UUCLB Staff

Minister

Our minister, Marguerite D. Lovett, came to UUCLB in August, 1991, from the Unitarian Society of Germantown in Philadelphia. Her Bachelor's Degree is from the University of Massachusetts at Lowell, and her Masters of Divinity is from Andover Newton Theology School in Newton Centre, Massachusetts. The mother of three grown children, her household is kept lively with her beloved pets. Marguerite serves as the Treasurer and Program Registrar for the Pacific Southwest District Unitarian Universalist Minister's Association and is vice-president of the Greater Long Beach Interfaith Community Organization. She is also a member of the Long Beach Interfaith Clergy Association and is involved with annual events such as the Martin Luther King Celebration Planning Committee and The National Conference for Community and Justice.

Intern Minister

Denis Letourneau Paul comes to UUCLB as an intern for the 2007-2008 church year. He received a BFA in Architecture from Rhode School of Design where he focused on urban planning, public housing and the physical aspects of community building. Since entering Starr King School for the Ministry in 2003, Denis has served as a hospice chaplain and as an intern with the Faithful Fools Street Ministry in San Francisco. He defines his ministry as meeting people in all of their joy and suffering, accepting their states of being, especially in the places where the neighborhood meets the congregation. He uses storytelling as a tool for spiritually building community. His partner Seph Paul continues to live in El Cerrito, CA during this year.

Director of Religious Education

Our Director of Religious Education, Tamara Casanova, works with the Religious Education Committee to provide an outstanding program at UUCLB for our children, youth, and families. She also serves as a leader in our congregation, working with the Board of Trustees and other groups to foster excellence in our church community. Tamara is actively involved in our denomination and is currently working toward the highest credential available for religious educators from the Unitarian Universalist Association. She has a Bachelor's degree in Political Science and a Master's Degree in International Relations.

Director of Music

Jim Ruggirello has been our Director of Music since 1996, having enjoyed a 30-year career in the arts as an administrator, performer and educator. He has held positions with the Long Beach Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Pasadena Symphony, Pasadena POPS! and Asia America Symphony. After graduating from CSU Northridge with degrees in piano and conducting he was a prominent conductor, vocal coach and accompanist in Southern California for 15 years. He was also the founding director of Orange County High School of the Arts' Opera Conservatory. In addition, he has served on boards, presented at conferences and been a grants panelist for Public Corporation for the Arts, Association of California Symphony Orchestras, American Symphony Orchestra League, California Arts Council, Los Angeles County Arts Commission, Arts Orange County and Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Department. Currently music critic for the weekly Gazette newspapers.

Associate Director of Music

Our Associate Director of Music David C. DiIorio has been a music professional for over 20 years. Dave holds a degree in Music Composition from the New England Conservatory of Music, and an MBA from the University of California, Irvine. He has won awards from DownBeat magazine and the Music Teachers Association of California for his compositions and he has worked with the legendary arranger Gil Evans, the Temptations, the Drifters and the Boston Symphony Orchestra among others. As a composer, Dave has scored two full-length feature films, two CDs of original music, TV commercials, dance pieces and works for symphony orchestra, theater, string quartet and keyboard.

Church Administrator

Our Church Administrator, Pamela Wood Browne, joined our staff in September 2004. Pamela has been a member of our congregation since 1998 and her volunteer roles included serving as Advance editor and on the Board of Trustees. She has a Bachelors Degree in Sociology and a Certificate in Urban Studies from California State University - Long Beach. She moved to Southern California in July 1991 from the Washington, DC area where she grew up. Pamela and her husband, Neil Browne, have lived in Long Beach for over 10 years.

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Unitarian Universalist Church of Long Beach | 5450 East Atherton Street | Long Beach | California | 90815
562.597.8445