Meet our Board
Rev. Suzanne Fast
EqUUalAccessPresident@gmail.com
The Reverend Suzanne Fast (she/her) is a community minister focusing on disability justice, advocacy, education, and pastoral ministry. She is chronically ill, neurodivergent, and physically disabled. Rev. Suzanne is affiliated with the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Greater Naples, FL. A life-long UU, she has served at the congregational, cluster, district/regional, and national levels, and serves on the UUA Board of Trustees. Rev. Suzanne was one of the creators of the Accessibility and Inclusion Ministry Program for congregations, and is President of the Board of EqUUal Access.
With a background in economics and business, Rev. Suzanne is a graduate of Meadville Lombard Theological School and a certified Spiritual Director. She traces her call to ministry to the foundational lessons in meaning making learned in UU Religious Education. She was fortunate to work on two sacred art projects with the Nyingma Institute, where she studied for many years, and which lives on in her interest in creative expression as a spiritual practice. Rev. Suzanne is particularly interested in the spiritual journeying of adults and children, and the connections we make between our inward journeys, our daily lives, and our shared work for a just society.
Elizabeth Foster, Vice President
Elizabeth is a recent graduate of the Boston University School of Theology, where she studied interfaith leadership and denominational history. She holds an AB from Bryn Mawr College, and an MS in Nonprofit Leadership from the University of Pennsylvania. She is passionate about religious education, having served as a DRE for several years before attending seminary, and is currently the Director of Religious Education and Family Ministry at United First Parish Church in Quincy. She also offers consulting on accessibility, inclusion, and denominational history via Crooked Heart Consultancy.
Elizabeth is deeply committed to disability justice, and, in addition to her work with EqUUal Access, is Co-Chair of the Rider’s Transit Access Group for the Boston MBTA. Her ongoing academic research focuses on Unitarian and Universalist involvement in the historical eugenics movement and its contemporary repercussions. In her spare time, she enjoys singing, English Country Dancing, and writing poetry, as well as trying new recipes. She lives in Massachusetts with her cat, Jade.
Rev. Barbara Meyers, Secretary
EqUUalAccessSecretary@gmail.com
Rev. Barbara F. Meyers, pronouns she/her, is a Unitarian Universalist community minister with a mental health ministry based in Fremont, California, affiliated with Mission Peak UU Congregation where she is also a member. A mental health consumer, she is assistant director of the peer-run Reaching Across Wellness Center. She is the author of a mental health curriculum for congregations, and the book “Held – Showing Up for each Other’s Mental Health”, Skinner House Books 2020. She served on the UUA’s Accessibility Committee beginning in 2005, and was active in the creation of EqUUal Access and the AIM program. She is the current President of the UU Mental Health Network, and secretary of the Board of EqUUal Access.
Kathy Burek, Treasurer
Kathy Burek is an active volunteer at many levels of our Unitarian Universalist Association. She served on the Unitarian Universalist Board of Trustees from 2017—2023 and was the Board’s Financial Secretary for four years. As an Adjunct Consultant for the MidAmerica Region-UUA, Kathy facilitates retreats for small UU congregations in the Midwest. From 2015-2018, Kathy served as a member of the board of the International Women’s Convocation, an international organization of UU women working to empower women. Kathy was a member of the UUA’s Employee Benefits Trust Board from 2007-2015 and chaired the board 3 times. In her role as President of the Prairie Star District, she was elected President of the District Presidents’ Association, and was part of the team that led to the creation of the MidAmerica Region. Kathy was then elected to the first MidAmerica Region Board. Kathy received the UUA President’s Award for Volunteer Service in 2014.
In her home congregation, Michael Servetus Unitarian Society, Kathy served in many leadership positions in Fridley, MN, including President of the Board and Co-Chair of the 2014-16 Search Team. Professionally, Kathy retired from a career as a facilitator, strategic planner, and project manager for Advanced Strategies, Inc. She was Assistant Commissioner of Employee Insurance for the State of Minnesota, a division manager for the Minnesota Department of Health, and a legislative staffer.
Kathy is married to Ed Burek (for over 53 years) and has 3 adult children who were raised UU. For fun, she likes baking (especially chocolate), reading, singing in the church choir (Alto), and hiking.
At Large Board Members:
Kaden Colton
Kaden Colton (no pronouns) is a seminary student, studying Interreligious Chaplaincy and Ethics & Justice. Kaden is a board member of EqUUal Access. Kaden is involved with disability issues and trans and non-binary issues in Kaden’s local area. Kaden is a co-leader of the Students with Disabilities group at seminary. Kaden is a part of a Trans Welcome group at one of the Unitarian Universalist congregations.
SarahRuth Wekoye Davis
SarahRuth Wekoye Davis resides in Annapolis, Maryland. She is completing degrees and certifications at Meadville Lombard Theological School and The Chaplaincy Institute and serves in community ministry. SarahRuth Wekoye brings her multicultural background to her work, and her ministry is grounded in African, disability, and queer theologies. She holds degrees in communications, psychology, and business administration. She is a disabled military veteran, the mother to five beautiful children, and enjoys kayaking, cooking, crocheting, drinking tea, and spending time with family and friends.
Imari Nuyen-Kariotis
Imari S. Nuyen-Kariotis is a distinguished disability rights advocate and disability policy researcher with a lifelong dedication to promoting the rights and needs of people with disabilities. Her professional expertise spans federal, state, and local issues related to housing, transportation, public access, and emergency management.
Currently serving as the Chair of the West Shores Advisory Council & Committee, Imari leads efforts to advocate for and respond to the rights and needs of people with disabilities, seniors, and their caretakers. Her work focuses on empowering community-wide resilience and optimizing outcomes for all.
Imari is an esteemed member of the Board of Directors for Disability Rights California (DRC), where she contributes to the Public Policy and Community Engagement Committees.
As the Chair of California Peer Watch, a 501(c)(4) organization of Mental Health Peers in California, Imari champions a person-centered approach to mental health care. Unlike the traditional top-down approach favored by the government, California Peer Watch emphasizes the importance of involving individuals with lived experience in shaping mental health policies and services. Imari and the organization provide crucial advice on services for people with mental health disabilities and assist with the program’s performance review process. More information can be found at California Peer Watch.
Imari also serves as a Board Member of EqUUal Access, an organization dedicated to enabling the full engagement of people with disabilities in Unitarian Universalist communities and broader society. The work includes:
Raising awareness, empowering change, and promoting advocacy grounded in Unitarian Universalist faith.
Providing resources to help Unitarian Universalist communities become barrier-free and inclusive.
Incorporating the gifts of ministry offered by people with disabilities into the faith community.
Enabling Unitarian Universalist congregations to understand and minister to the spiritual and personal needs of people with disabilities, their families, and friends.
Collaborating with other Unitarian Universalist organizations and the Unitarian Universalist Association to counter oppression.
Imari a multiply disabled woman with intellectual, developmental, and physical disabilities, Imari has Autism and Bipolar Disorder. She is a bisexual activist of color with extensive grassroots organizing experience at the local, state, and national levels. Her personal experiences, including being the primary caregiver to her daughter Caurel, who is autistic, epileptic, apraxic (non-verbal), and bipolar, deeply informs her advocacy work. Her unwavering commitment to social justice and equality drives her efforts to ensure that the voices of marginalized communities, especially those who are multiply marginalized, are heard.
Imari’s professional journey includes significant contributions to disaster response, having worked through historic flooding, hurricanes, fires, earthquakes, and the COVID-19 pandemic. With nearly three decades of experience in disability community-focused disaster response, she is recognized as a Subject Matter Expert (SME) in disaster services for people with disabilities. Her expertise lies in integrating leadership, design, and organization to empower community resilience and optimize outcomes both locally and globally.
Imari remains actively involved in various nonprofits and advocacy groups, embodying the disability rights movement’s motto: “Nothing About Us Without Us!”
Her dedication to systemic change, ability to lead in times of crisis, and commitment to advocacy and social change continue to inspire and make a lasting impact on the lives of those she serves.
