Rev. Dr. Audette Fulbright Fulson

Lead Minister/Executive
Pronouns: she/they
revaudette@uuasheville.org
828-254-6001 x203

The Rev. Dr. Audette Fulbright Fulson is the Lead Minister/Exec of UU Asheville. A graduate of Starr King School for the Ministry and Drew Theological Seminary who has previously served congregations in the South, on the West Coast, in the mid-West, and in New York City, her ministerial specialties include: the health of congregations, the development of ministers in formation, preaching and writing, and collective liberation. She has served in racial reconciliation and conflict resolution work for individuals and communities for over 15 years, and was delighted to perform the first LGBTQ marriage in Wyoming. She writes a well-regarded social media daily prayer series, and leads on the development of modern tools for the modern church. Rev. Audette interned with UU Asheville many years ago, and is soul-fed by the opportunity to return to this congregation, which has long held her heart.

With a doctorate in Public Theology, Rev.Audette has developed an educational and socio-spiritual process called  ChangeCrafting,  which allows individuals and groups to be more effective public change agents while also tending their personal and communal well-being.

Beyond the all-consuming passion of church and public ministry, Rev. Audette is married to her love, Rob Fulson, and they are the proud parents of two children, Ember and Mars. Ember is a successful entrepreneur and has been a UU leader in her own right, and Mars works in stage crafting. Their family is rounded out by two small and overly-energetic dogs, Bailey & Dexter.

Rev. Claudia Jiménez

Minister of Faith Formation
Pronouns: she/ella
FaithDev@uuasheville.org
828-254-6001 x202

Claudia (she/ella) has served as UU Asheville’s Minister of Faith Formation (then Faith Development) since 2018. Prior to her ordination, Rev. Jiménez served as Director of Religious Education at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Vero Beach, Florida from 2001 to 2018. She has 10 years of teaching experience in middle school science and in elementary schools in Colombia, Brazil, Canada, and Florida. While in Vero Beach, she also was elected for two terms to the Indian River County School Board from 2008 to 2016. She is a certified Religious Educator through the Liberal Religious Educator’s Association and is a trained Our Whole Lives (OWL) Facilitator and a certified sexuality educator. She is married and has two adult daughters.

Donald Post

Director of Administration
Pronouns: he/him
administration@uuasheville.org
828-254-6001 x201

Donald is a seasoned professional  with a background in finance, nonprofit leadership, and civic service, bringing a wealth of organizational and administrative experience to his role as Director of Administration at UU Asheville. Prior to joining the team, he was an Officer at Merrill Lynch, where he developed a strong foundation in financial operations, client service, and compliance.

Deeply committed to equity and inclusion, Donald has served on numerous nonprofit boards and civic commissions. His civic leadership includes a City Council-appointed role on a community development commission, where he helped shape local policy focused on inclusive growth and community impact. He has also supported various LGBTQ+ advocacy efforts across Western North Carolina through past board involvement and ongoing community engagement.

Now based in Asheville with his husband of 16 years, Heath, and their two Labrador retrievers, Riley and Finn, Donald is passionate about living a life grounded in compassion, connection, and curiosity. Together, he and Heath love to travel and explore new cultures through amazing food experiences, always seeking out opportunities to learn, celebrate life, and connect with others.

Dr. Leslie Downs

Music Director
Pronouns: he/him
music@uuasheville.org
828-254-6001 x216

In addition to serving as Music Director for UU Asheville, Leslie is active as both a solo and a collaborative pianist. He has performed in solo, lieder, chamber, and choral concerts throughout the United States and in Canada. He has also served as music director for regional musical theatre productions. For 16 years he worked as a freelance pianist/teacher/vocal coach in New York City and was principal accompanist for the New York City Gay Men’s Chorus for six seasons.  Dr. Downs holds degrees from Centenary College of Louisiana, Yale University, and the University of Oklahoma. He enjoys hiking, movies, theater, and murder mysteries.

Kim Collins

Religious Educator
Pronouns: she/her
lrec@uuasheville.org
828-254-6001 x210

Kim is a San Diego native and life-long UU. She grew up attending First Unitarian Universalist Church of San Diego and was a member of Summit Unitarian Universalist Fellowship prior to moving to Asheville and beginning her work at UU Asheville. Kim has lived on both coasts and is now happy to call the mountains her home. She enjoys cooking, reading, exploring Asheville and the surrounding areas, and tending to her pack of 3 dogs and 3 cats.

Jen Johnson

Religious Educator
Pronouns: she/her
lreasst@uuasheville.org
828-254-6001 x205

Jen revels in the energy of a group kids bonding, having fun, growing, and learning together. She is honored to be part of a nurturing and enriching RE program.   Jen has two instructions for you: read the RE Section of the Weekly eNews  (it’s the best way to get informed!) and reach out to someone you want to meet! Getting connected and being involved is sooooooo gratifying and beneficial.  Being a nature lover, Jen likes to be outdoors to hike, run, soak in the sun. She also loves the chance to curl up with a good book, to make and eat a good soup, get competitive on family game night, or hear and watch the high school marching band perform. She also loves chocolate and listening to The Moth podcast.

Trevor Johnson

Connections Coordinator
Pronouns: he/him
connect@uuasheville.org
828-254-6001 x219

Trevor (He/Him) has a long history of working as a part of religious communities, whether it is alongside college chaplains creating interfaith communities, within the Quaker community in Philadelphia, or leading in progressive Christian spaces wherever he finds himself. While he is an ordained minister in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and has worked as a chaplain in the past, he comes to the role of Connections Coordinator not in a pastoral capacity, but rather through his passion for helping folks find their own authentic spiritual path. He hopes that his background in Queer theology, religious trauma, interfaith work, and justice work assist him as he helps newcomers and long-time members alike find community at UU Asheville. Trevor also enjoys lots of different arts and crafts (especially woodworking), as well as playing music, playing board games, and enjoying Asheville with his wife, their two cats, and their dog.

Simon Jacobs

Connections Coordinator
Pronouns: he/him
avcoord@uuasheville.org
828-254-6001 x204

Starting as a sound engineer for a London recording studio, Simon “accidentally” transitioned into the world of video post-production.

In 1999, he and his family moved from England to live in Virginia, New York, and New Hampshire. Since then, he has worked as a Video Editor and as a Technical Trainer, teaching video editing, data management, stage lighting, and newsroom broadcast production.

After spending 18 months traveling around the world with his family, they all returned to the UK in 2012 to live in the house in which Simon grew up. Five years later, there was yet another transatlantic move, this time to Asheville to be closer to his American family.

Simon loves to cook, create art, and play guitar. He is an obsessive music fan whose musical tastes often seem to upset his family and pets.

Lauren Kriel

Administrative Assistant
Pronouns: she/her
information@uuasheville.org
828-254-6001 x200

Lauren Kriel (she/her) is originally from Springfield, IL, but she came to WNC by way of Warren Wilson College, where she graduated with a Theatre/English degree. She also attended Northwestern University, where she got her Masters in Sound Arts and Industries.  She previously served as the Interim Office Coordinator at UUAvl in fall of 2023. Lauren grew up attending the Abraham Lincoln Unitarian Universalist Congregation, where she memorized the chalice lighting words by 3rd grade. Lauren is quite multi-skilled, having worked in landscaping, ice cream shops, building audio speakers, organic farming, local political  campaigns, recording interviews for radio and podcasts, acting, petsitting, stage managing, bartending, and calling contra dances. She enjoys drawing, performing improv comedy, learning about different  personality types (astrology,  enneagram,  sibling order, etc.), cooking, listening to podcasts and audiobooks, eating ice cream, and growing her garden.  

Rev. Terry Davis, CSD

Affiliated Community Minister
Pronouns: she/her
revterrydavis1253@gmail.com

Rev. Terry Davis was ordained a Unitarian Universalist minister in 2010 after a 25-year career in corporate communications. She is a graduate of Candler School of Theology at Emory University in Atlanta. She is also a certified spiritual director, having completed a two-year intensive study program at the Haden Institute, an international program that offers transformational teachings and creative embodiments in the Jungian mystical tradition.

Rev. Terry currently serves as the spiritual director of Asheville Anam Cara, a spiritual direction and short-term pastoral counseling practice located in North Asheville. In this role, Rev. Terry helps individual seekers connect more deeply to themselves and to their understanding of a Higher Source. Prior to founding Asheville Anam Cara, she served as a minister at UU congregations in St. Louis, Atlanta, and Hendersonville, NC. Rev.
Terry also served as the mother-baby & neonatal intensive care unit chaplain at a major Atlanta hospital.

As UU Asheville’s Affiliated Community Minister, Terry’s primary relationship is with UU Asheville’s Lead Minister Rev. Audette. She will offer additional support to Rev. Audette’s ministry from time to time that may include pulpit supply, pastoral care back- up, and congregational workshops.

Terry is a member of the UU Ministers Association, the UU Society of Community Ministers, and Spiritual Directors International. A native of Washington, DC, Terry and her spouse Gail moved to Asheville from Atlanta in 2019. They have been together for over 30 years, and were legally married in 2013 at All Souls Unitarian Church in DC. They have a fluffy dog, Miles, and, together, they enjoy long walks in the woods behind their home.