BOARD for 2024 – 2025:

PRESIDENT: Steven Peterson

I am a Norse Pagan, though I am a solo practitioner not affiliated with any kindred or groups of other Norse Pagans. I am an Air Force veteran. I identify as a queer male, pansexual. I have been working in Human Services for almost 20 years. During that time, I have served as a Union Steward and a Union Sub-local officer.

This, in spite of the fact that I was raised in a conservative Christian, far-right, anti-union household. My parents were missionaries, so I graduated from high school abroad and I attended (but eventually dropped out from) a Pentecostal seminary in Tokyo. As I began searching for my own path, I delved into Buddhism and was exposed to Shinto, I dabbled in Wicca, I studied European and Jewish occult and mystical traditions, until I was finally drawn to the Norse traditions of my Scandinavian heritage. I have been in and out of Unitarian Universalist circles since the late ’90s, frequently on the periphery without getting too close until recently.

After a poorly matched marriage and subsequent divorce, I felt it was time to make changes in my life. A few months later, I joined the Pacific Unitarian Universalist fellowship, and quickly found myself making connections and becoming involved. I met my current wife here, and together we are an active part of the local CUUPS (Covenant of UU Pagans) chapter.

VICE-PRESIDENT:  Kelli Mack

She/Her

In 2021, my husband, our two children, and our three dogs embarked on a journey to the Oregon Coast from Vancouver, WA, drawn by the peace and natural beauty this land so abundantly provides.

For as long as I can remember, I have been a seeker on the spiritual path. My personal practice is woven from many traditions and schools of thought, reflecting a deep reverence for the wisdom they offer. I am a dedicated yogini, meditator, flow artist, and magical practitioner, as well as an avid reader and lifelong learner. The wild, untamed spirit of the forest calls to me, and I am deeply connected to the plants and fungi that inhabit its sacred spaces. Clean, intentional cooking and movement nourish my body, while nature, yogic practices, and music are my portals to the Divine.

My journey with PUUF began in 2021 when I discovered the CUUPs Solstice gathering. From that moment, I felt a profound resonance with the fellowship’s message and its welcoming embrace of all spiritual seekers. The community here is a blessing, and I am honored to serve alongside such a beautiful gathering of souls.

SECRETARY: Laura Gordon

I was raised in the Pacific Unitarian Church in California, named as much for the nearby ocean as for the principle of peace. I was a lapsed (!) UU until I needed my people when cruelty became the norm after the election of 2016. That each of us is inherently worthy and deserving of love and care has been the guiding truth I have strived to meet, previously in my career as a physician, and now in retirement. I love that we as UUs have fully articulated our values with love at the center. I am proud to be part of and to serve the diverse, beloved community of PUUF.

TREASURER: Dave Ambrose

I grew up in northeast Pennsylvania, third generation of immigrants from eastern Europe. After engineering college, I moved to the west coast to work in the aerospace industry. The call of adventure took me into the Peace Corps to the Philippines where I spent ten years working in the agriculture industry. Returning to the USA, I moved to Astoria in the late 1980s. I spend my time playing music, painting, volunteering for various organizations, and reviving old sports cars.

AT LARGE MEMBERS:

Frank Erickson

I grew up in a Lutheran family in Florissant, Missouri in the 1960’s, falling out of thrall with organized religions shortly after finishing the catechism, becoming eventually atheist. I am now a retired radiologist who near the end of a 30 year career became committed to reforming the U.S. health care model to counter the destructive effects of our for-profit insurance industry. I went from being too busy to get involved to joining the Mad As Hell Doctors in 2011, gathering testimonials throughout Oregon, giving testimony in Salem and in Washington, D.C. in favor of single payer health care bills and spoke to numerous groups to promote the Health Care for All Oregon agenda. In the wake of the 2016 election of an astoundingly unfit person as president, my wife Laura and I sought local fellowship to support and defend our shared philosophy which I was pleased to see manifest in the UU Seven Principles. I recall a profound sense of being among like minds on our first PUUF Sunday service at the Pacific Arts Center in Astoria in the fall of 2017. I have found some comfort in these troubling times by continuing to have a place to hear and share our hopes and fears, joys and sorrows. I hope to be able to continue to contribute some useful work toward maintaining and growing the Fellowship through serving on the Board. I have been serving as our Zoom-meeting proctor since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and webmaster for our PUUF website and Facebook page.

Becky Thormahlen

I am a Pacific Northwest native. I have kept my feet gently planted in our precious NorthWest for my entire life but for a 10 year journey in Central America. I was lovingly embraced by a small NW Unitarian congregation 30 years ago and have since considered the UU my home and my family. My life has evolved around animal welfare. I have been the unwavering voice for those that cannot be understood or suffer from peoples’ refusal to listen.

Meredith Richardson

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