Rev. DIANA SMITH
Before being called as our settled minister at UUSM on April 26, 2026, Rev. Diana Smith (she/her/hers) served as settled minister at the UU Society of Iowa City in Coralville, Iowa. Prior to that, she served a two year interim ministry at the UU Church of Woodinville, WA (2018-2020), and a two-year ministerial internship at First Church Boston (2016-2018), where she was ordained in 2018. She received her Master of Divinity degree from Andover Newton Theological School, and she also has a Master’s degree in Community and Environmental Planning from the University of British Columbia. Before her call to ministry, Rev. Diana worked for local and state environmental programs in Washington State. As a volunteer during that time, she also ran a local non-profit that operated a crisis line, and was an active member of the Olympia UU Congregation as an RE teacher, worship associate, and fundraiser.
Rev. Diana's ministry is devoted to creating communities of care that provide more opportunities for the flourishing of everyone and our home. She says, "I’m passionate about shared ministry, strengthening relationships, and collaborative leadership. I love designing creative worship and rites of passage that help meet the needs of individuals, families, and communities. I thrive on helping the congregations I serve live Love ever more fully and fiercely into this world.
"Religious education is not only what happens in classrooms but includes the whole life of the congregation – classes, worship, social justice work, and individual spiritual practice – both inside and outside the church building. It includes what we think we’re teaching, the way we’re doing things, and what we’re not teaching or talking about
"Covenant with the interrelated web of existence and with and between people is a central theme in my spirituality and theology. Personally, I am a panentheist, a religious humanist, and a mystic. I love the diversity of theologies that are at home within Unitarian Universalism. You can learn more about my personal theology and my journey to ministry here."
In her non-ministry time, she enjoys dog training, gardening and preserving food, making art, hiking and camping, kayaking, and traveling.
Alfie Wilkerson
Congregational Administrator
About Alfie
Alfie has an extensive background working as a Manager of Finance and Human Resources, Studio Manager, and Operations Manager in a diversity of small businesses. He has received a number of awards for his management and leadership skills, and he brings a relational grounding and inspirational spirit to serve our congregation.
Rafael Ibay
Interim RE Coordinator – Children and Families
About Rafael
Rafael Ibay is a spiritual searcher with a passion for learning that’s liberatory and joyful. He joined UUSM along with his wife Supriya in 2022, and they’re grateful they can introduce rich, diverse spiritual teachings to their young son Sameer in this community. With a background in education, Rafael is thrilled to serve as an Interim RE Coordinator. He’s taught in classrooms from South Korea to Chicago to all over SoCal. That said, he’s looking forward to bringing his teaching experiences to the RE role at UUSM, where he aims to develop faith programming for youth and families that’s inclusive, full of wonder, and rooted in love and social justice for all.
Tom Ahern
Sunday & Rental Sexton
About Tom
As the Sunday and Rental Sexton, Tom keeps the church building and grounds clean and orderly for the Sunday services and assists the minister with all of Sunday's worship supplies and items needed for the pulpit and recording the sermon for the website.
Ryan Humphrey
Pianist
About Ryan
Ryan started playing piano for UU services at a young age. In grad school, he helped found the women’s choir at the UU Congregation of Columbia. Prior to joining UUSM’s staff, he served for five years at First Unitarian Church of LA, first as accompanist and later as Director of Music.
May Claire La Plante
Soprano Section Leader
About May Claire
May Claire La Plante is a versatile singer and musician from Santa Monica. She received a BA in Ethnomusicology and minor in Music Industry from UCLA, where she learned world folk music and jazz voice techniques. She then went on to receive a Master's in Vocal Performance from the University of Oxford in the UK, where she focused on early music. She is especially interested in choral singing, and has sung with groups such as C3LA, Jouyssance Early Music Ensemble, the Verdi Chorus, Selah Gospel Choir, and the choir of the Queen's College, Oxford. Besides singing, May Claire also conducts, arranges, records, and plays the harp and piano.
David Erik Peterson
Bass Section Leader
About David
David Erik Peterson is a proud member of Actors' Equity Association and American Guild of Musical Artists. He holds music degrees from SFSU and WVU. He moved back to LA after a decade in the SF Bay Area where he sang bass with the SF Symphony Chorus and Cappella SF, played percussion with Gamelan X, and was the Music Director for Piccola Carolers.
Olivia Salazar
Alto Section Leader
About Olivia
Olivia is a classical singer and actor from Los Angeles, CA. She attended the Interlochen Arts Academy as a voice major and attends the University of California Los Angeles as a classical voice major, under the tutelage of Vladimir Chernov, while pursuing a Linguistics minor. She is dedicated to learning and uplifting Mexican and Hispanic composers from the realm of classical music.
Sibylla Nash
Office Coordinator
About Sibylla
Sibylla Nash is an author and journalist whose work has appeared in Essence, Vibe, LitHub, Newsweek, the Chicago Tribune and others. She is the author of several books, including Robin Hill School: Juneteenth (Simon & Schuster, 2026) and Athletes for Racial Equity (Capstone/Sports Illustrated for Kids, 2022). With an MFA in Creative Writing from Otis College of Art & Design and a BA in Journalism from USC, she brings both artistic vision and strategic communication expertise to her work.
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