I am a fifth generation Chicagoan with roots in the South Side. I spent much of my childhood growing up in the suburb of Elmhurst, IL where I attended high school, college, and worked for over a decade in the local pharmacy and at the town library.

My spiritual upbringing was quite diverse, ranging from Catholicism to Wicca to several new religious and spiritual movements. Unitarian Universalism has always been the anchor in my life. It was at the UU church where I spent my formative years that I heard the call to ministry.

It was my great privilege to serve two amazing congregations as a ministerial intern and resident for three years. Two of those years were spent at Unity Temple in Oak Park, IL (2012-2014), and the remaining year was at First Parish in Concord, MA (2014-2015). In 2015, I was called to be your minister here in Lexington!

In addition to being a fellowshipped and ordained Unitarian Universalist minister, I am also a trained Wild Church pastor with the Wild Church Network. Reconnecting people with nature is profound spiritual work, especially as our world faces the emerging climate crisis.

I am deeply interested in Transcendentalism, non-theistic paths, and non-dualistic spiritualities.

I am an active Zen practitioner rooted in communities affiliated with Pacific Zen Institute and Zen Peacemakers International. I love bringing Zen and Unitarian Universalism together and encouraging people to be present to their one life. You can often find me serving as the timekeeper for my zendo, Bluegrass Zen.

Outside of church life and ministry, I enjoy reading, travel, hiking, long distance running, playing the violin, and exploring new places. I am a fan of Chicago sports - especially cheering for the Chicago White Sox! You can also find me cheering for the Australia National Cricket Team.

I’m a proud nerd and love tabletop RPGs and anything to do with fantasy and science fiction. My husband, Dan, and I are avid comic book fans and boast a collection of over 16,000 comics. We love dogs and have been the proud owners of a Rottweiler and now a Pitsky.

I grew up in a small town in Southwestern Ohio where I enjoyed my involvement in church youth activities of the local United Methodist Church. If there was a call to the ministry back then, it was very subtle. Through my undergraduate years at Ohio State, I explored many faith communities finding something beautiful in each. Still, none resonated with my evolving sense of faith, community, and action.

My father died while I was still in college, which led me to return to my hometown and succeed him in a family business. It convinced me that there is room for ministry in almost every field. For me, that meant helping our financial planning clients connect with what matters most. It was never “money.” The idea of aligning resources with what matters most for individuals helped define the last four decades of my life.

About three decades ago, I discovered Unitarian Universalism in Cincinnati. The faith community there has both supported and challenged me. There, I met and married my life partner, Barb. There, we watched our two children become principled young adults. And there, I found the courage to “lean into” the next chapter of my life where I hope to broaden my impact – using the privilege that I enjoy to serve a greater good.

In 2018, I enrolled at Meadville Lombard School of Theology. I expect to graduate with a Master’s in Divinity in May of 2024. In the meantime, I am excited to serve as an intern minister at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Lexington.

I have been involved with UUCL since 2001, a member since 2002, and the Director of Music since 2009. My broad range of musical experiences includes a lifetime as a church musician, involvement with women’s choral groups, and many years as a self-employed soloist, pianist, and music educator.

I have been involved in non profit administrative work since 2012, including at a music academy for financially disadvantaged students, animal shelters and a conservation organization working to preserve equine land around the USA. I love working with organizations that are making a positive difference in their communities and the world. I also continue to enjoy my longtime work as a singer and private music teacher and stay busy at home with my lovably crazy group of two and four-legged family members.

I learned about Unitarian Universalism at UUCL in the early 1980s. I knew without doubt that I wanted to be a minister, but did not think I would ever “fit the mold” until I connected with the Unitarian Universalist Societies for Community Ministries (UUSCM). I graduated from Lexington Theological Seminary with the call to being a community minister, rather than a parish minister. My ministry is dedicated to old people, for indeed I am on a mission to bring back the worth and dignity to the word “old.” 

I founded The Legacy Home Ministry, which is cooperative living for aging women with low wealth.  I serve on the Board of Directors of Healing Moments Alzheimer’s Ministry. I am also an active participant in the Poor People’s Campaign: A Call to Moral Revival. To earn my living, I am the co-owner of ParentCareKY working as a professional geriatric care manager. My hobbies include getting dirty in my gardens, dabbling in painting and mixed media, and playing flute in March Madness Marching Band.

As UUCL's affiliated Community Minister, my ministry is served outside the walls of the congregation - since 2014 as a full-time chaplain at University of Kentucky HealthCare here in Lexington, with oncology as my clinical focus. UUCL ordained me to the Unitarian Universalist ministry during the record snowstorm in January 2016.

Between 2009 and 2014, I served as a chaplain in Denver, CO, did two years of clinical chaplain residencies in Hawaii and Alaska, and interned in hospice care in Boulder, CO. I also served as the Director of Religious Education at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Boulder from 2007 to 2009, and Intern Minister at First Unitarian Society of Denver from 2012 to 2013. I graduated from the Iliff School of Theology in Denver in 2014. A native of northeastern Ohio, I now make my home in Berea with my husband, Rev. Kent Gilbert.

I began working as a political activist and fundraiser in 1981, and served as a UU minister from 1991 to 1998. I received my BA in American Studies from Florida State University and my Master of Divinity from Starr King School for the Ministry in Berkeley, CA. Since 2009, I have been serving as the representative for Kentucky's 75th district.