The Rev. Angela Herrera
Senior Minister
Angela has served on First Unitarian’s ministry staff since 2010, and was called as our Senior Minister in September 2017.
Angela is originally from Oregon, where she was raised in a working class neighborhood in the Willamette Valley. She writes, “In that time, the UU faith of my childhood was tested against some of society’s harder realities, and I developed an early passion for social justice, and a deep love for life and for people.” These experiences continue to inform her ministry and theology.
“I am humanistic in the sense that I believe humans have the ultimate responsibility for what must be done in the world,” she says. “I also draw inspiration from our Judeo-Christian roots. I want not just to think about God but to experience God: in relationship with other people, in prayer, in the arts and in nature. God as love, as yearning, as the stillness, peace, or power that can erupt into the world even when it seems least likely. I also accept that there are many paths to meaning and ultimacy, some very different from mine, and I honor those.”
Angela holds a Master of Divinity degree from Harvard University. She has completed a chaplaincy internship at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, and a parish internship at First Parish in Concord, Massachusetts. She is the author of the Skinner House meditation manual, Reaching for the Sun, and co-creator of Lifting Our Voices: Readings in the Living Tradition.
Angela is fluent in Spanish as a second language. When she is not at church she can be found biking, hiking, running, or putting green chile on things.
The Rev. Bob LaVallee
Associate Minister
Rev. Bob LaVallee is white, cisgender, heterosexual, and male. He’s from Buffalo, NY and has lived all over the place. He was an artillery officer in the Marine Corps, served as a civilian contractor in Afghanistan, and trained as a chaplain at the VA in New York City. Prior to the ministry, Bob drove ice cream trucks, lead bike tours, managed a homeless shelter, and did a lot of nonprofit management. He was a founding member of the Buffalo, NY chapter of Showing Up for Racial Justice and relishes the memories of disrupting a Trump campaign rally and occupying the county sheriff’s office.
Bob’s spiritual journey has been less interstate highway and more crooked path. He was raised very Roman Catholic and even wanted to be a priest when he grew up. He’s studied and practiced Buddhism, including stays at the Zen Mountain Monastery in the Catskills region of New York. He attended Meadville Lombard Theological School and was ordained into Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in 2018. Bob has worked as a hospital chaplain in a substance abuse disorder ward, ICU, ER, and hospice. He served as Interim Minister at South Valley UU Society outside Salt Lake City, Utah.
Bob is a believer that Unitarian Universalism can make us larger, freer, and more loving.
Kristin Famula
Intern Minister
Kristin is a lifelong Unitarian Universalist, who recently moved her from Truckee, CA, where she was completing her MDiv and serving as a Director of Religious Education at a congregation just over the border in Reno, NV. She will be serving the church as our intern minister into May 2023 for the final stage of her ministerial formation process.
Susan Peck
Director of Music
Susan Peck moved to Albuquerque in January 2016 to accept the position of Director of Music. She has been a Unitarian Universalist music professional since 1997, serving as music director in three congregations in Oregon. Susan has been an active member of the UU Musicians Network since 2000, serving on the UUMN board of directors in several roles. She was the Music Coordinator for UUA General Assembly in 2015 (Portland) and 2016 (Columbus). Her background includes piano and voice studies, teaching privately and in college classrooms, songwriting, arranging, performing and directing opera, choral music, music theatre, cabaret, and a few rock bands. Susan recently joined the New Mexico Women’s Chorus as Associate Director.
Mia Noren
Director of Religious Education
Mia came to Albuquerque with her family in 2009, and she and her husband Skip have been members of First Unitarian since 2010. Following careers in banking and museum administration, Mia has held a number of positions at First Unitarian, allowing her a unique perspective on church operations. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, PA and was awarded the UUA’s Religious Educator Credential in 2019. She is also serving our District as the Chair-Elect of the MDD Liberal Religious Educator’s Association (LREDA).
Laira Magnusson
Director of Congregational Life
Laira joined the staff of First Unitarian in January 2015, and has since served as the Church Administrator, Communications Coordinator, and Director of Membership & Communications. In March 2022, she moved into the new Director of Congregational Life role. Laira’s work helps those new to our community get involved and truly find their church home at First Unitarian, and helps coordinate the members and programs in the ongoing (and ever-changing) life of the church, developing new connection and leadership opportunities for all.
Laira received her BA in Fine Arts from the University of New Mexico in 1997 with an emphasis on theatre. She is married to Blake and they have three delightful children: Shane, Miranda, and Esme.
Bryan Hackett
Director of Finance
Bryan Hackett was born in Albuquerque and raised in the East Mountains. He has a background in religious nonprofit work and is a licensed CPA. Bryan has four adult children and two young grandchildren, and currently lives in the mountains north of Edgewood.
Alana Rodriguez
Youth Programs Coordinator & RE Assistant
Alana grew up in Albuquerque and became a member of First Unitarian in 2013. About a year later, she was hired as the Religious Education Administrative Assistant. Since then she has evolved in the position, becoming involved our UU Kids Camp as part of the leadership team. In September 2019, she took over the role of Youth Programs Coordinator. She graduated from Central New Mexico Community College with a degree in Early Childhood Multicultural Education with a Program Administration concentration in May 2020 and was accepted into the College of Education at the University of New Mexico. Alana and her husband Patrick have a wonderfully blended family with three children: Alex, Alyssa and Mariah. They’re also the proud and doting grandparents to Alyssa’s son, Blake.
Tanya Kallan
Church Administrator
Rick Held
Information Technology Systems Manager
Rick Held has an electrical engineering degree and a graduate degree in business. He has over 35 years of experience in the computer industry, including computer manufacturing, integrated computer applications, and technology marketing, with a bit of retail mixed in. He retired from a local tech startup in 2013 and started volunteering for First Unitarian soon after. In early 2021 Rick moved to a part-time employment position here, responsible for the administration and support of Information Technology systems.
Jane Davis – Your February 24 sermon on interdependence was powerful and personally hit home. I took notes and have reflected upon them several times; will do so more. Thank you for sharing your story and for giving me good ideas how I can personally better contribute to the world. It was heartening to hear how your career change has brought you more peace in your life. Thank you for sharing a most positive self-examination and for sharing it with us.
Really enjoyed my visit with this vibrant congregation. I’m bringing some good ideas home to our UU church in New Braunfels, Texas. I especially loved the music and the natural nature of the various presenters. – and the humor. Also enjoyed the Explorations class on Emerson.
Mary Hitch (husband was in the Senior Games)