Our Board of Trustees, entirely made up of members of Foothills, works to ensure the mission of the congregation is being fulfilled. The Board meets twice monthly. The board’s role is to oversee the Senior Minister position, as well as ensure we are accomplishing the ends of our mission and vision through monitoring.
Contact the Board at theboard@foothillsuu.org
Meet the Trustees
Mary Klecan, President, and her wife, Loretta Bailey joined Foothills in the Fall of 2017. Mary grew up in a large Catholic family in Albuquerque, New Mexico and joined the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati after high school. She spent the next ten years teaching at the elementary and high school levels primarily in special education in Pueblo, Denver, and Loveland. Upon returning from a seven-month hike of the Pacific Crest Trail, she became the executive director of the Namaqua Center in Loveland, a residential treatment center for abused children. Mary retired after 20 plus years and opened a home repair and painting business in Fort Collins. She loves to hike mountains and canyons, especially the Grand Canyon, where she has planned and led groups up and down (actually, down and then up) the canyon over the last twelve years. Mary loves and feels right at home at Foothills with its triple focus on spirituality, activism, and community.
Susan Williams, President-Elect, and her husband Mark have been attending Foothills for nearly two decades. The church community is close to her heart, and so are the people who have committed to live into, and carry out its mission. Over the years, she has gotten to know this mission one volunteer role at a time. She has been a part of Family Ministry and a member of the Caring, Hospitality and Safe Space Teams. Journey Groups have been a special way to get to know fellow members in a small group setting. Facilitating and participating in these gatherings has been a true gift. Susan is one of the worship hosts on Sunday mornings who engages with staff and volunteers to create a smoothly-run, warm and welcoming experience for attendees.
Born in Wisconsin, her career as a special educator began in Milwaukee and continued with a move to Northern California before a happy landing in Fort Collins. Currently she is a full time Instructional Coach with Poudre School District’s Early Childhood Program. This work involves creating and facilitating professional development opportunities for district staff, along with mentorship to new educators. Each day brings an opportunity to thrive as part of a collaborative and solution-focused team, listen attentively to the perspectives of others, and determine action steps that lead to progress.
Regular spiritual practices include: greeting the day with gratefulness, reading and writing poetry, yoga, gardening, hiking, appreciating the natural world, noticing little things and laughing out loud. When not at work, you can find her digging in the dirt, hiking, walking her dog Millie, enjoying concerts and movies, reading a good book, exploring Old Town and spending time with Mark and their two musical sons. Susan’s latest pursuit – learning all about the Foothills Board of Trustees!
Beth Adams, Secretary, and her husband, Patrick Yeager, joined Foothills as members in 2018. She was a key leader throughout the pandemic as a Circle leader, as a part of our Here and Now Visioning process and has served as a leader for several Journey Groups. Recently, Beth and her husband Patrick helped Foothills launch our social group “Millenial’ish” geared to Millennials at Foothills. Beth brings related experience in her current role as the Associate Director of Operations for the College of Health and Human Sciences at CSU, a role that allows her to combine her business operations and project management skillset, with her passions for higher education, student success, creation of healthy learning and workspaces, and processes and policy. Beth serves in different leadership roles on university councils, and has served in various volunteer capacities for non-profit organizations around the Denver metro area.
Beth enjoys activities that allow her to be creative, build relationships, and focus on her personal well-being and that of others. Outside of work and church, you may find her rolling out a yoga mat, navigating the reservoir via paddleboard with dog Timber, crafting alongside cat Sace, appreciating live music with friends, enjoying a game of Yahtzee with Pat on a brewery patio, or dreaming up recipes using fresh veggies from their garden.,
Cathy Thomas first came to Foothills in 2023 seeking connection and community. Initially hesitant due to some “church anxiety,” she quickly found herself embraced by this heartful, liberal space. She discovered kindred spirits in the Foothills community garden, and as winter arrived, found warmth and belonging in a small group. Learning more about the church’s history, she was surprised to realize how much Foothills had already influenced her life—long before she ever stepped through the doors.
Cathy continues to be active in the garden and small groups and has been especially moved by the Active Hope, Braiding Sweetgrass, and Resiliency groups, which have supported her in feeling grounded in the interconnected web of all beings. A longtime Fort Collins resident, Cathy lives with her husband Jon, their dog Fern, and kitty Marigold. She loves spending time in nature, practicing yoga, and playing tennis.
In January of 2022, after nearly 40 years in academia, John Hill retired as the Lead for the Theatre Program at Front Range Community College here in Ft. Collins. During his time in Academic Theatre, he founded and served as the Artistic Director of the Front Range Family Theatre Project, and as the Costume Shop Director and an Instructor for the CSU Theatre Arts Program; as well as teaching for colleges and universities in Idaho, Arizona and Massachusetts. For 8 years he served as secretary of the Board of Directors of the Bas Bleu Theatre Company in Ft. Collins where he occasionally directed productions, and he continues to serve as a designer for the company. Additionally, for over 30 years, he has served the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival in three different national regions as a Regional Respondent, Board Member and Clinician.
John came to the Foothills community over a decade ago via his dear late wife Mary, who was a long-time member of the church. From the first moment I entered the church I felt welcomed and invited into a faith community that was nonjudgmental and open to all. This is one of the greatest strengths of Foothills, its ability to open its arms as wide as necessary to embrace all who wish to explore our Unitarian Universalist faith.
John wishes to serve on the Foothills Unitarian Board to be of deeper service to all of you. Since Mary’s passing, John has deliberately engaged with the Hospitality team to serve as a worship host, usher, or greeter with the desire to develop richer, more meaningful relationships with those in our community. John believes his past experiences serving on several community boards, a national organization board, and serving on three different Episcopal church vestries in his previous church life, gives him tools and perspectives that can be useful in service here at Foothills.
John’s educational background is in both performance studies and theatrical design, with a BA from Loretto Heights College in Denver, and an MFA from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Peter Moore has had a long career as writer and editor, most recently for Men’s Health and Backpacker magazines. Since moving to Colorado with his wife Claire McCrea in 2017, he has taken up gigs as a cartoonist, animator, and writer for the Colorado Sun and Front Range NPR. But the best thing he and Claire ever did was to “try out” Foothills Unitarian Church, which they now know is the best in a long string of UU churches they’ve belonged to. This is an easy church to love, support, and help build for the future!
Hudson Wilkins and his wife, Grace, began attending Foothills in 2019. Like many, the pandemic interrupted their attendance, but after the birth of their first child, Rayne, in 2021, they reconnected with the community and have since become official members. They recently welcomed their second child, Ziggie, and life is full in the Wilkins household. While time has been limited, Hudson felt a clear call to step into deeper engagement when invited to consider joining the Board. He sees Board service as a meaningful way to stay actively grounded in community amidst an increasingly oppressive political climate.
Professionally, Hudson is a trauma therapist who works with individuals healing from difficult childhood experiences. The wisdom and values shared during Sunday services often accompany him into his practice, where he supports his clients in building resilience and reclaiming joy.