This Saturday the UU Humanist Association will hold its Annual Meeting. This is one of our organization’s most important events, as it gives the UUHA Board of Directors a chance to meet directly with its membership and it gives members a chance to vote on the proposed UUHA board slate.

This year will be one of our most unique Annual Meetings as well. Due to the public health concerns surrounding COVID-19, the 2020 Annual Meeting will be hosted via the Zoom Conferencing Application. Though conducted remotely, our hope is this allows far more of our members the chance to meet with us! If you are a member of the UUHA, we really hope to see you. And if you are not a member, but you are interested in the UUHA, we hope you’ll attend the meeting as well.

Instructions on how to attend the Annual Meeting via Zoom are below, as well as details on our agenda for the Meeting.

HOW TO ATTEND:

WHEN: Saturday, July 11 
TIME: 4:00pm Eastern Time (3:00pm Central Time | 2:00pm Mountain Time | 1:00pm Pacific Time)
DURATION: 60 minutes, with a possibility of going longer.
ZOOM LOGIN INSTRUCTIONS:
Join our Zoom Meeting via the link below:

https://zoom.us/j/97332367124?pwd=ZkI5TlkvVmVLWE1jMGpHSVVyZlc1QT09

Meeting ID: 973 3236 7124
Password: UUHA

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Meeting ID: 973 3236 7124

Find your local number: https://zoom.us/u/abXGhlXOI8

MEETING AGENDA:

Opening Remarks
UUHA President Amanda Poppei, along with other Board members, will welcome attendees by discussing the UUHA’s progress as an organization in the last year. They will also discuss where the organization stands in a dramatically changing world, why that makes the UUHA relevant, and will also present a greater vision for the next year.

Presentation: Humanists of Past and Present
Ordinarily the UUHA selects a Religious Humanist of the Year, who often attends the meeting and gives a presentation pertinent to their outstanding work. This year, in lieu of honoring just one person, the Board will give a presentation highlighting significant humanist figures of the past and of today, showing the history and the legacy of religious humanism the UUHA is advancing.

Board Slate Elections
The election of new board members is the most vital part of Annual Meeting business. A nomination committee, charged by the UUHA Board of directors, has worked hard to present a slate of outstanding UUHA members and leaders of the UU Humanist community to fill openings in the UUHA Board of Directors. All active members of the UU Humanist Association have voting privileges. (Not yet a member? Consider joining or renewing.) The proposed Board slate that will be voted on, along with brief bios of proposed board members, is listed below.

Opening the Virtual “Floor”
This is the chance for members and non-members alike to speak at the Annual Meeting. If you have questions about the UUHA, proposals for future work, or personal touchpoints or insights you feel resonate with anything discussed at the meeting, we want to hear from you!

PROPOSED ELECTION SLATE:

Below is the list of open positions, term details, and a brief bio for each proposed addition to the UUHA Board of Directors:

PRESIDENT OF THE UUHA: LEIKA LEWIS-CORNWELL

• TERM: 2 Years (July 2020 - June 2022)
• ABOUT LEIKA:Leika Lewis-Cornwell is a consultant and a minister in formation, pursuing her Masters of Divinity online through Chicago Theological Seminary. She is currently serving as the Summer Minister for the Unitarian Universalist Church of Annapolis as she ends a two-year ministerial internship with the congregation. As a strategy and leadership consultant, Leika has engaged with organizations in DC and across the nation to help them grow toward their best versions. Leika’s humanism is rooted in the liminality of deep space, although she confesses to hugging the occasional tree. Leika comes to this role from the UUHA position of At-Large Member, and she looks forward to a bright future ahead for the UUHA!

VICE-PRESIDENT OF THE UUHA: JAMES WITKER

• TERM: 2 Years (July 2020 - June 2022)
• ABOUT JAMES: James Witker is a member of the Unitarian Universalist Community Church of Santa Monica, where he serves as a leader of the Faith In Action and AAHS (Atheists, Agnostics, Humanists, and Secularists) groups. A long-time member and champion of the UUHA, James comes to this role from his position as an At-Large Member of the UUHA. When he’s not traveling to promote humanism or spending time with his spouse and infant son, James works as a producer and editor in film, TV, and documentaries.

AT-LARGE MEMBER: MARTIN WOULFE

• TERM: 3 Years (July 2020 - June 2023)
• ABOUT MARTIN: Rev. Martin Woulfe has served as the minister of the Abraham Lincoln UU Church of Springfield since 2003. He has identified as a religious humanist since his days at Meadville/Lombard Theological School. He earned a Master of Divinity from Meadville/Lombard in 1998. His wife Angela is from Spain & works for the State of Illinois. They have one daughter, Celeste, who will soon be a senior at St Louis University. Throughout his career, Martin has been active with local interfaith groups and social justice efforts, especially related to promoting racial justice and LGBTQ issues.

AT-LARGE MEMBER: JEN RAFFENSPERGER

• TERM: 3 Years (July 2020 - June 2023)
• ABOUT JEN: Jen Raffensperger is pursuing her Master of Divinity degree at Meadville Lombard Theological School. A strong naturalist with a pragmatically humanistic approach, Jen also brings to the UUHA her years of experience working as a religious educator and OWL facilitator for children and youth.

AT-LARGE MEMBER: BLASIE NTAKARUTIMANA

• TERM: 3 Years (July 2020 - June 2023)
• ABOUT BLASIE: Blasie is a standout in the UUHA’s Ambassador Program with a long history of building humanist communities, beginning in his native Burundi. We are particularly excited for Blasie to bring the perspective of humanists whose country of origin is outside the US, as the UUHA continues to expand its reach.

COMMUNICATIONS AND OUTREACH ADVISOR: ALIX KLINGENBERG

• TERM: 3 Years (July 2020 - June 2023)
• ABOUT ALIX: Rev. Alix Klingenberg is a community-focused minister in two Massachusetts congregations, and brings to the UUHA some wonderful ideas about how we can reach out to humanists, including youth and young adults. In addition to her work as a humanist minister, Alix is also a writer, designer, and photographer. In her newly-created role as Communications and Outreach Advisor, Alix will be responsible for programming and efforts to promote the UUHA and UU Humanism within and outside of Unitarian Universalism.

CHAPLIN TO THE UUHA: CHRISTIAN SCHMIDT

• TERM: 3 Years (July 2020 - June 2023)
• ABOUT CHRISTIAN: Rev. Christian Schmidt most recently shared a co-ministry in Berkeley with his wife, and is now living in Maryland and remotely ministering to the UUs in College Station, Texas. Christian has a very broad, modernist perspective of humanism, and his approach will appeal to humanists across the spectrum of experience. In his newly-created role as UUHA Chaplain, Christian will be responsible for programming to support the personal growth of humanists, and for coordinating resources for humanist chaplains and ministers.

UUHA LIAISON: JOHN HOOPER

• TERM: 2 Years (July 2020 - June 2022)
• ABOUT JOHN: A former president of the UUHA, John Hooper is well-known and well-respected across the humanist community. In his newly-created role as UUHA Liaison, John will engage with humanist organizations and the UUA, working with the UUHA Board and Executive Team to develop partnerships and help the UUHA increase its profile.