Ministers and Staff
Ministers
Senior Minister
The Reverend Nathan Ryan served as Associate Minister from 2012-2020. He was called in November of 2020 as Senior Minister. He received his Master of Divinity degree from Meadville-Lombard Theological School in Chicago. Nathan was ordained by the congregation in 2013, the church’s first ordination in its 61-year history.
Email Rev. Nathan.
Minister of Congregational Life
Rev. Chris Long was born in Memphis, Tennessee, and became a Unitarian Universalist in 1999 in Madison, Wisconsin. Within five years of becoming a Unitarian Universalist, through his lived, denominational and professional achievements, he was called to ministry, and graduated from Starr King School for the Ministry (Berkeley, CA) in May 2009. He has most recently been the Minister of Pastoral Care and Programming at Community Church of New York City (Unitarian Universalist). Additionally, he has co-created and served as West Shore Unitarian Universalist Church’s first Justice Minister in Rocky River, OH. He has been the Visiting Professor for the Practice of Ministry at Starr King School for the Ministry, and has been part of the Learning Communities for Institutional Change and Excellence (LCICE) team, where he co-led dialogical social justice learning communities at the University of Wisconsin at Madison. Rev. Chris is a leader in anti-racism efforts throughout the UUA, and has consulted to several UU congregations on leadership, transformation, and on the 8th Principle.
Staff
Director of Family Ministry
Kathy E. Smith, CRE, moved to Baton Rouge in 2017 to join us as Director of Family Ministries. She has been a religious educator since 2006, attained her Credentialed Religious Educator status in 2016, and has worked with our denomination as a youth leader, workshop presenter, and leader in her professional organization (LREDA). In her spare time, she is a musician and book lover, who also loves to be out in nature.
Email Kathy.
Music Program Director
Lee Hartman has been Music Program Director since 2015. Lee is a multi-instrumentalist with a love of all musical genres, and is a classically-trained pianist with a degree in piano performance, but a not-so-classically-trained guitar, banjo, and accordion player. Lee has music degrees from the University of Tulsa and from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and has been playing for churches for nearly 30 years. While living in Baton Rouge, Lee has rediscovered the fun of playing for the theatre, and has worked for Theatre Baton Rouge and LSU on shows such as Newsies, Cabaret, All the King’s Men, and Spring Awakening.
Email Lee.
Choral Director
Dr. Trey Davis has been Choral Director at UCBR since August 2015. He holds a doctorate in choral conducting from Texas Tech University and a Master of Music in choral conducting from Westminster Choir College of Rider University in Princeton, New Jersey. As an undergraduate, he specialized in accompanying and vocal performance (he’s a tenor) at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California. At LSU, Trey is the Associate Director of Choral Studies, conducts the LSU Chorale and Tiger Glee Club, and teaches courses in literature and conducting to graduate and undergraduate students.
Email Trey.
Congregational Administrator
Allison Hall has been employed by the church since February 2010. She oversees all activities related to membership and operations of the church. She is responsible for accounts receivable, creation and distribution of internal and external communications, buildings and grounds maintenance, and volunteer recruitment and coordination. She oversees daily church activities and communications with congregation members and leaders from the larger community. She provides administrative support for all paid and volunteer staff. Allison is a book nerd and an animal lover who regularly volunteers at a local animal shelter. Email Allison.
Minister Emeritus
The Reverend Dr. Steve J. Crump faithfully and meritoriously served the Unitarian Church of Baton Rouge as Senior Minister for 36 years, having begun his ministry at our church in 1983. He received his M.A. from the University of Chicago Divinity School and Doctorate of Ministry from Meadville-Lombard Theological School in Chicago.
The title Minister Emeritus was granted by the congregation to the Reverend Dr. Steve J. Crump on December 16, 2018 in recognition of his long and meritorious service to the church.