Carol Fineagan (Term 2008-2011)

I grew up in a Catholic family with activist parents in Baltimore. We became Methodists when our priest and nun left the church to marry. A religious explorer, I called myself Quaker for years, then a Zen Buddhist. I found the Unitarian Church in Annapolis by accident and discovered that I had been a Unitarian all my life. Now I consider myself a UU Evangelist—I tell everyone where we are and what we’re up to at First Church.

My son and I moved to SLC in July of 2006 with two rescued dogs. My mission: to integrate the information systems and computer teams from four diverse scientific and engineering companies which hold a large number of patents for reducing nuclear waste. I am 200% in favor of safely reducing, repackaging and storing legacy waste which has been languishing since WWII. I believe that heavy regulation and constant monitoring by our government and private watchdog groups is appropriate. As a pragmatist, I believe that we must consider all facts and science before making decisions. I believe our government needs to wake up and allow reprocessing of spent fuel to reduce waste and to reduce mining.

Upon arriving in SLC, I jumped right into volunteering: communications committee, Sunday coffee and RE events at the First Unitarian Church, participating in events for the Youth In Crisis Committee and career day at Franklin Elementary through the SLC Rotary club, serving on the Advisory Panel of the Women Tech Council, and parent volunteer activities at Rowland Hall. My five-year plan includes starting a non-profit to provide education, services, mentoring and career opportunities to at-risk teenagers. My greatest accomplishment to date is the wonderful work in progress I know and love as my son, Ryley.

If I am elected to the Board of Trustees, I will apply three liberal arts degrees, over 40 years of active volunteering and an open mind and heart to ensuring that First Church sustains the diverse beliefs and needs of our community. My passion is to provide a place and opportunity for our kids to grow into committed and conscientious stewards of the planet and its citizens.

James Griner (Term 2008-2011)

A bio starts with the people who made me. Momma is a Methodist, Poppa a teacher. Sundays were for grading papers and watching Eagles football. Because Poppa decreed "listen to your momma," I was raised Methodist. Maternal Grandpa was a perpetually-serving-others Presbyterian, and Grandma was a liberal agnostic who savored Christian hymns  – their seeds would germinate later.

Then, there's my education and travel influences. I attended the world's largest Baptist university, Baylor, in Texas. Graduated with a trippy expressionistic final film project, Old & New Testament hermeneutics, a Communication degree, and a zest for spicy Mexican. Skipped through Jersey again, only to blow westward to Utah where I got serious about a Mormon girl, dabbled in Buddhism, and decided I wanted a larger toolkit to work with conflict so I earned a postgraduate Certificate in Conflict Resolution. All the while, being one that feels more connected when serving, I jumped into various nonprofits: the Boys and Girls Club, the International Rescue Committee, the Cancer Wellness House, and Amnesty International.

Then, there's the work at First Unitarian Church. Dovetailing with my background in communication, I facilitated nonviolent communication RE courses at First Church and, later, at the UUA's Russell Lockwood Leadership School. It was in the hot Hopi sun where I was enlightened by my surrogate children, the wonderfully creative and encouraging high schoolers at First Unitarian. Thriving on the potential of youth embodying possibilities, I volunteered to assist in developing the newly evolving Young Adult/ Campus Ministry group. Currently, I'm working at the University of Utah as a Network Administrator and am investigating religious pluralism coursework at the U.

If I am elected, I aim to honor the First Church community by utilizing my skills towards nurturing the vision of First Church. I will be an advocate for the future of the First Church congregation—its youth, its role in Salt Lake City, and its voice in the global community.

Peter Grundfossen (Term 2008-2011)

I was raised in the Pacific Northwest, moved to Salt Lake City in 1966, moved to Portland, Oregon in 1985, and back here in 2000. Along the way I learned to try to listen to and bring out the ideas of others.

My professional career was a mile wide and an inch deep: thirteen years in education, then off to politics, government, law, and public advocacy. I’m proudest of having helped young people in their education; of increasing dramatically the number of scholarships available to minority college students in Utah while in the legislature in 1971; of spearheading a movement to establish a low-income housing trust fund in Oregon in 1991; and as a volunteer, of founding the Friends of the Portland State University Library in 1994.

As a young person I was unchurched. In 1993 I began attending the First Unitarian Church of Portland, which I joined in 1994, and I took up membership here after moving back to Salt Lake City.

Retired since 2000, I work on Church projects (was chair of the Strategic Planning Committee the past few years), ride a bicycle (4,200 miles last year, including the length of Utah), and hike the trails of Capitol Reef and the mountains around Torrey, where my wife and I have a cabin.

If elected to the Board of Trustees, I will focus on getting more congregants actively involved in building the Church: participating on committees, in activities, and in financing operations.

Bill Ohlsen (Term 2008-2009)

I was born in Evanston, Illinois in 1932. From 1933 until 1954 I lived in Ames, Iowa and graduated in Physics from Iowa State College, now University. In 1954 I moved to Ithaca, NY to study at Cornell University.

In 1956 I was blessed with the hand of Ruth Bradford in marriage. We, in turn, were blessed with three daughters, the second of whom you know as Patricia Horton. Finally in 1961 with Ph.D. in hand we all moved to a new job with the University of Utah. In 1997, after 37 years of teaching and research at the U and two German Universities, I retired and was granted emeritus status.

For much of my life I attended the Presbyterian Church, with a few years of Lutheranism during graduate school while Ruth helped support us by playing the organ and working with the choir there. We grew away from the Presbyterian Church and for many years had no church home. Helping set up the Coop Nursery during Hugh Gillilan's watch was our first contact with the First Unitarian Church. In more recent times we attended several funerals at the church and were taken with both the services and with the congregation. We started attending Sunday mornings and rather quickly signed the book in 2002.

If elected to the Board, I will devote whatever time and energy this important position requires. In particular, I would like to work on the chronic under-funding of the church.

Ron Anderson (Term 2008-2011)

I previously served on our Endowment Fund Committee for about nine years in the 1990s and am willing to serve again. I will be "retiring" from the Finance Committee this year after nine years of service. Other qualifications I bring to the task include First Church Board president in 1985, a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Utah and retiring from Federal Government contracting in 2000.

Alan Coombs (Term 2008-2011)

I was born and raised in Kansas, graduating from the University of Kansas with a degree in political science before a three-year tour on active duty in the United States Navy.  I subsequently received my M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in history from the University of Illinois and joined the University of Utah history faculty in 1968, serving until my retirement in 2004.

I have been a member of the First Unitarian Church of Salt Lake City for nearly forty years and served two terms on the Board of Trustees (as President in 1986). I taught in the RE program, chaired the annual pledge campaign on several occasions, and have been involved in long-range planning and Sunday services from time to time.

Danny Schoenfeld (Term 2008-2011)

I have been a member of the First Unitarian Church for seven years, served on the Board of Trustees (including as its President) and on various committees and initiatives. I attended the University of Utah for my undergraduate and graduate degrees and currently work for the State of Utah, Office of the Legislative Fiscal Analyst.