Staff
Minister
Rev. Lois Van Leer
Phone: 541-686-2775×1
Email: minister@uueugene.org
Rev. Lo began at UUCE in September of 2018 and will complete her position as the Developmental minister on June 30, 2021. She has thoroughly enjoyed her time in Eugene and is grateful to the church for being such a wonderful church to serve as her last church before retirement. Her passions in ministry are worship, Black Lives Mattering, connecting with folks one on one and playing and having fun together in community. In her spare time she loves to kayak the Willamette River in search of rock treasures. She locates her spirituality in the natural world and likes to refer to herself as a “Mystical Humanistic Religious Naturalist.” She finds fiction to reveal the truths of the human condition and struggles. In her next life she would like to come back as a modern dancer or a musician.
Ministerial Intern
Jennifer A. Hackett, MDiv
Phone: 541-686-2775×7
Email: intern@uueugene.org
Jennifer Hackett earned a humanities degree (BGS) from the University of Dayton (OH), which, naturally, necessitated further schooling. She obtained her Master of Divinity Degree from Vanderbilt University’s Divinity School.
She has completed 3 units (9 months) of Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) – the best of which was done in Honolulu, Hawaii, where she went snorkeling every day after work to unwind. On a long and winding road to ministry, Jennifer has worked primarily in the nonprofit sector: working with women experiencing poverty, students from diverse backgrounds, and working toward the protection of the earth. She is an Adjunct Team member for the Southern Region of the UUA, and a facilitator for the nationwide UUA Retooling for New Realities program.
She lives in Nashville with her family – whose favorite pandemic activity has been doing “Just Dance” on the old school Wii.
Coordinator of Children's Programming
Ezra Black
Phone: 541-686-2775×2
Email: childrensprogram@uueugene.org
Ezra Black started at UUCE in 2015 as Lead Preschool Teacher and RE Assistant. In 2016, he began teaching Spirit Jam and became a Middle School Advisor. He went on to become Coordinator of Children’s Programming in 2018. Ezra loves his work at UUCE and his involvement with parents, children, and the congregation. He is originally from Tulsa, Oklahoma and is parent, cat enthusiast, okayish ukelele player, and occasional watercolorist.
Accompanist
Susanne Zudegi Giordano
Collaborative Keyboardist
Email: pianist@uueugene.org
Susanne accompanies the UUCE Choir and provides solo & ensemble music on piano and pipe organ for Sunday services and other special events. Susanne’s background includes a five-year bachelor program in pipe organ performance from Berry College, Rome, Georgia under the tutelage of Margaret Hawke, is a member-at-large on the Eugene Chapter Board of the American Guild of Organists (AGO) 2018-present; and retired in 2017 with 31 years of staff service at the University of Oregon.
Office Administrator
Isabelle (Izzy) Crecca
Phone: 541-686-2775×3
Email: office@uueugene.org
Izzy grew up on the Olympic Peninsula, in Port Townsend, Washington. Though she did not attend the UU church regularly throughout childhood, she likes to say she grew up “UU adjacent” with her closest friends, and later her family attending Quimper Unitarian Universalist Fellowship. She graduated from Western Washington University in Bellingham, WA in 2018, with a BA in Linguistics. Izzy started at UUCE with the Children’s Program as a SpiritJam Teacher in 2018, and later moved into the Office. Her passions include, learning cool things about language, riding horses, and playing music on the guitar, fiddle, and ukulele.
Rental Coordinator
Jody Monegan
Phone: 541-686-2775×5
Email: rentals@uueugene.org
Jody was born in Eugene, but raised in a small town east of the city. She received her Bachelor’s of Communication Studies from Western Oregon University in 2008 and spent the next twelve years working a myriad of administrative jobs in hospitality, animal welfare and healthcare. She has been an employee of UUCE since 2017. Her favorite things include cooking, reading and spending time with her husband and new daughter.
Bookkeeper & Office Administrator
Jen Dondero
Phone: 541-686-2775×6
Email: accounting@uueugene.org
Jen moved to Eugene from the East Coast and comes to the UUCE with experience in Real Estate and many years in Restaurant & Hospitality Management positions. She started off as the Office Coordinator & Rental Manager in October of 2016 and became the Bookkeeper in 2018.
Custodian
Ghani Djamai
Phone: 541-686-2775×7
Email: custodian@uueugene.org