SWUUW Officers

Welcome and congratulations to our newly elected slate of officers for 2013-14!

President (2012-14) This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
A life-long Unitarian Universalist, I have been involved off-and-on with many UU churches since "going off" to college in 1985 and balancing other interests and activities. Recently, the wish to give my young children a "church home" has spurred me to be more involved at Community Unitarian Universalist Church in Plano, Texas. Thanks in great part to the encouragement of my mother, Kay Witt, I have participated in SWUUW several times in the past, including the ICUUW Convocation in Houston in 2009, "Standing on the Side of Love" SWUUW conference in 2010, "Exploring the UUniverse of Women's Spirituality" in 2012 and helped with the planning committee for the "Generation Nexxt" conference in 2011. I also participated in the amazing 1991 SWUUW Conference that featured Dr. Rebecca Parker. These experiences plus curiosity and oppenness towards different religious traditions has enriched my life, and I enjoy the opportunity SWUUW provides to share time and energy with other UU women. In other lives, I am kept busy with family activities (active husband and two girls ages 5 & 9) as well as my job as an Environmental Protection Specialist at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 6 in Dallas, Texas.
President-Elect (2013-14) Jude Olson
Thirty years ago, I gratefully ‘found’ my spiritual home at the UU church in Palo Alto, CA--where I also married my husband, Bernie, and ‘named’ my first daughter, Kristen. We moved to Fort Worth, Texas for our careers and a small town to raise a family. Professionally, I am a ‘change’ coach, teacher and writer. My hobbies include reading, movies and neighborhood activism! In FW, I joined First Jefferson UU church where we ‘named’ my second daughter, Kari. I especially enjoyed the “Spiritual Growth Group,” women’s circles and the R.E. program. I became an O.W.L. teacher, helped build a playground with the congregation, and was a lay leader on Sundays. After serving on a ministerial search committee, the Ministry Committee and the Board, I became President of FJUUC. We successfully received NTAUUS grants to enable our growth and enrich R.E. I have attended SWUUW conferences along the way and especially enjoyed Corpus Christi—where I was reunited with alumni and then, made new friends in the ”Triple R” workshop I facilitated. Now, I look forward to working with the Board of Officers to support the Tulsa conference and beyond! I am very open to your ideas and feedback. Thanks for your very warm welcome. -- Jude Olson, PhD, ACC
Secretary Lisa Kamuf
I am new member of the Community Church Unitarian Universalist congregation in New Orleans, LA. When we walked in through the CCUU doors we knew we had found a home. A progressive church open to new ideas yet respectful to the past work of others. So there is no surprise on how delighted I was when fellow members of my church decided to attend SWUUW 2013, all of us for the first time. The event did not disappoint and left quite an impression on the three of us. While there I was reviewing info at the SWUUW booth when Kay Witt zoomed in. She told me about the many opportunities the Board offered and when she found I out I was from Louisiana she quickly noted there was no representation from our state. It was a good sell. I thought why not? If I can bring something to the table and help our women in fellowship enjoy future conferences, then I'm in.

Member At-Large Jeannie Lewis
San Marcos/Comal County

Member At-Large Debbie Cannatella
Debbie Cannatella joined the SWUUW board in 2013 after being the Convener for the 2013 SWUUW Conference "Making Waves". Debbie joined the UU church in 1996 and was an active member for 9 years at the Unitarian Church of Baton Rouge with women's circles, women's curricula such as Cakes and Rise Up, Senior Youth and their youth Passages programs. She was a facilitator for Meetings at the Moon for adolescent girls and their female guardians. After remarrying and moving to Oak Park, Illinois in 2005, she joined Unity Temple, facilitated Cakes and Rise Up programs, and helped organize Women's Retreats for the UU Women's Connection. After moving to Tyler Texas in 2007, Debbie served on the Board of Directors at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Tyler, TX and was a worship associate for UUFT where she gave talks/sermons for the fellowships in East Texas. In 2009 she moved with her husband to Corpus Christi, Texas. She is currently a member of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Corpus Christi (U2C3) and is serving as Board Trustee for the 2011-2013 term. She is a graduate of the 2012 Dwight Brown Leadership Experience, is active in worship, plays in the church band, "Thoreau Rocks", and is active in social justice events in Corpus Christi. Debbie is the mother of two adult daughters (34 & 35), two step-sons (15 & 17), and three grandchildren. She is an award winning full time watercolor artist, teaching classes and travels to teach watercolor workshops Nationally.

Treasurer This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Director At-Large Rachel Finley
Rachel Finley began attending the UU Church of Little Rock with her family in 2008. Excited to have found a church community that would support her children's faith development, she jumped in with both feet. She enjoyed volunteering at the monthly Coffee House, and serving as a Youth Advisor and At-large Board member. She is currently serving UUCLR as the Director of Religious Education. Rachel is the mother of four children, 2 dogs, a cat, and 5 chickens. She also homeschools her oldest child and coaches girl's soccer. She has found SWUUW Con to be a wonderful opportunity to celebrate herself as a woman, strengthen bonds, and explore her faith more deeply without the distractions of her everyday roles.
Director At-Large 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 At-Large 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. I've served the church on many committees and board positions and have attended SWUUSI and GA over the years. Now in my third year as a board member, I hope to lend my experience to raise the profile of SWUUW in the DFW area. I especially look forward to developing new friendships and relationships.
Thanks to these recent past officers:
Past President (2012-13) President (2011-12) Carol Currie
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.
Secretary (2012-13) Faith Garlington Church of the Restoration UU, Tulsa, OK
I recently joined the Church of the Restoration UU in Tulsa, OK, and I am so excited to be a part of a vibrant community of social justice-minded liberal thinkers. I have been a passionate activist for the past decade through participating in peace marches in Washington, D.C. and Ft. Benning, GA, serving as a nonviolent accompaniment in Colombia, working as a field organizer for the President’s 2008 Election Campaign, working at the League of Women Voters, and volunteering as a Kiva Fellow in Cameroon, West Africa. I chose an undergraduate college that is comprised of only female students, so I learned early on the high value of seeking out supportive female networks. That’s what drew me to SWUUW, and I am eager to contribute to this community of strong, dedicated women.
Past Treasurer Kay Witt All Souls Unitarian Church, Tulsa, Oklahoma
Kay is a 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.
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 in 2012-13.
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.

2012-13 Officers

Past President- Carol Currie
President- Nikole Witt
President Elect-
Secretary- Faith Garlington
Treasurer- Su Waner
At large members:
Kay Witt
Karen McGinnis
Mary Kirwin
Rachel Finley

Last Updated (Wednesday, 03 April 2013 07:00)

SWUUW Officers

Thanks to these recent past officers: