The nominating committee developed a slate of candi-dates for the People’s Church Board of Trustees and for the Nominating Committee for the upcoming church year! Please see below for the photos and bios of each candidate!
Board of Trustees Nominees
Michelle Nickerson: I have been a member of the People’s Church for 3 years and participated in the people’s singers (choir) for most of that time. Our family attends services regularly and our children are active in RE classes, have participated in the OWL program, and are planning to attend their first Peace in Nature camp this summer.
When my wife (Bridget) and I attended our first UU church in college, we felt like we’d found our spiritual home. Unfortunately the timing (early morning services) wasn’t quite right. But, when our family arrived for the first time at the People’s Church the timing felt perfect and we were welcomed into this blessed community with open arms. We sought out a church originally just to have an additional community outlet for our kids, but in arriving at the People’s Church, we found so much more. Not only a space for our kids to have a connection with the community but a community that would love our children for their whole selves, a community that speaks openly and often about social justice, and follows up those words with action in the community.
Having grown up in a strict and often negative religious tradition, attending People’s has been such a refreshing, positive change. From all this blessed community has poured into myself and my family, it would be an honor to have an active role in the great work that’s done by and for People’s people.
Julie Schneeberger: I joined People’s Church with my husband Brian in 2017. We were searching for a community of caring people committed to justice, truth, kindness and love. I grew up in Three Rivers, Michigan and was raised in the Presbyterian Church. I loved being part of that congregation and was active in Westminster Church in Portage years later. We moved to the Rockford area for many years where I worked as an RN in Spectrum Greenville Hospital.
We decided to return to our roots in Kalamazoo after Brian retired and I finished my 32 year nursing career at Jasper Clinic as a pharmaceutical research RN. Since joining Peoples’s I have been very active in Choir, Bell Choir and Membership and Sunday Services committees. I enjoy helping with the Memorial Service lunches, and greeting newcomers and the Bazaar of course. I am a part of a Chalice Circle for the past 8 years which has deepened my relationships with some wonderful people.
I am a mother to 2 sons and have a daughter in law and 3 grandchildren. We love to travel to California and Colorado to visit our families. I also love to play the recorder and am active in Kalamazoo Recorder Players. Some of my hobbies are knitting, astrology, Tarot, Zumba, yoga, pilates and other classes at the YMCA.
My hopes for People’s church are that we continue our mission of service to our diverse community and world as a beloved community. I find hope and comfort and challenges as I learn and grow as a person here at People’s. I am grateful for this opportunity to serve on the board of trustees.
Maggie Wilson: I have attended People’s Church since 2014; I became a member via zoom during the pandemic. I have taught RE for 6 years, served a term on the RE committee, and helped write curriculum for a couple of years now. Jen Docsa-Koehler and I host a fabulous Bazaar After Party featuring a brigade of vacuums.
Why do I want to serve on the Board? I would like to serve the beloved community because I see us facing some big challenges and transformations. I would like to try to help us find our way through. I treasure the opportunity to get to know this special place in a new way.
Why should you want me on the Board? Here are my best endorsements:
Bob says “Well, you’re loud.”
Eli says “Apparently you are not annoying enough.”
The kids in RE say “You’re silly.” and “This is boring”
Nominating Committee Nominees
Gary Heckman: Before I ever unpacked a box in Kalamazoo, I had already found Peoples Church. The warmth of the Men’s Saturday Discussion Group drew me in, offering a kind of welcome I hadn’t expected after years of identifying as a non‑church person.
I grew up in a Baptist community in Columbia City, Indiana, but my adult life took me on a long journey of independent ethical searching. My career at Manchester University centered on energy efficiency — a quiet, steady mission to make the world better through thoughtful systems and long‑term stewardship.
Life brought both joy and hardship. My first wife, Terri, lived courageously through years of spinal surgeries and paralysis before passing in 2009. Later, in 2010, I met Libby through the “Green Singles” dating site, beginning a new chapter that expanded my family and my heart.
In retirement, I turned my attention from mechanical systems to human ones, volunteering with Kalamazoo Public Schools Communities in Schools program and continuing part‑time work inspecting the safety of mechanical, plumbing, and electrical systems for local municipalities.
Moving to Kalamazoo in 2017 — further north than I’d ever lived — became an unexpected adventure. Peoples Church has been a grounding place along the way, offering community, conversation, and connection.
Sue Salvat: I was born and raised in Saginaw, and have lived in Michigan most of my life. My parents were liberal Protestants, but never forced religion on me or my brother. I moved to SW Michigan in 1986 for my first teaching job, found People’s Church in the yellow pages, and have attended ever since. During that time, I have been involved in activities including teaching RE, RE Committee, working in the kitchen at the bazaar, and helping with the rain garden. Currently I’m on the Green Sanctuary Committee, and tutor children from one of the Afghan families we assist. I look forward to the new opportunity to serve on the Nominating Committee.
Now happily retired from teaching, I live with my husband, Dave, and our two affectionate kitties. We have two adult sons, Henry (Denver) and George (Washington, D.C.).
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