Leading in partnership with you
meet our staff
Rev. Terri Burnor | Acting Executive Director
Rev. Terri (she/her) has been involved with MUUSJA in various consulting and volunteer capacities since 2017. She is an ordained UU minister, community organizer, and professional communicator who inspires people to reflect, act, and lead grounded by their faith, spiritual practices, conscience, and values. Terri delights in making connections and discovering the creative spark that moves individuals and communities to grow and live differently. Terri also serves as minister for the St. Croix Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in St. Croix Falls, Wisc. She is a life-long Minnesotan who grew up outside of Duluth. She lives in St. Paul with her spouse and two dogs. Email: revterri@muusja.org
Dallas Rising | Senior Movement Organizer
Dallas (she/they) is an activist, yoga instructor, somatic grief worker, and interfaith chaplain. She came to the UU faith as a teenager and spent the 90’s deeply involved in UU youth leadership from the local to national level. After a 20-year hiatus from church, she rejoined in the wake of the police murder of George Floyd during the pandemic, seeking a way to be more resourced during a particularly tumultuous time. With decades of grassroots organizing work in liberation spaces and experience in secular nonprofits, she’s enjoying approaching social justice work from a space of spiritual grounding. She lives in Minneapolis with her spouse and two rescue dogs. Email: dallas@muusja.org
Nico Van Ostrand | Spiritual Care
Nico (they/them) is a seminarian with a focus on BIPOC-centered UU ministry, and previously served as a religious educator for twelve years. Nico is excited about multigenerational community, storytelling, and the spiritual component of justice work. Nico works for the UUA as Youth and Emerging Adult Ministry staff. This internship with MUUSJA is part of their ministerial formation process and is separate from their role with the UUA. Nico is deeply grounded in the Filipinx and UU communities of the Twin Cities, regularly co-organizing or participating in community education and activism events. They find spiritual grounding in tai chi and weekend hikes with their partner. Nico loves writing, doing puzzles, and caring for their two snuggly old cats. Email: nico@muusja.org
meet our BOARD
Michael Elliott, Secretary
Michael’s grandparents introduced him to Unitarian Universalism in 1992 by inviting him to a church they found after leaving the Presbyterian Church where he was confirmed. While listening to Rev. Roy Philips from Unity Church in St. Paul, he was intrigued and delved more deeply into this faith.
As a member of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Minnetonka since 2006, he has served many roles – Finance Chair, board member, vice president, president, teacher, and many other roles to help the church become what it is today. He is currently the Social Justice Facilitator overseeing the following groups – Healthcare Justice, Climate Justice, Racial Justice and Housing Justice. It is in this role that he feels he can truly live out what it means to be a Unitarian Universalist.
Since retiring in 2020 as an airline pilot for Delta, Northwest before the merger, he has challenged himself to branch out in a different direction seeking to influence our elected leaders and others in making this a more just world for all of us. He would like to empower, connect and support UU congregations throughout our region in knowing that we are all in this together and every voice is valued and important.
Meleah Houseknecht
Kathy Peterson, Chair
Jeff Snyder, Treasurer
After living in Rochester for 38 years, and attending First Universalist Unitarian Church of Rochester for the last seven of those years, Jeff and his wife Karen moved to Minneapolis in June of 2014. While at First UU, Jeff served as a member and chair of the Finance Committee and was on the Board of Directors serving as Treasurer at the time of his departure. Jeff and Karen are now members of First Universalist Church. Jeff’s primary interest in the social justice arena is in the area of environmental justice. He is currently retired and plans to stay that way after a long career with IBM as an engineer and project manager. Jeff and Karen have an adult daughter and son living in Los Angeles and Minneapolis respectively.