Board of Trustees

Dr. Anthony Panzetta, President tpanzetta@comcast.net

Tony Panzetta is an M.D. (Psychiatry) He was a member of the faculty of the Temple University Medical School for over 20 years and served as Chair of the Psychiatry Department for 12 years.

Tony was formerly on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Psychiatric Services. He founded Evergreen Seminars, a healthcare related delivery systems consulting firm and he has been consultant to many health-related organizations.

More recently he served as the Interim CEO of the Temple University Medical Practices and created the Emotional Intelligence Leadership Development Program for the Temple University Health System.

He is an Accredited Coach for Emotional Intelligence Training (by the HayGroup) and is an experienced coach and consultant to executive leaders.

 

Tony is a member of the Unitarian Universalist Church at Washington Crossing New Jersey, where he has been the president of the congregation and the chair and member of a wide variety of committees and other groups. He has been a Trustee of the Metropolitan New York District Board and the Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Unitarian Universalist Counseling and Education Services. Tony joined the Murray Grove Board in 2006. He is married to Kevyn Malloy, Ph.D., and has two sons and three step-children.

Rev. Carol S. Haag, Secretary

Carol Haag recently retired from 13 years as the religious educator with The Unitarian Church in Summit, NJ.  Prior to her career in the ministry she was a mother and homemaker, Girl Scout leader and administrator, peace movement worker, church volunteer, Seeing Eye puppy raiser, horse lover and some-time gymnast.

Following in the footsteps of her husband, Carl Haag, who served Murray Grove in several capacities over the years, Carol has enjoyed the hospitality of Murray Grove through church events, a family reunion, a women's retreat, and of course the annual Homecoming.  She is hoping to blend her church experience and work in the peace movement with the new policy governance model the Board is initiating to bring to Murray Grove an even greater role in the spread of Universal Love.

Rev. Ken Beldon

           

Ken Beldon grew up in Allentown and New York City and attended the Hill School in Pottstown, PA.  He was raised a Reform Jew, but gave up on organized religion until his mid-twenties, when he discovered Unitarian Universalism. He holds degrees from Oberlin College, Yale University Divinity School and his MDiv from Union Theological Seminary.  He met his wife Teresa online when they were both living in South Florida; they were married just over a year ago in Philadelphia.
 
Ken is the founding and Lead Minister of Wellsprings, a new Unitarian Universalist congregation in Chester Springs, PA.  Ken writes, “My passion is to see folks grow spiritually, to find their true voice so that their service and leadership draws upon, and feeds, their joy.”
 
He brings youth, energy and passion to the Murray Grove board – he actually has an iPod and can tell you what is on it.

Richard Bock

As a member of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Shelter Rock for more than 45 years Richard Bock has been very active on the Congregational level. He served for two years as the Chair of the Denominational Affairs Committee and Chair of the General Assembly Delegates Selection Team.

 

Richard’s past leadership roles have included President of the Congregation, member of the Veatch Board of Governors, UUCSR Vice President, Term Trustee – UUCSR Board of Trustees, member of Member Resources Committee, Coordinator of UUCSR’s Audio Visual Services Committee, Chair of the Ministerial Compensation Committee, the Technology Committee, Chair of the Budget Committee and Convener of the Space Use Committee. In addition Richard has been Music Director of more than twenty Musical Showtime Productions and UUCSR Choral Director [Interim]. Additionally Richard has been a member of Long Island Area Church Council (LIAC) and has served three terms as a Trustee on the New York Metro District Board.

 

Richard served as a public school teacher for 37 Years [Retired]. Vocationally he is a bandleader/music contractor  (40+ years). He is very active as a choral director for church, school and community choral groups and as a musical producer/director for church, school and community theater.

 

Currently Richard is an organizational member of the local Nassau County MoveOn.Org Council and a volunteer for the Interfaith Nutrition Network. He is the Music Director – Oyster Bay, NY Senior Citizens’ Theatre Group and Music Director  for the Great Neck, NY Temple Israel Players Theatre Company.

 

Richard is married to Claire Z. Bock and they have two grown sons, three grown daughters and nine grandchildren.

Rev. Addae A. Kraba

Reverend Addae A. Kraba is the minister of First Universalist Church of Southold, where she has served since August 2006. Prior to relocating to the North Fork of Long Island, Addae lived in San Francisco, California, as an active member of First Unitarian Universalist Society of San Francisco.  Prior to graduating in 2004 from the Starr King School for Ministry in Berkeley, California, with a Masters degree in Divinity, she served as Ministerial Intern at The Community Church of New York, Unitarian Universalist.  In 2005, Addae returned to San Francisco in pursuit of a PhD in Philosophy and Religion, with emphasis on Women’s Spirituality, at the California Institute of Integral Studies—now continuing study through on line classes.

 

Working on both district and denominational committees, Addae is a member of the Anti Racist/Anti Oppression and Multicultural Committee of the (UUMA) Unitarian Universalist Minister's Association, (DRUUMM) Diverse and Revolutionary Unitarian Universalist Multicultural Ministries.  Passionate about supporting women in realizing their fullest potential, she keeps busy as the Co-convener of the continental core group of Unitarian Universalist Women and Religion, the core advisory committee for the curriculum revision of Cakes For The Queen of Heaven and the advisory planning committee of The International Convocation of Unitarian Universalist Women, to be held in Houston, Texas in 2009.

 

Prior to seminary, The Reverend Kraba worked for over fifteen years as a mental health counselor in community mental health organizations, describing her call to ministry as the second volume of life. “Volume one” was all about marriage and being a stay at home mom with her five children--four sons and a daughter.  All grown up, they have contributed six grandchildren, all of whom reside in various parts of the country.  Addae is joined in the parsonage with her daughter and 12 year old grandson, along with her loving pets—15- pound Maine Coon cat, Charlie, and two Toy Poodles, King Solomon and Queen Makeda.  The Reverend Kraba is enthusiastic about the vision of Murray Grove and the future of Unitarian Universalism.

Ira Lerner

Ira Lerner, a Unitarian Universalist for about 15 years, attended congregations in Florida, Texas and currently a member of the Unitarian Universalist Church of the Lehigh Valley, in Bethlehem, Pa.  While living in Texas, Ira was president of the congregation and oversaw a $100,000.00 member gift to pave the parking lot.  His other positions in church life were in building and grounds, canvass, finance, Coming of Age advisor, teacher and the 2009 director of UUMAC (Unitarian Universalist Middle Atlantic Community).

 

In his personal life, Ira recently returned to college to finish his bachelor’s degree and shared commencement with his son who was receiving his bachelor’s degree in physics, both from Penn State University.  Ira’s children followed varied paths to adulthood.  In addition to his son receiving a degree in physics, another is a trained chef, a third is completing her education in nursing and another is training in the fine art of automobile maintenance at a local community college.  Ira’s wife, Andrea, currently holds the position of District Executive for the Metro New York district of the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations.  They reside just outside Allentown, PA.

Jerry Muntz

Jerry Muntz survived 21 years of law practice in New York City.  He is currently enjoying a second career as a planned giving officer for Princeton University, a position which he also held with the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation.  He grew up in the South as a member of the Disciples of Christ denomination and first came to Unitarian Universalism in 1995.

 

Jerry served as president of the Metropolitan New York District of the UUA from 2005-2009 and he was also president of the UUA’s District Presidents Association in 2008-2009.  Previously, he served for three years as president of The Unitarian Church in Summit, NJ, where he led the congregation through a major capital campaign and building project during a period of ministerial transition.

 

Donna Renfro

Donna Renfro is currently the Director of Religious Education (DRE) at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Northern Westchester in Mt. Kisco, NY. Donna was the DRE at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Monmouth County (UUCMC), in Lincroft, NJ for 6 years, and a congregant 4 years before that. Looking at planning a congregational retreat led her to experience the radical hospitality of Murray Grove. She is passionate about bringing children and youth groups to Murray Grove, to experience the legacy of Potter and Murray, and help them imagine a 21st century vision of Universalism.

Patricia Robison

Pat Robison, the oldest daughter of a dedicated Pennsylvania country doctor, enjoyed a full and varied career in elementary and special education before taking early retirement in the late eighties. She has an interest in all areas of the Arts, has sung in choral groups for many years, is working on a series of Mandalas using shells and stones picked up along the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, adores books and book discussion groups and enjoys writing.

Pat grew up a Methodist and later in life began a search for meaning which required truth to be validated through experience and reason. She found Unitarian Universalism in Ann Arbor, Mich., while searching for a church to provide religious education for her son David. She has been a UU since the late sixties and an active member of both the UU Church in Cherry Hill and the UU Ocean County Congregation.

Pat grew to love Murray Grove as a result of her attending the services of the UU Ocean Congregation when they met at MG and various retreats and special programs, which impressed upon her its historical importance as well as its beauty and the significance of its location. She has not yet walked to Barnegat Bay from Murray Grove. That adventure and many more are ahead for her.

Ron Schaeffer

Ron Schaeffer was born in Allentown, PA; his family is of “Pennsylvania-Dutch” background. He received a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania in 1963, and an M.B.A. from Stanford in 1967, and worked in the energy industry for 29 years, and in human resource management consulting for almost 10 years, retiring from corporate life in January, 2006.  He currently runs a small marketing business for solar energy in Southern Delaware. 

Raised a Lutheran, he left any involvement in a church in his teens. He became a member of the Emerson Unitarian Church in Houston, Texas in 1975 and again in 1980 to 1983, after returning to Houston. He has been a member of the Summit Unitarian Church in Summit, New Jersey (1976-1978), the UU Congregation of Miami, Florida (1978 -1980), the First Unitarian Society of Plainfield (1985 – 2003), and the Unitarian Universalists of Southern Delaware in Lewes, Delaware since 2005.  Ron has held leadership positions in several UU churches, and was on the New York Metro District Board from 1999-2001. At the Plainfield church, he was the Finance Committee chair for several years, a member of the Board of Trustees, and President of the Congregation for three years.  He served on the Board of Trustees of his current church (UUSD) as Vice President and Treasurer.  

He has two daughters, Alyssa and Amanda, who are both married and live in California, along with two granddaughters, Larena and Kaia, ages 2 and 1 respectively. He has been married to Patricia Schaeffer for six years, and they reside in Lewes, Delaware.

Staff

Louise Ille, Executive Director louiseille@yahoo.com

Louise A. Ille has been our Executive Director since September '08 . As an army brat, Louise grew up all over and of necessity learned to make friends quickly. She loves Murray Grove and, when not putting out fires, she visualizes great things for the future Murray Grove. Louise first experienced Murray Grove at a retreat with the UU Church Monmouth County congregation in 1999, and agreed to become a Grover, acting as liaison between Murray Grove and UUCMC. She joined the Murray Grove staff in 2007 working part time on outreach and marketing.

A people person, Louise is an effective networker on Murray Grove‘s behalf. Her experience working for both government social service agencies and private non-profits (notably the Second Harvest Community Food Bank of NJ) has given her expertise both in satisfying governmental requirements and finding effective solutions to pressing problems with limited resources. Louise has attracted an impressive group of very able people to assist our outstanding and dedicated staff in finding new groups to book our facility, new ways to strengthen our bonds with UU congregations, and offer exciting new programs. New Year's Eve Celebrations, Drum and Dance Fests, Rainbow Circle (serving the GLBTQQI communities) and Grove Gatherings featuring live entertainment have all been initiated since she became Director. She has also had occasion to shovel snow, make coffee, work with plumbers in the mud and freezing rain and in general do anything that needs to be done.

Louise and her network of staff and volunteers have succeeded in obtaining much needed grants for Murray Grove and are continuing this effort. They are all committed to seeing Murray Grove survive, thrive, and become an even more valuable asset to an ever-growing number of people.

Michael Masters, Assistant Director

Michael Masters arrived at Murray Grove in January 1999. It is the latest stop on a journey that began in the orange grove country of southern California and has led by way of a study of history at the cliff-top seaside UC Santa Barbara to twelve years teaching English in Yokohama, Japan (where he lived for a year in a Zen temple and became an expert in remote traditional hot spring inns), sandwiched on either side by 14 months of backpacking through Europe on the way to Japan and another 14 months backpacking through Southeast Asia on the way back. Four years of reacclimation to this culture followed, from a base in the Boulder, CO, area, including a year of Blue Highways-style backroads driving around North America looking for just the right situation for himself. And here’s where he found it!

Paralleling, and far more important than the exterior journey has been the interior one. On a path of self-discovery for nearly 40 years, Michael has come to the firm and essential conclusion that all meaning in human life comes from the experience and practice of radical selflessness – which is identical to Thomas Potter’s universal love! Talk about synchronicity! He lives and works at Murray Grove trying to live up to Thomas’s example, serving this sacred site and the people who come here as selflessly and as lovingly as he is able.

Kathy Hermansson, Coordinator of Facilities and Housekeeping

Kathy Hermansson, our housekeeper for five years now, besides

her deep commitment to and love of Murray Grove, has the eye of a designer and the touch of an artist in her ongoing effort to make the

place ever more attractive and welcoming, in its simple, homey way,

with each passing day.

Carolyn Maher, Bookkeeper

Murray Grove's longest-serving staff member, Carol Maher is not only

our bookkeeper but our heart and soul. She keeps our eye on reality,

while at the same dedicating herself totally to our vision: being what

we are and more, to the extent of our and her abilities.

Eileen Murphy, Graphic Designer