Board of Directors

Board Officers

Need to contact a member of the board, reach out to [email protected] .

Ron Willett
President
2024-2027 (1st Term)

Ron grew up in central Texas and moved to Washington, DC as a young man after law school. He says the general practice of law and life as a Gay man in a homophobic culture were two things that did not suit him. Ron held various positions in the US Dept. of Labor during his 30 year career in the Federal government in DC. He retired in 2010 and moved to Lowell, MA where he now lives with his spouse, Bill. Ron and Bill are both Ferry Beach Life Members and active participants in GAYLA.

Ron has been an active UU since 2002, is a facilitator/teacher of Sacred Circle Dance (which he learned about at FB), and has been active in 12-step recovery for 25 years. He was among the founders of the Triangle Club in Washington, a non-profit meeting space for Gay/Lesbian groups of 12-step fellowships, and served on the Club’s initial Board of Directors for a few years, acting as Secretary during part of that time. Ron has also served on the Board of the Dept. of Labor Fitness Assn., including time as Secretary, and on the Session (governing body) of a Presbyterian church in Washington.

Ron believes this is an exciting time to be part of the Ferry Beach family, and is looking forward to being part of the efforts to make Ferry Beach work even better for even more visitors.

Robi Altamari
Vice President
2024-2027 (1st Term)

Robi (Roberta) Altamari first came to Ferry Beach in 2005 with her two daughters to volunteer at our Different Drummers Youth Camp for middle schoolers and to check out the Religious Education Conference; and she has been grateful to be coming to the beach multiple times each year ever since. She even joined the staff team for three years starting in 2016 as the Youth and Family Coordinator and loved meeting the many wonderful folks who come to the summer conferences. Speaking of her professional work, her resume includes more than 20 years of Unitarian Universalist lifespan religious education and youth ministry leadership and more than 30 years of supporting adults with disabilities plus many interesting side jobs like being a columnist for three years for her local paper, illustrating children’s songbooks, leading her Tempotime music and movement program for little kids, working as a paralegal, and being a spiritual coach to families going through challenging times.

Her education and trainings beyond a wide variety of fascinating workshops/classes include her degree from Suffolk University, her Fahs Fellowship studying youth ministry with Meadville Lombard Theology School, the interim training for religious professionals, and her certification as a 200 hour yoga teacher through Breathe For Change. She very recently got certified as a Kripalu Restorative Yoga Teacher and believes we need to spread the benefits to yoga far beyond the yoga studios and has been proud to share mini-yoga sessions with folks who don’t think of themselves as yogis including the adults with disabilities she works with. She was seen last summer leading kids in art, nature photography, dance meditations, and yoga right on the beach. You are enthusiastically invited to join her next time!

She looks forward to bringing her interim and systems trainings and experience to her volunteer work on Ferry Beach’s Board as we carry forward the generous spirits of universal love from our ancestors and keep working towards building a sustainable future for our beloved community.

Doug Edwards
Secretary
2022-2025 (1st Term)

Doug Edwards has lived in Maine since 2007 after living in Southern Connecticut for 23 years. He attended Nasson College in Springvale, Maine from 1979 to 1983. Previous to that, he grew up in Central New Jersey.

Doug currently works for a Maine Biotech company in the Human Resources Technology department. He and his wife are Saco residents since December 2016. They attended a Valentine's Day dinner at Ferry Beach and found they really enjoyed the community.

Doug has also been newly appointed as an Advisory Board Member to the City of Saco Parks and Recreation.

Beverly Olsen
Treasurer
2023-2026 (1st Term)

Beverly Olsen lives in Saco Maine and is a Manager for UnitedHealthcare. Bev was on the board of the International Association of Rehabilitation Professionals (IARP) for 9 years, serving as president from 2019 - 2021. She also served for two years as a chapter treasurer. In addition to her volunteer service, Bev worked in a staff capacity at the Unitarian Universalist Association as the Coordinator of Young Adult Ministries. And, Bev has attended Ferry Beach through our local programming

Board Members

Helen Blatz
2024-2025 (completing unfinished term)

Helen is a financial advisor now retired. For many years, she worked as a licensed securities broker (financial advisor) with Edward Jones Investments and as a financial counselor when in the nonprofit sector.

She, her wife Lauren, and their daughter have been coming to FB since her daughter was a baby --about 25 years. She was the coordinator for UUFAF for a couple of years. Her daughter attended youth camp. They have attended Circle of Life Conference and in the last few years, other Ferry Beach summer conferences.

Helen has served on many finance committees of both church groups and a not-for-profit organization. She
served on the financial side of the council on aging in her area. She is well versed in estate planning and would very much like to contribute ideas to how Ferry Beach members can put Ferry Beach in their legacy planning. Helen’s big goals for Ferry Beach are profitability and sustainability.

Nicolas Bloom
2022-2025 (1st Term)

Nicolas Bloom, resident of Carlisle, Pennsylvania and a singer/songwriter and lecturer in history and literature. Nick regularly attends the Family and Friends conference. He has worked in a variety of leadership roles for the conference including intergenerational coordinator and songwriting workshop leader.

Eileen Cummings
2024-2027 (1st Term)

Eileen grew up in Vermont and was raised Roman Catholic though she now attends the Unitarian Universalist church of Greater Lynn, MA. In 1980 she moved to Boston to pursue her master’s degree in salt marsh ecology and later completed a second master’s in computer science. Between getting her master’s degrees, Eileen taught in Catholic school and at Northeastern. She was also the Financial Manager of the Boston Food Coop for several years. She has lived in Swampscott MA for over 30 years. She worked as the information technology manager for a small trust firm in Boston and retired after 22 years in April of 2023. Eileen has served on boards of two congregations and was the president one church during COVID. She loves getting away to Ferry Beach and was a co-coordinator of Women’s Week at Ferry Beach for two years. In her retirement she teaches Our Whole Lives curriculum for older adults and youth, leads the High School youth group and volunteers at several organizations. In her free time, she knits, does needlepoint, takes long walks with her dog Wickford and knits and knits.

Julie Parker Amery
2024-2027 (1st Term)

Julie has been a part of the Ferry Beach Community since 2003 connecting in a variety of ways including church retreats, winter workshops, and Religious Education Week (for which she has held multiple leadership positions). She has served in leadership capacities on several boards (including the Unitarian Universalist Massachusetts Bay Religious Education Team, PTA, UU Society for Ministerial Relief; and her town’s Educational Foundation).

Having grown up in the Congregational Church, Julie became a Unitarian Universalist soon after graduating from college. After holding a series of positions at the Unitarian Universalist Association, she got her M.Ed degree in secondary school counseling. In 2000, she answered a call she had since high school to become a religious professional at the First Religious Society in Newburyport, MA. She very recently retired after many fulfilling years in her role as the Director of Faith Formation and Spiritual Exploration. In 2017, Julie completed the Spiritual Direction Certification Program at the Rowe Center and her practicum work was to create a program, “Soul Stories”, which engaged participants in deeply listening to one another’s personal stories.

In 2022, she completed a certification program to become a Conscious Dying Coach and she is currently studying to become an interfaith chaplain through the Chaplaincy Institute of Maine. As a church professional for over 20 years, she understands systems. Her skill sets include communications (particularly written), mediation, and the ability to see things from different perspectives. Julie is particularly interested in programming that appeals to and welcomes a wide spectrum of people to Ferry Beach.

Jeanette Ruyle
2024-2027 (1st Term)

Jeanette is a retired Unitarian Universalist religious educator who first came to Ferry Beach Religious Education (RE) Week in 1999 as she began this second beloved career, spanning 18 years and serving two congregations. She continued to attend RE Week at Ferry Beach most summers, and for several years was part of the volunteer RE Week staff, including being a Coordinator. Prior to becoming immersed in all things RE and UU, she was a psychiatric clinical nurse specialist working with geriatric populations, and persons with substance use disorders. When she became a mother of two amazing children, her interests shifted significantly. Fortunately, this coincided with her discovery of Unitarian Universalism which led to all the above.

She is active in her hometown congregation, First Parish Unitarian Universalist of Medfield, MA where she is a member of the Executive Board, Green Sanctuary Committee, Social Justice Incubator, and choir.

briana R Sevigny
2024-2027 (1st Term)

briana (first name intentionally lowercase, she/they pronouns) was born and raised in Saco with strong roots still in the area. She is currently residing in Medford, Massachusetts just outside of Boston. After attending the University of New Hampshire for her Bachelor of Arts in English, briana has spent over 20 years working in Higher Education around the New England region, working in Residential Life and Housing at Eastern Connecticut State University and Assumption College, then in Student Conduct at Johnson & Wales University - Providence, Northeastern University, and currently at Tufts University.

She is passionate about animals, community development, and the environment, and loves training and public speaking. She has a Master of Science in Counselor Education from Central Connecticut State University and a Master of Legal Studies from Northeastern University School of Law. She spent over 20 years volunteering with the Dirigo Girls’ State program, educating high school girls about civic responsibility, levels of government in the state, and how to be an engaged and responsible citizen in Maine and beyond. She has experience with conflict resolution, Restorative Justice, diversity and inclusion work, lgbtqa and gender equity, policy development, and more. In her spare time, she also works with Beautycounter as a Brand Advocate to help people learn about safer skincare and beauty, with an eye toward protecting people and planet. briana is thrilled to help create opportunities for community engagement for all those who love Ferry Beach, in addition to enhancing environmental stewardship, learning and networking, and connecting with an area and place she has so dearly loved.

Michael Valletta
2024-2027 (1st Term)

Michael was born and raised in western Connecticut, Michael moved to Maine in the spring of 2018 for his now fiancé, Mark. Michael is an experienced leader, spending more than a decade in retail management. As a manager, he fosters individuals new to the workforce and has grown the stores in which he works. He is often found facilitating conversations and plans with stakeholders and partners. Michael was also a part time blogger that led to a formal partnership with a local newspaper. This hobby led to a side hustle of marketing and content creation with the rise of social media where Michael consistently promoted small businesses and points of interest. Michael has a passion for all things New England and is well traversed throughout the region.

Particularly important to him is being a good steward of the environment and believes strongly that places like Ferry Beach play a key role in teaching future generations about environmental impacts. Michael is also a very active member of the LGBTQ+ community where he has built several strong partnerships and friendships with key stakeholders for events and is a constant voice for the community through his platforms. He is looking forward to serving on the board and has a great deal of energy and connections to resources in the region.

A resident of Biddeford, Michael loves the southern Maine region and has adored calling it home for the past several years and is excited to see what the future of the region holds.