Michael Linenberger

Michael was born in 1956 and raised in rural Kansas—the 3rd of 4 children in a strong, traditional Catholic family. He drifted away from Catholicism as a young adult when he began learning about other religions, philosophies and secular humanism. These explorations nicely complemented his growing world view, educational pursuits and ultimate career as an academic hematologist at UW and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center. During his professional career he participated in basic and clinical research, taught at many levels and directed a fellowship program, served in administrative capacities and had an active clinical practice for roughly 35 years. His partner, Sallie Dacey, and he discovered the warmth and inclusive environment of UUC in 2008. They immediately appreciated the principals, values and sources—especially the focus on individual beliefs and personal expression with a strong emphasis on social justice. As a life-long learner, he has melded the core values he learned as a child with the more “real world” understanding and practice of spirituality provided by Unitarian Universalism. He has been involved with the Coming of Age program at UUC since 2011—first as a mentor and then as co-facilitator (since 2020). Through COA he has found more meaning in his own life and he enjoys bringing these insights to both the mentoring relationships with youth and sharing fellowship with the other adults. He has also served on, and now co-leads, the Coffee Crew at UUC, served (with Sallie) as co-chair for the 2024 Annual Giving Campaign, and has been a member of the Interim Ministry Transition Team since 2025. He enjoys participating in Men’s Group, adult religious education programs and volunteering with various ad hoc working groups (eg. Tent City 3). If elected, he looks forward to continuing to serve UUC and our Beloved Community as a member of the UUC Board of Trustees.

Laurie Mann

Laurie is a mother, stepmom, spouse, and auntie who loved to bicycle and read. Professionally she worked as an Environmental Engineer at the Environmental Protection Agency for 30 years, leading teams to resolve complex water-quality problems, including contentious litigation, in Washington rivers and lakes. As a team-leader, she prioritized relationship-building, collaboration, clear communication, creative problem solving, laughter and pragmatism. During this time she also served on three non-profit boards. She joined UUC in 2022 and since then has served as a member then co-chair of the Care Team, a member of the Ministerial Search Team and coordinated Candidating Week events, the Tent City 3 Team, and the Faith Land Initiative team. She’s also served as an Usher and has participated in and facilitated Reflection and Soul Matters groups. Laurie said “the UUC community never ceases to inspire me to learn, love, think, create, and act in bigger and more beautiful ways—and UUC has revealed a life-changing spiritual path for me. I have an unsinkable commitment to the future of our community of communities. During this exciting time of transition, I would be honored to represent all the communities at UUC as a member of the UUC Board of Trustees.”

Larry Soriano

Larry grew up in the Seattle area, attending Sand Point Elementary, Nathan Eckstein Junior High, and Roosevelt High School. He was nurtured in a liberal religious tradition at University Congregational Church. After receiving a degree in Speech Communications from the University of Washington, he obtained a master’s degree at Yale Divinity school and a doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Fordham University. Along the way he met his wife, Elizabeth, and they moved to Anchorage so Larry could manage his family’s small shipping and fuel distribution business in Alaska. After a few years they moved back to Seattle where they raised their three sons. Now identifying as a secular humanist and pragmatically-based realist, Larry found his way to UUC in 2022 in search of a community full of wisdom, warmth, caring, and compassion. In the years since he has served as a greeter, coffee crew member, usher, Teen Feed team member, and an eager member of the UUC Care Team. He found the more he became involved and gave, the more he received—and the more his sense of spirituality continued to deepen and unfold. Larry is interested in serving as a member of the UUC Board of Trustees in order to give back because “I love and care about this church and want to see it thrive.”

Eric Valpey, Moderator

Eric is a lifelong Unitarian Universalist with deep roots at UUC, starting with how his parents met one another in Nathan Johnson Hall. After growing up attending First Unitarian Universalist Church of Seattle (now the Saltwater Church) he joined UUC in 2010. He is joined in the congregation by his wife, Rachel, and their daughter, Amélie, age 4. Over the years Eric has served UUC in many roles, including Youth Advisor, District Youth Conference Coordinator, Goldmine Youth Leadership School instructor, Usher Coordinator, and most recently, Parliamentarian. An actuary by profession, he also helped build much of the chancel furniture using mahogany reclaimed from UUC prior to the remodel.