SWUUW Officers

SWUUW's new officers for 2011 - 2012 elected at SWUUWCon 2011 are:

President (2011-12)
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After my son Aaron was born in 1979, I started attending Dallas Area UU churches. I have served in many capacities including many committees. You see I believe that it is through working with one another that we come to know Spirit. One year my church sent me to Dwight Brown Leadership School and since then I have facilitated many committees and events as well. I enjoy encouraging everyone to participate. SWUUW conferences have been an important part of my life for the last 24 years. For me they are a place to be in worship with a huge group of women. It is peaceful and joyous and inclusive and spirit filled all at the same time, plus more…. It is a time to be just me: not Mother, Partner or anything else. It was my pleasure to participate on the planning committees of two SWUUW Conferences in Dallas; “In My Wildest Dreams” and “Standing on the Side of Love” Then last year I was lucky enough to be convener of “Generation Nexxt”. At church, at work and in my personal life, I love to work with women (and men) to help all of us “grow in harmony" with the divine.

My partner, Janell Jenkins and I live in Garland, Texas.

Past President (2010-11)
Linda VanBlaricom
UU Church of Little Rock

Linda VanBlaricom has served on the SWUUW board since 2006. She convened the 2001 SWUUW conference in Little Rock and was a liaison to the 2008 Little Rock SWUUW conference team. She has been a member of UUCLR for about 26 years and is currently a Covenant Group Leader and the Coordinator for Covenant Group Ministry at UUCLR. She is a past president of UUCLR and was Worship Chair for seven years. She is a Psychological Examiner in private practice and has two granddaughters and a grandson. Linda would like to see more of the Southwest District represented on the SWUUW Board and hopes that women from Tennessee, Missouri, and Louisiana will step forward to serve this year

Secretary
Kay Witt
All Souls Unitarian Church, Tulsa, Oklahoma

Kay is past Treasurer of SWUUW. She joined All Souls Unitarian Church in Tulsa in 1970, then was a member of the First Unitarian Church in OKC for ten years from 1975-1985, where she served on the Board of Trustees. While in OKC, Kay attended OU and received a MBA, followed a month later by the birth of her 3rd child. She returned to All Souls and has served on the All Souls Adult Education Committee and, in 2006, became President of All Souls Day Alliance, the oldest organization at All Souls founded in 1921. Kay attended GA in 2005 & 2006, as well as several SWUUW Conferences and the ICUUW in 2009.

Treasurer
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Director
Karen McGinnis

Karen McGinnis joined the SWUUW board in 2010 as Director at Large. A UU since the early 90s, Karen was active in the Amarillo UU Fellowship prior to her move to San Angelo, Texas in 2005. In Amarillo she served the board in several capacities including President 1996-1997 and still considers the AUUF her “home church.” With no UU presence in San Angelo, Karen is active in The Gathering (a UCCM start-up church), Peace Ambassadors of West Texas, and Faith Club (a group composed of diverse spiritual traditions including Christian, Jew, Muslim, Baha’i, Pagan, Native American, Tao, Buddhist, and Hindu.) Karen is a holistic provider of energy modalities and owner-operator of Healing Touch of San Angelo.

Director
Mary Kirwin

I've been actively engaged in Unitarian Universalism since joining First Jefferson UU Church in Fort Worth, Texas in the mid-nineties. I attended my first women's conference in North Dallas in 2000. I organized and led a workshop to make "The Bra Quilt" at the Sisterhood Is Still Powerful 2005 conference in Houston. It was raffled that year at General Assembly in Fort Worth as a successful fundraiser for our organization. Together with my husband, Kimmel Jones, I have raised our two boys in the church. We will be experiencing an empty nest this year as our younger one graduates high school. I've served the church on many committees and board positions and have attended SWUUSI and GA over the years. As I've grown and aged I find my calling to be the creative and spiritual pursuits of teaching children's religious education and singing in the church choir. I hope to lend my experience to raise the profile of SWUUW in the DFW area as we move forward. I especially look forward to developing new friendships and relationships.

Thanks to these recent past officers:

Past Director
Rev. Kathleen Ellis
Live Oak Church
Austin, Texas

The Rev. Kathleen Ellis, a native of Shreveport, Louisiana, graduated from Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri and from Perkins Theological Seminary at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. A Unitarian Universalist long before she entered ministry in 1993, Kathleen has been active in the district and beyond since 1975. Kathleen is married to Jon Montgomery. They have four adult children: Rob and Fred Nugen, and Karina and Alicia Montgomery. Kathleen served churches in Arlington, Houston, Waco and College Station, Texas, prior to her move to Austin. She is very active in the Association and completed a term as President of the Southwest Unitarian Universalist Ministers Association in 2009. In her spare time, Kathleen enjoys singing with the Tapestry Singers, a women's choral group, and playing flute with The Bakery Jam. Visit her new BLOG.

Past Secretary (2010-11)
SWUUWCon 2012 co-convener
Lynn Young
Bay Area Unitarian Church, Houston

Lynn Young is an active member of Bay Area Unitarian Universalist Church in Houston. She currently serves as Stewardship Chair and is on the Nominating Committee. She has served on their board of directors for 4 1/2 years, two years as president. Lynn has also served on BAUUC's Worship Committee, Program Council, Finance Council, Stewardship Committee and the media campaign. Lynn has two sons, Troy, 18 and Jeremy, 11. When she does have spare time, Lynn hopes to get in some light exercise, including swimming in their pool or working out at the YMCA. She also has plans to start putting all the family pictures they have collected into scrapbooks.

Past Director (-2011)
Kathy Calhoun
First UU Church of Dallas

Past Director (2010-11)
Jennifer Wright

Past Director
Amy Youngblood
West Side UU Church Fort Worth

Amy Youngblood has served SWUUW as president, vice president, treasurer, and director. In 2006 she and Brenda Baldwin co-convened the women's conference in Fort Worth. A charter member of Westside UU Church in Fort Worth, Amy currently chairs the worship committee.

Past President (2009-10)
Gail Tittle
Bay Area UU Church Houston

Gail Tittle is a Past President of SWUUW. She was a member of Bay Area Unitarian Universalist Church in Houston, where she has chaired and served on numerous committees. She recently served as Co-Chair of the Fellowship Council. She served on the Steering Committee of the International Convocation of Unitarian Universalist Women and chaired the Local Committee for the Convocation. Gail is a licensed social worker. She is married to Rev. Dr. Matt Tittle and has two sons, Alex (18) and Andy (13).

Past President (2008-09)
Mary Overton
First UU Church of Dallas

Mary Overton is a Past President of SWUUW. She was also the Executive Director of the First International UU Women's Convocation. She currently serves on the Board of the UU United Nations Office in New York City and is Co-chair of the Communications Committee and Chair of the Nominations Committee. Mary lives in Dallas, Texas and is a member of the First Unitarian Church of Dallas where she serves on the Board of the Social Action Council.

Last Updated (Monday, 12 September 2011 07:01)