In no particular order, below are the names and brief biographies of the four individuals nominated to serve on the UU FaithAction NJ Board of Trustees:
Mark T. Williams, BSN, RN-BC
Mark T. Williams has over 40 years of psychiatric nursing experience and is ANCC Board Certified in Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing. He is also certified as a Juvenile Sex Offender Training and Consultation Specialist. He is an Honored Fellow of the Minority Nurse Leadership Institute, Rutgers School of Nursing and has trained at the Multicultural Leadership Academy sponsored by the Mental Health Association in New Jersey. He sits on the Advisory of NAMI New Jersey’s AACT-NOW http://www.naminj.org/programs/AACTNOW/AACTNOW, an African American community mental health out-reach initiative. Mr. Williams has had the honor of serving the past 6 years as Chairman of the Board of Trustees for Bridgeway Psychiatric Rehabilitation Services, http://www.bridgewayrehab.com/ as well as a member of NAMI New Jersey’s Public Policy Committee. Additionally, he is privileged to serve as a trustee on the Board of Wood’s Services, of Langhorne PA.
As the most recent past President and ten year member of the First Unitarian Society of Plainfield, Mr. Williams championed the establishment of a mental health ministry in the congregation, which lead to them receiving the 2016 Governor’s Council on Mental Health Stigma Ambassador Award. Although retired, Mr. Williams continues to be a devoted and passionate advocate for the rights of persons diagnosed with a mental illness. This is clearly evident by his successful efforts to lobby the Borough Council of North Plainfield and the County of Somerset Freeholders to pass resolutions establishing the Borough and County as Mental Health Sigma Free zones. Mr. Williams has been an active contributor, in his role as Liaison to the Plainfield Congregation, embracing the mission of UU Faith Action to be the agents of change in New Jersey.
Phillip Lubitz, M.S.W.
Phillip Lubitz is the Associate Director of NAMI NJ where he is responsible for legislation, advocacy programs and law enforcement education. He currently serves on the New Jersey Behavioral Health Planning Council, where he served for a number of years as Chair and was recently appointed to the Fee for Service Oversight Board by Governor Murphy. He is also responsible for adopting the New Jersey State Plan for supporting the family caregivers of people with a mental illness as a result of legislation he assisted in writing.
Mr. Lubitz is a four time Mayor of Kingwood Township, New Jersey where among other things he has chaired the Affordable Housing Committee, the Board of Adjustment and serve on the open Space Committee. The Township has preserved over a thousand acres of open space during his tenure. Mr. Lubitz also serves as a Commissioner on the Delaware and Raritan Canal Commission. The Commission oversees the State’s largest linear park and canal which serves as a fresh water source for 1.5 million New Jersey residents.
He received a BA from the George Washington University and a Masters in Social Work Administration from the Rutgers School of Social Work.
Liandra Pires
Liandra is a lifelong UU with strong UU values that help guide me. She is the Marketing & Communications Specialist for the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Palisades (UUCP), which was created as an intentionally diverse congregation by the UUA. Liandra knows the importance of congregational life, and working with people of all ages, ethnicities, and sexual orientation, who hold a wide diversity of beliefs.
Liandra is the Chair of the UUCP Racial & Social Justice Team where they have already held several successful racial and social justice events as well as being involved with helping the community. She formerly worked for The Student Global Ambassador Program (SGAP Leaders), where she assisted the Executive Director with development, production and implementation of educational programs to empower middle and high school students to become responsible global citizens and future leaders.
Liandra is also very involved with the community. She is the Outreach and Social Media Specialist for Bergen Brady which works to combat Gun Violence. Liandra is a liaison on the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force (UUFANJ) as well as a congregational liaison for UUFANJ. She was a Board Member of the Teaneck/FDU Alliance before it disbanded. She worked to integrate the community with Fairleigh Dickinson University and make it a “college friendly” community. Liandra recently started volunteering with the Network For Responsible Public Policy (NFRPP) to be a Marketing Representative who will meet with leaders of community organizations, businesses, clubs, etc. to increase visibility.
Carinne Murphy
Carinne Murphy is an active member and worshipper at Central Unitarian Church in Paramus, NJ. She is a religious education Teacher, a Member of the social justice and women’s alliance committees and she assists the stewardship committee. She is a new Member of the gun violence prevention task force. She found her second home at the Church. She loves the Church community and is happy to be connected with God.
Carinne is married to her high school sweetheart. They have two elementary school aged children, Gia and Geo. She is Treasurer and Secretary of Gia’s registered NJ 501c3 where Gia sells her artwork and all of the profits go to support the homeless and/or the food insecure. Geo has started volunteering with a non-profit where he collects food items for the hungry.
Carinne has a full time career as a corporate paralegal, and she is President of her own limited liability company. She is an Advocate at a sexual assault resource center. She is an Advocate against domestic violence. She is a Chair of an immigrant justice committee. She is an Educator providing community forums on gun violence prevention. She is a of a Member of a military families assistance committee. She is a force locally, in Trenton and in Washington DC, lobbying for fair housing, against jails for profit, for access to healthcare especially for women and for safe environmental policies.
Clara S. Haignere, Ph.D. MPH, CHES
Education:
Ph.D. International Studies, University of Denver 1982
M.A. – Medical Sociology, University of Denver 1980
M.P.H. – Stress & Mental Health, Columbia University 1983
CHES – Certified Health Education Specialist
B.A. – Sociology, German Minor, University of California, Davis 1974
Clara is a retired emeritus faculty member of Temple University’s Department of Public Health, where she taught for twenty-two years. She lived and worked in New York City before moving to Lawrenceville in 1994. She’s worked in underserved areas as diverse as Harlem, Brooklyn, North Philadelphia, El Salvador, Chile, and Costa Rica. She speaks Spanish and German, having lived in Chile, Costa Rica, Germany and Austria. She has authored numerous articles in peer-reviewed journey’s including the Journal of the American Medical Association.
In 2013, Clara enthusiastically joined UU Congregation of Princeton after learning about UU Faith Action’s active political and policy engagements. At UUCP she and her husband, Bill (Rex) Potter (whom she met at UUCP) are active members at many levels including Buddhist meditation, UUCP’s Sanctuary Team, and Clara is a worship associate. Prior to Trump’s election, Bill and Clara were active members in the Environmental Justice Taskforce. Since Trump’s “coronation”, she has focused her energy on the Immigration Justice Task Force. Clara also volunteers with a Princeton group providing accompaniments for immigrants going to their ICE hearings and check-ins and she also teaching English as a second language once a week at the Latin American Legal Defense and Education Fund in Trenton.