Leadership

Overview

Leadership

Officer Roles of the Board of Trustees:

Moderator – John Ehrmann (2024)
Vice Moderator – Cheryll Paull (2024)
Treasurer – Morti Longsdorf (2024)
Secretary – Peter Christensen (2026)

Contact Emails:

Board of Trustees – board@firstuniversalist.org
Moderator – moderator@firstuniversalist.org
Vice Moderator – vicemoderator@firstuniversalist.org

Board of Trustees:

John Ehrmann Moderator (2024)
Cheryll Paull, Vice Moderator (2024)
Morti Longsdorf, Treasurer (2024)
Peter Christensen, Secretary (2026)
Josephine Hehnke (2025)
Paul Hoskins (2025)
Toni Nading (2026)
Christian Onsager (2025)
Dee Sweeney (2026)
Rev. Eric Banner, ex officio non-voting member

Morti Longsdorf was elected at a Special Congregational Meeting on 9/27/20 for a term ending 6/30/24. Due to the extraordinary circumstances surrounding the pandemic, this extended term was a departure from the process yet is also covered under the bylaws, Article VI Section 6 of the bylaws in effect in September 2020. Contact us at board@firstuniversalist.org

Conversations with the Board

On the second Sunday of each month, we offer a breakout discussion as part of our weekly Virtual Coffee Hour. This is an informal venue for information sharing or questions you may have about Board-related topics (governance, oversight, discernment, strategy, or management). The Coffee Hour opens at 11:00am, and the breakout sessions start around 11:15am. Get instructions on joining here.

Board Meetings & Minutes

The Board meets monthly on the first Thursday of the month at 6:30 p.m. and members of the congregation are welcome to attend. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the meetings have been moved online. To attend, please send an email to board@firstuniversalist.org, and we will reply with instructions.

Minutes from Board meetings for the current and prior church year are available here. To request access to minutes from past years, please email us at board@firstuniversalist.org.

The Board of Trustees (BoT) is elected by the congregation at the spring congregational meeting. There are typically nine members on the Board serving staggered three-year terms. Officers for the coming year are elected by the Board to a one-year term at the first Board meeting after the beginning of the new fiscal year which starts July 1 every year.

Nominations & Committee on Shared Ministry

Church Leadership

At each Spring Congregational Meeting, the membership of our congregation elects new leaders for three elected committees: the Board of Trustees, the Nominations Committee, and the Committee on Shared Ministry. The leaders serve staggered terms for stability and continuity of leadership. The current members of each elected committee are listed below with the end of their term listed in parenthesis.

Committee on Shared Ministry – email

Cindy Kreek (2024)
Gary Reser (2024)
Betsy Rogers (2025)
Kay Stevenson (2025)
Diane Butler (2026)
Sheila Nitzel (2026)

Committee on Shared Ministry (COSM) typically has six lay members. The professional ministers are ex officio (non-voting) members. Lay members are elected for three-year terms with the election of two new members to the committee each year. The committee works with the ministerial staff and lay leaders to evaluate and promote the overall effectiveness of the ministry of the congregation.

Click here to read the Charter.

Nominations Committee – email

James Paull (2025) – Chair
Sharon Butz (2024)
Ida Merritt (2024)
Jean James (2025)
Kathy Crawley (2026)
Alan Schlessman (2026)

Nominations Committee (NomCom) is composed of six members, two of whom are elected, for three-year terms. The Nominations Committee publicizes, solicits, and submits the names of all qualified candidates for vacant positions on the Board of Trustees, the Committee on Shared Ministry, and the Nominations Committee.

Click here to read the Charter.

Standing Board Committees

Please find below the names and contact information of our five Standing Board Committees, who report directly to the Board of Trustees:

Standing Committee on Human Resources

HR@firstuniversalist.org

Members:

Rick Granquist – Chair
Ed Durso
Mary Raynard
Cheryll Paull (Vice-Moderator of the Board and ex-officio non-voting member)
Katie Edwards (Executive Director and staff)

Standing Committee on Finance

finance@firstuniversalist.org

Members:

Josie Faix
Alicia Green
Ida Merritt
Nancy Oberg
Katie Edwards (Executive Director and staff)
Morti Longsdorf (Treasurer and ex-officio non-voting member)

Standing Committee on Governance

governance@firstuniversalist.org

Members:

Doug Griffes – Chair
Ed Durso
Pattie Gilmer
Ruth Hellman
Barry Mahoney
Cheryll Paull (Vice-Moderator of the Board and ex-officio non-voting member)

Click here for the Charter

Standing Committee on the Endowment

endowment@firstuniversalist.org

Members:

Tom Abood – Chair
Emily DeVore
Charlie Lyons
Morti Longsdorf (Treasurer and ex-officio non-voting member)

Standing Committee on Archives

archives@firstuniversalist.org

Members:

Paul Belden – Chair
Larry Bohning
Evan Johnson
Rev. Stephan Papa
Rev. Bill Robinson
Ann Westerberg
Cheryll Paull (Vice-Moderator of the Board and ex-officio non-voting member)

Click here for the Charter

Financial Reports

The Finance Committee of First Universalist Church meets monthly with church staff and works closely with the Board of Trustees and the Operations Council.