ABOUT US
Our Staff
rev. daniel lawlor,
part-time minister
Rev. Daniel Lawlor was officially ordained to the UU Ministry on December 4, 2021 at First Church Boston, and the affiliated Community Minister with the First Unitarian Congregational Society in Brooklyn.
As a part-time minister, Rev. Daniel will be with us for two Sunday worship services per month starting in September, with weekly availability on Wednesdays and the equivalent of one other weekday. This will average out to 20 hours per week. In addition to the UU Congregation of the Hudson Valley, Rev. Daniel is the part-time Co-Director for the Unitarian Universalist Ministry for Earth, a public ministry to promote spiritual grounding, education and accountable actions with our Unitarian Universalist congregations to cultivate environmental justice.
Rev. Daniel is a graduate of Brown University, Harvard Graduate School of Education, and most recently Boston
University School of Theology, graduating Summa Cum Laude in May 2021. At BU, he was inspired by the
ongoing legacy of Rev. Dr. Howard Thurman, a 20th Century Civil Rights leader and teacher who was
committed to inter-faith, inter-racial work for justice and healing.
Rev. Daniel's wife Yumi is an NYU grad, an attorney at Etsy, and is committed to non-profits supportive of young
women's empowerment. They moved to Brooklyn last summer from Boston, and are grateful to call New York
their chosen home.
JAne Podell
Director of RELIGIOUS EXPLORATION
Jane Podell has served our congregation as Director of Religious Exploration (DRE) for the past 11 years. Before that, she served as DRE at the UU Fellowship of Poughkeepsie for 17 years. In addition to working half-time at UUCHV, she also holds part-time positions at the UU Congregation of the Catskills in Kingston as DRE; at Vassar College as the weekend concerts supervisor; and at Cappella Festiva, a community choir in Dutchess County, as Administrator. Jane has been a UU for 30 years and says that Unitarian Universalism has been the center of her life. She adds, "There is little separation from what I do and who I am." Her position as DRE calls her to minister to children of all ages as they engage in spiritual seeking and discover their own path, always with a sense of wonder.
Rita Ruotolo
Administrator
Rita has been UUCHV’s administrator since 2006 and handles a lot of the behind the scenes work that is essential to our congregations success.
Giocille Shaw
Pianist
Giocille Shaw has been a member of the musical staff of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Hudson Valley since 2014. She also teaches in the Ossining Union Free School District, the Steinhart School of New York University, and The Cortlandt School of Performing Arts. She is a staff musician at Theater O and St. Ann's Church in Ossining, and is the founder of Ossining Sings!, an ensemble devoted to building community through song.
OUR LEADERSHIP
Our 2022-2023 Board of Trustees
Nora Mulligan, President
Lynda Karanikolas, Vice President
Jim Russell, Secretary
Monica Dietrich, Treasurer
Susi Dugaw
Gunnel Rydstrom
April Stritmater
The Leadership Development Team
TBD
Our Committee Chairs
ARTS
Susi Dugaw
SOCIAL JUSTICE
Virginia (Ginny) Stillman
MUSIC MINISTRY
Michael Schwartz
WORSHIP
Anne Pearl, co-Chair
Kathy Williams, co-Chair
MEMBERSHIP
BUILDING & GROUNDS
Chris Oliver, co-Chair
Betsy Tomic, co-Chair
SHARING & CARING
April Stritmater