Our Staff

Rev. Eleanor Kilpatrick

Minister

Rev. Eleanor Kilpatrick

Minister

Rev. Ellie Kilpatrick began her settled ministry with UUCiL on August 1^st, 2019. Originally born and raised in New York City to an interfaith family, she found her way to Unitarian Universalism in 2010. She has a B.A. in religion and history from Oberlin College and a Master of Divinity from Yale Divinity School. After graduating from YDS, she moved to Rochester, NY for her official UUA internship in 2012-13. She moved to the South Bay Area in 2013 with her husband, Mick, where they have lived for the last six years.

Rev. Ellie’s background in ministry includes hospital chaplaincy, congregational ministry, community ministry, and justice ministry. She was officially granted preliminary fellowship with the Ministerial Fellowship Committee in 2018, and ordained in June of 2019.

When she is not with the wonderful members and friends of UUCiL, she is with her two year-old daughter, Tali, her husband, Mick, and their dog, Angie, all of whom inspire her life and ministry. She loves theater and singing and may burst into song with you if you are singing a show tune. More than anything, Rev. Ellie loves facilitating connectedness, joy, presence, and love. Community and care is the center of her ministry, though she is always eager to seek intellectual rigor, spiritual growth and transformation. If you would like to meet with Rev. Ellie, she would love to hear from you at reverendellie@uucil.org

Alex Haider-Winnett

Interim DRE

Alex Haider-Winnett

Interim Director of Religious Education

Alex Haider-Winnett is a lifelong Unitarian Universalist originally from Orange County, California. He holds a BA in Peace Studies from Earlham College and a MDiv from Pacific School of Religion. Alex has served as a Sunday School teacher and has led Our Whole Lives curricula at several UU Churches around the country. He has a passion for integrating popular culture and spirituality. He lives in Davis, CA, with his wife Rev. Christine Haider-Winnett–a palliative care chaplain and spiritual director in Sacramento–and their preschool-aged child Elliott. Alex loves watching movies, playing with legos, cooking; and his pickles have won awards at the California State Fair. You can email him here.

Bob Miess

Office Manager

Bob Miess

Office Manager

Bob Miess became our office manager in 2020. Ordained as a Lutheran minister over 45 years ago, he chose a secular career in technology after three years in the ministry. Bob became a member of the First Unitarian Church of San Jose in 1998, and has been Unitarian Universalist ever since. He works with a dynamic team of Office Associates to support the ministries of our congregation. He and the Office Associates can be reached by email here. If you would like some help with something, or you would like to be a part of the team, or if you have any questions about how we do what we do, he would be happy to help. Just email him here.

Lian Li

Pianist

Lian Li

Pianist

Lian grew up in China and got her undergraduate degree in piano performance from Xinghai Conservatory of Music. She then came to the United States and received her Masters of Music in Piano Performance from the University of Cincinnati. She is working on her Doctor of Musical Arts in Piano.

Lian’s husband Leo is a pharmacist, and they have a three-year-old daughter, Aria. When Lian is not playing the piano she likes to listen to classical music, jazz, and Aria has introduced her to Disney music. Lian also likes to travel, work out, do puzzles, and try out new coffee shops.