Nellson Jacobs-Moore was born in New York City. Having been a Worship Associate and choir member at 2 Unitarian Universalist congregations in Florida, Nellson is here at Albany UU serving as our Sexton. Nellson also works as a Customer Service Consultant for the Estee Lauder Group of Companies. Nellson studied theater at the High School of Music & Art, Harlem School of the Arts, and Kingsbourgh Community College. Nellson was a professional actor and cabaret performer until he adopted his children. He is the proud father of a daughter and a son. And proud grandfather to 2 granddaughters. Nellson and his former vocal trio, Black Tie, have been inducted into the Manhattan Association of Cabaret's Hall of Fame.

Marshall Miller is a lifelong UU, having grown up in the Unitarian Universalist Society of Oneonta. He lives with his partner, Dorian, and children Anya (8th grade) and Zora (4th grade). Marshall is a trainer for the UU and United Church of Christ sexuality education program, Our Whole Lives, and he and Dorian are the authors of the forthcoming second edition of OWL for kindergarten and first grade. Marshall is proud to live in Albany's Mansion Neighborhood, which he claims has more UUs per block than any other neighborhood in the Capital Region.

Patience Pechette lives in Albany with her husband Josh, son Noah, two goofy labs, her soul mate Katie the kitty and hamster. She has a diverse background, including teaching, program coordination, and office management for a youth advocacy non-profit. Currently, she splits her time between Delta Airlines at Albany International Airport and the Albany UU office, doing administrative assistant work. She has degrees in Secondary Education and History. She loves to travel, cares deeply about all living beings, and likes to volunteer in the community. 

After high school, it was Lucia Stimson's ambition to become a nurse. She attended Hudson Valley Community College and received an Associate’s degree in nursing. Lucia worked locally at ACNH, some agencies and then St, Mary’s Hospital in Troy. She worked with some of the most caring, gentle and competent men and women nurses around. When Lucia turned 65 years old, just before the St. Peter’s Hospital merger, she retired.

Danielle Schaff was looking for a community of thinkers and searchers to provide herself and her 12-year-old Logan a safe welcoming space. She found UU and has enjoyed being in the choir and finding ways to contribute to the local community. She has a career in Learning and

Fred Scheper finished high school and went directly into the navy where he spent six months in electronics school and three and a half years on a destroyer as an electronics technician. Shortly after leaving the navy, Fred married his wife, Vera Jean. They had two daughters and three grandchildren. Jean died just five years ago, missing the wedding of their first grandchild and the birth of their great grandson. While Fred was working as a New York City fireman, he attended New York City Community College and John Jay College of Criminal Justice where he received his BA. Leaving the Fire Department, Fred went to work for the U.S. General Services Administration as an Electronics Equipment Specialist.

Stephanie Saunders grew up in the capital region and is pleased to return to the area with her family after nearly two decades living in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. She works as a state-contracted program evaluator, enjoys spending time outdoors and is an enthusiastic gardener. Stephanie found UU early in her adulthood. She and her husband Kevin are thankful to have a UU community in which to raise their daughter, Eleanor. Stephanie was an active member of her former congregation serving on the Threshold and Adult Faith Development Committees and the board. 

Kevin Yeh is the son of Taiwanese immigrants who met at the University of Illinois. The younger of two brothers, he was born in Memphis, TN in the year of the tiger. Subsequently, he lived in State College, PA, Cambridge, MA, Austin, TX and Philadelphia, PA. Stephanie, his eventual wife, introduced Kevin to the Seven Principles a few weeks after their first date, cycling around the Schuylkill River and a meal of Indian food. While members of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Princeton, Kevin and Stephanie got engaged at the beginning of an epic camping adventure that started in Sedona, AZ, were married in Mercer County Park, and started their best adventure yet with their daughter Eleanor, who chose not to wait the final three weeks that were part of the original plan. After spending the pre-vaccine phase of the pandemic with Kevin’s mother in Blue Bell, PA, the magic three relocated to the capital region for Eleanor to start Kindergarten, and to give Kevin more opportunities to garner favorite son-in-law status by cooking family raised beef in custom built temperature-controlled circulating water baths for Eleanor’s grandfather. Kevin declares himself to be unambiguously atheist, but UU has taught him that faith and spirituality don’t conflict with that belief. He looks forward to continued exploration of similar wisdom for himself and his family.

Eleanor Yeh is in Kindergarten at Albany Academy for Girls. She loves to play with her “stuffies” and make art. Many of her best friends are from her former UU community and she is excited to make more here.

Karen Strong has been in the Albany UU orbit for a long time, marrying her husband Todd in the Sanctuary 20 years ago this June. They now have two teenage children, and Karen started coming to church regularly about five years ago when her daughter started RE. She decided to join the church after the rich discussions about community and race in “The Parable of the Sower” book group. She has been a conservation professional for 23 years, and is now a consultant who works with organizations that conserve land, wildlife, and water. Karen is an active community volunteer, and is currently the secretary of the Albany Water Board and board chair of the Radix Ecological Sustainability Center. 

Luis Torres and his family were UUs in Rockland County, NY before moving up to this area last June for a job as an Attorney with the New York State Department of Education. He grew up Catholic and spent his early life in Long Island, went to law school in Wisconsin and has also lived in the Boston and Washington DC areas. He and his wife, Hillary, started attending a UU congregation about 16 years ago when they were first dating. They were then married there and now have two children, Miquela, 12, and Micah. Luis enjoys politics and WWII history, is passionate about clean energy and voting rights, usually travelling to purple states at presidential elections to act as a Board of Elections Polling Place volunteer. He also enjoys a good fire pit on a clear crisp evening.

Hillary Torres, who is the daughter of an American Baptist minister and spent her early years in Central New York, went to college in Potsdam and then lived in the Hudson Valley after that. Hillary is a manager related to websites for Konica Minolta where she has worked for more than 24 years. She luckily was able to keep her job despite the move, and works remotely from home. She enjoys photography, nature, and living a low waste lifestyle and is looking forward to a variety of new projects as she and Luis are now in the process of buying a house. She, Luis, and the kids look forward to settling in and making their new house their more permanent home and making Albany UU their spiritual home.