Aisha was born in Alexandria, Egypt. Her family moved to the United States when she was a toddler, and consequently, didn’t learn English until right before kindergarten. Aisha started her professional career in  social work, but she soon became involved in the religious education program in the first UU congregation she attended. There was born her love of religious education. Aisha is a Credentialed Religious Educator at the Master Level.

Term: July 2020-23

Aisha uses she / her pronouns

 Prior to serving East Shore Unitarian Church in 2013, Aisha was Director of Religious Education in two east coast churches. In one congregation she also held the position of Urban Community Ministry Coordinator. This dual role afforded her the opportunity to combine justice work with religious education and to practice true “Faith in Action.”

Aisha also served as Children and Families Program Director for the UUA. There she worked with the faith development team publishing the Tapestry of Faith curriculum. Aisha is active in the Liberal Religious Educators Association and an active member of the Unitarian Universalist community of ministers and religious educators of color.

Email: president@lreda.org

Term: July 2023-26

Katharine uses they / them pronouns

Katharine is a UU Religious Educator, storyteller, and curriculum writer. They serve Unitarian Universalism on the traditional territory of the Kanien’keha:ka people as the Director of Religious Explorations at the Unitarian Church of Montreal in Montreal, QC. They are a former chair of CUURE (Canadian UU Religious Educators), and the former continental conference planning chair for LREDA. A graduate of Montreal’s Concordia University Theatre program, Katharine is an accomplished storyteller and writer of social justice fairy tales. Their stories have been shared and told in over a dozen UU congregations internationally.

An enthusiastic cyclist, amateur singer, and all-around lovable weirdo, Katharine annually churns out a half dozen pairs of hand knit socks in meetings and conferences, a tally that has only increased since all their work went online.

Email: presidentelect@lreda.org

Lauren has served as Director of Children, Youth and Family Ministries at First Universalist Church of Minneapolis since 2012.  Prior to her work as a religious educator, Lauren was a Marriage & Family Therapist and worked with non-profit organizations in the LGBTQ+, HIV/AIDS and recovery communities. In her free time, Lauren enjoys walking her dog in all weather, reading, painting rocks, gardening, and spending time with her wife and their two young adult sons.

Term: July 2021-24

Lauren uses she / her pronouns

 Lauren believes in leveraging our UU theology to shape communities that value authenticity, interdependence, and liberation. Her work at First Universalist has included: developing curriculum to help the whole family prepare for and celebrate kids’ milestones; introducing anti-racist and anti-oppressive religious education policies, practices, and classes; facilitating brave and necessary conversations with children and youth; co-creating worship for all ages; and nurturing a “community of communities” (inspired by Paula Cole Jones). 

Lauren is profoundly grateful for prophetic colleagues who opened her to a deeper understanding of the pervasive destructiveness of white supremacy culture and, more importantly, to the possibility of liberation found in the Beloved Community. She is passionate about the power of shared ministry, and curious about how our organizations and congregations can evolve to better embody our values and aspirations. She is currently working on developing spiritual and pastoral resources to support children, youth and families in times of transition, struggle and crisis.

Email: vicepresident@lreda.org

Term: July 2020-23

Tuli uses she / her pronouns

Tuli has been a religious educator in UU congregations for the past 17 years. She has a formal background in teaching and education. She brings a wealth of experience to the position of Treasurer. Tuli is currently the Executive Director of Beacon UU Congregation in Summit, holding portfolios of Lifespan Faith Development and financial management.

Email: treasurer@lreda.org

Term: July 2022-25

Tim uses he / him pronouns

Tim serves as the Director of Lifespan Religious Exploration for the First Unitarian Church in Oklahoma City. He has previously served as the Director of Lifespan Religious Education at Cedar Lane Unitarian Universalist Church in Bethesda, MD and the Morristown (NJ) Unitarian Fellowship. He currently serves on the UUA Nominating Committee and has previously served as a UUA Trustee, the Church of the Larger Fellowship as their Director of Social Media, and as a youth advisor and Religious Education teacher at his former home congregation in Atlanta. 

He spends his spare time writing, playing board games, trying to change the world, and attempting to reason with his cats Teddy and Dorothea.

Email: secretary@lreda.org

Term: July 2022-25

Courtney uses she / her pronouns

Courtney  is a lifelong UU, who grew up attending the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Springfield, MO. She graduated from Truman State University with a Bachelors of Art in History. Courtney has previously served for over 10 years as the Director of Religious Education at the UU Fellowship of Montgomery. Currently she is the Director of Lifespan Faith Development for the Unitarian Universalist Church of Birmingham. Previously, she has served on the UUA Appointments Committee, the Mid South District Religious Education Committee, as well as the Southeast Chapter of the Liberal Religious Educators Association as vice president and then president. She is also an Our Whole Lives Facilitator - Junior and Senior High.

Email: continentalevents@lreda.org

Kirsten is a divorced mom, lives in Portsmouth, NH with her teenage son, and welcomes frequent visits from her adult son who is in school in New York City. She needs to have her hands in the dirt as often as possible and enjoys walks, especially those she can share with her sweetheart, Eric, and her dog Holly.

Term: July 2021-24

Kirsten uses she / her pronouns

Kirsten Hunter grew up in Setauket, NY on a historic farm, and is a lifelong UU who was very active in YRUU youth community as a teen and young adult. She spent the first ten years of her adulthood in Albuquerque, New Mexico where she earned a BA in linguistics and signed language interpreting, and a master’s degree in special education from The University of New Mexico. She worked as an educator in the Albuquerque public school system for several years before moving back east to manage her family’s educational farm. Her work on the farm deepened Kirsten’s appreciation for experiential education and the importance of long term relationships in teaching and learning.

After moving away from the farm in 2010, she sought to recreate the community she left by returning to a UU congregation where, with great delight, she fell into the position of DRE. Kirsten earned credentialed status in 2018 and is deeply committed to our Unitarian Universalist principles as a path toward collective liberation.  

Email: leadershipdevelopment@lreda.org

Term: July 2022-23

Lauren uses she / her pronouns

Lauren  has served as a religious educator at the First Parish of Watertown for 11 years. She first discovered her love of UU Religious Education as a youth advisor, RE teacher, and children’s choir director at the First Parish in Framingham, where she volunteered for many years before answering the call to serve the UU faith as a DRE.

Lauren’s previous job experience was in education. She taught in high schools for the Deaf, in residential treatment programs, and at a Reggio Emilio-inspired preschool. For most of her time in education she was a sex ed and English teacher. She is fluent in American Sign Language, is a creator and crafter, and brings all her prior experience to her Religious Education work. From handcrafted Spirit Play boxes containing needle-felted and knitted creatures to original stories and creative lesson plans, Lauren finds a lot of joy in weaving all her skills into one calling.

Lauren believes that the Unitarian Universalist faith is what the world needs. The loving, expansive theology of Unitarian Universalism beckons us all to sit at the table and learn deeply from one another, and Lauren is a little humbled by being a small part of the system that allows it to get to the people who need it.

Email: professionalsupport@lreda.org

 She is committed with all her heart to ensuring that Unitarian Universalism lives up to its theology in welcoming ALL people, and pushing UUs forward in the path of admitting our shortcomings in welcoming and serving BIPOC, Trans, Nonbinary, and Queer folk, people with disabilities, and others holding oppressed minority identities. Her work begins first and foremost right in her own heart and soul.