Our Staff
Meagan Henry is our Director of Religious Education. She began at MVUC on August 1, 2006. She came to us from Knoxville Tennesse where she served as the Youth Programs Coordinator at the Tennessee Valley UU Church and the Oak Ridge UU Church. She was also teaching World Religions in History courses in the Religious Studies Dept. of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Meagan received her BA in Religious Studies in 2002 and her Master's of Philosophy in Religious Studies from the University of Tennessee in 2005. While working on her undergraduate degree, she taught at Garden Montessori School in the Lower Elementary.
Meagan is a life-long Unitarian Universalist. As a child, she attended the Meadville Unitarian Church of Meadville, PA with her family. She then moved to The Mountain Retreat and Learning Center in Highlands, NC where her father and step-mother worked as full-time staff for several years. As an adult, Meagan joined the Tennessee Valley UU church in Knoxville, Tennessee. She and her husband, James were married there and her daughter, Starling, has been an active participant in the Religious Education program.
Although her scholarly interests were primarily in the fields of Religion, Culture and the Media, Religious Nationalism, and New Religious Movements, Meagan is most fascinated with the rich religious history and mythology of the world's religions and she enjoys sharing these engaging tales with others, especially children.
Our Music Director, Mark Zimmerman, grew up in a small friendly town in northeast Ohio. He is a 1981 BME graduate of Heidelberg College in Ohio: k-12 instrumental and vocal, with special studies in voice, keyboard, and conducting. He has additional graduate hours in church music at the Cinncinati Conservatory of music. Mark has enjoyed a variety of work over the years; live shows at Cedar Point Amusement Park, nearly 20 years with TWA as a domestic and international flight attendant based in New York City; US and CN tour escort and trainer. He has taught grade 7-12 choral music programs, as well as voice, piano, and theory privately; and served church music programs in Ohio and Virginia since 1978. He has sung tenor with the Gay Men's Choruses of New York City and Washington, DC. Pleasure pursuits include travel of almost any kind, house projects, and new energy technologies.
Branka Bijelovich became Church Administrator in July 2009. Ms. Bijelovich was born and grew up in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, where she earned a B.A. in education. She came to the U.S. to study at UCLA, got married and moved to Milburn, New Jersey, near New York City, where she completed her Masters Degree and spent six years as Financial Advisor to Farleigh Dickinson University. In 1997 she accepted a position as school administrator at a private international language school in Summit, New Jersey. In 2002 she became project manager for a non-profit organization promoting small business opportunities in Bosnia, and in 2006 she assisted in opening a language school (and spending time with her ill mother) in Belgrade. She returned to the U.S. and moved from Milburn to Washington, DC in the summer of 2008. Branka has one daughter, Alexandra, who at the present time is volunteering in Chile as teacher in the joint United Nations and Chilean Ministry of Education program called "English Opens Doors."
Anne Bredeck is the Office Manager. She maintains the church calendar; liaisons with MVUC groups, volunteers and rental agents; communicates with leaders and members of the congregation; maintains membership records; and supports the programs and activities of MVUC. Anne’s early childhood years were in Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, and Kansas. From age 10 to 17, she lived in India, where her father worked as an agricultural engineer. She attended an international school, and has lived or traveled in Columbia, England, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Kashmir, Kenya, Mexico, Nepal, Peru, Philippines, Scotland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and Zimbabwe.
Anne has worked as an employment counselor for single-parent welfare recipients, a sales representative for a home-water-purification company, an agricultural assistant for a university agronomy department, and a teacher of English as a second language. She holds a BA in foreign language and international trade, and began a master’s program in multicultural education in Florida before moving to Virginia with her husband, Martin Bredeck. Anne finds spiritual affirmation through participation in the life of MVUC and through raising their two children in this liberal religious community.
Leah Choudhury is the Property Manager. Working with dedicated volunteers, she watches over our buildings and grounds. She is also an active volunteer herself, assisting year around in preparation for the annual Book Sale and teaching a Religious Education class at the 11:15 a.m. hour. Born in Cocoa, Florida, she was raised in Cheverly, MD, went to college at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, and spent 10 years in the Army before settling down in Alexandria. She is married to Shah Choudhury and has two children, Shahad and Anjum, who attend Religious Education classes at MVUC. You can usually find her accompanied by her slightly neurotic dog, Pepper, who is overly attached to her and should be named 'Shadow.'
Nina Tisara
became Rental Events Coordinator at MVUC in the fall of 2006.Nina majored in sculpture at the High School of Music and Art in New York City and painting at the Brooklyn Museum Art School. Relocating to Washington, D.C. she married and started a family. Later, as a single mother of four, she worked as executive assistant for a national association for 11 years before starting her own photography business. For 25 years, she specialized in portraits and wedding photography.
Nina launched and now serves as director and photograper of "Living Legends of Alexandria," an ongoing not-for-profit project to identify, honor and chronicle people who have made substantial contributions to the quality of life in Alexandria.