BOARD BIOGRAPHIES
Rev. Terra Collier-Young
While discerning how to bring forward her community ministry, Terra conceived of "Five Seeds Ministry" offering service in Chaplaincy and Hospice, Justice and Communication, Dance as a Spiritual Practice, Celebrations and Services, Teaching and Development, all components of her spirit's calling. You can visit her website at www.fiveseedsministry.com.
Ben Gabel
In October 2019, Ben Gabel was selected to serve as the lay community minister Co-President for the UU Society for Community Ministries. He is active in community ministry doing community organizing involving racial, LGBTQ, and disability justice.
Ben is also active at the UUA national level. He is a past Steering Committee member of DRUUMM (2015-2019). He has served as a member and co-chair of the Journey Towards Wholeness Transformation Committee. Ben is currently serving on the UUA Nominating Committee and the Advisory Panel for the Congregational Conflict Engagement Team: Hope for Us.
Professionally, Ben currently serves as the Congregational Administrator for the Northwest UU Church in Southfield, MI. He lives with his husband, Bret, and Labrador retriever,Grover.
Rev. Nikki J Hunt
Nikki has been the UUSCM Membership Director since 2018, and the Board appointed her interim Co-President May 2021. Her full-time community ministry is working as the Development Director for Southern Arizona Legal Aid. She has done nonprofit work most of her life and has a Masters in Public Administration. In 2014 she met her husband, Joe, at the Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley California. After she graduated with her MDiv, she and Joe moved to Arizona to be with his family; they currently live with their dog Yoda in Tucson. In April 2018, Nikki was ordained by her home congregation in Chico, California. Nikki’s theological grounding is earth rooted-traditions and Buddhism. Her calling is to help individuals and communities flourish.
Rev. Dr. Betty Stapleford
Rev. Dr. Betty Stapleford has been involved in social justice since her days of civil rights action in Atlanta, Georgia, in the 60’s and has been involved in numerous social justice causes in Ventura County since her arrival in 1998. She served as the minister of the Conejo Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in Thousand Oaks for 12 years, the minister of the UU Church of the Verdugo Hills for 5 years, and is now the Affiliate Community Minister for Social Justice at the Universalist Unitarian Church of Santa Paula. She is also the co-chair of Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice Ventura County (CLUE VC) and is President of the UU Justice Ministry of California.
Gini von Courter
Gini von Courter is the former Moderator of the UUA. Gini's B.A. (Economics) is from the University of Michigan-Flint and M.B.A. from Oakland University. Gini and her wife, Rev. Dr. Wendy von Courter, live at AngelBear Farm in Michigan with three cats and a growing flock of chickens. Gini has served as a member of the UUSCM Board since June 2015.
