Meet Our Board of Trustees

What does the UUSM Board of Trustees do?

Dan Hotchkiss, a UU minister an expert on governance, describes the governance of a congregation as consisting of:

A Board that articulates mission and vision, evaluates results, and ensures responsible stewardship of resources.
Ministry leaders, paid and unpaid, who create effective programs with the support of a structure that delegates authority and requires accountability.
Members and others who enjoy many opportunities to learn and grow and serve in an atmosphere of trust and creativity where structure, goals, and purposes are clear.

Why are the Board photos out of date and poorly lit?

If you think herding cats is difficult, try UUSM board members. Thankfully we're better at governing than posing for pics.

Would you like to join us for the next board term? Reach out to any board member. You will learn a lot, build relationships, develop your leadership skills and get to know your congregation from the inside out. It's a rewarding--and challenging--job. We welcome newcomers to the congregation and those whose faces we know well but who haven't served before. You bring diversity of thought and new energy to the longer-serving, experienced Board members.

Board meetings are typically the fourth Tuesday of each month at 7:00 PM. Check your Friday bulletin or click here for details. Meetings are by Zoom and open to all friends and members; however, only Board members may vote.

David Kramer, President

David Kramer, President, has been a member of UUSM since 2019. He served on the board last year as a Trustee. He has been a key leader on the Exploring Campus Options and Phase 1 Construction Task Forces, and the COVID Task Force, and as a mentor for Coming of Age. David recently launched UUSM's Open-Mic Night to much acclaim. Having retired recently from a career as a construction executive, David remains a Planning Commissioner for the city of Belmont. David is married and has two sons. For fun, he plays bass in a garage band, and podcasts light-hearted advice with his college roommate.

Lisa Stalteri, Vice President

Lisa Stalteri, Vice President, became a member of UUSM in 2019, and served on recent boards as a trustee and as Secretary. She grew up in San Mateo and Belmont. She is an environmental attorney and mother to three young adults. Lisa serves UUSM as a Worship Associate, and as a member of the Contract Minister Search Committee and the Exploring Campus Options Task Force. Lisa has served on the Anti-Racist Coalition, as the Social Justice Activities Coordinator, and as a key driver for UUSM’s adoption of the 8th Principle. She has also volunteered with Religious Education for adolescents.

Eileen Manning-Villar, Treasurer

Eileen Manning-Villar, returning for a second year as Treasurer, has been a UUSM member for about 23 years. Since becoming a UU, she has been active with the Religious Education Committee, the Leadership Development Committee, Family Camp, and the Usher and Greeter crew. Eileen is a youth defender, currently practicing both in appellate courts and in the local juvenile courts. She also works part-time as the Director of Operations of a small non-profit, Pacific Juvenile Defender Center, where she first learned to love QuickBooks.

Portrait Betsy Blosser portrait_edited.jpg

Betsy Blosser, Secretary

Betsy Blosser, Secretary, has been a member of UUSM since 1989. In her early career, Betsy was a VISTA Volunteer, working with Latin American steelworkers, and ran educational programs for migrant farmworker children. After earning her Ph.D., she taught in the field of mass communication for 35 years, at both the University of Illinois at Chicago and San Francisco State University. At SFSU, she took students to different parts of the world to produce videos for NGOs. In 2017, she happily retired, and she’s been sewing, knitting, and weaving. She raised both of her sons at UUSM, and has served on the board a couple of times before, including the 2023‒2024 fiscal year.

Laura Bull, Trustee

Laura Bull, returning Trustee, has been an active member of UUSM for 15 years. She has volunteered in many areas, including 5 years on the finance committee, 3 of those serving on the board as Treasurer (2016‒2019). She currently sings in the choir; when her now-adult son was growing up, she volunteered in religious education. Laura is a transplant from the Midwest, living in Northern California since 1987. She is a scientist with a research lab at UCSF, where she studies genetic factors contributing to liver disease. She recently became qualified as a dietitian. Laura enjoys gardening, day hiking, and power lifting.

Tricia Dell, Trustee

Tricia Dell, returning as Trustee, has been a member of UUSM for 25 years. During the past two years, she served as board Vice President. Tricia has assumed other leadership roles at UUSM, including helping lead Stewardship, co-founding the ATN auction, in strategic planning, on Benefits and Compensation, as a Worship Associate, and as a member of a ministerial search team. Tricia is grateful for the religious education and OWL programs that were available for her two now-adult daughters. As a Coastsider, she's proud to have completed the Shared Pulpit class offered at UU Coastside Community in 2021, which led to the delivery of her first sermon at the UU Coastside Community

Kelly Fayaud, Trustee

Kelly Fayaud is serving her first-ever term as a UUSM Trustee. She has been coming to UUSM since 2022 and became a member last year. While she is new to the UU community, she has found it to be a rewarding experience and has met some wonderful people. Kelly is currently on the Connections Team and a member of the book club. She recently led the revival of UUSM's beloved Community Flea Market. Her daughter attends RE, and she has been involved with that program, too. Kelly has worked in the insurance industry for over 35 years. She was on the board and audit committee of Hospitality House in San Francisco for about two years. Kelly has a degree in economics from Fordham University and a masters in psychology from Golden Gate University. Kelly brings skills in organizing her time, meeting deadlines and making decisions. Her background in psychology has taught her to be a good listener and provided her with a deeper understanding of people and their needs. Kelly enjoyed her time on the board of Hospitality House. Now that her daughter is in high-school, she is looking forward to getting more involved in our community.

Becky Howland, President Ex-Officio

Becky Howland serves as President Ex-Officio on this year’s board, after having completed two one-year terms as POBOT. Over her 17 years at UUSM, she has been a choir member, chair of a music director search committee, newsletter editor, and co-founder of the All Together Now auction with Tricia Dell. She currently serves on the Benefits and Compensation Committee, the Exploring Campus Options and Phase 2 Construction Task Forces, and the Transition Team. Becky has recently retired from a career in Silicon Valley, where she worked in product management, corporate marketing, patent analysis, international mergers and acquisitions, and technical communications. She looks forward to helping the new leadership team find as much reward in serving the UUSM community as she did.

John Farrow, Trustee

John Farrow, on the right, is returning for his second year as Trustee. He joined UUSM to seek religious education for his children but stayed despite their precocious Rumspringa. He has previously served on the UUSM board, the Transition Team, and now serves on the Contract Minister Search Committee, and the Exploring Campus Options and Phase 2 Construction Task Forces. John also has helped with recruitment of a ministerial intern, two RE directors, and two settled ministers. In real life, he plays the harmonica and practices environmental, land use, and water law on behalf of non-profit groups.

Colaine L.A. Roepke, Trustee

Colaine L.A. Roepke, Trustee, has been attending UU San Mateo with her family since 2004. Her daughters had their inner spirit nurtured while attending RE regularly during their childhood. During that time, Colaine found a lot of joy in the religious exploration program, teaching a variety of ages over the years and actively participating in the RE Council. During the pandemic, she was part of a caring team that helped navigate the transition from fully-Zoom worship services to our current hybrid services. Colaine served on the UUSM board during 2021‒2023.