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 ministers and board committees, and monitors the Eliot Chapel budget. The Board is composed of seven members who are elected by the congregation for staggered three-year terms and a treasurer elected by the congregation for a one-year term. 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: Angie Bowland, Karen Fuchs, Todd Stark, Trina Priese, Rev. Barbara Gadon, Bruce MacKenzie, Cindy Lau, Dave Salivar, David Cox
2016-2017 Members
Cindy Lau, Chair
Email Cindy
Cindy has been a member of Eliot Chapel since 1990. She and her husband Ted are very active in our congregation. Cindy has taught RE, led workshops, been part of strategic planning, and enjoys singing in the Women's choir. She was previously on the Board of Trustees for Eliot from 1997 through 2000, and served as Board chair for one year of her term. For seven years Cindy and Ted co-led an Eliot group called "In Search Of" which explored spirituality. The Laus have three children and one granddaughter. Cindy is a proven lifelong learner as seen in her diverse career path: she has been an emergency room nurse, has an MBA and worked for BJC as the Director of Application Development in their Information Technology group. She is currently in her third career as a psychotherapist, focusing on somatic psychotherapy in her private practice. For relaxation Cindy walks her dogs, gardens, cooks, reads, and takes classical guitar lessons.
David Cox, Chair-elect
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 on the Board of Governors for the Bar Association of Metropolitan St Louis and he is Chair of that organization’s Solo and Small Firm Practitioner Section. 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.
Dave Salivar, Treasurer
Dave has been a member of Eliot Chapel since 2010. He has participated in the Avant Covenant Group since becoming a member. Dave worked with the Canvass pledge drive team during 2015, to which he devoted expertise, time and energy and which team achieve achieved excellent results for Eliot. Dave is an attorney in private practice and has been practicing law for forty years. Dave has extensive experience in estate and trust planning, business acquisition and merger matters, business litigation and financial matters of many diverse kinds. He also has a CPA firm background with a large national CPA firm. Dave is a member of the Kirkwood School District Foundation Board and has served in that capacity for four years working with the District’s leaders on a variety of funding, social and leadership projects. Being a Kirkwood School District graduate, Dave and his brother have contributed funds to establish a scholarship program for students needing financial support for their future schooling endeavors and have contributed funds to construct visual display signage for the District with appear at the entrances to the High School and District Media schools. Dave has other interests with include antiquing, frequent exercise and yard work.
Bruce MacKenzie
Bruce has been a member of Eliot Chapel since 1979. He has served RE by teaching 6th grade and the senior high affirmation class. He also served on the RE committee. In the past, Bruce has served on and led the Social Justice team and the Intern Minister team. He enjoyed working on the William Greenleaf Eliot Bicentennial team and has been a member of a Covenant Group since its inception. Most recently Bruce has begun facilitating a Covenant Group (2013) and is a member of Pastoral Care Associates. He chaired the most recent Canvass team (he also chaired Canvass in 2000).
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."
Bruce MacKenzie
Bruce has been a member of Eliot Chapel since 1979. He has served RE by teaching 6th grade and the senior high affirmation class. He also served on the RE committee. In the past, Bruce has served on and led the Social Justice team and the Intern Minister team. He enjoyed working on the William Greenleaf Eliot Bicentennial team and has been a member of a Covenant Group since its inception. Most recently Bruce has begun facilitating a Covenant Group (2013) and is a member of Pastoral Care Associates. He chaired the most recent Canvass team (he also chaired Canvass in 2000).
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."
Todd Stark
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 sons, Casey (14) and Will (10). In his spare time, Todd enjoys watching the Cardinals and playing games with his family.
