Board Members

Rev. Dr. Althea Smith

Rev. Dr. Althea Smith, UU Community Minister, Spiritual Director, and descendant of enslaved people, is a contemplative who seeks a resting place with God that is healing and transformative, living into God’s commandment to love. She focuses on Afrocentric contemplative practices.

Founder of the Joshua D Smith Legacy Project, named for her son, who was murdered in the Summer of 2021. This project seeks opportunities to pair churches with community agencies to expand their social justice work. She is an abolitionist.

Currently, she is certified as a Contract Parish Minister and has worked with small pastoral congregations in New England. 

Rev Dr. Smith has strong community ties to Dorchester, MA. She is the Chair of the Board of Directors at Brookview House, a transitional living program for women and children experiencing homelessness. Brookview provides a safe place to live and programs to help build self-esteem.

 She embraces the work of Families for Justice and the National Council for Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls.  She supports them spiritually.

 Rev Smith is the Co-chair of Still Harbor, Spiritual Direction programs. She provides spiritual direction and supervision. She is working on a spiritual direction project entitled Abolition as a Spiritual Practice. 

Currently, she is a Doctor of Ministry Candidate at Berkeley School of Theology.  She has a Doctor of Psychology from Boston University and a Master of Divinity from the Episcopal Divinity School. She is a retired Registered Nurse, an activist, and a community leader. Rev. Althea is also a wonderful listener and a keen observer who will challenge us to do our work of discernment. Her open heart informs her ministry as she works to abolish injustice and inequities in our community, country, and the world. 

Christina Rivera, Treasurer

Christina Rivera is a religious educator, administrator, and minister serving Unitarian Universalism as part of the Lead Ministry Team at Church of the Larger Fellowship. She was the first Latina and religious educator elected to the UUA Board of Trustees, serving as Trustee, Financial Secretary, and Secretary of the Association. In 2017 Chris co-created the #UUWhiteSupremacyTeachIn with religious educators Aisha Hauser and Kenny Wiley. In 2019 she received the Mel Hoover Award from DRUUMM and in 2020 the UUA’s Angus MacLean Award for Excellence in Religious Education.

 In 2018, Chris founded Called to Justice (CTJ), a consulting group focused on impactful leadership development for UUs committed to justice ministries. Called to Justice’s goal is to develop lasting relationships with organizations and support them as they move deeper into understanding how white supremacy culture impacts their organization.

 Chris has the faith of her husband and sons who, along with her ancestors, form the foundation for her call to justice.

Rev. Jocelyn E. Collen, Board member

The Rev. Jocelyn E. Collen, M.Div., (she/her) is an Episocpal Priest, a mother, and a Spiritual Director. She has been a Spiritual Director since 2016, when she completed her Certificate in Spiritual Formation at Boston College School of Theology & Ministry. She believes it is a privilege to accompany someone spiritually, and feels called to guide people as they notice their own sacred, belovedness. She believes Spiritual Direction ought to be readily available for all people, regardless of whether someone has religious and/or spiritual backgrounds. Jocelyn was on the teaching team for the Franciscan Spiritual Direction Program, and she has continued to serve as a Spiritual Director while also pursuing full time work in other ministries. She has had the joy of visiting prisons as a volunteer chaplain for over 16  years, and delights in the gift of listening to the stories of others. Jocelyn has served as a Campus Minister at a university, a Religious Educator and Chaplain at a school for severe special needs students, a Faith Formation Assistant in a parish, an Associate Director for the Episcopal Service Corps, an Administrator in Bishops' offices, and currently, as a priest in two parishes. She has extensive experience leading non-profit boards. Jocelyn feels most honored to be the mother of a baby who reminds her daily of what love really looks like.

Instructors

Court VonLindern

Court VonLindern (they/he) is a white, queer, and trans spiritual director, theologian, and facilitator living on the lands of the Salish and Kootenai people in Montana. They provide spiritual care, support, and accompaniment to people seeking to cultivate an authentic relationship with g*d, Spirit, or whatever it is they call the Divine.

Court was raised in the United Methodist Church, and briefly pursued the ordination track in the UMC. He received his Master of Divinity from Iliff School of Theology, and chose to step away from ordination when he realized that they felt called beyond the Church walls and institutions. Court has a long background in creating LGBTQIA+ centered spiritual spaces that honor the inherent dignity and worth of queer and trans beloveds. 

You can typically find Court encountering Spirit in lakes, rivers, trees, and in moments of whimsy with their partner, greyhound dog, and tortoiseshell cat.