The Board of Trustees consists of members of the Fellowship who have been selected to hold the authority of the Fellowship.

~BOARD OF TRUSTEES’ MONTHLY MEETING MINUTES

Robert Moran, President  – My twin brother, Ronald, and I were born in Shinnston, W. Va., in 1941. My father owned a print shop, and I had a dream childhood until I was 14 years old.

My father died, and we lost everything. My mother found a teaching job in Ohio, and the family moved to Elyria. I stayed in Shinnston and worked in a funeral home for my Junior year of high school. After graduating, I then joined the Army for two years in Germany.

After the Army, I bounced around with many different jobs. Finally got a job as a Boilermaker. It was hot, dirty, and dangerous, I loved it.

I retired after 32 years and a serious injury to my left leg. I bought a sailboat and moved to Punta Gorda with my new wife, Peggydawn. We sailed for 20 years around Florida and the Bahamas.

After years of recovery from Alcoholism, I found UUFCC. It is a very nice fit for my beliefs.

Joseph Fenty, Vice-President – Hello, nice to meet you. My name is Joseph. I am delighted to serve you as a Board member. I am a secular humanist, agnostic-atheist, democrat, and science and philosophy nerd. I support creating conditions where humans and other living things can flourish. I look forward to working with you to ensure that UUFCC is a meaningful, purposeful, and democratic organization.

Shelly Canterbury, Treasurer -My first introduction to Unitarian Universalism was in 2003 in Charlottesville,

Virginia. I walked into the church and immediately found my community and my spiritual home. Coming to UUFCC was the same.

I served as treasurer of UUCville (previously known as Thomas Jefferson UU Church) for four years, as well as singing in the choir and serving in other committees. My professional life includes corporate finance, consulting, teaching finance, and valuation at the university level (George Mason University). I am currently volunteering at Suncoast Humane Society and Venice Theatre. In the mornings, you will find me on the tennis court or the pickleball court. I also like to sew, read, and pick at the guitar.

I lived in Virginia for the first 66 years of my life; both in the northern and central parts of the commonwealth. My husband and I got brave and moved to Florida in the summer of 2022, and the rest is history. We share a love of travel and food (my hubby is the chef in the family), and we have 3 cats that we adore. We also have 6 grandchildren who are quickly growing up, and we visit them often in Virginia.

Laura Anderson, Secretary – My motivation for joining the Unitarian Universalist world was to find a place to feel like I belonged in a world of judgment filled with illogical and inflexible ideas about religion. That was in the 1990s. I’ve never turned back. I was born in Michigan and moved to Arizona to go to college. The less rigid social expectations of the West suit me, and the beauty of nature and access to public land keep me rooted in the West. After working in Utah for 30 years, my husband, Cliff, and I now split our time between the mountains of Idaho and the west coast of Florida.

Lorrie Douglas, Trustee – I love the community of UUFCC and the religion of Unitarian Universalism. My first introduction to UU was in Paris in 2001. The principles and values of UU spoke to me, and the inclusion and compassion that I witnessed in that international community touched my very being.

With a background in administration and management of non-profits, working on the Board is a natural fit.

My wife, Jackie, and I, and our two adorable doggies are full-time Florida residents. We moved here from Michigan. Part of the joy of extended family includes my family of heart in Nicaragua.

Mike Krzyzkowski, Trustee – Hi, I’m a retired family physician, having moved to FL shortly before Hurricane Charlie, which occurred on Friday, the 13th of August. I worked for a time in Arcadia part-time with a Community Health Center, then the DeSoto Co Health Dept. , before moving on to finish up with Tidewell Hospice for several years.
This was a nice way to slow down in a very useful way. I retired 7-8 years ago to focus on fishing,
gardening, birding, and enjoying the Florida outdoors. I am married with 4 adult children, 4 grandchildren, and 1 step-grandchild. The trouble is, they live too far away nowadays (never mind that I moved south!). My wife and I are very happy with the UUCC fellowship and activities.

Laura Liermann, Trustee. My husband and I visited many churches in Port Charlotte and were pleased with most of them, but didn’t find the right fit. Too many were proud of their exclusivity. “We” are saved, “They” are not. Truthfully, we had not considered Unitarian Universalism because we were unfamiliar with its philosophy. Eventually, we walked in through the UUFCC doors and found that inclusion was the goal. All humanity was to be respected, and that spiritual growth involved deep questions and the constant fine-tuning of the answers.

I was raised in a household that involved my mother, a liberal Catholic, and my father, an agnostic; both of whom had integrity and strong morals. As an army family, we traveled to many places and witnessed many spiritualities and their valuable place in people’s lives. As a former teacher who worked with children and their families, I have enjoyed a huge variety of people and appreciate how needs differ.

My goal for being on the Board of Trustees is to be a part of the continual goal of tolerance for all, even those who do not share our particular philosophy.

Doug Mattick, Trustee

Alex Pritchard, Trustee