Staff
Rev. Karen Armina – Minister
Rev. Karen (she/her) was called to be the minister of the James Reeb UU Congregation in May 2014 and we ordained her in May 2015. She comes to ministry out of a background in plant ecology, and understands the interconnected web of all existence as both a physical and a theological reality. This understanding leads her to be deeply passionate about how we treat each other and our Earth home.
Click here for more about our minister.
Genevieve McPherson-Shambarger – Director of Family Ministry
Genevieve (she/her) is a third generation UU, growing up in the Unitarian Universalist congregation of Annapolis and has been involved with children’s and youth programming since she herself was a youth in YRUU. As a youth she served both her home congregation as well as co-chaired the Joseph Priestly District’s Youth Steering Committee and later served as the worship coordinator for the Young Adult Action Committee.
Since graduating from St. Mary’s College of Maryland in 2016 Genevieve had lived in Washington, DC using the opportunity of living in the Capital to engage in multiple social action and justice campaigns including with All Souls Unitarian Church as well as Climate Now, the Poor People’s Campaign and the Reeb Voting Project named after the same James Reeb this congregation honors, before moving to the East side of Madison, Wisconsin in the summer of 2022.
Genevieve looks forward to giving back to the faith community that helped shape her into the confident and competent woman she is today and working with our most important church members, our children.
Danica Hoehn – Office Administrator
Danica owns Solidago Solutions, a home, homesteading, and herbal medicine business. When she is not working on behalf of JRUUC, you can find her supporting individuals, families, and businesses to connect with, renew, and love their natural and built spaces or in her favorite overalls, full of soil, sawdust, or paint, as she grows food, makes herbal medicine, and creates functional art at her own home & homestead.
From 2009 to 2021, Danica applied her decades of experience in group facilitation, environmental education, bio-intensive farming, social work, and food justice at Angelic Organics Learning Center (now called Farmers Rising) as the Director of Urban Agriculture and Farmer Training. During this time she, along with her family, ran Belly Fire Farm, a small CSA farm specializing in produce, eggs, culinary herbs, soap, and tea.
Along with being a Licensed Dwelling Contractor in Wisconsin and a Certified Organizational Specialist, Danica holds an M.S. in Environmental Education and a B.A. in Sociology, Anthropology, and Psychology with a focus on Comparative Religion.
Her regular hours in the JRUUC office are Wednesdays from 10am-4pm. She checks emails for JRUUC Monday-Wednesday in the mornings. On Thursdays she works on preparations for the Sunday Service from home.
Jennifer Hedstrom – Director of Music Ministry
Jennifer Hedstrom (she/they) grew up in the Chicago suburbs and has called Madison her home since 2010. Jennifer holds a Bachelor’s in Piano Performance from Illinois State University and a Master’s in Collaborative Piano from UW-Madison. Jennifer loves leading a multifaceted musical life and splits her time between composing, performing, teaching, and music directing.
Jennifer believes music is a powerful tool for expression, healing, and connection. She also believes music is for everyone, which is the reason she is drawn to congregational singing. She is looking enjoys using her musical gifts to lift up the voices and spirits of everyone at James Reeb.
Jennifer lives on the east side of Madison with their partner and two cats. Beyond music, they love reading, walking, dancing, crafting, and spending time with close friends. Jennifer’s spiritual teachers include water, prairies, songbirds, Pema Chödrön, Rumi, and Beyoncé.
Click here for more about Music at JRUUC.
Click here for this week’s Music Update from the weekly email news.
Rev. Bowie Kling-Garcia – Affiliated Community Minister
Rev. Bowie (they/them) became our congregation’s first affiliated community minister in 2023. They serve as the Lead Staff Chaplain at UnityPoint – Meriter Hospital here in Madison, with a focus on Palliative Care patients. Rev. Bowie’s understanding of a higher power is that there is a Spirit which surrounds us and is a part of us. Their ministry is focused on nurturing that divine connection through storytelling and community.
At home, you’d likely find Rev. Bowie enjoying a good book, movie, or board game with their husband Logan and energetic cat Yennefur. They love to talk all things Star Wars, dinosaur, and drag queen related! Rev. Bowie uses pop culture media often in their own spiritual practices.
Rev. Bowie was ordained into ministry by the First Unitarian Church of Chicago in 2021. They hold a Master of Divinity from Meadville Lombard Theological School (2021) and are in Preliminary Fellowship with the Unitarian Universalist Association (2021). They also have a Master of Arts in Religion from the University of Bristol, England (2015) and a Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies from Cardinal Stritch University (2014).