Board of Directors
Miles Beauchamp, President
Miles Beauchamp was born in Los Angeles and grew up in Southern California and South Florida. He has a BA and MA in English from San Diego State University and a PhD in Contemporary America Literature from Warnborough University in Canterbury, UK. His fields of interest and research include mass media communications, writing, and the portrayal of disabled individuals in American Literature. Miles is Associate Editor and system-wide columnist at the Asian Journal, an English-language, pan-Asian newspaper and is Assistant Professor of Communications at Alliant International University. He met his wife, Michelle, also an educator, in college. They have two children and travel, watch their kids play soccer and try to figure out how to enjoy life as members of the “sandwich generation”.
Pierre Vaughn, Vice President
Barbara Jania-Smith, Secretary
Barbara has been a member of Summit for three years now, but she has been a UU since fifth grade when her family joined Third Unitarian Church in Chicago in the early 1950’s. As a member of First UU Church in San Diego since 1982, she served on the Children’s RE Committee for several years and in the late 1980’s became a member of the First Church committee that studied the demographics in east county and looked into the formation of what would eventually become SUUF. She continued attending First Church and chaired the Denominational Affairs Committee from 1990 – 1996; during this time period, she was asked to join the leadership of the Church Council for three years and served as chairperson for one of those years. Now, here at Summit she is currently a co-facilitator of a covenant group. Before retiring from the Grossmont Union High School District in 2004, she taught high school English/ESL for 36 years. She has a BA from Northern Illinois University in English and a Master’s degree in Counseling Psychology from the University of Illinois. Her husband Don is also a member of Summit. Together they enjoy camping with the grandkids, bird watching and travel.
Jeff Garvey, Treasurer
Jeff has been a member of Summit for ten years. Although originally born in New York, he grew up in Southern California and (except for a spell of three years in Boulder, Colorado) has lived here his whole life. Professionally, Jeff is a civil engineer working for a large water agency, but his real focus is music. You’ll recognize him as the electric bass player with the Close Enough Band, a group of Summit members who play together to provide music for a service every few months. Jeff and his wife Lisa have three children and three grandchildren between them, and enjoy their family life regularly, and traveling when they get the opportunity.
Suzanne McQuaide, Director
Suzanne was born in California and grew up in Colorado. She attended college here and there. She frequently changed her major resulting in several undergraduate degrees and finally a masters in Education from San Diego State University. She taught elementary school in Lakeside for more years than you can believe. Suzanne’s parents liked to stay as far away from organized religion as they could but Suzanne and her husband John changed family tradition by signing the Summit membership book in 2004. Suzanne's current passions are yoga, music, hiking, camping, and traveling. She enjoys spending time with her husband and dog, her friends, children and grandchildren and all the good people at Summit.
Jennifer White, Director
I have been a part of Summit UU Fellowship only a couple of years, and I am very honored to be on the Board. My UU participation goes back to the early 1960's when I was a teenager in high school-felt like home from the first visit. I am a native San Diegan and graduated SDSU in 1970, the same year I married Victor. We have no children, just an ongoing parade of companion animals. I am a self-employed Certified Nurse Assistant and Home Health Aide, currently not employed. I admit to being a UU "groupie" (with Buddhist leanings). Have served as a UU Board President, a coffee maker, an editor and chair of various committees in the past and was an employee at First UU Church SD. I enjoy the arts, music, books and being in the outdoors (not actively physical, but appreciating the beauty of nature). Hope to get to know everyone in our beloved community.
Pat Bryning, Director
Pat grew up in Minnesota and after college came to San Diego to as a Spanish and English H.S. teacher. She soon met her husband Mark and started a family, and few years later discovered UUism at a Women's Retreat. She realized she’d unknowingly been UU since adolescence. After leaving high school teaching she had her daughter, Jennifer, got her M.S. in Child Development and Family Relations and began her second career in parent education and child abuse prevention, creating and teaching parenting and domestic violence programs in the county jails, a recovery center for parents, and in the community. During this time she attended First UU Church and later joined SUUF in 2002, soon after a forced retirement. She is now an active member on several committees, including Sunday Service Committee, Covenant Group Facilitators since its inception, which she chairs, Choir, and two years as chair of the Committee on Ministry. Today she enjoys making music, whether drumming, singing or playing the guitar, putsing in the yard, being in water, whether it’s the Jacuzzi, pool or ocean, and being with friends playing bridge or just about anything else. Her newest joy is playing grandma.
Donna Daum, Director
Toni Rogers, Past President
Toni has been a member of Summit for five years and has been a UU for eleven years. In addition to being Board President, Toni is a member of the Sunday Services Committee and had previously chaired the Ministerial Search Committee and the Committee on Ministry. Before her early retirement a few years ago, Toni was a Health Care Manager of an umbrella Department of multiple divisions. She has a Master’s Degree in Social Welfare from Stony Brook University in New York. Toni lives in San Diego with her husband LaMar, who is also an active member of Summit. Between them, they have three adult children and three grandchildren. Hiking, cooking, bridge, reading, travel, crossword puzzles and breaking bread with family and friends are what keep her humming.
