Staff
Ministerial Staff
Minister
Rev. Jen Youngsun Ryu
(she/her)
Phone: 541-686-2775 x 1
Email: minister@uueugene.org
Office Hours:
Monday, OFF
Tuesday, 10am to 3pm
Wednesday, 10am to 3pm
Thursday, 10am to 3pm
Friday, OFF
Rev. Jen was born in Seoul, grew up in Toledo, became a UU in Baltimore, and went to seminary in Berkeley. Ordained by the Virginia congregation she served for nearly 10 years, Rev. Jen moved into healthcare chaplaincy, earning her board certification. But having grown up in church, she missed the rhythms of a multigenerational community and has returned to parish ministry.
When she’s not at church, you’ll find her kayaking, painting, practicing tai chi, or playing the piano. She loves the creative energy generated by spiritual living and could not imagine life without music or poetry.
Assistant Minister
Elias (Eli) Oak Poore
(they/he)
Phone: 541-686-2775 x 2
Email: assistantminister@uueugene.org
Elias (Eli) Oak Poore (they/he) is a Unitarian Universalist Ministerial Candidate, community organizer, and doctoral student who believes that relationship is where ministry begins— we find our way through the hard things, and toward the beautiful ones, by showing up for each other.
A native Texan, Eli found their way to Unitarian Universalism as a punk rock teenager in the Texas panhandle. The road back was long and not always straight, but it led here. They are queer and trans, and bring over a decade of experience working alongside people navigating poverty, houselessness, addiction, and incarceration, shaped by both professional practice and lived experience. Their ministry is relationship-centered and justice-forward, with a deep commitment to cultivating loving communities that are multicultural, class-inclusive, intentionally multigenerational, and genuinely accessible. None of that is abstract for Eli — it comes from the inside, from a life that has included poverty, incarceration, queerness, disability, and neurodivergence, and from knowing firsthand what it means to need a community that means what it says about “Siding with Love”.
Eli completed their ministerial internship with the Southern Oregon Unitarian Universalist Partnership in Ashland, Grants Pass, and Klamath Falls in 2024-2025 and served as Contract Minister for the Umpqua Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Roseburg during the 2025-2026 church year. They serve on the leadership teams for TRUUsT and UU Class Conversations, and hold a Master of Divinity and a Master of Arts in Religious Leadership for Social Change from Starr King School for the Ministry.
Through their doctoral work at Pacific School of Religion, Eli explores “Underside Theology”, examining how system-impacted communities build care and meaning where institutions fall short, and what congregations, organizations, and public policy might learn from those practices.
Outside of ministry, Eli is, at any given time, almost certainly in the middle of three different books. They write probably more than is reasonable, have a deep love for art, music, and poetry, and are still getting happily lost in the natural beauty of the Pacific Northwest. They are also a bit of a gaming nerd who drinks way too much coffee. They share life with their partner and family, who keep them grounded in what matters most.
Affiliated Community Minister
Rev. Dennis Reynolds
Email: dwreynolds123@gmail.com
Reverend Dennis began his involvement in Unitarian Universalism in the late 1960’s as part of the Liberal Religious Youth group at the Salem, Oregon church. He was not involved in church again until the 1990’s, when he joined the Unitarian Universalist Church in Eugene (UUCE). He was ordained by UUCE in 2012 after having served as a hospital chaplain in Puyallup, Washington and as a minister in Klamath Falls, Oregon and in Humboldt County, California, and the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Whidbey Island, in Freeland, Washington and is Minister Emeritus there.
He and his wife Suzanne returned to Eugene in 2019. They have three grown children and two young grandchildren who live all over the world. Dennis is active in climate and racial justice advocacy work in the larger community.
Administrative Staff
Business Administrator
Isabelle (Izzy) Eldridge
(she/her)
Phone: 541-686-2775 x 3
Email: bizadmin@uueugene.org
Izzy works Tuesday – Saturday, and is usually in the office from 10am – 4pm. Sundays and Mondays are her days off.
Izzy grew up on the Olympic Peninsula, in Port Townsend, Washington. Though she did not attend the UU church regularly as a child, 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 as an RE Teacher in 2018, and later moved into the Office. She was promoted to Business Administrator in August 2023. She lives in Springfield, with her two cats, Bento and Mochi, and her husband Austin. She loves learning cool things about language, riding horses, and playing music on the guitar, fiddle, and ukulele while she sings.
Office Assistant
Robin Schantz-Mulford
(he/him/his)
Phone: 541-686-2775 x 3
Email: office@uueugene.org
Robin works Sunday through Thursday. Friday and Saturday are his days off.
Robin has lived his entire life in Eugene. He married his high school sweetheart in 2001 and they have one child. Robin graduated from the Lane Community College culinary program in 2005. He and his wife also joined the Unitarian Universalist Church in Eugene that same year. He loves greeting folks on Sunday morning. Despite initial protests about giving up his Sunday mornings, he found he immediately felt at home in this spiritual community.
Robin has had many roles within the church community: Greeter, Membership, Intern Committee, Coffee Brew Crew, and Worship Associates to name a few. He can often be heard saying that “he cannot wait to retire so I can spend more time at church.” So when the opportunity came up to join the staff in the office, he jumped at the chance. He is finding it to be the best of both worlds.
Custodial Staff
Custodian
Ian Sonnemann (he/him)
Programming Staff
Director of Music
Joe Rondeau
Phone: 541-686-2775 × 4
Email: music@uueugene.org
Joseph Rondeau recently completed a PhD in music composition at the University of Oregon. They lived in Massachusetts prior to moving to Eugene, where they earned a master’s degree in music composition from Tufts University and a bachelor’s degree in vocal performance from the University of Massachusetts, Lowell. Joseph has been teaching voice lessons, directing choirs, and music directing plays for 15 years, working with singers of all ages. Joseph served two Massachusetts congregations as a section-leading vocalist, the Congregational Church of Needham and the First Baptist of Boston before moving to Eugene and stepping into this music director role in 2022.
Collaborative Accompanist
Susanne Giordano (she/her)
Phone: 541-686-2775
Email: pianist@uueugene.org
Susanne provides accompaniment for the UUCE choirs on piano and pipe organ. She also provides some of the other music of Sunday services, either solo piano or organ, or in duet with another UUCE instrumental musician.
Other things to know about Susanne: Five-year undergraduate major in pipe organ performance at Berry College in Rome, Georgia under the tutelage of Margaret Hawke, 1971-1976; Pianist/accompanist for UUCE 2013-present; Treasurer to the Board of the Eugene Chapter of the American Guild of Organists, July 2021-present; Organist for UUCE 2017-present; Member-at-large on the Eugene chapter board of the American Guild of Organists (AGO) 2018-June 2021; Retired 2017 from 31 years of service at the University of Oregon
Communications Coordinator
Kat Johnson (she/her)
Phone: 541-686-2775 x 5
Email: tech@uueugene.org
Kat works Sunday morning and various hours on Tuesday – Thursday, plus either Friday or Saturday.
Religious Exploration Staff
Religious Exploration Coordinator
Mel Keller
Email: melissa.keller@uueugene.org
Mel Keller is originally from the Chicago suburbs, and she has been living on the West Coast for 5 years. She is currently a PhD student at the University of Oregon in political science, studying the welfare state. Previously, Mel has worked for nonprofits and spent time in both Quaker and Congregationalist churches, building her own spiritual identity. In her free time, Mel enjoys knitting, baking, and taking her chihuahua Apollo to the dog park. She is excited to work with UU Eugene and to learn and grow with this congregation!
Religious Exploration Coordinator
Sam Waddell
Email: sam@uueugene.org
Sam’s interest in teaching history grew through her work with the Willamalane living history program as an instructor and camp counselor in 2022 and moved to working as an instructor for Singing Creek Education Center in 2023. She is also the Religious Exploration Coordinator at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Eugene, starting as one of the preschool teachers in 2023. Teaching has always been a continuous part in her life from teaching science to living history, history, and art for people of all ages.
When she isn’t teaching, she is a fairy working at renaissance festivals throughout the PNW selling her art and others collaborating with a fairy art collective. You can sometimes find her with her wares at the Saturday Market but her work has been sold across the country, locally throughout Oregon but also in Washington, California, Alaska, Nevada, Connecticut, Arizona and beyond, with more with places sure to come.