantum-Shwartz, put together an amazingly inclusive and loving ceremony that made a deep impression on us. On the way back to Cary, my wife and I agreed that we needed to explore Unitarian Universalism.
It took us a couple of years, but we joined UUFR in 2019, having found our spiritual home and beloved community. I’m honored to have the opportunity to serve on the UUFR Board. I have a science background, and I became aware of the specter of climate change in the 1980’s. I believe that this is the greatest existential threat to humanity and one of the greatest causes of social injustice in our world. Since retirement, I have become involved in the climate crisis fight. At UUFR, I have been facilitating the Environmental Justice Ministry Team virtually since we joined the fellowship. I’ve been gratified by the dedication of EJMT members and the support of Rev. James and the Board to take meaningful actions to reduce our carbon footprint and provide environmental leadership within the Triangle faith community. I also am a charter member of Interfaith Creation Care of the Triangle, serving on their Board and leading the Advocacy Team for several years. Professionally, I was trained as a synthetic organic chemist at the University of Cincinnati with post-doctoral work at Georgia Tech. I came to the Triangle in 1981 to work as a research chemist in the Life Sciences sector, eventually helping found a small biotech company. I’m a numbers guy – I love putting together spreadsheets to analyze information, including calculating the utility carbon footprint of UUFR. My wife Lynn and I have been married for almost forty-nine years. We have two grown married daughters and two grandsons, who are our greatest joys. I’m an avid racquetball player, music lover and amateur guitar player. Lastly, I have an irrational, one might say fanatical, devotion to the Cincinnati Bengals.
I joined UUFR after moving to Raleigh in 2019, looking for community and an avenue to find spiritual connection. Those years since have been some of the most transformative years of my life – moving, settling down, a global pandemic, starting a family. I am so grateful for the roots and support we have here, and to have a home where we can pour our talents into things that matter. We have two young girls and I am also excited for them to age into and experience the family ministry programs in the next few years. During the day I currently work for a startup building spacecraft where I lead the design and development of their manufacturing and supply chain systems. I love tinkering with technology, building apps, and solving the complex problems that come with that role. At home, I enjoy all the time I can with my family and have discovered joy in quiet time spent crocheting and gardening. I am excited about the opportunity to serve on the board and offer a new perspective and set of skills!
It was through this congregation that I met a visiting Hindu monk from India, whose teachings profoundly shaped my spirituality. In the years that followed, my spiritual journey became even more dynamic. My father explored several faiths—returning to Mormonism and delving into the Hare Krishna movement—while I continued to nurture my connection to Hindu practices. I married my husband, who is from Nepal, further enriching my spiritual life through his cultural and religious heritage. Ultimately, I discovered my deepest fulfillment in the beautiful overlap between Unitarian Universalist values and Hindu teachings, a harmony that continues to inspire me. Outside of my spiritual journey, my life is rooted in my family. I am a proud mother of two children, ages 11 and 17, and I am actively involved in caring for my elderly parents and in-laws. Balancing these responsibilities has deepened my sense of compassion, resilience, and dedication to community—a perspective that I bring into every aspect of my life. In my personal time, I enjoy hobbies that allow me to express my creativity and curiosity. These include reading, learning new skills, crochet, drawing, and jewelry making. These pursuits not only bring me comfort and allow me to express myself creatively, but also reflect my belief in the importance of lifelong learning and self-expression. As someone who values interfaith understanding, inclusivity, and community building, I feel uniquely equipped to contribute to committee work at UUFR. I would be humbled to serve and support UUFR’s vibrant congregation in this meaningful role.
I was born and raised in Pittsburgh and have a T-shirt that proudly proclaims: “I don’t live in The Burgh, but The Burgh lives in me.” My career was in journalism, culminating in more than 24 years as a business reporter at The News & Observer. I retired in 2017. My wife, Bonnie Tilson, our daughter Emily and I first joined UUFR in the late 1990s, but we always felt like outsiders and eventually drifted away. We returned to UUFR after retirement and discovered to our delight that the fellowship had been transformed into a warm, welcoming place. We had found our spiritual home at last. Moreover, we cherish the many friendships we have made and the social justice that UUFR nurtures. I have served on UUFR’s Auction Committee, the Stewardship Committee and the 75th Anniversary Task Force, and I am currently co-chair of the Nominating Committee. I also previously was a member of Burning Coal Theatre’s board of directors, including a two-year stint as president. My hobbies include listening to jazz, playing disc golf and reading books for the book club that my wife and I joined 20 years ago. And then there’s my abiding passion for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
I am from Greenville, North Carolina and grew up in a United Methodist Church and played a lot of sports. I was a Teaching Fellow at Elon University, where I earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics. Afterwards, I traveled to Wake Forest University for my master’s degree in mathematics. I moved to Raleigh in 2004 to play rugby and to teach at W.G. Enloe High School. In 2011 I earned my Ph.D. in mathematics education at North Carolina State University. My first academic job was at Montclair State University in New Jersey. In 2017 I was lucky enough to secure a new job at NCSU, where currently I am an associate professor of Mathematics Education. I am the founder of Exploring Mathematics Curricula Creatively (EMC2), which seeks to design and evaluate engaging materials for grades 6-12 mathematics learning. My research focuses on improving the quality of mathematics teaching and learning through innovative curricular materials and professional development.
In my personal life I love spending time with my wife and two kids. Our kids were dedicated UU, our daughter at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Montclair in New Jersey and our son at UUFR when we joined the Fellowship in 2019. I also enjoy coaching our kids’ sports, playing pickleball and tennis, and watching basketball. One of my favorite things to do with my daughter is serving at the Helen Wright Women’s Center, one of my favorite things to do with my son is going birding, and one of my favorite things to do with my wife is going on trips to see the world. We also have a sweet mini goldendoodle dog who brings a lot of joy to our family. I consider myself a very lucky person!
My family and I came to UUFR after the 2016 presidential election. We realized belonging to a community that matched our personal morals and values would be the best way to show our children (and remind ourselves) that love and support for others will continue to exist no matter how our world changes. Shortly after joining UUFR, I had another child, and watching him grow up with a community of people surrounding him has been my biggest joy since becoming a member. In addition I have watched my other children truly shine, finding support from others outside of their family, and developing their leadership skills as they help support the Sunday Childcare. Interests outside of UU include spending time with my family, reading young adult literature, education reform, taking time to enjoy the outdoors, social activism, and logic puzzles.
I have been a member of UUFR since late 2020. My reason for embracing Unitarian Universalism is a need to feel connected to the community around me and to better understand how people come to be together, how relationships develop, and how those relationships can affect the world around us. I feel so fortunate to be a part of this congregation. I cherish the friendships my family has made here and appreciate the time and space UUFR provides for meaningful spiritual work in our busy lives. At my previous congregation, I was involved with teaching religious education classes. At UUFR, I have been a Chalice Circle and Young Adult group facilitator. I love science and nature, and my hobbies include hiking, casual music making, gardening, baking, and personal finance.
To give feedback to the board about any matter, please use the feedback form.
