Pacific Western Region staff are part of the UUA's Congregational Life Staff.
Every congregation in the Pacific Western Region has a primary contact, which can be found on the Primary Contacts for PWR Congregations index.
Regional Lead
Rev. Carlton Elliott Smith
Rev. Carlton E. Smith is the Regional Lead for the Pacific Western Region. From 2013 to 2020, he was a member of the UUA Congregational Life Staff Group serving in the Southern Region. Before that, he was a parish minister serving UU congregations in Metro New York, Greater Boston, Northern Virginia and Oakland, California. Rev. Smith graduated from both Howard University's School of Business and its School of Divinity (summa cum laude). He's been a candidate for US Congress and for State Senate, both in his home state of Mississippi. Rev. Smith was a founding member of the Organizing Collective for Black Lives of Unitarian Universalism. He currently serves as a Board Member for the Living Legacy Project and is a member of the Campaign Board for the LGBTQ Victory Fund.
Contact Carlton at csmith@uua.org or (703) 577-0799. Read Cartlton's full bio.
Program Staff
Rev. Summer Albayati
Rev. Summer Albayati, whose last name is pronounced el-bay-EH-tee, is a UU Muslim of Iraqi descent who brings extensive experience in leadership development, strategic planning, multiculturalism, curriculum development/programming, outreach, organizational development, grant writing, interfaith dialogue, conflict resolution and mediation. She has worked within indigenous communities and communities of color, advocating for equity in education, and increasing numbers of students of color who enter into universities. In serving congregations, Rev. Summer’s focus was on transformation by emphasizing that a mission-focused congregation increases vitality, membership, commitment to justice and love. Rev. Summer has been playing the Arabic drum, professionally, since the age of 12, and has shared this Islamic aesthetic in worship and concerts most of her life. She loves spending time with family and friends, eating great food, dancing, singing, creating beautiful music, and traveling the world.
Contact Summer at salbayati@uua.org or (949) 391-3891. Read Summer's full bio.
Rev. Sarah Gibb Millspaugh
Rev. Sarah Gibb Millspaugh joined the Pacific Western Region's Congregational Life staff in July 2016. With experience as a parish minister, curriculum developer, and lay leader, she serves as the primary contact for several congregations across the western US. Sarah works with all PWR congregations as a specialist in conflict transformation, safety, professional boundaries, and misconduct. Additionally she serves on the UUA Mosaic Team, which is creating and curating resources for anti-racist/anti-oppressive/multicultural transformation in our congregations. Sarah lives and works in San Diego, CA.
Contact Sarah at smillspaugh@uua.org or (858) 215-2650. Read Sarah's full bio.
Dr. Melissa James
Dr. Melissa James joined the PWR staff in 2020. She earned her Masters of Arts from the Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago (LSTC) with a focus was on faith and justice. Melissa holds a Ph.D. in Ethics and Social Theory from the Graduate theological Union in Berkeley, CA. In addition to serving in congregational religious education and family ministry, she was named as a 2016 Fahs Fellow through the Fahs Collaborative at Meadville Lombard Seminary focusing on helping congregations support trans and non-binary children, youth, and their families. Melissa is the PWR specialist for stewardship, LGTBQIA+ inclusion and gender justice, and non-congregational covenanting communities. She brings nearly 20 years of experience in leadership development, fundraising and grant writing, campus ministry, religious education and family ministry, and teaching.
Contact Melissa at mjames@uua.org. Read Melissa's full bio.
Rev. Sarah Schurr
The Rev. Sarah Movius Schurr joined the PWR team in 2016. She serves as primary contact for all congregations in the states of Washington, Montana, and Wyoming. In addition to her primary contact work, Sarah is the PWR specialist for small congregation concerns and networks with other small congregation specialists throughout the UUA to provide targeted training and resources. She works with the UUA Disaster Relief Fund and is the UUA staff liaison to EqUUal Access. She keeps her home office in Portland, Oregon.
Contact Sarah at sschurr@uua.org or (503) 936-0479. Read her Sarah's bio.
Annie Scott
Annie Scott, Credentialed Religious Educator, feels honored and excited to begin serving congregations as the newest member of the Pacific Western Region Congregational Life field staff. She has most recently served as Director of Religious Educator for Jefferson Unitarian Church in Golden, CO and as President of the Liberal Religious Educators Association (LREDA). She has learned much from the congregations and religious professionals she has served with in Oregon City, Philadelphia, Phoenix and Golden over her twenty-seven years as a religious educator. She and her husband, Mick, raised their children in Unitarian Universalist congregations and are moving back to Oregon from Colorado to live near their three daughters, extended family and two-year old granddaughter, Emerson.
Annie can be reached at ascott@uua.org. Read her Annie's bio.
Administrative Staff
Regional Administrator
Position currently open.
Melanie Buck
Melanie Buck is the PWR Bookkeeper. She manages the books for all four districts as well as the region. She works full time out of her home office in Brighton, Colorado.
Contact Melanie at mbuck@uua.org. Read her Melanie's bio.
Address & Email
Pacific Western Region
P.O. Box 567
Brighton, CO 80601
(720) 778-6682
pwr@uua.org