Candidates for DRUUMM Steering Committee

As a community ministry, we uphold a democratic process where members elect our leadership. DRUUMM holds elections each year to vote on members to serve on our Steering Committee, our highest governing body. Per our bylaws, a nominating committee was formed and candidates have been proposed for the vacant positions. We are grateful to Ayanna Kafi and Rhiannon Smith for their diligent work. Voting opens on Tuesday, June 22nd at 8:00 AM Eastern and closes Friday, June 25th at 5:00 PM Eastern. Members can vote via a unique poll that will be sent to your email address on file. You can also login to our member portal at druumm.wildapricot.org and cast your vote there. If you have not received or cannot access your member ballot, please contact our DRUUMM Administrator at [email protected] following members have graciously agreed to serve and the DRUUMM Nominating Committee recommends your vote in support. Members are also permitted to write-in candidates.

Co-Vice President: Dandelion Prinsloo (they/them)
Secretary: S. Sangye L. Hawke
Outreach Co-Coordinator: Paul Niyonizigiye (he/him)
Outreach Co-Coordinator: Noel Burke (she/her)

We are grateful for your engagement in our DRUUMM 2021 Elections.

Candidate for Co-Vice President: Dandelion Prinsloo (they/them)Two-year term 2021-2023
Dandelion Prinsloo (they/them) is a second generation Maasai-American living in Atlanta, Georgia. Dandelion is currently attending a Master’s program in Resilient and Sustainable Communities at Prescott College; they are a survivor of many stories, and hope to transform our global narratives around environmental justice through the education of young minds.They thank their faith and community for supporting and guiding them through their journey of self discovery, development and acceptance as a Black and Indigenous trans person, academic and leader. Dandelion enjoys performing Improv with their friends, their cats, Cactus and Captain Jean-Luc Picard, and swinging as high as they can on swing sets.
Candidate for Secretary: S. Sangye L. Hawke
Two-year term (2021-2023)
Sangye received her Bachelor’s Degree from the University of California at Berkeley in Linguistics and completed a Master of Divinity in December of 2020 from Starr King School for the Ministry in Oakland. Married for forty years, Sangye is the mother of two adult daughters and continues their twenty-six year-long practice with Karma Kagyu Buddhism. In April 2021, Sangye was welcomed into Preliminary Fellowship by Unitarian Universalist Association’s Ministerial Fellowship Committee and will be ordained in Late August.

Sangye is an active member in both the Native (Indigenous) and Asian Pacific Islander Caucuses of the Diverse and Revolutionary Unitarian Universalist Multicultural Ministries (DRUUMM) chapter of the UUA. Sangye is also a member of the UU Religious Professionals of Color, Unitarian Universalist Ministers Association-BIPOC Chapter, UU Buddhist Fellowship, and co-host of “Mindful Meditation Moments”, a weekly Jewish/Buddhist meditation course in Davis with Rabbi Seth Castleman, a student of Jack Kornfield. Sangye will be ordained in August by their internship congregation and the Unitarian Universalist Society of Sacramento and shortly afterwards will begin as a chaplain resident at UC Davis Medical Center in September.

Candidates for Outreach Co-Coordinator (vote for 2)
Noel Burke (she/her)

Paul Niyonizigiye (he/him)
Three-year term (2021-2024)
Noel Burke currently serves on the steering committee as the Outreach Coordinator. Noel plans to continue her service in the same role. Noel is a member of her home congregation, Eliot Unitarian Chapel, in Kirkwood, MO. Very prominent in the MidAmerica Region Noel has also served in several capacities on other leadership teams working alongside youth specifically however has work dedicated alongside young adults, adults, and all between all ages of life. Youth Midwest Leadership School (YMWLS) & Thrive Youth are the most recent partnerships Noel has collaborated with. What sets Noel apart is that she is 11 years post-op from a spinal fusion surgery she had in her teens. She is grateful for the encouraging support system she has in place which allows her to keep reaching for her goals. Noel is excited to continue the role as Outreach Coordinator.
My name Paul Niyonizigiye born and raised in Burundi, I have dual citizen (US and Burundi) and educated at the University of Burundi.  I worked as a teacher and principal in high school in Burundi. My roles in Burundi I consulted with parents regarding the progress and behavior of their children to assist in their success; marketed the school and recruited teachers and students for each school year; produced marketing events, developed written materials and presentations, held one on one meetings, and led school tours.I have been living in Portland, Maine since 2011.   I was a former member and treasurer of the Burundi Unitarian Church. I have been attending the Allen Avenue UU Church since 2014, and I have many friends who are Unitarians , some of them offered support in many;, the 7 Principles of UU are my guides and values in researching the real truth in this world. I attended many gathering and meeting such as : ICUU in 2012 New York ; 2016 in Netherland; UUA General assembly in Kansas; and DRUUMM annual retreat in San Antonio Texas 2018 , in these meeting I find out that my People of Color and indigenous are there and recognized me that I am  part of the group , I am just excited to be part of DRUUMM team as Outreach-Coordinator  and I look forward to accomplish the mission and vision of DRUUMM for POC in the local, regional and international as contribution.

Leave a Reply