Leaders & Staff

Our community is led by a combination of lay and professional leaders who work dynamically to serve our shared mission.

Leadership

Rev. Parisa Parsa

Rev. Parisa Parsa, Interim Minister

Rev. Parisa Parsa (she/her/hers) is serving as FUUSN’s interim minister from August of 2022 through July of 2024, while we search for a new settled minister.

Rev. Parisa was ordained to the Unitarian Universalist Ministry in 1998 by 20 member congregations of the UU Urban Ministry in Boston (including FUSN!). She has served in community ministry roles with the UU Urban Ministry, a consortium of UU social justice ministries called the Urban Disciples, and the Faithful Fools Street Ministry in San Francisco. She was the settled minister at First Parish in Milton, MA from 2004-2014. Since then she has served as the Executive Director of Essential Partners, a nonprofit dedicated to constructive dialogue on divisive ideological, religious and political issues, and as CEO of Cortico, a nonprofit technology startup aiming to bring the voices of under-heard communities into public awareness. Parisa has also consulted on intercultural organizational development for nonprofits and congregations for the past decade.

In her free time, Parisa enjoys cooking, reading, hiking, watching intense television shows, and traveling near and far. She lives in Arlington, MA with her family.

Devin Shmueli

Devin Shmueli, Director of Family and Community Ministries

Devin Shmueli (he/him/his) has a passion for learning from and listening to the wisdom of people of all ages and stages because he believes that even the smallest child can help serve as a guide on the path of responsible meaning-making! Devin sees himself as a co-creator of safe, brave spaces where he can provide people the tools to explore their faith and spirituality. As Director of Family and Community Ministries, he can do so while integrating newcomers, members, and friends into the congregation in a holistic way ensuring they can learn and grow within the whole life and ministry of FUUSN.

Devin is originally from Raleigh, North Carolina, and attended the University of North Carolina in Greensboro where he received a Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies. In 2017, Devin graduated with a Master of Divinity from Andover Newton Theological School with a dual focus in social justice and ethics as well as pastoral care and counseling. He currently serves as the President of New England Liberal Religious Educators Association (LREDA), and he is a member of the Unitarian Universalist Association of Membership Professionals (UUAMP).

Outside of work, Devin is a CrossFit athlete, and enjoys visiting with friends in and out of town, exploring new restaurants, hiking locally and, especially, in the Berkshires, and throwing pottery on the wheel. He is also dabbling in woodworking.

Anne Watson Born

Anne Watson Born, Director of Music Ministry

Anne Watson Born (she/her/hers) has been at FUUSN since 2007, and it has been a mind-altering and wonderful experience from the beginning. When she’s not at FUUSN, she is the Music Director for the Nashoba Valley Chorale, a 100-voice community choir. She is currently the chair of the UUA’s Music Leadership Certification Committee and is a UUA Credentialed Music Leader. She is also the Lifelong Repertoire & Resources chair for the Massachusetts chapter of the American Choral Directors Association.

Staff

Fran Clancy

Fran Clancy, Office Administrator

Fran Clancy (she/her/hers) has been the Administrator at FUUSN for many years. Although not an official Unitarian Universalist, she values the principles and commitment the FUUSN congregation exhibits on a daily basis. Fran lives in Newton, MA, and she has two grown daughters who produced four grandchildren.

Office Hours

Mon-Wed-Fri – 9:00-3:00
Tues-Thurs 9:00-3:00
Sunday 9:00-1:00

Karen Hurley

Karen Hurley, Nursery Care

Karen Hurley (she/her/hers) is our Nursery Care Provider here at the First Unitarian Universalist Society in Newton beginning early in 2023. Karen and her husband live in Billerica. As a mother of two adult children, Karen has many years of experience working with children. For the past 26 years, Karen has worked with students and their families as the Registrar at Lexington High School. In addition, Karen has always loved working a second job. Over the years, she has enjoyed being an aerobics instructor, leading a Girl Scout troop, running activities at a nursing home, nursery care at Pilgrim Church in Lexington, weekend reception at an assisted living and now back to nursery care here at FUUSN. She loves being involved and enjoys keeping busy while being able to share her talents with the different communities.  Karen is a very positive, caring and nurturing person and is very happy to be at the First Unitarian Society in Newton.

 

Linnea Bardarson

Linnea Bardarson, Organist/Pianist

Linnea Bardarson (she/her/hers) grew up in Seattle, the youngest in a large family where all the kids took music lessons, and the guitar was often brought out for after-dinner folk singing. With a classical violinist mother, a father who loved the blues, two church-musician grandparents, plus another grandmother who wooed her suitor by playing the harp and singing, “Dear One, The World is Waiting for the Sunrise,” she has had a variety of musical influences to inspire her own musical journey – a journey which over the years has included playing chamber music, accompanying Chorus pro Musica and Koleinu, playing nightly gigs at the old Café Budapest and Colonnade Hotel in Boston, touring Spain with an orchestra, recording piano concertos in the Czech Republic, and leading church choirs for over twenty years. After taking time off to raise her twin boys, she now teaches piano at UMass/Boston and Dedham School of Music. She enjoys playing the banjo and leading singing workshops on Star Island.

Linnea received her Bachelor of Arts from Mills College and her Master of Music in piano performance from New England Conservatory of Music.

As a child she attended East Shore Unitarian Church in Bellevue, Washington. For the past fifteen years, First Church and Parish, Unitarian-Universalist, Dedham, has been her church home. She served as Music Director there from 2007-2018. She is very excited to be here at FUUSN. Linnea lives in Dedham with her husband, Joel.

Jenise Aminoff

Jenise Aminoff, Communications and Technology Coordinator

Jenise Aminoff (she/her/hers) has been writing things since she was 8 years old. She grew up in Albuquerque, NM and is half-Hispanic. An MIT alumna, she has worked as a technical writer, science writer, information designer, and web content writer at Boston-area technology companies and educational institutions since the mid-1990s. She is also a published author of adult science fiction short stories and, under the pen name Dianna Sanchez, middle grade fantasy novels. Raised Catholic with a smattering of Mormon, she has been a member of First Parish UU of Arlington since 2010, where she has taught RE to 2nd and 6th graders. An avid cook, she also enjoys gardening, board games, jewelry-making, and creating steampunk hats and accessories. She is married with two daughters and lives in Cambridge, MA.