IWC Slate Elected on June 15, 2021

Elected to the IWC Board of Directors:

Roby Jean Cortez-Ponsica, the Philippines, for a first 3-year term

roby jean cortez ponsica

A fourth generation UU, Roby Jean has been a member of the Caican Congregation since 2019. Majoring in science at Negros Oriental State University, she has been a UU youth delegate since 2013 and a member of the Southern District Council since 2020. She served as the treasurer of the Kalumboyan Congregation and participated in numerous extracurricular activities during high school (journalism, broadcasting, and various task forces).


Geri Kennedy, USA, for a second 3-year term

geri kennedy

Geri has served on the IWC Board of Directors as its treasurer since June 2018. A UU for about 30 years, she is a member of the East Shore Unitarian Church in Bellevue, WA. Before her retirement, Geri spent 25 years managing homeowners’ associations, partly in a company of her own. In the early ‘90s, she got involved with the Pacific Central District’s Women & Religion Task Force, serving as its co-convener and then its treasurer. Geri was the UU Fellowship of Redwood City’s bookkeeper for about 15 years and is a former board member of UUPCC and UU Women & Religion.


Karen Kortsch, USA, for a second 3-year term

karen kortsch

Karen has been an IWC Board member since June 2018 and its president since June 2020. An active member of North Shore Unitarian Church in Deerfield, IL, Karen also volunteers for several other organizations working to advance gender equity, including the American Association of University Women, National Organization for Women, and National Nurses United. A registered nurse, she worked with the mentally ill at Capt. James Lovell Federal Health Care Facility in Chicago, IL.


Elected to the IWC Nominating Committee:


Rev. Dr. Natalie Fenimore, USA, for a 2-year term

natalie fenimore

Rev. Dr. Natalie Fenimore is the Minister for Lifespan Religious Education at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Shelter Rock in New York. She previously served as Director of Religious Education and parish minister in UU congregations in Maryland and Virginia. In the past, Natalie has been president of the Liberal Religious Educators Association (LREDA), Vice President of the Board of Starr King School for the Ministry, and member of the UUA Commission on Institutional Change, which was tasked to analyze structural racism and white supremacy culture within the UUA. She is currently serving on the Board of the UU Ministers’ Association. Natalie has written religious education curricula, meditations, and training materials.


Julie Steinbach, USA, for a 1-year term

julie steinbach

Julie's hiring as the first woman teacher in an all-male prison in 1973 thrust her into carrying the banner for the women's movement throughout her career in the California Department of Corrections, as well as subsequent involvement with women's rights in various arenas, including the United Nations Association. As chair of the Philippine Partnership Committee at Monte Vista UU Congregation, she has participated in the biannual ICUU Conference since 2012. Having attended the Transylvania Convocation in 2012, she became more involved in IWC, leading to her participation in the 2015 Bolivia Gathering and serving on the 2017 Asilomar Convocation Steering Committee. Julie currently chairs IWC’s Outreach Committee and is on the planning team for the Kenya Gathering.