Born and raised in the bible belt of East Tennessee, Amanda’s journey to Unitarian Universalism began at the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Oak Ridge, TN. After undergraduate studies in Psychology and a ten-year career in Social Services, she found her way to Starr King School for the Ministry in Berkeley, CA, from which she graduated in May of 2016.

While at Starr King, Amanda immersed herself in the study of multicultural growth and relational community building across a broad spectrum of theological and personal differences.

Amanda completed an Intern Ministry position at the UU Congregation in Berkeley and worked with organizers and leaders of color in the Bay Area and beyond.  She was ordained to the Unitarian Universalist Ministry in May of 2018.

Theologically, she defines herself as a spiritual humanist. Hers is a theology of this-world, connected to a network of community relationships and to the spiritual power of ancestors who paved the way before her.

Before coming to RRUUC, Ana Lim worked mainly in non-profits organization that were arts or education focused, including Kennedy Center and the Holton Arms School.  Ana studied Art History at GWU, and doesn’t talk about it much but is pretty proud of her Smithsonian Cine Award for Best Art Documentary which she produced in 1995, and her President’s Award for Outstanding Campaign Manager for the Combined Federal Campaign she co-managed for the Kennedy Center in 2001.

Having always had a strong personal leaning towards social justice issues, joining RRUUC has been a constant source of joy, even if getting to that joy is sometimes bumpy.  Ana lives in Bethesda with her college-aged daughter Maddy, and her poodle Sadie.

Our thriving music program is led by our Director of Music, Dr. Clifton Hardin. Clif believes in finding a dynamic combination of seeking musical excellence while fostering community through rehearsals that are engaging, uplifting and fun. He works with our adult choir and three youth choirs and regularly arranges and composes for those groups as well as composing piano music for services. His compositions and arrangements are widely performed in Unitarian Universalist congregations throughout the country and over thirty of his choral works are currently published.

Clif has been serving River Road since 1983. He and his wife, Jan, were married at River Road, and their three daughters were all very involved in the Religious Education program and singing with the Youth Choirs while growing up.

Clif holds degrees from Oberlin Conservatory (BM in piano and theory), the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University (MM in conducting), and the University of Maryland (DMA in choral performance).

Hear a recording of his “Gigue from Suite for Piano” below!

Beth is a Credentialed Religious Educator having completed the UUA’s credentialing program. She has a certificate in Lay Ministry with an emphasis in Youth Ministry from Wesley Theological Seminary.  Beth and her family attend the Unitarian Universalist Church of Rockville, where she was a lead advisor for their youth program for three years. Beth serves as a Credentialing Mentor and a Good Officer for LREDA (Liberal Religious Educators Association) and on the Board of UU Wellspring.

Mandy is a native Washingtonian, born and raised in the Mt. Pleasant/Adams Morgan area. She has been married for 24 years, and has three children who are currently in college. After a 7-year stint in the greater Nashville area, Mandy and her young family returned to DC in 2010. In her spare time, Mandy enjoys honing her culinary skills, caring for her two dogs, and spending time with her large and diverse family.

Our building holds a special place in Mandy’s heart because it was here that she had her first job as a teenager, working as a junior counselor for MCCA’s preschool summer camp. She returned in August 2017 to join RRUUC as our Building Manager. Mandy’s experience in property management dates back to the 70’s when she helped her father manage the family’s commercial properties. She is excited to serve the RRUUC community!

Susan joined the RRUUC staff in November 2021. She has served on the staff of the UU Church of Annapolis for over 20 years; currently as the part-time contract bookkeeper and previously as church administrator (2010 – 2019) and member services coordinator (2000-2010).

A SoCal native, Susan discovered Unitarian Universalism after relocating to Annapolis in 1992. She and her husband Fred have two adult children and enjoy attempting to keep up with their 2-year old granddaughter.

Natalie comes to RRUUC as a graduate of Loyola University Maryland’s MTS program. Before moving to Baltimore in 2018, she lived in Philadelphia.

Her academic interests include the evidential problem of evil, community building, and reconciliation theology. Natalie tends to talk about these things with her cat, who unfortunately does not have many opinions on how she can atone for waking Natalie up at 6am every morning.

Jessie Delaplaine started working at River Road in 2016 serving as an administrative assistant, coordinating rentals, scheduling the congregational calendar, and doing video editing for the Sunday service.

When not at work Jessie is an artist, aerialist, contortionist, and puppeteer from Baltimore. She earned a B.A. in General Fine Arts from MICA in 2012.  She’s a founding member of Tryfuss Puppet Collective and has worked extensively with Daydreams and Nightmares Aerial Theatre, the Baltimore Rock Opera Society, and Submersive Productions. She plans events and rock climbs in her free time.

She grew up around the corner in Bannockburn attending Cedar Lane UU Church and is excited to support RRUUC’s warm, welcoming, and socially conscious congregation in any way she can! Feel free to email or call if you need anything please.

Emilie joined the staff in January 2019 as our morning Office & Accounting Assistant. She previously worked at several non-profit associations and also worked for a time as a paralegal. Emilie also did behind-the-scenes work in the membership department of a financial association. She is originally from Washington, DC and has lived in Bethesda for over twenty years. She looks forward to working with everyone at RRUUC.

After retiring from the Foreign Service in 2016, Holly attended Meadville-Lombard Theological School. Her degree in Leadership Studies with a Lay Ministry concentration is based on J.L. Adam’s “the prophethood of all believers”. Following graduation, she became a trained Death Doula and completed a unit of Clinical Pastoral Education at Sibley Memorial Hospital.

Holly’s inclusive style is based on relationships with each other and the interconnected web of existence. She is happy by nature and happy in nature and takes every opportunity to fully embrace life with joy and empathy. She served as a Peace Corps Volunteer, obtained an MPH, and then joined the U.S. Agency for International Development. Holly and her husband Jim reside in Bethesda and Bethany Beach, Delaware, with their daughter assigned to Naval Base San Diego.

Born in China, Shuai Wang began playing the piano at age of five. Shuai received the Bachelor of Music degree at Oberlin Conservatory, her Master of Music degree at University of Michigan, and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree at University of Maryland.

She has placed in various piano competitions, including the first prize of Mozart Piano Competition in Hong Kong, Second Prize of China Audition of the 6th Annual Music Competition of Canada, first prize of the 69th Steinway International Children and Youth Piano Competition in the Northeast China Region, winner of the Sigma Alpha lota Competition in the Chautauqua Music Festival, and first prize of the UMSO Concerto Competition at University of Maryland. Shuai’s significant appearances include Winner’s Concert in Hong Kong City Hall, Mozart Piano Concerto K.459 with Music School Festival Orchestra in Chautauqua Music Festival, Noon Concert Feat at Arts Club of Washington D.C., and the Beethoven Choral Fantasy with the UMD Summer Chorus & Orchestra.

The Reverend Ginger Luke is currently the Minister Emerita of River Road Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Bethesda, Maryland. As the Director of Religious Education or Minister of Religious Education she served Unitarian Universalist congregations in Lincoln, Nebraska; Minneapolis, Minnesota; Ann Arbor, Michigan, and the River Road UU Congregation in Bethesda, Maryland.

Rev. Luke obtained her Masters of Divinity degree in 2001 from Meadville Lombard Theological School, where she received the Roberta Nelson Award for Excellence in Religious Education. She was ordained the following year by River Road Unitarian Church. She is a member of the Unitarian Universalist Panel on Theological Education, a member of the Church of the Larger Fellowship Board and a member of the Unitarian Universalist Associations President’s Council.  She received the Unitarian Universalist Skinner Sermon Award in 2000 to the preacher of the sermon best expressing Unitarian Universalism’s social principles that year. In 2013 she received the Meadville Lombard Theological School Alumni/ae Service Award for her exemplary service to the school. In 2015 she received the 44th Annual Unitarian Universalist Angus H. MacLean Award for Excellence in Religious Education.  Her article “Love as the Ethical Basis” was recently published in Humanist Voices in Unitarian Universalism and the UU World Spring 2017. Her passions for children, youth and families, spiritual growth, pastoral care and social justice have been at the heart of her ministry.

Rev. Kären Rasmussen is the Director of No Child Goes Hungry, INC and a member of the UU Congregation in Fairfax, VA. She is also an Affiliate Minister at the Mount Vernon Unitarian Church and at the River Road Unitarian Universalist Congregation.

She also serves on the Board of Directors for Britepaths, Virginia. Kären’s social justice passion is to eliminate childhood hunger-one meal and one child at a time. She has worked at several congregations in the DC Metro area organizing multigenerational social justice projects.

Kären loves to garden, travel and ride her Harley for recreation. She and her wife Barb, live in Annandale, Virginia with their rescue lab, Abby