Our Staff
Meagan Henry is our Director of Religious Education. She began at MVUC on August 1, 2006. She came to us from Knoxville Tennesse where she served as the Youth Programs Coordinator at the Tennessee Valley UU Church and the Oak Ridge UU Church. She was also teaching World Religions in History courses in the Religious Studies Dept. of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Meagan received her BA in Religious Studies in 2002 and her Master's of Philosophy in Religious Studies from the University of Tennessee in 2005. While working on her undergraduate degree, she taught at Garden Montessori School in the Lower Elementary.
Meagan is a life-long Unitarian Universalist. As a child, she attended the Meadville Unitarian Church of Meadville, PA with her family. She then moved to The Mountain Retreat and Learning Center in Highlands, NC where her father and step-mother worked as full-time staff for several years. As an adult, Meagan joined the Tennessee Valley UU church in Knoxville, Tennessee. She and her husband, James were married there and her daughter, Starling, has been an active participant in the Religious Education program.
Although her scholarly interests were primarily in the fields of Religion, Culture and the Media, Religious Nationalism, and New Religious Movements, Meagan is most fascinated with the rich religious history and mythology of the world's religions and she enjoys sharing these engaging tales with others, especially children.
Our Music Director, Mark Zimmerman, grew up in a small friendly town in northeast Ohio. He is a 1981 BME graduate of Heidelberg College in Ohio: k-12 instrumental and vocal, with special studies in voice, keyboard, and conducting. He has additional graduate hours in church music at the Cinncinati Conservatory of music. Mark has enjoyed a variety of work over the years; live shows at Cedar Point Amusement Park, nearly 20 years with TWA as a domestic and international flight attendant based in New York City; US and CN tour escort and trainer. He has taught grade 7-12 choral music programs, as well as voice, piano, and theory privately; and served church music programs in Ohio and Virginia since 1978. He has sung tenor with the Gay Men's Choruses of New York City and Washington, DC. Pleasure pursuits include travel of almost any kind, house projects, and new energy technologies.
Carol Tyrance Graves is our new Church Administrator. She has ten years of experience as a church administrator, having served at both Trinity Episcopal Church and Saint Luke’s Episcopal Church in Washington DC. Carol brings over 20 years of management experience to Mount Vernon Unitarian Church, including over 10 years in New York City. Carol has been an Episcopalian for most of her life. She has worked with the Episcopal Diocese of Washington providing management expertise to church boards and leaders, conducting weekend retreats, developing strategic plans, and facilitating conflict resolution between church leaders and their ministers. She has served on the Diocese of Washington’s Task Force on Affordable Housing and the Task Force on Justice and Equitable Treatment in the Church. In addition to her work with the Episcopal Church, Carol is proud to be a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority and is committed to its legacy of service to all mankind.
Carol has a Masters degree from the University of Maryland in Management with a focus on marketing. She received her Bachelor’s Degree from Howard University where she graduated with a major in Economics and a minor in Mathematics.
Carol and her husband Willie live in Mitchellville, Maryland. Carol has a daughter, Erika, from a previous marriage who lives in Silver Spring, Maryland. Her mother, her two sisters and their families all live in the Washington DC area.
For fun Carol loves dancing, traveling, music, museums, book stores, going to the theatre and all kinds of music.
Anne Bredeck is the Office Manager. She maintains the church calendar; liaisons with MVUC groups, volunteers and rental agents; communicates with leaders and members of the congregation; maintains membership records; and supports the programs and activities of MVUC. Anne’s early childhood years were in Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, and Kansas. From age 10 to 17, she lived in India, where her father worked as an agricultural engineer. She attended an international school, and has lived or traveled in Columbia, England, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Kashmir, Kenya, Mexico, Nepal, Peru, Philippines, Scotland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and Zimbabwe.
Anne has worked as an employment counselor for single-parent welfare recipients, a sales representative for a home-water-purification company, an agricultural assistant for a university agronomy department, and a teacher of English as a second language. She holds a BA in foreign language and international trade, and began a master’s program in multicultural education in Florida before moving to Virginia with her husband, Martin Bredeck. Anne finds spiritual affirmation through participation in the life of MVUC and through raising their two children in this liberal religious community.
Leah Choudhury is the Property Manager. Working with dedicated volunteers, she watches over our buildings and grounds. She is also an active volunteer herself, assisting year around in preparation for the annual Book Sale and teaching a Religious Education class at the 11:15 a.m. hour. Born in Cocoa, Florida, she was raised in Cheverly, MD, went to college at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, and spent 10 years in the Army before settling down in Alexandria. She is married to Shah Choudhury and has two children, Shahad and Anjum, who attend Religious Education classes at MVUC. You can usually find her accompanied by her slightly neurotic dog, Pepper, who is overly attached to her and should be named 'Shadow.'
Nina Tisara became Rental Events Coordinator at MVUC in the fall of 2006.Nina majored in sculpture at the High School of Music and Art in New York City and painting at the Brooklyn Museum Art School. Relocating to Washington, D.C. she married and started a family. Later, as a single mother of four, she worked as executive assistant for a national association for 11 years before starting her own photography business. For 25 years, she specialized in portraits and wedding photography.
Nina launched and now serves as director and photograper of "Living Legends of Alexandria," an ongoing not-for-profit project to identify, honor and chronicle people who have made substantial contributions to the quality of life in Alexandria.
Welcome to Our Community
Our Staff
Our History
A Welcoming Congregation
Video: What is a Unitarian Universalist?
Video: How did you become a Unitarian Universalist?
Video: A Passionate Commitment to Young Adults
Video: Standing on the Side of Love
Video: Voices of a Liberal Faith
Video: A Religion for Our Time
Video: The Theology of Star Wars!
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