Gini Courter

The Rev. Wayne Arnason

UUA Board of Trustees Elects Gini Courter as Interim Moderator

(Boston, MA – Oct. 19, 2003) Following a worship service conducted by the Revs. Charles Ortman (Trustee, Metro New York District) and Ned Wight (Acting Moderator and Trustee, Pacific Southwest District), the UUA Board of Trustees moved into session in Eliot Chapel at UUA Headquarters in Boston. The Rev. Will Saunders (Trustee, New Hampshire/Vermont District) offered a chalice lighting meditation and prayer.

Rev. Wayne Arnason, UUA Secretary, then reviewed the procedure for electing an Interim Moderator. He observed, “This is an historic moment for this board and for the Association and its future.” He asked each trustee to cast their written ballot for Interim Moderator, and per the protocols established by the Board and the Secretary of the Association, Nancy Lawrence (Assistant to UUA Executive Vice President Kay Montgomery), accompanied by Observer Lynda Bluestein (President, Metro New York District) left the room to count the ballots.

The five candidates for Interim Moderator were Gini Courter, the Rev. Calvin Dame, Patsy Sherrill Madden, Dr. Elisabeth McGregor, and the Rev. Douglas Morgan Strong. The outcome of the ballot was announced to the board at 10:40 AM, resulting in the election of Gini Courter.

During her interview for the position of Interim Moderator, Courter said, “Two years ago, the president and staff and board found some extraordinary opportunities to extend and deepen Unitarian Universalism, and to have more congregations and congregations that were more engaged. What excites me is thinking about putting the Association on track.”

Courter, of Traverse City, Michigan, is currently serving the Association as Secretary of the General Assembly Planning Committee. In June, she completed eight years as Trustee for the Heartland District and six years as Chair of the UUA Finance Committee. Courter will serve in the role of Interim Moderator until an election for a one-year term (the remainder of Diane Olson’s unexpired term) as Moderator is held at the 2004 General Assembly in Long Beach, CA.

— Reported by Deborah Weiner, Director of Electronic Communication

Related stories:

10/18/03: Additional Election Procedures for Interim UUA Moderator Appointment

10/18/03: Candidates for Interim Moderator Interviewed by UUA Board

10/16/03: Process for Electing an Interim UUA Moderator

10/2/03: Diane Olson resigns as UUA Moderator

• Legal Opinion regarding special election for UUA Moderator 10/8/03
• Board Process for appointing a Moderator 10/8/03
• Letter from UUA President William G. Sinkford, 10/03/03
• Letter from the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees, 10/03/03
  

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