2019-2020 Slate of Candidates

The Governing Board’s Governance Advisory Committee is pleased to present our 2019-2020 Slate of Candidates to run for open seats on the Governing Board. The names of our nominees and their candidate statements appear below. Elections will take place at the Annual Meeting on Sunday, June 2, 2019. Please come to the meeting to vote!

The Governance Advisory Committee called for nominations and self-nominations in February and has sought to develop a slate that would foster diversity and broad representation from our membership. We met with interested candidates to be sure they were fully informed of the duties of the position and able to commit to service. Candidates for these positions have learned about the responsibilities by conferring with members of the board. The Board was notified of proposed nominees and approved the proposed slate on April 23rd, 2019.

The following slate of candidates along with candidate statements provide background information about their commitment to First Parish. We believe that these candidates share our passion for the mission of First Parish.

Nominees for the Governing Board

Chair: Gordie Calkins
Preferred pronouns: he/him/his
(1-year term followed by non-voting, ex officio 1 year term as Past Chair)

When my husband and I moved to Cambridge from New Hampshire, we were sad to leave our UU church in Nashua, but excited about being able to choose from the myriad of options in this area. We wanted a church that felt friendly and was actively engaged in the larger community in meaningful ways. We attended several, and in the end found our home right here in First Parish. The Tuesday Meals Program and newly formed (at that time) partnership with Y2Y, resonated with me and my own passions about homelessness and poverty.

I’m excited about the coming year at First Parish and would like to serve as the Chair. I’m interested in helping with the balancing act of maintaining and improving the ways that the church connects with the larger community and our need to make significant improvements to the infrastructure.

Outside of church I lead a small unit of state government working on homelessness issues, primarily partnering with nonprofit organizations that provide services and housing opportunities. I live with my husband of 15 years in North Cambridge. I enjoy taking photos in and around Alewife Reservation and walking with our wacky Brittany Spaniel, Hope.

Vice Chair: Gloria Korsman
(1-year term; eligible for 1 year term as Chair)
Preferred pronouns: she/her/hers

First Parish member since 1995, it is my spiritual practice to work and worship together with all of you in our beautiful, covenanted community. I seldom miss Sunday worship, and have served in many leadership roles over the years. In 2016, I worked with the group that drafted our current bylaws and joined the search committee that brought us Rev. Adam. Last fall, I co-facilitated a section of Beloved Conversations, a spiritually focused curriculum for exploring the role of race and ethnicity in individual and congregational lives. I sometimes offer First Parish history walking tours in and around Harvard Square.

I am honored to be nominated to serve as Vice Chair of the Board. I welcome the opportunity to collaborate with the other Board members on mission-centered policies and procedures. If you elect me, I will work hard to fulfill my responsibilities.

I bike all year to church, and to my day job as a librarian at Harvard Divinity School. My wife Kerrie and I live in North Cambridge with our cat Bernard, and near several First Parish members. In my free time, I enjoy gardening, cooking vegetarian food, walking around Fresh Pond, and making things.

Clerk: Grace Hall
(2-year term; completing 2-year term)
Preferred pronouns: she/her/hers

I am Grace Hall, currently clerk of the First Parish Governing Board. In 2008, I moved to Somerville from Philadelphia to be closer to my daughters and grandchildren. One of my daughters had become a UU a number of years earlier and I had attended services at the Unitarian Society of Northampton. I decided that I, too, would become a UU since I no longer believed the Christian creeds.
First Parish turned out to be what I was looking for and I became a member at the end of 2008. The Sunday morning service is important to me and I have been a member of the Welcome Team for a number of years, including 4 years as Deacon. I was raised in the Middle East (missionary parents) and am co-chair of the Middle East Education Group. I have developed a strong interest in environmental justice and am an active member of the Environmental Justice Task Force. I also was a member of the Finance Committee for several years and served as a facilitator in Covenant Groups for a few years. Overall, my beliefs and my interests match well with the mission of this congregation and I hope to continue as an involved member for many years to come.

Member at Large: Don Tucker
(2-year term; completing 2-year term)
Preferred pronouns: he/him/his

When I was 12, my mother took me and my siblings to the Unitarian Universalist church in Knoxville, TN, and I’ve been a UU regular since then. My partner Charlene and I joined First Parish in 2012. We were drawn to FPC because of the anti-racism/transformation work. I’m moved and feel a deep connection to the FPC community and greater world through music and the choir. At First Parish I’m challenged to take an honest and close look at myself, and I’ve come to appreciate in a new way the power of worshipping and working together in community. I’ve been most involved in Stewardship/Development, the Investment Committee and the Choir.

I work in fixed income (bond) research at Manulife Asset Management. Hobbies? I dabble in a lot of things, but I’m serious about distance running.

Member at Large: Julia Gallogly
(2-year term; eligible for second 2-year term)
Preferred pronouns: she/her/hers

I began attending First Parish Cambridge in September 2016. Since then, I have been involved in teaching and curriculum planning for religious education, immigration justice advocacy and William’s internship committee.

During the week, I teach elementary school English learners in the Revere Public Schools.

I grew up Unitarian Universalist in Roslindale, one of four sisters who contributed to our church community by babysitting and playing music. I have deep commitment to the broader Unitarian Universalist tradition and faith based activism, as well as connection to other UU congregations through family and friends.

In addition to First Parish, I find a spiritual home at the Sanctuary Boston, an evening gathering focused on group singing and collaborative worship leading.
In this new leadership role, I hope to support the First Parish community in deepening relationships and building resilience for justice work.