Emily Koechlin, UUSJ Board Member

Bringing UU values to our efforts, with an even louder and more courageous voice

I first became acquainted with UUSJ through the Advocacy Corps. For many years I have been involved in progressive causes, so the UUSJ Advocacy Corps was a perfect fit for me. I looked forward to the Corps’ monthly visits to Capitol Hill to advocate for Unitarian Universalist values in the US Congress.

Since July 2019, I have had the honor of serving on the UUSJ Board of Trustees. I was fortunate to join the board just as UUSJ embarked on a strategic planning process. I am excited that the process has led the board to approve radically revised by-laws and policies that have streamlined and restructured the board and governance process. Below, you can see some of our early outputs in the form of newly specified values, vision, mission, and moral owners.

As we move from being an organization with a historic footprint in the DC area to a more national one, we are working hard to recruit board candidates who are diverse in race, ethnicity, gender, and geography. Our issues advocacy will continue to bring UU values to our efforts, but with an even louder and more courageous voice. An ever-present priority is working shoulder-to-shoulder with impacted communities, building and nurturing those relationships.

As the nation welcomes a new administration to Washington, this is a perfect time to ramp up our work and amplify Unitarian Universalist voices and values in the nation’s capital. I am absolutely thrilled to be at this place, at this time.