United Church Homes Names New Board Members

Rev. Geoffrey A. Black served as general minister and president (GMP) of the United Church of Christ (UCC) for six years until his retirement in 2015. He was elected as GMP after serving as conference minister for the New York Conference UCC. His 40-year career in the ministry began as an assistant chaplain at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, and included serving in various capacities for UCC churches throughout the state of New York. He also worked as a lecturer at Union Theological Seminary in New York City.

As a local church pastor, Rev. Black was active in association and conference life, serving as chairperson of the New York Conference Commission on Mission Priorities and served as moderator of the conference. He now lives in Lakewood, Ohio.

Karl Ulrich is an attorney with the Dayton law firm of Sebaly, Shillito + Dyer, where he serves as shareholder, associate attorney, and a member of the senior management team. He is a graduate of Lakeland College in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, and earned his law degree at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana.

Karl is also a member and co-founder of Nexus United Church of Christ (UCC) in Springboro, Ohio. He has served as chairman of the board of directors of Sinclair Community College since 2013, and chaired the strategic planning team for the Southwest Ohio/Northern Kentucky Association (SONKA), UCC.

Diane Moreno Zerby is a clinical social worker in private practice near Canton, Ohio. She has worked for 30 years in multiple settings administering therapy, advocating for patients and families, assisting seniors and their families by coordinating community resources, and facilitating continuing education programs for social work and nursing staff.

Diane is a licensed independent social worker with supervisor designation (LISW-S), and is licensed by the State of Ohio Counselor and Social Work Board. She completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Toledo and earned a master’s degree from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. She has been affiliated with the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) since 1987.

UCH is honored to have a diverse group of new board members, and we look forward to their commitment to provide governance and leadership to our ministry.