Sexton - aali@ccny.org

Ameer Ali has been with the Community Church of New York since 2017. In his role, he is responsible for the maintenance, safety, and day-to-day operation of the church facilities, helping to ensure that the building remains a welcoming and functional space for worship services, community programs, and special events. He takes pride in caring for the church property, supporting staff and congregants and attention to detail.

Originally from a small twin Island Trinidad and Tobago and now a longtime resident of Queens, New York, Ameer is a devoted husband and proud father of two beautiful daughters. Outside of work, he enjoys spending quality time with his family, fishing, and following his passion for cricket and soccer. Known for his strong work ethic, reliability, and willingness to help others, ameer values community, hard work, and service. He is grateful to be part of the community church team and to contribute to a welcoming environment for all who enter its doors.

Director of Communications & Advocacy - scarter@ccny.org

Starling Carter is originally from Knoxville, TN, where she grew up attending the local UU church. She attended Bard College at Simon’s Rock from 2008-2012, earning a degree in Political Studies. She developed an interest in the Arabic language and the modern history and politics of the Middle East, leading her to pursue a Master’s degree in Middle East Studies from the George Washington University Elliott School of International Affairs. Her Arabic studies brought her to Amman, Jordan, where she lived from 2017-2022, working in several international nonprofit organizations with a focus on refugee assistance, sustainable and community-focused development, and social scientific research. In 2022, Starling relocated to New York with her family to serve the Community Church as Media Coordinator, then Director of Media and Marketing. In 2025, her position evolved to include international advocacy, wherein she draws on her academic and professional experiences as well as UU values to advocate for justice.

Senior Minister - pclarke@ccny.org

Rev. Peggy Clarke began her ministry at Community Church of New York the summer of 2019. She came to CCNY after serving as solo minister in Hastings on Hudson for eight years. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Religious Studies and Peace Studies, and a Masters in Historical Theology from Boston College. Her doctoral work was in American Religious History.

Rev. Clarke has served on the board of the UUA’s climate justice initiative Commit2Respond, the UU Environmental Justice Collaboratory and as chair of the UU Food Justice Ministry. She was one of the denomination's Observer Delegates at the 2015 United Nations Climate Summit in Paris, represented our denomination at Standing Rock and at the Mexican American border where she called attention to the crisis of separated families. In 2021, she served as UU Delegate at the United Nations Climate Summit in Glasgow.

Director of Community Engagement - cfoley@ccny.org

Conor (they/them) majored in Biblical Studies at George Fox University in Newberg, OR, and earned their Master of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary. They immediately entered ministry, pastoring a UCC church in Woodbridge, NJ, and then working as the Outreach Minister at the First Presbyterian Church of Brooklyn, always foregrounding the spirituality of liberation struggle, and collaborating with everyone committed to fighting for a new world.

They have published and presented numerous projects in the field of biblical studies through publications such as the Journal of Religion and Violence and The Journal of Women and Criminal Justice, and at professional academic conferences like the Society for Biblical Literature and the American Academy of Religion. They have taught many adult education classes on topics ranging from police and prison abolition, to the question of theodicy, and the biblical reading practices of Nicaraguan socialist revolutionaries. They have an academic monograph forthcoming that explores the use of the Bible in U.S. policing culture.

As Director of Community Engagement, Conor is always looking forward to new connections with activists, artists, seekers, and dreamers of all kinds. They would love to get to know you and your story, and make sure that you feel completely welcome and at home in our community. So please do reach out!

Minister for Youth and Young Adults - kgottfried@ccny.org
Click here to schedule a conversation with Rev. Karishma!

After two years as Intern Minister, Rev. Karishma was ordained by Community Church in 2026 and began her full-time position as Minister for Youth and Young Adults. She also serves as a Unitarian Universalist Spiritual Life Advisor at NYU.

Rev. Karishma grew up in the UU Fellowship of Corvallis, Oregon, and has been an active Unitarian Universalist youth and young adult leader for the past decade. She holds a Master of Divinity from Union Theological Seminary and a BA in Religion from Wellesley College, where her thesis research was on modern-day UU theology.

Denominationally, Rev. Karishma serves on the Steering Committee of DRUUMM, a collective for UUs of color; the UU Funding Panel's Fund for Unitarian Universalism; and the board of the St. Lawrence Foundation for Theological Education.

Rev. Karishma plays viola with the Queer Urban Orchestra and lives in the East Village with her fiancé, Sloane.

Commissioned Lay Minister - jmjohnson@ccny.org

Dr. Janice Marie Johnson was commissioned as Community’s Lay Minister (CLM) in February 2020 (uua.org/central-east/programs/cll). She has been a congregational leader in many capacities since the early 1990s. She developed the Community Care Team in 2018. As coordinator of this team of dedicated volunteers, she centers “care” in all she offers and expects from the community.

She recently retired as Co-Director of Ministries and Faith Development at the Unitarian Universalist Association supporting, sustaining, and advancing multicultural, anti-oppressive, justice-centered, and innovative Unitarian Universalist lay and professional leadership and ministry for all ages.

Committed to making multiculturalism “real,” she is an internationalist, Jamaican, and New Yorker! Janice — mother, grandmother, aunt, sibling -- notes that her mantra, "Masakhane," symbolizes her unstoppable commitment to her beloved Community Church. This is a rich and resonant word from the Nguni family of languages of South Africa, of which Zulu and Xhosa are two. Loosely translated into English, “Masakhane” means, "Let us build together.”

Director of Finance

Jeff Loveland joined Community Church of New York in May 2016 as Church Administrator, after serving as Finance Director at Redeemer Presbyterian Church New York for six years. He is responsible for maintaining the church’s financial records; producing monthly financial reports; overseeing annual audits; paying bills; developing budgets and forecasts; renewing property and liability insurance; liaising with banks, attorneys, and fund managers and vendors.

After receiving his Bachelor’s degree from Wesleyan University in Liberal Studies, Jeff joined the Navy and earned his aviator wings, fulfilling a life-long dream to learn to fly. After his military service, he attended The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania where he received a Master’s degree in Finance.

Following a period of working in the corporate for-profit sector, Jeff moved into the mission-driven not-for-profit world in 2005, and has never looked back.

Director of Religious Education for Children and Youth - jnovenski@ccny.org

Jil Novenski began teaching at Community Church in 2006 and stepped into the Director role in December of 2019. Born in Detroit to counter-culture artists and activists and raised in the performance arts on Capitol Hill in Seattle, Washington, she came to New York City in 1989 a young, wide-eyed creative and found Unitarian Universalism almost 15 years later as a single mom of two, searching for spiritual grounding.

Her work in Religious Education focuses on the intersections of art, justice, spiritual exploration and the digital age which inform program and curriculum design that is exciting, radically welcoming, nationally accessible, connective and empowering for children, youth and families.

Assistant Music Director - mpodd@ccny.org

Matt Podd is a Brooklyn–based music director, pianist, arranger, orchestrator, and composer whose work spans concert halls, houses of worship, Broadway, and recording studios. As co-founder of Podd Brothers Music, he creates choral arrangements and compositions performed by ensembles across the world. He is also an active composer and arranger for pops orchestras, commercial/tv, and live theatre.

Matt has collaborated with acclaimed artists including Barbra Streisand, Carole King, André De Shields, and Darlene Love, among many others. His arrangements have been performed by major symphony orchestras and at renowned concert venues worldwide. In addition to his concert and choral work, he is active on Broadway and serves on the music team for the Tony Award–winning musical Hadestown.

Whether leading singers, crafting orchestral arrangements, or performing at the piano, Matt is passionate about creating music that fosters connection, inspires joy, and builds community.

Communications Coordinator - drice@ccny.org

Dylan Rice is originally from Smithtown, Long Island and currently lives in Hamilton Heights. He has worked for a variety of organizations including the SUNY Student Assembly, the Hotel Trades Council, and AFSCME District Council 37. Additionally, he ran to represent his hometown community in the New York State Assembly in 2020.

On top of a passion for social causes, Dylan is an avid Yankees fan and is incredibly grateful to be a short 30-minute walk from Yankee Stadium. He is also an aspiring writer and currently writes for the local New York City paper The Indypendent. Dylan is a graduate of the Fashion Institute of Technology's Advertising and Marketing Communications program and, taking cues from his alma mater, enjoys dressing to the nines whenever possible (and weather permitting).

Director of Adult Ministries - erosado@ccny.org

Esther Rosado was raised in the Bronx. She lived five years in Puerto Rico where she worked troubleshooting medical health care plans with union leaders. During this time she participated in a women’s collective in disseminating information on women’s health and reproductive rights. She is a fluent Spanish speaker and has been involved in religious education in various UU congregations in Massachusetts (Concord, Lexington, Sherborn and Medford).

Bookkeeper - asharipova@ccny.org

Aigul brings over 9 years of experience in accounting, having worked in both CPA firms and consulting. She holds a bachelor's degree in accounting. In her free time, she loves reading books, exploring museums, traveling, and ice skating.

Chaplain for Pastoral Care - zstevenswalter@ccny.org
Click here to Schedule a Conversation with Br. Zachary!

Brother Zachary Stevens-Walter grew up in a dusty desert town called El Cerro, New Mexico. He moved to New York City in 2007 to attend The New School, where he studied Art and Religion by day and explored the independent music scene by night.

While at Union Seminary, he became a husband and father, and excelled in Chapel ministry at James Chapel, where he found his call to pastoral care. In pursuit of a worldly expression for his spiritual vocation, Brother Zachary received a welcome by the Progressive Catholic Church, where he was ordained a Deacon and Friar in the Order of Franciscan Servants at Saint Joseph Mission Church. Brother Zachary currently lives in Manhattan, with his spouse Rebecca and their three children, Gracie, Wren and Story. He continues to make music, watch birds, study his own heritage, and devote his internal life to the pursuit of prayer without ceasing.

Director of Operations - dwalker@ccny.org

Deborah was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan and has called New York home since 2005. Her work has been shaped by her spiritual journey, life experiences and studies at Calvin University and Baruch College where she received an MBA in Operational, Behavioral, and Human Resources.

Before joining CCNY, Deborah taught kindergarten - 8th grade students for 10 years before becoming a charter school and business operations leader. Her experience spans education, nonprofit and small business leadership.

Deborah believes strong systems and organizations create the conditions for people, ministries and communities to flourish. She is passionate about creating safe spaces that disrupt oppression, foster belonging and expand access to sustainable resources. Whether partnering with children, families, volunteers, or staff, she brings radical love, curiosity and practical problem-solving to every community she serves.

Deborah and her wife are the proud parents of two wonderful children and believe everyone deserves a place to learn, belong and thrive.

Director of Music - dwhite@ccny.org

Born in Harlem, Darnell White is a graduate of LaGuardia High School for Music and Art and The Julliard School. A noted staple in New York City’s music scene, Darnell has developed a pristine reputation as a performer, composer, and musical director. He’s collaborated with noted artists and graced the stages of New York’s major venues including Birdland, Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and Smokey Joe’s cafe.

Both as a vocalist & instrumentalist, Darnell is well versed in many genres as he believes music should always be approached first from a place of pure expression. It is indeed the desire to share his expressions through the gift of music that have left no style or genre outside his reach including jazz, opera, contemporary gospel, classical, and musical theatre.