Our Minister and Staff
Part-Time Minister: Rev. Sarah Osborne
Rev. Sarah Osborne (she/her) is the part-time minister for Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Oxford, MS, and the part-time Director of Religious Exploration for Neshoba Church in Cordova, TN. She is a member of the collaborative design team for Beloved Conversations- Within: Unlearning/Learning for Liberation with the Fahs Collaborative in Chicago, IL. She is also a Good Officer for the Liberal Religious Educators Association and an Our Whole Lives facilitator. Theologically, Sarah believes in the grace of Love that holds us all. She believes in the power of mirth and reverence. She finds inspiration in the rhythms of nature and in the good storytelling of spiritual traditions from around the world. She’s a ritual artist, experience designer, pastor, preacher, teacher, and priestess. She has a passion for creating rites of passage and facilitating meaning making experiences. She earned her MDiv from Meadville Lombard Theological School in Chicago and holds a B.S. in Education from Auburn University Montgomery. In her free time, Sarah loves to travel, do water aerobics, attend sound bath meditations, and read lots of books. Rev. Sarah lives in Bartlett, TN with her husband, children, and puppy.
Affiliated Minister: Rev. Gail Stratton
Rev. Dr. Gail Stratton is a Unitarian Universalist Community Minister who is affiliated with the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Oxford. A longtime resident of Mississippi, she is a former Biology Instructor who taught about spiders and Evolution (along with some General Biology). She seeks to grow in loving the world and living her values by acknowledging our connections with each other and our complete dependence on the natural world. As a community minister in North Mississippi, she has been involved with the Lafayette Community Remembrance Project, a project that seeks to find ways to tell a more truthful history of the history of racial terrorism in our region. And, as a lifelong member of the LGBTQI+ community, she seeks to make the world less hostile to members of that community. She is a stubborn optimist, she knows we can do a better job of loving the hell out of this country.
Musician: Tycho Jenkins
Tycho Jenkins is a mathematics graduate from the University of Mississippi. Though a fan of a great many composers spanning all musical eras, he most enjoys composing and improvising his own music. Tycho is a very talented musician that adds energy to the service. Tycho grew up in a UU environment, having positive experiences with The Mountain and the OWL program.
Office Administrator: Gwen Pfrenger
Gwen Pfrenger is a recent graduate of the University of Mississippi. She has lived in Oxford since 2018 and been a UU since before she can remember. A scholar of art history and lover of storytelling, she hopes to one day apply her UU values in a museum setting. In the meantime, she enjoys reading, writing, and playing board games with her family.
Building Mayor: Chad Whisenant
Chad Whisenant -
UUCO Board of Trustees and Committee Chairs
2024-2025 UUCO Board of Trustees
 President: Andy Pfrenger
Dr. Andrew Pfrenger has been a member of UUCO since 2018. He served as vice president from 2019-21 and president from 2021-23. He holds a PhD in Medieval Studies, specializing in Old English and Old Norse literature. Andrew is currently the Director of Interdisciplinary Studies and the Director of Multi-Disciplinary Studies at the University of Mississippi. He is the co-creator and co-host of the podcast Saga Thing, where he goes deep into the Sagas of Icelanders and a variety of other Viking related subjects. While Andrew has always enjoyed researching and writing about obscure subjects like medieval Icelandic betrothal customs, he is also a dedicated teacher, husband, and father. He looks forward to being a part of UUCO's continued growth and development.
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 Vice President: Cheryl Conlee
Cheryl Conlee is a retired Project Manager for a national health care company, who has a background in technology and spent 25 years in the corporate world in a variety of roles, including programming, IT management, and program implementation. Cheryl has a Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering and an MBA in Global Management. Cheryl was also one of the founding members of Gaining Ground in Mississippi Sustainability Institute - Oxford Chapter. She is very involved in the Oxford Community Farmers' Market and she lives in Oxford with her wife, Michaelene Johnson, two dogs, four cats, a tortoise and 30 chickens. She enjoys women’s basketball, gardening, and wildlife rehabilitation. She has been a member of UUCO since 2011 and has served in the past as boards in various roles.
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 Secretary: Michelle Harvey
Michelle Mauthe Harvey was very pleased to discover UUCO when she and husband Don relocated to Oxford from Arkansas in 2016. An 8th generation New Orleanian, Michelle holds an MBA from Duke University and a BSF from the University of the South (Sewanee); she completed her management doctoral course work at University of Mississippi in May 2023. Michelle is retired from Environmental Defense Fund, where she served for almost 10 years as senior staff working on site with Walmart in Bentonville, AR, to improve consumer product sustainability. Prior to her EDF work Michelle ran a Washington DC-area strategic planning and facilitation consulting business; she started her career as a field forester with International Paper Co. in Natchez and Brandon, MS. Michelle served as treasurer, a board member, and in other capacities with the Washington Ethical Society while in DC. In Arkansas, Michelle was a board member of the Unitarian Universalists of Benton County. Michelle and Don have a daughter and son-in-law, Elise and Joe, and granddaughters Lelia and Ashlyn, in New Orleans, and a son, Cas, in NW Arkansas.
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 Financial Trustee: Cris Surbeck
Cristiane (Cris) Queiroz Surbeck is originally from Brazil and has been living throughout the US since she was 13. Cris is married to Greg, and they have a young adult son, Collin, who lives in Los Angeles. The family first came to Oxford in 2007 for Cris’s position as a professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Mississippi. She now works as an environmental consultant. Cris and Greg discovered UU when they were planning their wedding way back in the 90s. Cris grew up Catholic, and Greg grew up Jewish. A UU minister was the ideal person to merge their personal and religious cultures into their one-of-a-kind wedding. They found UUCO as soon as they moved to Oxford.
 Board Member At-Large: Valerie Boothe
Valerie Boothe is married to her college sweetheart, Christopher Boothe. They have lived in Oxford for more than 20 years. Together, they have two wonderful grown children and a fur baby. Valerie currently serves as the coordinator of the Community Response Team for the Oxford Police Department where she connects victims of crime with healing community resources as well as walking them through the court process. In her down time, she enjoys all things crafty. Her current obsession is quilting.
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2024-2025 UUCO Committee Chairs
 Religious Education Trustee: Wendy Pfrenger
Wendy Pfrenger has been a UU since her oldest child started asking questions she couldn't answer back in 2006 (and she still doesn't have any answers!). By day, she administers pre-college programs at the University of Mississippi, and sometimes she does that by night, too. She also enjoys doing research on postsecondary access and success for rural populations. In her off hours, she enjoys spending time playing games with her family, rambling in the woods with her dogs, reading, cooking, haphazardly gardening, and exploring new places. She has taught Religious Education for all ages in other UU congregations and is excited to launch Our Whole Lives classes this year at UUCO.
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 Sunday Services Trustee: James Bowker
James Bowker - UUCO is James's third home; born in Boston, he attended Catholic high school and stayed nearby for college where he studied Arabic which led to several years working in Jordan, which in turn leant to living in D.C. During this time, he primarily worked in the international development sector, focused on humanitarian research issues. Now in Oxford, where his fiancé's family is from, he now runs an organic vegetable and flower farm with her, trying to find time for cycling and crosswords in his downtime.
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Membership Trustee: Becky Kneupper
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Leadership Development Committee
The Leadership Development Committee (LDC) is a 3 to 4 person committee established yearly and tasked with identifying upcoming leaders within the congregation, establishing committees, nominating Board members for congregational election, and addressing other congregational needs as they arise. Of the LDC, one member is appointed by the Membership Trustee of the UUCO Board, one member is a past UUCO Board President (not currently serving on the UUCO Board) and other members are elected by the UUCO Board.
2024-2025 Leadership Development Committee
Andy Pfrenger