First Universalist Church of Minneapolis is governed by a nine-member Board of Trustees. The Board meets on the third Thursday of each month except July. Board meeting materials can be found here.
Additional documents and information related to church governance, such as annual reports and church finances, can be found on the Church Governance page.
Contact the Board: boardchair@firstuniv.org
2023–2024 Board of Trustees
President: Jeff Snyder
Jeff and his wife Karen’s first engagement with Unitarian Universalism came with the encouragement of their teenage son Elliott and led to their joining First Unitarian Universalist of Rochester in 2009. While at First Unitarian Universalist, Jeff was a member of the Finance Committee as well as serving on the Board of Directors as Treasurer. Looking for a change as they started retirement, Jeff and Karen moved to Minneapolis in 2014 and joined First Universalist soon after their arrival. Since becoming a member of First Universalist, Jeff has been member of the Welcome team, the Community Investment Team and is currently a member of the Faithful Action Council and Environmental Justice Teams. Outside of First Universalist, Jeff is a long-time board member of Minnesota Unitarian Universalist Social Justice Alliance.
Vice President: Sarah Hedge
Sarah has been attending First Universalist since 2002. Her three children have been Religious Education participants and staff: Hirut (21), Helen (18), and Binyam (15). Over the years, Sarah has been involved in a variety of ways at church: advocating for anti-racist practices with the Change Team, co-facilitating and chaperoning Youth Cultural Exchange, teaching 7th grade Neighboring Faiths, serving as chaperone on the high school Boston Pilgrimage, and many years ago, facilitating the Young Adult Group. Sarah is a special education resource teacher, currently focused on including kindergarteners with a variety of disabilities in mainstream classrooms, at a community school in Minneapolis Public Schools. She continuously strives to bring a lens of equity and access to all she does.
Treasurer: Marc Gorelick
Marc became a UU in the early 1990s, and started coming to First Universalist shortly after moving to Minneapolis in 2017. He is particularly drawn to First Universalist’s focus on anti-racism and racial justice. At his previous churches in Wilmington, DE, and Brookfield, WI, he has taught RE, served on ministerial search, bylaws, and auction committees as well as the Board of Trustees including a term as president. A pediatric emergency medicine physician by training, he is currently chief executive
officer of Children’s Minnesota. When not working, Marc enjoys running, cycling, homebrewing, and playing tuba in the Minnesota Freedom Band.
Secretary: Matt Keller
Matt has been attending First Universalist since 2009. Two of his three daughters, Sophie and Tess, attended Religious Education up through the OWL program. Matt has been involved in UU volunteering since joining. He was a Religious Education teacher for five years; helped in strategic planning around the Sunday morning experience; was on Rev. Ruth’s advisor group as she readied herself for ministry; and is currently a Care Companion. Matt works in children’s publishing and plays trombone in a couple of bands. He loves the mission and activist nature of First Universalist and believes that you need to get involved in your own unique way to make a difference for yourself and others.
Cathy Geist
Cathy became a member of First Universalist in 2018 after attending the church for several years. As she continued to attend the Sunday services and get to know some of the congregation, she began to have a sense of coming home to a church that truly nurtured her spirituality. She enjoyed being a part of the Soul Matters group (2018) and the Wellspring program (2018–19) and has also participated in some activities with the Environmental Justice Team. Professionally, Cathy was a teacher for more than 40 years. Initially she taught high school biology and then became a teacher in the Safe and Drug Free Schools Program in St. Paul Public Schools. After earning a graduate degree in Conservation Biology in 1997, she became a Biology/Environmental Science instructor at a local community college. At the heart of her teaching is her love for all of life. Cathy has been especially happy to see and learn about the seventh principle of Unitarian Universalism: Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.
Emily Bijnagte (bye-knock-tuh)
Emily and her family became members in June 2019 and have been so thankful to have this foundational community through the pandemic and ever-changing world since then. Emily has dabbled in small groups and events and greeting at church and is excited to become more involved
through the Board. Her husband Dylan often greets and her children have done RE and worked at the church. Emily is a User Experience (UX) professional with over 20 years in the industry building and creating digital experiences for all audiences. She is currently taking a break from full-time employment to focus on her family and to where love is calling her next. She brings her passion for user-centered design to the Board and is excited to learn and support the Board and congregation.
Ilo Leppik
Ilo has been a Unitarian since he met Peggy more than 57 years ago. He joined FUS due to encouragement from his son, David. This has given him the joy of seeing his grandchildren Sylvia and Ian participate in church activities as they were growing up. Ilo enjoys being a greeter on Sundays
and getting to know many of the wonderful members of the church. He is a neurologist specializing in epilepsy and is a Professor of Pharmacy and Neurology at the University of Minnesota. Past relevant experience includes board membership of both national and local non-profits. He shares: “These are turbulent times for us and we face many challenges. But we have always been in times of change, and survived, and I am optimistic that we will prosper in the future as we make appropriate responses to the issues.”
Lou Quast
Lou has been attending First Universalist since about 1995, and came here after a dozen years at First Unitarian Society, where he and his late wife Sharon were married. Lou has two daughters, Isabel and Louisa, both of whom participated in the Religious Education program through high school. Lou has served on a number of committees, and has sung in the choir for more than 20 years. Lou is on the faculty in the College of Education at the U of M. He enjoys bird watching and time with his family up at the lake cabin. He believes deeply in the core principles of Unitarian Universalism, and hopes to contribute to helping the congregation continue to make progress on our important mission in our community and the world.
Emily Wallace
Emily has been a member of First Universalist Church since 2018 after attending for two years and realizing that this truly was her spiritual home. She has served on the Racial Justice team, as a greeter and usher (her favorite!), as well as helping out at memorial services whenever she can. Emily’s young daughter often comes to church with her, and she cannot wait for her to be able to experience Religious Education and find lifelong friends at church. Emily is a volunteer with MN350, and is very passionate about environmental justice. She looks forward to listening deeply and serving on the Board of Trustees.
