Staff and Leadership

Staff

Minister: Matt Alspaugh

Rev. Matt Alspaugh has served as our consulting minister since 2009, and now serves us in a full-time capacity. Matt was ordained as a Unitarian Universalist minister at his home congregation, Jefferson Unitarian Church in Golden CO in 2009. In 2008, he completed his Master of Divinity studies at Starr King School, the Unitarian Universalist seminary in Berkeley, CA and received Preliminary Fellowship into the UU ministry at the same time. Last year, Matt served as a chaplain resident at United Hospital in St. Paul, Minnesota, working primarily in the Neuroscience and Mental Health units. Before that he was the Parish Ministerial Intern at Unity Church, Unitarian, also in Saint Paul.

Director of Religious Education: BeckyAnn Harker

BeckyAnn Harker joins us as Director of Religious Education (DRE) starting with the 2010 church school year.  She is a life-long UU, and has been a member of this congregation for two years, and was a member at the First Unitarian Church of Cleveland prior to that. During the week, when not working on Religious Education, her full-time job is as a pediatric speech therapist in an outpatient clinic.  She has been a speech therapist for 12 years.  BeckyAnn received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Ohio University in French, and her Master of Arts degree from Case Western Reserve University in Communication Sciences and Disorders.  BeckyAnn is married, and has one daughter and three step-children.  Her 7 year-old daughter, Amani, attends RE classes at UUYO.

Church Administrator: Diane Thomas

Diane Thomas has served as church administrator since 2008. She is a retired business education/technology instructor having taught for over thirty years. Diane taught high school at Jackson-Milton and East Palestine but spent most of her career teaching full-time adult education classes at Mahoning County Career and Technical Center.

Diane has lived in Austintown all her life. She has been married for 40 years, and has two daughters, Heather and Holly. Heather is a family practice doctor and Holly is director of public relations for Macy’s in NYC. Diane also has three grandchildren.

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