Board of Trustees
The Board of Trustees is responsible for establishing, amending, interpreting and enforcing Chapel policies in accordance with the by-laws. The Board also delegates responsibility, authority and accountability to the minister and board committees. The Board is composed of seven members who are elected by the congregation for staggered three-year terms. The Lead Minister is an ex officio, non-voting member of the board.
The Board meets the second Tuesday of the month at 7:00 pm in Adams Hall. Meetings are open to anyone in the Eliot community.
Contact the Board of Trustees
L to R: Brian Kripner, Todd Stark (Chair Elect), Karen Fuchs, Trina Priese, Rev. Barbara Gadon, David Cox (Chair), Allison Hibbs, Angie Bowland (Secretary).
2017-2018 Members
David T. Cox, Chair
Email David
David has been a member of Eliot Chapel since 2005. He joined the choir soon after becoming a member and now sings with both the Chamber Choir and the Eliot Choir. He has previously served in different Unitarian Universalist congregations as Chair of the Sunday Services Committee (Montgomery, Alabama) and as a member of the Board of Trustees (Athens, Georgia). David is a member of the Board of Trustees at the Belleville Philharmonic Society and the Belleville Historical Society, where he also serves as Vice President. An attorney in private practice, David currently serves as the Chair of the Immigration Committee for the Bar Association of Metropolitan St Louis. David not only sings here at Eliot, he performs with the chorus of the Bach Society of St Louis and occasionally sings with the St Louis Symphony Chorus. He is a competitive bodybuilder as well.
Todd Stark, Chair-elect
Todd has been attending Eliot Chapel since moving to Kirkwood in 2006 - but his ties go back to 1996 when he and Amy were married by Dick Haynes. For many years Todd has joined the Kindergarten-2nd 11 o'clock Religious Education class claiming to be the teacher. He also participates in the Madrigal claiming to be an actor -- (Todd says this is debatable). Todd is a liturgist and is currently facilitating a book read for Eliot. Both Todd and Amy are strong Eliot supporters (Amy was on the search committee bringing Barbara to St. Louis). They have two young sons, Casey and Will. In his spare time, Todd enjoys watching the Cardinals and playing games with his family.
Angie Bowland, Secretary
Angie has been attending Eliot Chapel since 2003. Angie has previously been a Junior High Youth Group advisor, RE teacher, Family Support and Outreach committee member and spent many nights on the floor at lock-ins. She also served on the Transition Team, participated in a covenant group and enjoys singing with the Women's Chorale. Angie and her husband, Chris, have two kids at KHS and involved with the Senior High Youth Group. They are very proud that daughter Elena will be represented Eliot at the Youth Midwest Leadership School this past summer. Angie was a professional modern dancer 20 years ago, spent many years in Marketing at Sara Lee Bakery Group and then Panera Bread and has recently become a partner and Operations Manager at Kind Soap Company. In her spare time, she teaches Zumba, hangs with her two Wire Fox Terriers (Scout & BooRadley) & loves being outdoors, watching movies and cooking.
Karen Fuchs
Karen first walked through Eliot Chapel’s doors in 1994, to attend PFLAG meetings (then known as Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays). Her brother Gene, who was dying of AIDS, attended some meetings with Karen’s family. In 1997, Janet Pillman married Karen and Linda Korinek to a full house at Eliot. In October, 2015, Reverend Barbara Gadon legally married the couple at Eliot in the garden. Sydney Lynn, their daughter, was born (Linda did the birthing thing) in 2001. Karen has participated in Canvass activities for the past two years. She has been involved in Religious Education, cooked for Room at the Inn, participated in the ALL READ Book Groups, been active in Bridges and ALWAYS standing on the side of love with Social Justice groups and activities. Karen has a Baccalaureate degree in Nursing and an MA in Health Services Management. She has worked as an RN, and as a Manager in Nursing at several local hospitals here. Along with a small group of investors, she built a home care company from the ground up, resulting in two offices and also an Adult Day Care Facility. Karen retired from Mercy Hospital in November 2015. "Of course, if you ask Sydney, she will tell you my greatest goal is World Peace. It still is and I hope to continue to work on this and Social Justice with my beloved family at home and at Eliot."
Trina Priese
As a child of founding members, Trina was raised at Eliot and credits much of her adult beliefs to our UU faith. Besides a 15 year stint in Colorado, she has served the church in various capacities, most notably singing in choir, teaching RE, and helping with this year's canvass. "I think my most significant service has been as a member of the ministerial search committee that brought us Reverend Gadon! The search process taught me a lot about what it takes to run a UU church like Eliot, with its many different programs and obligations. It particularly helped me understand that all members have an obligation to give back to the church in whatever way they can. As my logical next step, I’m proud to again serve Eliot as a member of our Board of Trustees."
Allison Hibbs
Allison has been a member of Eliot Chapel since 2013. She has been deeply involved in the Chapel’s social justice work, particularly racial and economic justice. She has facilitated the Social Justice in Action Steering Committee, stood in vigils, been involved in marches/protests, participated in ALL READS, advocated for public policy changes at the state and national levels, and led training programs associated with Living the Pledge to End Racism. Beyond Eliot, Allison has advocated for the needs of children and their families, including the Bee Wise Immunize Campaign which resulted in stronger immunization laws, the Invest in Missouri’s Children Campaign which successfully allocated a portion of the tobacco settlement to children’s programs and the passage of the Family and Medical Leave Act at the federal level. In her work life, Allison has been an organizational consultant and a fundraiser, an English and Social Studies teacher, a baker, a medical companion, and currently, a member of the activities/programs staff at an assisted living community. She enjoys nurturing relationships with her three adult children, spending time with friends, cooking, reading and travel.
Brian Krippner
Brian Krippner has been a member of Eliot Chapel for 10 years. He served as Treasurer from 2007-2010 and has worked on committees or task forces on stewardship, canvass, Mission/Vision/Values and, most recently, the purchase of 222 E. Argonne. He is an active alumni of his Alma Mater, currently as a board member for the Truman State University Foundation. Professionally, Brian is a Senior Vice President in the Trust Department at UMB Bank. He and his wife Ame live in Crestwood with their two daughters and two schnauzers. In his spare time, he enjoys running half-marathons, playing bass guitar and pursuing "rock-blues-jamfunk" as a near-spiritual practice.
