Our Team
Unity is a worldwide movement focused on positive spiritual practices to enrich all aspects of your life. Unity is inclusive, honoring all people, and each unique person’s path to spiritual growth. Unity creates an affirming environment that fosters positive self-image, personal responsibility, and unconditional love and acceptance.
To make all of this possible, we are grateful to have a team of fantastic individuals who bless our community with their time, talent, and treasure, elevating our collective consciousness and propelling us forward.
Ministry Leadership
Rev. DeeAnn Weir Morency
Senior Minister
She/They
Spiritual Leader. Writer. Visionary of Inclusive Sacred Community.
Rev. DeeAnn Weir Morency is a spiritually grounded and socially engaged Unity minister, currently serving as the Senior Minister at Unity in Marin. With a deep reverence for contemplative practice, sacred activism, and the transformative power of language, DeeAnn weaves timeless spiritual principles with the pressing needs of our time.
Her ministry is rooted in the conviction that spiritual communities are called not only to awaken individual hearts but also to help heal the collective soul. With clarity and compassion, DeeAnn guides others to reclaim their divine identity through practices like affirmative prayer, shadow work, embodied wisdom, and authentic connection. She is known for making spiritual teachings accessible and resonant—free from exclusionary language and aligned with values of equity, joy, and sacred possibility.
Think Again
A passionate teacher and writer, she co-authored Discover Your Divinity: A Modern Guide to Affirmative Prayer with Rev. Linda Martella-Whitsett, offering a reconceptualized approach to affirmative prayer that is both theologically sound and deeply empowering.
Whether walking sacred pilgrimage routes or holding space for transformation within her community, DeeAnn leads with fierce love, gentle strength, and an unwavering sense of divine purpose.
Board of Trustees
Dr. Lynn Seaver-Forsey
Board Chair
She/Her
Dr. Seaver-Forsey has been a member at Unity In Marin since the New Year’s Burning Bowl Ceremony in 2015. She says, “We wanted to strengthen our involvement in our Novato community and found a loving spiritual home at Unity In Marin.” Since then, Lynn and wife, Keven, have volunteered with the Youth and Family Ministry events and programs. Prior to the pandemic, Lynn was a choir member for five years. She also served as co-leader of the Senior Minister Search team, organizing the process leading to the selection of Rev. Tim Lytle as Senior Minister.
As a Nurse Executive, Lynn brings decades of experience from prior non-profit Board service and hospital management to her role. Partnering with the Director of Finance and the Senior Minister, the re-establishment of the Finance committee has served to strengthen Unity In Marin’s financial stability.
Lynn and her wife reside in Novato and spend time with their daughter and two grandsons, Jayden and DJ. Her free time includes her Master’s swim team, golf, hikes with her dogs, and camping.
Barbara Cochran
Board Vice Chair
She/Her
Barbara has been a member of Unity In Marin for the past 20 years, and in addition to her current position as Board Vice Chair, she has served on the board in years past as well. She has always felt at home at UIM, loves our community, and was delighted to find a church that spoke about beliefs she already has. She feels and thinks that Unity teachings are truly helpful to building a community where we can share our authenticity and ourselves while feeling safe to do so.
She has worked as a school psychologist and in private practice for many years, in addition to leading team building with small corporations. She truly enjoys creative planning and problem solving, and she is happy to serve the UIM community to the best of her ability.
Barbara and her husband, Larry Gorski, have two adult children and three stepsons with eight grandchildren, who are a joy. She loves to play tennis, cook, play piano, dance, gather with friends, and read. She is also a student of A Course in Miracles. She has volunteered as an usher, worked on several committees, been a Prayer Chaplain, and is one of Unity In Marin’s Spiritual Counselors.
James Henry
Board Secretary
He/Him
James has lived in Marin since 1993 and has been an active member in the Unity community since 1996. He first served on the UIM Board of Trustees when Richard Mantei was our minister and we acquired our current church home. He has served on the board again since December 2020, serving as its Secretary for the past year. He also serves as an usher and Sunday Service Assistant.
James moved around alot in his early years, living in MA, CA, NY, NJ, FL and Japan. He worked in the telecommunications industry for 30 years and has an MBA in telecom management. His passion is in teaching karate. He is a lifelong martial artist and has owned and operated the Mojo Dojo Karate studio in Mill Valley since 2007 and teaching in Marin since 2000. Participation in book study groups have been instrumental in developing long lasting friendships in the UIM community, in fact, he met his wife at UIM and is grateful to be on this spiritual journey together.
Pete Abowd
Board Treasurer
He/Him
Pete’s membership in the spiritual community of Unity In Marin stems back over 10 years. He is deeply connected to the UIM community which, through its teaching, has created a path of spiritual growth. He has held several volunteer positions and supported UIM as a participant in Faith In Action and other financial gift efforts. He and his wife created a scholarship fund to be used to support Youth and Family Ministry. Pete also held the position as a Y.O.U sponsor for three years, and participated in and co-lead UIM Vision Quests. He assisted in the maintenance of UIM’s sacred garden for two years, and is currently a member of the UIM choir.
As a longtime resident of both San Francisco and Marin, Pete worked in the banking industry for 30 years, helped to establish a .com company, was on the board and assumed executive directorship for a nonprofit agency whose mission was to support breast cancer patients, and operated several senior balance programs, which were funded by both Marin General Hospital and the County of Marin. He also volunteered for Environmental Traveling Companion, whose mission is to provide outdoor experiences for people of all ages and disabilities. He was also involved with Big Brother and Big Sister of Marin for five years.
Pete and his wife Paula have a passion for animals, and they have three horses and two dogs. In addition, they love to kayak and mountain bike.
Tom McAuliffe
Board Member at Large
He/Him
Tom McAuliffe is a truth student with a deep and abiding love for the Unity In Marin community. He first came to UIM in the late 1980s.
Over the years he has been an usher, a class facilitator, an organizer, a board member, and he currently serves as a Sunday Service Assistant.
Monica Walsh
Board Member at Large
She/Her
Monica and her husband, Jim, began attending Unity In Marin in 2010 with their now-young adult children. Now that the children are grown and nearly flown, Monica has stepped into more active roles within the Unity community, serving as a Prayer Chaplain and on the Board of Trustees. Her service to the community has included hosting book groups, small groups, and being the force behind the man who ran the Faith In Action campaign during the first year of the pandemic.
With her background as a telecom executive, Monica brings a wealth of business perspective to the board. Her extensive study and practice in the art and science of affirmative prayer allows her to confidently hold the high watch for Unity In Marin.
Nancy Foster
Board Member at Large
She/Her
Nancy first attended a service at Unity In Marin in October 2000 and in short order realized that there was a lot of life, light, love, and joy here. After being raised Catholic and not attending a church for decades, Unity grabbed her spiritual imagination and curiosity and felt like such a breath of fresh air. She has been an active student of Truth ever since.
Nancy previously served on the Board of Trustees for 7 years between 2001 and 2008 and has volunteered in many capacities, including singing in the choir for 10 years, being a prayer chaplain, running the welcome team, facilitating several different book study groups, serving on the charitable contributions committee and the program steering team, teaching communication, meditation, and Enneagram classes, and ushering.
Now retired, Nancy was an attorney-mediator and trainer in conflict resolution for 30 years while also running a non-profit mediation center. She is also certified as an Enneagram Coach by the Deep Coaching Institute.
Nancy and her husband, Donn Davy (whom she met at Unity in 2002), live in Novato, just four blocks from Unity In Marin. She has two adult step children with whom she is quite close. Some of her current passions are nature (botany, birding, animal tracking, hiking, walking in the Hamilton Wetlands), art (drawing, creative coloring, Zen tangle), the Enneagram, creating haikus, and listening to audiobooks.
Lucille Allison
Board Member at Large
She/Her
In 1970, Lucille transferred from Boston College to the University of San Francisco and fell in love with The City. After college, Lucille started her career in New York City, working for Loew’s Corporation. In 1980, Lucille came home to her beloved City By the Bay. In 2003, after 20 years of living in Greenbrae, Lucille and her husband John moved into a new home in Sunny Cove Hamilton, and in February of 2004, on a rainy Sunday, Lucille decided to meander down to the new Unity Church at the bottom of the hill. The talk struck the right note, and Lucille decided to return the following Sunday. Soon, Lucille was a regular at Unity In Marin and took her first commitment as an Usher. The amazingly welcoming community, the classes, the Sunday talks, the book studies, and the fun fundraising events kept Lucille coming back for more. Since 2009, Lucille has served the Unity Community as a Prayer Chaplain. Lucille can also be seen singing with the UIM choir.
Recently, Lucille retired after 50 years of working in the technology field. She has held a variety of roles as her career grew alongside the rapidly developing world of tech. Lucille and John happily downsized to Marin Valley and are enjoying their new 55+ community.
Office Staff
Zach Nelson
Audio/Visual and Administrative Associate
He/Him
Zach is a native San Franciscan who loves spending time with friends and family, listening to music, watching sports, and being outdoors. He graduated from Redwood High School in 2012 and has worked in kitchens for over 6 years. He has learned much about sound and technology since joining Unity In Marin, and is excited to keep expanding that knowledge and continuing this new chapter in his career.
Carla Hamby
Administrative Coordinator & Preschool Director
She/Her
Carla discovered Unity In Marin while out on a walk in the neighborhood. She made her way to a Sunday service, and she found a kinship with the teachings. Her background in psychology, her experience as a nanny, and her organization and people skills make her a great fit for her dual roles as Administrative Coordinator of Unity In Marin and Director of Hamilton Montessori School.
Carla is a Northern California native who enjoys exploring big cities on foot, baking from-scratch desserts, and experiencing new places-including twice moving abroad. An avid reader and podcast listener, she loves learning about all kinds of things. Nature is her happiest place, followed by bookstores and live music events.
Veronica
Assistant to the Minister
She/Her
Veronica was born and raised in the Bay Area, attended San Diego State University and spent a few years living in Las Vegas; but the Bay Area will always be considered home. She has two adult daughters living their own adventures and is a mama to Chester the kitty and Nugget the Yorkie. A dedicated PC gamer, she also loves being adventurous and has tried surfing, snowboarding, Taiko drumming and was also a competitive figure skater.
Over the years, Veronica has built a diverse career in the tech world, working as a game developer, web and graphic designer, and much more in between. She currently works part-time at Unity In Marin and truly enjoys being part of such a wonderful staff and community. You may not see her often, as she’s usually behind the scenes keeping things running, but know that she’s smiling at you from afar.
Linda Anderson Henry, MBA
Director of Finance
She/Her
After attending Unity In Marin for the first time in December 2001, Linda told her mom that she got her Christmas present early: She’d found her spiritual home.
As the founder of Prosperity Circles, Linda is a business thinking partner, strategist, and financial consultant. Her life’s work has been to weave together her business and financial expertise with ongoing studies in somatic psychology, self-esteem, and prosperity consciousness. She helps business owners and leaders build transformational businesses that are sustainable, personally and financially.
For over 10 years, Linda has put her financial expertise and prosperity consciousness into practice as the Director of Finance for Unity In Marin. Her pioneering spirit and heart-centered values come naturally having grown up on a farm in South Dakota. She and her husband James met at Unity In Marin, and Universal Spiritual Principles and practices provide a strong foundation for their relationship. They live in Marin with their beloved Bernese Mountan Dog, Gracie.
William Brainard
Facilities Manager
He/Him
William Brainard, Facilities Manager, has a background in film & audio production as well as web & graphic design, and he mostly tries to use his powers for the Good.
In his spare time, he fixes guitars and takes care of exactly one very precocious pug.
Lacey Lofrano
Events Manager
She/Her
Lacey Lofrano is a Marin native, born and raised in Novato. She currently lives in Marin with her family and brings a strong sense of community and care to her role as Events Manager at Unity in Marin.
With a background in advertising and small business ownership, Lacey manages venue inquiries and bookings for events at Unity in Marin. She works with clients to share information about the space, availability, and rental details, helping ensure a clear and supportive process from the first conversation forward.
Bio & photo coming soon!
Ministry Staff
Carolyn Gauthier
Music Director
She/Her
Carolyn Gauthier, Music Director of Unity In Marin, came out of the womb singing! Her father was a professor of music and choir director at the family’s church. Her mother played piano and sang at home as well as in the sanctuary. From the time Carolyn could see over the pews she was singing in the children’s choir.
As an adult, Carolyn sang with the nationally renowned gospel choir, The Lighthouse Singers of Marin, for 20 years, had her own band Full Circle for 30 years, and played various instruments including guitar, mandolin, and cello.
Unity In Marin has been her spiritual home for 25 years, and she has volunteered in many capacities including prayer chaplain, member and coordinator of worship assistants, choir member, Sunday service coordinator, and event producer. She enjoys being the music director and sometimes guest speaker. Carolyn believes that the Unity teachings keep her in harmony with Spirit and the world.
Dr. Cindy Acker
Choir Director
Church DEI Educator
School Overseer/Consultant
She/Her
Dr. Cindy Acker, Ed.D. (Playwright and Director) is a five-time award-winning educator, author, and playwright. She was vocally trained by the late Johnny Land, and has sung with the Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir, the Glide Ensemble, Unity In Marin, and the MCC Worship and Praise Choir of San Francisco. She has led and toured three choirs, performing in the Governor’s chambers on behalf of marriage equality. Cindy has produced an Emmy award-winning feature entitled Creative Parenting, and has written several plays, performed in the US and a Canada, including an award-winning musical entitled, In Our Hands.
Melissa Masters
Director of Family Ministry
She/Her
Melissa became a member of Unity In Marin in 2018. She immediately got involved with the Youth and Family program and soon after took the position of Program Director. Her background in the arts and education spans decades. Presently, Melissa also works as an art therapist and expressive arts workshop facilitator, weaving holistic consciousness and empowerment of the Divine Feminine. Melissa enjoys sharing her professional skills as a fine artist, singer/songwriter, and writer. Her muse is the beauty and heartbeat of the natural world.