2020 Speakers
All Together Now!

Vandy Leigh
Soul Collage

Rev. Evin Carvill Ziemer
Towards A Trauma Informed Family Ministry
Evin Carvill Ziemer is a UU minister and UUA Congregational Life Staff serving the Central East Region. One of the threads of their call to ministry is supporting healing and wholeness. They are using their upcoming sabbatical to consolidate learning they’ve been doing for more than a decade personally as a trauma survivor, in foster parenting, and in the secondary trauma that is part of ministry.

Rev Karen Hutt
"Revisiting Our Stories for The First Time"

Laura Beth Brown
"The Need to Balance Doing With Being!
Laura Beth Brown is thrilled to return to Star Island Lifespan Religious Education week! As a former Dean of the conference, she has great affection and respect for her fellow colleagues and is grateful to once again contribute in a different capacity. Laura Beth is currently the Director of Family Ministry at Beacon Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Summit, NJ and previously served congregations in Manhattan and Long Island in her nearly 18 years as a professional religious educator.
When she is not “in the office,” Laura Beth is “on the mat.” Laura Beth has been a yoga enthusiast for two decades and has taught yoga in studios and medical settings for seven years. Whether in a vinyasa-based class or therapeutic private session, she creates an atmosphere of a journey guiding students toward self-awareness. She emphasizes the spiritual aspects of yoga along with the physical, weaving in yogic philosophy. Laura Beth is also a certified Off the Mat facilitator, helping students discover their calling in making their communities and world more fair and just. A child-at-heart with a love to laugh, she includes an element of play whenever possible! With a background as a professional singer and performer, Laura Beth also enjoys incorporating kirtan (call and response singing) and a wide-range of music into her teachings. Learn more at laurabethbrown.com.

Rev. Ashley Horan
Living Your Faith in the World
Rev. Ashley Horan is the Organizing Strategy Director of the UUA, where she works with a team of faithful organizers and movement builders to shape the justice work of Unitarian Universalism to be spiritually grounded and politically effective. Prior to this role, Ashley served for five years as the Executive Director of MUUSJA – the Minnesota UU Social Justice Alliance, and for seven years as core staff with the Beloved Conversations program. She lives in Minneapolis with her partner, Rev. Karen Hutt, and their children, Aspen and Zi.

Rev. Shari Halliday-Quan
Minister of The Week
Porch Chats and Resource Room with Cathy Seggel
THE RESOURCE ROOM: Your FD conference Library
Please visit the Resource Room at the end of the Oceanic Porch to browse or explore curricula and
resources. The room is open most of the time and staffed before and after “Porch Chats.” I am happy to
consult with religious educators about our professional organization, Liberal Religious Educators
Association and how it serves our faith.
I look forward to being with you, Cathy Seggel
PORCH CHATS 2-3pm ~ All interested conferees are welcome and encouraged to ”chat”
Come to the circle of rocking chairs outside of the Resource Room at 2pm each afternoon and join
these facilitated conversations. The chats are relevant to all conferees who are Youth, Volunteer
Teachers, DREs, Parents, Committee members, Musicians, Ministers and everyone. Facilitators will be
a variety of leadership, including the minister of the week, Natalie Fenimore, LREDA and UUA leaders,
Rev., Gail Forsyth-Vail & Kirsten Hunter and others.
Bio
Cathy Seggel has been coming to Star Island LRE Week for many years, serving in a variety of roles
from Executive Dean to leading workshops. Cathy is a warm and reassuring presence to all who meet
her and an expert resource around UU faith development for children, youth and adults and shared
ministry. Cathy has served as the religious educator at First Unitarian Providence RI for over 20 years.
A graduate of the University of Connecticut with a BS in Nursing, she earned her Master of Theology
degree from Harvard Divinity School. She is immediate past president of the Liberal Religious
Educators Association, the professional organization for UU religious educators. Cathy lives in
Providence with her husband, Norm. They have three children and four grandchildren.
Past Speakers
Growing Unitarian Universalists in a Changing World

Laura Beth Brown
Director of Family Ministries

Matt Meyer
National Worship Leader

Rev. Daniel Gregoire
Minister Unitarian Universalist Society of Grafton and Upton

Jessica York
Faith Development Office Director

Michele Townsend Grove
Religious Education Professional

Rev. Renee Ruchotzke
Program Manager for Leadership Development