Susan Frederick-Gray
9th President of the Unitarian Universalist Association
Assumed office
June 25, 2017
Preceded byRev. Sofia Betancourt, Rev. William Sinkford, and Dr. Leon Spencer (interim co-presidents)[1][2]
Succeeded byRev. Sofia Betancourt
Personal details
SpouseRev. Brian Frederick-Gray
ChildrenHenry
Alma materUniversity of Wisconsin-Madison B.S.
Harvard Divinity School M.Div
WebsiteUUA President's pages

Susan Frederick-Gray is a Unitarian Universalist minister who served as the ninth president of the Unitarian Universalist Association from 2017 to 2023.[3] She was the first woman to be elected to the office.[4]

Education and career

Frederick-Gray graduated from the University of Wisconsin, Madison in 1997 with a bachelor's in molecular biology and received a Master of Divinity in 2001 from Harvard Divinity School.[5] During seminary, she served as a Student Minister in Religious Education at the Winchester Unitarian Society, then interned at the First UU Church of Nashville. She served as minister of the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Youngstown, Ohio from 2003 to 2008, and as lead minister of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Phoenix from 2008 to 2017.[6][7] As the latter congregation's lead minister, she led organization for the Arizona Immigration Ministry and hosted the UUA's 2012 "Justice GA" in Phoenix.[8]

Presidency

Frederick-Gray was nominated by petition to run for president in 2016.[9] Her campaign centered around three themes: "spiritually vital, grounded in relationships, organized for impact."[10] Following the resignation of UUA president Rev. Peter Morales, candidate Frederick-Gray worked with the three interim co-presidents and the two other presidential candidates, the Revs. Alison Miller and Jeanne Pupke, to ensure new hiring practice policies would last.[11]

On June 24, 2017, Frederick-Gray was elected President at the UUA's General Assembly in New Orleans. In the UUA's first entirely electronic instant-runoff presidential election, Frederick-Gray received 39.7% of delegates' first-choice ballots, then 58.3% of the second-choice ballots from voters for the eliminated Rev. Alison Miller. She won in the second round with an overall 56% of the vote.[12]

During her first month in office, Frederick-Gray nominated acting Chief Operating Officer Carey McDonald[13] and condemned U.S. President Donald Trump's ban on transgender people from military service.[14]

References

  1. ^ Banks, Adelle M. (31 March 2017). "Unitarian Universalist president resigns amid diversity controversy". Religion News Service. Retrieved 1 April 2017.
  2. ^ Mcardle, Elaine (11 April 2017). "Three co-presidents to lead UUA until General Assembly 2017". UU World Magazine. Retrieved 11 April 2017.
  3. ^ "Susan Frederick-Gray". Retrieved 28 November 2023.
  4. ^ Banks, Adelle (27 June 2017). "Unitarian Universalists elect first woman president". Religious News Service. Retrieved 4 July 2017.
  5. ^ "Rev. Susan Elizabeth Frederick-Gray". UUA.org. Retrieved 4 July 2017.
  6. ^ "Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Phoenix". Retrieved 4 July 2017.
  7. ^ Rasor, Paul B. (2012). Reclaiming Prophetic Witness: Liberal Religion in the Public Square. Skinner House Books. pp. 16–. ISBN 9781558966772. Retrieved 4 July 2017.
  8. ^ "Susan Frederick-Gray, a former Madisonian, is running for UUA President | James Reeb Unitarian Universalist Congregation". www.jruuc.org. Retrieved 29 July 2017.
  9. ^ Walton, Christopher (6 March 2016). "Committee names new UUA presidential candidate". UU World. Retrieved 4 July 2017.
  10. ^ "The Election of the UUA President -- Appreciating Susan Frederick Gray". www.tomschade.com. Retrieved 29 July 2017.
  11. ^ Mcardle, Elaine (12 June 2017). "UUA co-presidents set goals for racial diversity of staff". UU World Magazine. Retrieved 29 July 2017.
  12. ^ Walton, Christopher L. (24 June 2017). "Susan Frederick-Gray elected UUA president". UU World Magazine. Retrieved 29 July 2017.
  13. ^ Walton, Christopher (17 July 2017). "UUA president names McDonald acting chief operating officer". UU World Magazine. Retrieved 29 July 2017.
  14. ^ "UUA President: Transgender Ban is Blatant Discrimination". UUA.org. Unitarian Universalist Association. 27 July 2017. Retrieved 29 July 2017.

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