Our Minister
Rev. Kevin Tarsa
Lead Minister
The Unitarian Universalist Community of the Mountains welcomed Rev. Kevin Tarsa (he/him) in August 2016 as its second settled minister.
Rev. Kevin arrived in Grass Valley and parish ministry after a lifelong vocation in church music and 26 years of music ministry in Unitarian Universalist congregations. He is a graduate of Meadville Lombard Theological School and a recipient of the school’s Faculty Prize for Religious Leadership. Prior to his call to ministry here, Rev. Kevin served as an Interim Minister in Beaufort, South Carolina; an Interim Minister of Music in Lansing, Michigan; an Intern Minister in Wayland, Massachusetts; and a longtime Minister of Music in Traverse City, Michigan.
Rev. Kevin identifies as a religious naturalist, explaining that he is a non-theist who believes that we are thoroughly human beings in an awe-inspiring and entirely natural universe, and that we are called by “life’s longing for itself” to live in ways that strengthen at the same time both our individual and our collective well-being. “Religion helps us to navigate the intersection of ‘I’ and ‘we’ to the benefit of all,” he says, calling us ever to our most whole and integrated selves. “Love is the symbol I use for the work at hand. We are called continually to figure out together what love asks of us now, in this moment and in this place.”
Rev. Kevin is a gay man, the second oldest of eight children from a devoutly Catholic and close-knit Michigan family. He is fed and energized by creative and artistic endeavors of many sorts. He finds special joy in meaningful interactions, group synergy, shared music making, and making and sending thoughtful cards to people. He is grounded by gardening, cooking, hiking, biking, swimming, and snowshoeing, and his eyes can never take in enough of the electric blue sky at mid-dusk, the deep hues of Lake Michigan, the brilliant greens of a spring woodland, or the dynamic edges and rhythms of the Yuba River.
Our Board of Trustees
The Board of Trustees is the governing body of this Community, consisting of seven members elected by UUCM’s members. Their mission is to provide the leadership to make the UUCM’s mission a reality for our religious community.
About the Board
The UUCM Board of Trustees is the governing body of this community. It governs primarily by discerning the Mission, planning for the future, and providing oversight of compliance with the Articles of Incorporation, UUCM bylaws, UUCM policies, and all legal requirements. The Board monitors and safeguards human and material resources of the Community and governs through written policies. The Board maintains final oversight of the operations of the church.
The Board oversees and creates committees to assist it in its work.
Wondering what individual Board members do? Read the Job Descriptions for President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Member At Large.
Board Meetings
The trustees meet monthly, on the 3rd Wednesday of the month at 1:30 PM.
A meeting notice is listed in the weekly e-chalice prior to Board meetings. UUCM members are welcome to attend. Please contact the Board President for meeting details.
Taylor generously agreed to finish the term of previous president, René Wiley.
Look for his bio coming soon!
Carol Richey was appointed to the role of Vice President at the December 2024 board meeting and will finish out Pam Kisor’s term. Look for her bio coming soon!
Lin Jovanovic was appointed as Secretary at the November 2024 board meeting.
Look for her bio coming soon!
I was first introduced to the Unitarian Church in Ann Arbor Michigan in 1960, by my soon-to-be husband, Robert, and have attended UU churches ever since. Attendance was fairly casual during my years working as a corporate lawyer, but once I approached retirement, I became more involved. We attended churches in Canoga Park, California; in Bethesda, Maryland; Oakton, Virginia; Charleston, South Carolina; Oakland, California; and now Grass Valley. In Charleston, I was President of the Vestry, as the governing board was known, and lead the church into a capital campaign to preserve our 227-year-old building. We promptly moved to Berkeley, California, where I became Treasurer of the Unitarian Church of Oakland, and Treasurer of the Board, Chair of the Building Committee, and Treasurer of the campaign that allowed us to do a major earthquake retrofit of our building.
Robert and I along with our son, Brian, and son-in-law, Jack, bought a house in Cascade Shores in 2009, as our family’s second home. I love swimming in Scotts Flat Lake, and summer in Berkeley was just too cold. During those years, we attended UUCM occasionally. We all moved up here in 2018, permanently. I live in a house at Eskaton. I started attending UUCM weekly in November 2019 and became a member in February 2020, just in time to participate in a few events and get involved with the Finance and Governance Committees before everything shut down.
I’m looking forward to deepening my involvement through working on your Board, and lending my time and talents as I am able.
I grew up in Palo Alto during the 1950-60s, attended Antioch College, UC Berkeley, and Yale Architectural School, and first discovered Nevada County in 1970. Following my studies and apprenticeship, in 1975 I returned to Nevada City for residency and to begin practicing architecture. During the latter part of my career I worked with the UUCD (Davis) and UUSS (Sacramento) congregations, and became familiar with UU values and practices. After a 40-year career, I retired in 2015. My wife, Carol Nimick, and I recently joined UUCM to pursue interests in community engagement and spiritual practice. We also enjoy traveling and hiking.
Joined July 2023
Charlene Dugan has been a UU for more than 35 years. She enjoyed a long career as a speech-language pathologist and coordinator of the preschool diagnostic team for a school district in San Jose. She and her husband Alec MacLean retired to Grass Valley three years ago. Since joining UUCM she has been a Soul Matters facilitator, a Circle Supper host, and has helped with Hospitality. She is grateful for the opportunity to become more deeply involved in the workings of the congregation and to serve this church community as a Member-at-Large of the Board.
Joined July 2024
Chuck Champlin has been a congregant at UUCM for eight years, with his wife Lesley. Previously they were members of the Unitarian Society of Santa Barbara, and very active in the church choir there. They live in Yuba City now. A former communications executive at the Walt Disney Company, Chuck is retired and works to promote his two books, (“Think Like a Molecule,” about analogies from the micro world to inspire thinking, and a non-fiction novel, “Wand,” about the power of a pen to change the world. Chuck loves UUCM for its openness to the variety of religious traditions, and to science.
Joined July 2023
Our Staff
Siobhan Boylan
Administrative Assistant
admin@uugrassvalley.org
With 15 years of elementary teaching experience, Siobhan has become adept at managing many projects at the same time while stopping frequently to share stories and smiles. She has a particular affinity for technical projects, organizing files, and making processes user-friendly.
In her spare time, Siobhan tends a “front-yard farm,” plays with her ukulele, fixes things at her house, and finds fun adventures with her dogs, Rosie & Tully.
Toby Thomas-Rose
Music Director & Choir Director
Music@uugrassvalley.org
Toby Thomas-Rose is an engaging pianist with a passion for connecting to his audience both through music and education. He has performed in venues across North America and overseas, and recently received a bachelor’s degree in piano performance from California State University Northridge.
Toby began as the piano accompanist at UUCM for the Sunday services in the summer of 2022 and became the Music Director in December.