The VUU Board of Trustees is made up of seven members from the congregation. Each are elected for a two year term, with a maximum of six consecutive years.
Using a policy based governance model, the Board sets the overall vision for VUU, provides leadership in ensuring that VUU fulfills its mission, acting as responsible stewards of our resources. The Board facilitates progress toward our vision and mission through constant communication with our staff, committees, and the congregation.
Board of Trustees Members
2024 – 2025
Mark Foote, President
I was fortunate to grow up in a religious community where I could sing in the choir, serve others, and learn integrity, charity, and many other values and concepts I apply in my life today. Eventually I found that my conscience wouldn’t allow me to continue in that community and I spent the following decade without a spiritual community, missing what I had lost.
My partner Mikaela and I found VUU in 2020. We knew almost immediately that we were in the right place, and amazed that we hadn’t found this community sooner. Both of us started volunteering wherever we could. Since joining, I rebuilt the VUU.org website as the Congregation’s Webmaster, served on the Capital Planning Committee, and Tech Booth Team. I was honored to be a mentor for the Coming of Age program, and a Parent Assistant for the High School Class. I have participated in Sanctuary Cleanup Days, helped with the garden, sung with the choir, attended countless social gatherings and other activities. I even spoke in a few Sunday services. It has been a busy few years!
We are raising an energetic teen and preteen (Tessa and Will) that attend VUU as often as they can, given our split custody with their mom.
Professionally, I am a computer programmer of sorts. I graduated from ASU with a BS in Computer Information Systems from the School of Business. I am a certified project manager and worked for a local city government implementing software. Currently I do reporting for a financial services company near our home in Ahwatukee.
This is my third year on the Board, and second as your Board President. I intend to use my education, professional experience, and love for our shared spiritual community to collaboratively lead with the Board. I am so grateful to be accepted and welcomed by this community, and I hope contribute in a meaningful way as I serve.
Nancy Egly, Vice President
One of my major concerns for VUU is that we have to pay our expenses while weathering challenges created by wide-ranging ages and interests among us—not to mention a pandemic that fundamentally changed VUU, its people, and yes, even me. Those of us who are elders, need to mentor the youth, younger generations, and up-and-coming new leaders who are finding VUU attractive. We need to accept change, honor new energy, and explore new ways of doing and being. Newer participants need to honor VUU traditions, and long-timers need to acknowledge that some traditions no longer fit. When long-held VUU customs rub against current VUU needs, it is important that everyone work together to foster new traditions and the growth and change they can bring. Otherwise entropy will prevail and VUU will lose relevance and shrink! I refuse to watch.
A transplanted Iowan in AZ since1995, I joined VUU about ten years later. I have been thankful for my Ph.D. and regretful of it while in Arizona, where my areas of interest: Educational Research, Adult Ed/Training & Development seem under-appreciated. I found my niches in organizational development (of churches as some attempted to make themselves more relevant in the late 20th century), research, and computers. My career has also encompassed experience with the YWCA, community colleges, political polling, educational accreditation, and thirteen years at GoDaddy. Now retired, Most of the time, I enjoy helping VUU work! Sometimes, our differences and challenges are a lot to handle. Thanks to the congregation for the opportunity to serve VUU. In addition to “doing” VUU, I serve on an HOA board where I have spent four + years as president and soon twice that as vice president. It is much easier to do anyone’s board activity, even two boards, while retired than when gainfully employed!
Tom Briggs, Board Member
I joined VUU, together with my wife Margareta, in 2007. My major activities since joining include membership in the original Green Sanctuary Team, during the period when we successfully applied to the UUA for official Green Sanctuary status, as well as establishing the VUU Garden and our Sustainability program. From 2016 until 2020 I was a member (and eventually Chairperson) of the VUU Leadership Development Committee when we worked hard to provide exciting and interesting leadership training and development opportunities for everyone in the VUU Community.
For the past year, like many of you, I have been focused on keeping my family and the community safe from Covid 19. I have really appreciated the Zoom services which have allowed me to stay connected with VUU and support the effort to continue and expand our on-line presence in the future. I also look forward to developing and implementing plans to resume in-person services at VUU, which are so important in maintaining our strong sense of community As a member of the VUU Board of Trustees I want to do my part to ensure that we are able to continue support of our Ministries, upgrade and improve our facilities, as needed, and continue to build up our membership as we move into the post-Covid future. Thank you for allowing me to serve VUU in this capacity.
Dan Sapakie, Board Member
I first walked into a UU church in Farmington, Michigan in 1997 as my wife and I looked for a place of worship that would hold an interfaith marriage between one person raised Catholic and another raised Jewish. Prior to this I had little knowledge of what Unitarian Universalism was. Two years later, after being married in that UU church in 1998, my wife and I were attending services at the old facility on Warner Road and after a long flirtation with joining would become full members in 2004. We fondly remember the “Pennies for St. Bennies” campaign to purchase the facility we now so enjoy at VUU.
Both of our children underwent their naming ceremonies in this building and it has been a part of our lives for the better part of the last two decades. My wife and I have both in active in the RE program; she working with the elementary age children and I filling in with high school group monthly when we were still face to face. We have also helped with ICAN and the Feed My Starving Children program. As a board member, I look forward to giving voice to those with children currently in the RE program as well as learning to use my experience as a public school teacher to further our mission to our community and families. I am excited to assist our transition into new facilities and new ministry and greatly appreciate the opportunity to serve the congregation in my capacity as board member.
Katie Hurstwicker, Board Member
Katie Hurstwicker and her family have been active members of VUU since late 2015 and became official members in April 2016. She and her husband, Karl, are active volunteers in the children’s faith formation program, and her husband previously served as a board member in 2018. Professionally, Katie supports families and individuals living with a developmental disability as an advocate and director of home health services. Katie is a fierce advocate focusing on accessing and navigating private and state services for those with developmental disabilities in Arizona.
As a mother of 4 children, two of whom are on the autism spectrum and 3 of whom have learning differences, she brings personal experience and passion to this population. Furthermore, Katie and Karl created their family through transactional adoption and are passionate about adoption, transracial adoption, and being active allies for children and individuals of color.
Before being a mom and in the field of developmental disabilities, She has a Master of Science in Social Work from Columbia University in New York City and an undergraduate from Brigham Young University in Utah. Originally from Rexburg, Idaho, Katie has lived in Salt Lake City, Thailand, New York City, and central Wisconsin. Katie and her family have lived in Gilbert since 2013.
David Sheh, Board Member
I have been a UU for 26 years and a member of VUU for 23 years. I have served as Personnel chair, head usher, and a total of 6 years on the Board: 3 as president, 1 as secretary. I have participated in 10 Stewardship drives (including the last Capital Campaign drive). I was elected 2 terms (4 years) on the
Leadership Development Committee (2014 – 18) and again in 2023. And I served 3 terms as Pacific Southwest District (PSWD) Secretary. I joined Finance in 2008 and was chosen Finance Chair in 2016, a position that I currently hold. I enjoy all the VUU activities I can attend, which is more limited these days as I spend time in our cabin in Pine. I have been exceptionally fortunate to be part of this VUU community that has given me an opportunity to learn, grow, and to be relevant in the larger world. The day job was software engineer, from which I retired in September of 2022.
I am asking for the honor of serving on the Board again because I believe my experience and history with the congregation can be helpful. My intentions if elected will be to restore a balanced budget, look for what can be done to renew attendance and pledging, and maintain democracy and independence that are at the heart of congregational polity.
As always, there are plenty of challenges to embrace. I will do whatever I can to continue supporting the mission of VUU.
Lisa Bonine, Board Member
Hello! I have been a member of VUU since August 2017. My family found Unitarian Universalism after we moved from Minnesota to Texas in 2001. We were drawn to the UU congregation because of the faith formation program. We were excited to give our children a view of many different faiths. When we moved to AZ we looked for a Unitarian Universalist congregation knowing it was a safe place for a family that didn’t consider themselves as relating to any main stream religion.
I loved being a mentor for the Our Whole Lives program and have facilitated two classes for Adult Faith Formation. I have led and facilitated Earth based services and rituals both in the Sanctuary during regular services and in the evenings for Solstice Celebrations. I have been a member of Voices Lifted and the One Hour Choir. I am honored to be an active participant on the Lay Pastoral Care team.
I have a Bachelor’s Degree in Speech Communication with an emphasis on Leadership and a Master’s Degree in Special Education. I have just retired from a 25 year career as a special education teacher. My teaching experiences have been in public schools, public charter schools and in private day treatment programs. Each new school provided a new experience and allowed me to learn as well as to teach. The last six years of my career I was the Special Education Team Lead and had the privilege of working with staff, both general education and special education, to assure students, families and staff were receiving the support they needed for a positive academic experience.
I have actively participated in the Spirituality of Conflict program and the recent TCC program to address some of the difficulties being faced by our beloved music program. These programs have been challenging and exciting as well as being a wonderful extension to my earlier training in Win/Win Negotiation. Participating in these programs has helped me to develop tools that assist with being able to really listen to others as well as to look at and solve problems in a way that supports relationships and connection. I am excited to serve VUU as a member of the Board. It is my hope to assist VUU by helping to develop structures that will support communication and care for all congregants and staff as we move forward together.