Staff and Board

Our Minister

He/Him
**Rev. Kevin Tarsa**
**Lead Minister**

The Unitarian Universalist Community of the Mountains welcomed Rev. Kevin Tarsa (he/him) in August 2016 as its second settled minister.

Rev. Kevin arrived in Grass Valley and parish ministry after a lifelong vocation in church music and 26 years of music ministry in Unitarian Universalist congregations. He is a graduate of Meadville Lombard Theological School and a recipient of the school’s Faculty Prize for Religious Leadership. Prior to his call to ministry here, Rev. Kevin served as an Interim Minister in Beaufort, South Carolina; an Interim Minister of Music in Lansing, Michigan; an Intern Minister in Wayland, Massachusetts; and a longtime Minister of Music in Traverse City, Michigan.

Rev. Kevin identifies as a religious naturalist, explaining that he is a non-theist who believes that we are thoroughly human beings in an awe-inspiring and entirely natural universe, and that we are called by “life’s longing for itself” to live in ways that strengthen at the same time both our individual and our collective well-being. “Religion helps us to navigate the intersection of ‘I’ and ‘we’ to the benefit of all,” he says, calling us ever to our most whole and integrated selves. “Love is the symbol I use for the work at hand. We are called continually to figure out together what love asks of us now, in this moment and in this place.”

Rev. Kevin is a gay man, the second oldest of eight children from a devoutly Catholic and close-knit Michigan family. He is fed and energized by creative and artistic endeavors of many sorts. He finds special joy in meaningful interactions, group synergy, shared music making, and making and sending thoughtful cards to people. He is grounded by gardening, cooking, hiking, biking, swimming, and snowshoeing, and his eyes can never take in enough of the electric blue sky at mid-dusk, the deep hues of Lake Michigan, the brilliant greens of a spring woodland, or the dynamic edges and rhythms of the Yuba River.

Our Board of Trustees

The Board of Trustees is the governing body of this Community, consisting of seven members elected by UUCM’s members. Their mission is to provide the leadership to make the UUCM’s mission a reality for our religious community.

About the Board

The UUCM Board of Trustees is the governing body of this community. It governs primarily by discerning the Mission, planning for the future, and providing oversight of compliance with the Articles of Incorporation, UUCM bylaws, UUCM policies, and all legal requirements. The Board monitors and safeguards human and material resources of the Community and governs through written policies. The Board maintains final oversight of the operations of the church.

The Board oversees and creates committees to assist it in its work.

Wondering what individual Board members do? Read the Job Descriptions for President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Member At Large.

Board Meetings

The trustees meet monthly, on the 3rd Wednesday of the month at 1:30 PM.

A meeting notice is listed in the weekly e-chalice prior to Board meetings. UUCM members are welcome to attend. Please contact the Board President for meeting details.

My Catholic parents married right out of high school in Hawthorne, CA and had seven children in the next ten years. I came first and began early training as babysitter. That was enough for me, and I decided not to have any children of my own. That left me free to follow my career with full zeal. First, I graduated from nursing school but didn’t take to the subservient nature of that work in the 70s. Next, I discovered accounting and worked and educated myself in that field for over 30 years. Deciding to make Nevada City my home in 2007, I started volunteering with the local hospice and hospital providing spiritual care, which led me to seminary and chaplaincy training. Living in the country also introduced me to horses, which has now become my primary hobby since I decided living on a ranch was a good education for this city girl.
UUCM’s commitment to courageous love and the opportunity to grow spiritually while contributing to the greater good is all I need to be home.

Elected June 2025

I grew up in Palo Alto during the 1950-60s, attended Antioch College, UC Berkeley, and Yale Architectural School, and first discovered Nevada County in 1970. Following my studies and apprenticeship, in 1975 I returned to Nevada City for residency and to begin practicing architecture. During the latter part of my career I worked with the UUCD (Davis) and UUSS (Sacramento) congregations, and became familiar with UU values and practices. After a 40-year career, I retired in 2015. My wife, Carol Nimick, and I recently joined UUCM to pursue interests in community engagement and spiritual practice. We also enjoy traveling and hiking.

Elected June 2025

An Air Force brat and an Army veteran, I have lived in many places during my life. Most of it has been in California, where I was born. A university professor at Cal State Stanislaus, I was ready to move out of the valley and made sure there was a UU nearby before making the commitment! In the Stanislaus County UU Fellowship, I served on the Board for 8 years, two as President. I’ve been a UU for about 23 years and love the community of like minded people I have become a part of. My major interest now is in creating mosaics and in travel. I’m excited for this next year at UUCM and serving our dynamic congregation.

Appointed November 2024

I was first introduced to the Unitarian Church in Ann Arbor Michigan in 1960, by my soon-to-be husband, Robert, and have attended UU churches ever since. Attendance was fairly casual during my years working as a corporate lawyer, but once I approached retirement, I became more involved. We attended churches in Canoga Park, California; in Bethesda, Maryland; Oakton, Virginia; Charleston, South Carolina; Oakland, California; and now Grass Valley. In Charleston, I was President of the Vestry, as the governing board was known, and lead the church into a capital campaign to preserve our 227-year-old building. We promptly moved to Berkeley, California, where I became Treasurer of the Unitarian Church of Oakland, and Treasurer of the Board, Chair of the Building Committee, and Treasurer of the campaign that allowed us to do a major earthquake retrofit of our building.

Robert and I along with our son, Brian, and son-in-law, Jack, bought a house in Cascade Shores in 2009, as our family’s second home. I love swimming in Scotts Flat Lake, and summer in Berkeley was just too cold. During those years, we attended UUCM occasionally. We all moved up here in 2018, permanently. I live in a house at Eskaton. I started attending UUCM weekly in November 2019 and became a member in February 2020, just in time to participate in a few events and get involved with the Finance and Governance Committees before everything shut down.

I’m looking forward to deepening my involvement through working on your Board, and lending my time and talents as I am able.

Re-elected July 2024

I am a Northern California native, born and raised in Redding. I moved to Nevada county in 1990, and have never left. I have been so fortunate to have a profession that I loved, working as a Women’s Health Care Nurse Practitioner with a speciality in obstetrical care. For over 20 years in Grass Valley I had the honor to provide care for low income women during their pregnancies. My time in retirement is now filled with gardening, walks in nature, time with friends, volunteering, and deepening my relationships with the community I share my life with. UUCM brings so much to my life through those relationships, and the many purposeful opportunities that arise frequently. I love the spiritual work that UUCM asks of me, and it requires me to self-examine and to evaluate my life’s journey. In doing this work, it makes that journey more meaningful and rich.

Elected June 2025

I have been a UU for more than 35 years. I enjoyed a long career as a speech-language pathologist and coordinator of the preschool diagnostic team for a school district in San Jose. My husband Alec MacLean and I retired to Grass Valley about three years ago. Since joining UUCM I have been a Soul Matters facilitator, a Circle Supper host, and have helped with Hospitality. I am grateful for the opportunity to become more deeply involved in the workings of the congregation and to serve this church community as a Member-at-Large of the Board.

Elected June 2024

Originally from Pennsylvania, I moved to California in 1995 to pursue a degree in Viticulture & Enology at UC Davis. After that, I entered the wine industry here and have since held several Winemaker positions up and down the state. Retired from that career, I now enjoy most things music: playing, listening and instrument-making. The things I love most about UUCM are the people – the community, the camaraderie, and the loving energy. I hope to, in this position, give back to our UUCM community and continue to build a foundation for great work going forward.

Elected June 2025

Our Staff

She/Her
**Siobhan Boylan**
**Administrative Assistant**
**admin**@uugrassvalley.org

With 15 years of elementary teaching experience, Siobhan has become adept at managing many projects at the same time while stopping frequently to share stories and smiles. She has a particular affinity for technical projects, organizing files, and making processes user-friendly.

In her spare time, Siobhan teaches adult ESL at Placer School for Adults, tends a “front-yard farm,” and finds fun adventures with her dogs, Rosie & Tully.

He/Him
**Toby Thomas-Rose**
**Music Director & Choir Director**
**Music**@uugrassvalley.org

Toby Thomas-Rose is an engaging pianist with a passion for connecting to his audience both through music and education. He has performed in venues across North America and overseas, and recently received a bachelor’s degree in piano performance from California State University Northridge.

Toby began as the piano accompanist at UUCM for the Sunday services in the summer of 2022 and became the Music Director in December.