Rev. Roberta Finkelstein is a life-long Unitarian Universalist. She was raised in the Community Church of New York where she was in the "Cradle Roll" as an infant and remained active through high school. She taught Sunday School with her mom and was inspired by the brave example of her youth minister, Rev. Richard Leonard, when he answered the call to join the civil rights march in Selma. Her early UU experiences taught her that the church could and should be a place of prophetic witness, courage, and transformation.

Ministry is a second career for Rev. Roberta. She was a nurse and certified nurse-midwife. She has a BSN from Binghamton University and her MSN from Georgetown University. Her midwifery practice centered around high-risk pregnant adolescents in Washington, D.C. During her nursing years Roberta and her husband Barry were active lay leaders in the UU Church of Arlington, VA. Her call to ministry emerged out of those years of professional care-taking and church volunteer work in all aspects of congregational life.

She earned her M.Div. from Wesley Seminary in Washington, DC. While a student she served as an extension intern minister for the Bull Run Unitarian Universalists for 2 years. At graduation she accepted the invitation to serve as their part-time consulting minister for another 5 years. At that point they had grown from fewer than 50 members to 125 and they entered the Extension Ministry Program of the UUA. Rev. Finkelstein then became the New Congregation Minister for the Unitarian Universalists of Sterling, VA where she remained for the 5 years of that appointment and then was called to be their settled minister. Following that settlement she was the Interim Minister in Frederick, MD for a year, then went to Portsmouth, NH. She is now an AIMIT (Accredited Interim Minister in Training) having completed 2 more years of interim ministry in Orlando, Florida and Ridgewood, NJ.

Roberta has served our UU movement in a variety of ways. She was on the UUA Commission on Appraisal for 6 years and CENTER (Continuing Education Network for Training, Education and Renewal) for 4 years. She has been Continuing Education Rep in several chapter execs, and was president of the Chesapeake UUMA. She was the chair of the UU Action Network of New Hampshire, a state-wide UUSC affiliated social justice organization and is currently on the slate for the Nominating Committee of the Unitarian Universalist Minister’s Association.

Rev. Roberta has been married to her husband Barry since 1974. They have one son, Danny, a product of the Religious Education program in Arlington, VA. Danny and his wife volunteer in the literacy program that he started working with while in UU Youth Group. They are also active in a dog rescue group. Danny recently joined Barry in his consulting business.

Roberta and Barry have two badly behaved cats named Bonnie and Clyde and one well behaved dog named Pepper.

Martha Dallas has been our Director of Religious Education (DRE) since 2006. She was formerly the DRE at a mid-sized UU congregation in Massachusetts and has directed several UU summer camps. She has taught religious studies at the high school level, and most recently worked at Burlington’s Edmunds Elementary School directing after school enrichment programs. Martha holds a BA in Anthropology from Mount Holyoke College and a Master’s in Theology and Education from Union Theological Seminary in New York. She lives with her partner, Lucy Gluck, in Burlington.

Christina has worked at the First UU Society in Burlington since 1998. Prior to working at the church, she was the Education/Volunteer Coordinator for Women Helping Battered Women where she provided volunteer management for over 100 volunteers and did school and community education about domestic violence. She has also worked as an Office Manager for the Essex Vermont Police Department and for Mitsubishi Motors America headquarters in Southfield, Michigan. Christina has volunteered as a hotline worker at Women Helping Battered Women, as the board Treasurer for SafeSpace and as the Board Co-Chair for RU12? Community Center. Christina lives with her partner, Woody Fulton, in Burlington, Vermont

Kathleen is our Administrative Assistant and has been with us since January of 2000. She has a BS in Business Administration from Trinity College and worked in various capacities at Digital Equipment Corporation, Bio-Tek Instruments, Inc. and Gardener’s Supply Company

Conductor Lisa Wolff brings enthusiasm, expertise and a lifelong love of singing and the choral art to her new position as Music Director of the First Unitarian-Universalist Society of Burlington. A native Californian, she lived for many years in Manchester, New Hampshire, before moving to Vermont four years ago.

Among her numerous awards and honors are a Commendation from the Governor of New Hampshire and a Proclamation from the Mayor of Manchester celebrating her twentieth anniversary as Music Director of the Manchester Choral Society in 2002, and an Individual Artist Fellowship for 2002 from the New Hampshire State Council on the Arts -- one of only six New Hampshire artists across all disciplines to be so honored. Under Wolff’s leadership, the Manchester Choral Society became a magnet for serious choral singers throughout southern New Hampshire, earning accolades from singers and audience alike, both regionally and on two European concert tours.

Wolff enjoyed a long tenure as Music Director of Grace Episcopal Church, Manchester, and served as Music Director of the Seacoast-based chamber chorus Amare Cantare for several seasons. Her guest conducting credits include University of New Hampshire Concert Choir, New Hampshire Music Educators Association Chamber Music Festival, New Hampshire Symphony Orchestra, Portsmouth Women’s Chorus, and New Hampshire All-State Music Festival. She has conducted choirs and taught studio voice at the University of Nevada, Reno, and the University of Vermont.

An accomplished soprano, Ms. Wolff has performed as soloist with Boston’s Cantata Singers and Masterworks Chorale, First Night Boston, White Mountain Bach Festival, Burlington Choral Society and many others. A frequent adjudicator and clinician for choral festivals and voice competitions, she taught voice at St. Paul’s School in Concord, New Hampshire, and privately. She has served as accompanist for numerous choirs, and as organist for several churches, most recently the Congregational Church of South Hero, Vermont.

Wolff is a summa cum laude graduate of Occidental College Phi Beta Kappa, with Departmental Honors in Music. Her M.M. degree is from Yale University where she studied conducting and voice through the Institute of Sacred Music. She holds a D.M.A. degree in Choral Conducting from Boston University. Her conducting teachers include Ann Howard Jones, David Hoose, and Henry Gibbons; she has also participated in workshops with Robert Shaw at Carnegie Hall and Helmuth Rilling at the Oregon Bach Festival.
 

Wayne Schneider is an Associate Professor at the University of Vermont's  Department of Music where he teaches music history.  He lives with his spouse Paula, and several cats.
 

Myra has been a member of our society scince 1999.  Employed as Caretaker scince August 2007, Myra takes both pride and pleasure in keeping our society's buildings clean and "green".  She resides in Burlington  with her son Joseph and has a large extended family here in Vermont.  Myra enjoys cooking for friends, all things nature and reading and learning about other places.
 

Kristin moved to Vermont in the Fall of 2010 and quickly sought (and found!) a place to renew her connection to Unitarian Universalism. It was also only a matter of time before she found her way to the youth at FUUSB, and when she did the stars aligned to provide her with the opportunity to serve as the Youth Programs Coordinator. Kristin was an active member of her own UU youth group in Hackettstown, NJ and has worked extensively with all age ranges in mostly outdoor settings. Kristin currently lives in Essex Junction and works at the National Gardening Association in South Burlington.

Kim Thomas has been working in the nursery since 2008 and has been Childcare Coordinator since 2009. She has experience as an in-home childcare provider and has worked at multiple area childcare centers. She lives in Burlington with her nearly four year old son Griffin.

I have worked at the UU church as a part time bookkeeper since 2001. I have met some wonderful people at the church over the years and enjoy working with Christina Fulton. I have been an insurance agent for 23 years and work for Smith, Bell & Thompson full time. I am married to a wonderful husband and have three children, a stepdaughter and five grandchildren. I enjoy spending time with family and friends and love to vacation in Maine.