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UUA Elections 2001 | ||||||
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UUA Elections 2001 | ||||||
William G. Sinkford Elected as Seventh President of Unitarian Universalist Association - First African American to Lead Historically White Denomination
A statement from the Rev. Diane Miller, on the election of Rev. William Sinkford as UUA President, June 23, 2001Diane Olson Elected Unitarian Universalist Association Moderator to Succeed Denise Davidoff - Additional continental election race results also announced
RealVideo: Worship service concluding the campaign
| UUA President | UUA Moderator | UUA Financial Advisor |
 Rev. Bill Sinkford |
 Diane Olson |
 Larry Ladd |
(Cleveland, OH, 8:00 PM EDT - June 23, 2001) The Rev. William G. Sinkford was elected by a 2:1 margin as the seventh President of the Unitarian Universalist Association, thereby becoming the first African American to lead the UUA or any historically white denomination. Upon his installation on Monday, Sinkford will succeed the Rev. John Buehrens who has served eight years.
"It is a tremendous honor to be elected president of our religious movement," said Sinkford. "The hurting world in which we live desperately needs our liberal voice. During my presidency, our Unitarian Universalist voice will be heard in support of racial justice. We will speak for gender equality. And we will work to redress the economic injustices that plague our society. We can be, and will be, a transformative voice for justice in the world."
As a young adult, Sinkford was elected president of Liberal Religious Youth (LRY), the Unitarian Universalist continental youth organization. An honors graduate of Harvard University, Sinkford worked in corporate marketing and later in developing urban housing before entering the UU ministry. He received his M. Div. degree from Starr King School for the Ministry in Berkeley, CA, and was ordained in 1995. Most recently he has served as director of the UUA's department of Congregational, District, and Extension Services, which is responsible for delivering services to UU congregations and for organizing and nurturing new congregations in the US and Canada.
Sinkford was elected by a 2:1 margin over the Rev. Diane Miller, who has headed the UUA Department of Ministry. The final vote total was 2218 votes for Sinkford; 1043 votes for Miller - 68% to 32%.
New UUA President and Moderator Speak to Press and Delegates
Remarks of William Sinkford following his election as UUA PresidentDiane Olson Elected Unitarian Universalist Association Moderator to Succeed Denise Davidoff
Additional continental election race results also announced
(Cleveland, OH - 9:30 PM EDT, June 23, 2001) Diane Olson of Scottsdale, AZ will become the sixth moderator of the Unitarian Universalist Association, succeeding Denise T. Davidoff in that position on June 25. Olson received 1985 votes against Patsy Sherrill Madden's 1213 votes. Olson will join with President-designate William G. Sinkford in leading the 210,000 member denomination.
Olson was elected to the General Assembly Planning Committee in 1993, receiving the highest number of votes for that office; she was re-elected to a four-year term in 1997. She has served four consecutive terms as Chair, and remains the only person in the committee's history elected to chair the committee more than twice. Olson worked with the Planning Committee to create shared leadership and to develop an annual covenanting process among its members. She established collaborative working relationships with UUA leadership and staff, and with the larger UU community, in planning General Assemblies. Her broad congregational-level experience has been nurtured by her more than 30 years of membership and involvement in four UU congregations.
Olson received her B.A. in Political Science from Indiana University in 1965 with highest honors, having been elected to Phi Beta Kappa in 1964. She has been married for 35 years to Bob Olson, a partner with the law firm of Squire, Sanders and Dempsey L.L.P. in Phoenix, Arizona. They are the parents of two young adult children: Jeff, who has just graduated from medical school at the University of Arizona, and Chris, who plans to begin studying to become a doctor this summer.
In addition to the election of Sinkford and Olson, the following individuals were elected to continental offices: Larry Ladd returns as Financial Advisor (an uncontested election) receiving 2097 votes; for At Large Trustee: Tamara Payne-Alex - 2424 votes, the Rev. Wayne Arnason - 2144 votes. Both were incumbents. Elected as members of the Commission on Appraisal: Linda (Stowell) Weaver Horton - 2371 votes; Mark Hamilton - 2250 votes; James Casebolt - 2004 votes. Elected to the General Assembly Planning Committee: Elizabeth Collins - 2385 votes; Angus Bramadat - 2382 votes; Carolyn Patierno - 2334 votes; Lillian Anderson - 2300 votes.
A total of 3276 votes were cast in the election, of which 947 were cast absentee, and 2329 cast on site.
UUA Board of Trustees (At-Large Members); 4-year term UUA Board of Trustees (At-Large Member from Canada); 2-year term
Tamara Payne-Alex, San Jose, California
Rev. Wayne Arnason, Cleveland, Ohio
Rev. Katie Stein Sather, St. John's NewfoundlandCommission on Appraisal: 3 to be elected; 6-year term 
Mark Hamilton, Toronto, Ontario
James Casebolt, St. Clairsville, Ohiono photo available
Rev. Linda (Stowell) Weaver Horton, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Commission on Social Witness: 2 to be elected; 4-year term 
Rev. Richard Nugent, Washington, D.C.
Rev. Jan Carlsson-Bull, New York, New YorkNominating Committee: 2 to be elected; 6-year term
Helen Bishop, El Sobrante, California
James Coomes, South Pasadena, CaliforniaBoard of Review: 2 to be elected; 8-year term 
Lorraine Sandoval-Vigil, Watsonville, California
Rev. Michelle Bentley, Chicago, IllinoisGeneral Assembly Planning Committee; 4-year term
Lillian Anderson, Concord, Massachusetts
Angus Bramadat, London, OntarioGeneral Assembly Planning Committee; 4-year term 
Elizabeth Collins, Lawrence, Kansas
Carolyn Patierno, Berkeley, California
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