Rev. Diana Smith, Minister

Hi, I’m Rev. Diana (she/her)!

I was called to UUS as your minister and joined you in August 2020. My work here is wide-ranging. While many of you mostly see me on Sunday mornings leading worship services, I’m the lead executive/CEO of UUS. This means that in addition to being responsible for pastoral care, working with the worship team to develop services when I’m not in the pulpit, conducting rites of passage, working with staff and teams on developing programming to

carry out our vision of ministry, serving as the staff liaison for our justice and stewardship teams, representing UUS in the wider community and in interfaith work, and occasionally teaching a class, I’m also head of staff, work with the Board of Trustees and many other committees and teams as an ex officio member, and have overall responsibility for carrying out our ministry consistent with the congregation’s vision of ministry, mission and vision, and policies. Cultivating shared ministry is an important part of my work with UUS, so I work with teams, committees, and staff on all of these responsibilities. I also serve Unitarian Universalism through leadership roles in the UU Minister’s Association and the Church of the Larger Fellowship.

I live on the southeast side of Iowa City with my dog and, soon, my mother. I love gardening, cooking, hiking, kayaking, reading, making art, and yoga. This summer I began going for hikes once a week and took back up kayaking, both of which took a while to return to following long COVID. It’s been a joy to connect more deeply with the natural world regularly in this way, as well as through my garden. I also love spending time with my biological and chosen family and friends.

My work hours:

• Sundays: 8:30 am – 1 pm
• Mondays – Thursdays: 9 am – 6 pm
• I also have various evening and Saturday meetings every week, so my hours get adjusted depending on the needs of the week. To meet with me, please schedule and appointment or drop by during community office hours