For the Annual Meeting on May 20, 2023 at 10 am, the Nominating Committee is pleased to report that the following ERUUF members have agreed to be placed on a ballot for elected positions of the Fellowship.

Board of Trustees

Dom Grimes-Medlin

Dominique 'Dom' Grimes-Medlin joined ERUUF in 2017. Since he joined, he has been a very active member, participating with poetry readings at services, Pride Plus, the BIPOC committee, and Nominating Committee. Dom was married by our beloved Rev. Jacqueline in 2018 to his husband, John Grimes-Medlin. Dom comes from a strong operations management and HR background. Today, he's an HR/DEIB consultant, a Board member for TSHRM (Triangle Society of Human Resource Management), and a Board member of StepUp Durham.

 
Anne Verdine-Jones

I have been a member of ERUUF since 2019. My wife, Lisa Jones, and I moved to Durham from Savannah, GA, and, while I was uncertain how to name or define my spirituality, we desired a welcoming environment that supported free thinking. acknowledged varied spiritual journeys, and championed causes and initiatives with the mission of making the world a better place. We have found all of our ideals and more at ERUUF. Since joining, I have been a member of the Multicultural team, Adult Programs, Theory of Change Committee and am currently the co-lead for the Black, Indigenous, and People of Color group.

I am a human resources consultant with a varied background in all facets of HR. Most recently, I have been consulting with organizations nationwide about diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging from understanding the key concepts to introducing sustainable programming to promote healthy work environments. I have an MBA and am currently a doctoral candidate.

Outside of work and with limited leisure time as a student, I enjoy spending time with family and friends, traveling both near and far, cuddling with my fur babies CoCo and Nala, and being in any space where my wife, Lisa, and I are together.

Barbara Welanetz

Barbara Welanetz joined ERUUF in 2015, just after retiring. She quickly joined Eno River Singers and the Chalice Circle/Covenant Group program, for which she has long been a group leader and coordinating team member. Barbara has also served ERUUF as a signage system designer, greeter, gardener and volunteer for many special events, most recently the 2500 Hours of Love project and Rev. Brett's installation. She brings to the board her long-range planning and project management experience as a facility planner for Mass. General Hospital and UNC, and her communications skills honed as a marketing consultant for design organizations. She lives in Old West Durham with her spouse, Peter Welanetz.

 

Healthy Congregations Committee

Susan Green

Susan Green joined ERUUF when she and her husband, Steve Hall, moved to Chapel Hill in 2013. At ERUUF she has served on, and co-chaired, the Nominating Committee and the Steering Team for Chalice Circles/Covenant Groups. She has participated in numerous ERUUF programs including Dismantling Racism, Conflict Resolution, and Trans Inclusion in Congregations.
Susan is Professor Emerita at Winthrop University where she taught future teachers and collaborated with public school teachers. Previously, she had served 10 years as a school psychologist in Oregon and South Carolina, leading interdisciplinary teams. Susan hopes to contribute to HCC’s collaborative efforts to promote healthy communication in our congregation.

Claudia Kaplan

I began to attend ERUUF with my husband Simon about 15 years ago when we moved to Durham from Chatham County. Simon was raised Jewish, and my father was a Methodist minister; together we had found meaning in A Course in Miracles and were members of Unity Center of Peace in Chapel Hill. But we sought a welcoming spiritual community closer to us, one that not only made space for myriad beliefs, but also emphasized justice and equity action. We also wanted a strong Religious Education program for our children, Mia & Jonah, who are now 26 and 22. It’s safe to say we call ourselves UUs now!
I jumped into the music program right away, singing with Eno River Singers and LUUX, performing at Café ERUUF, and sometimes singing solos or duets at services. This is still my first love and my favorite way to serve, as well as to feed my own soul. I am now a member of the Music Committee. Over the years I’ve participated in several Chalice Circles, Racial Equity workshops & study groups, served as a Worship Associate, and volunteered at Urban Ministries as well as with the Lakewood Bag Pack program. In 2021 I co-chaired the Pledge Campaign. I was very active with the 2500 Hours of Love initiative—serving at the Lakewood Food Pantry run by Catholic Charities, transcribing old documents and voice recordings for Stagville Plantation, and helping with the three Afghan refugee families, with the special honor & challenge of being the birth doula for a young Afghan mother in 2022!
I retired two years ago from my work as the Administrator at Hope Creek Academy, a private, non-profit K-12 school in Durham for kids with special needs. Before that I did a wide variety of jobs, many of them administrative/secretarial at non-profits. This supplemented my self-employment as a conscious connected breathing coach and healthy relationships seminar facilitator back in the 80s & 90s, and later as a birth doula for 12 years. I love ERUUF with its many options, circles of involvement, and fascinating, congenial people. I look forward to serving in a new capacity.

 

Nominating Committee

Eddie Carlisle, Jr.

I’ve been a member of ERUUF since 2014, but have been attending services since 2010. Before I was raised Baptist, and I identify as Pansexual. I have been involved with BIPOC, Pride Plus, Durham Can, AWE, and the Multicultural Committee. I’m also a member of the choir at ERUUF. I’ve been involved with Denominational Affairs with the Chapel Hill and Raleigh congregations over the years. I never wanted to go to college because I knew it wasn’t for me. I love the fellowship and love the opportunity to become more involved.

Don Moffitt

Don Moffitt formally joined the congregation in 2019 and serves as a facilitator of the Inquirer Series. He’s lived in Durham since 1991 and over the years has served on the board of the Eno River Association, the City-County Planning Commission and Durham City Council. He holds a professional degree in architecture and an MBA and provides financial guidance to cooperatively owned grocery stores that are considering large investments (such as an expansion or relocation). He and his wife, Sidney, have a lovely 18 year old daughter. He’s participated in racial equity trainings by dRworks, REI and others, loves the community of ERUUF and wants to be of service to the fellowship.

Nan Walker

I joined ERUUF in 2017. Soon after, I became a Greeter and have fulfilled that role off and on since joining. In addition, I participate in the ERUUF Players and currently chair that group. This feels like home. I never planned on becoming involved in a church again until I came to ERUUF. I love the opportunities available here and am participating in the adult version of Coming of Age. My goal on this committee is to provide ERUUF with the best leadership available.