Our People
Over the years our cohort has built solidarity among communities across racial, religious, generational, and socioeconomic lines. The diversity of the Solidarity Cohort members and their affiliated faith communities increases our collective power to advocate for justice and equity.
Cohort participants represent over twenty different faith communities in San Mateo County, including faith communities where members are primarily White, Black, Latinx, affluent, low-income, and LGBTQ. Our cohort has included leaders from Jewish, Muslim, Catholic, Buddhist, and Unitarian Universalist religious communities, as well as eight different Protestant denominations.
Cohort Planning Team
Previous planning team members include Rev. Thomas Fisher, Rev. Amie Giordano, Rabbi Marv Goodman, Rabbi Corey Hefland, Nyla Ibrahim, Jennifer Martinez, and Rev. Ben Meyers.
Rev. Dr. Penny Nixon, Co-director
Penny Nixon served as the Senior Minister of the Congregational Church of San Mateo (CCSM) from 2007–2022 and was honored with the title of Minister Emerita upon her retirement from pastoral ministry. She was the first woman to hold that position and with her leadership CCSM thrived as a vibrant, progressive spiritual community; became known for its work in social justice; received the MLK award from the county of San Mateo; and became a sanctuary church. She also served as the pastor of an LGBTQ church in San Francisco for 12 years.
A community leader and political activist, she has received numerous awards and recognitions for her work in both San Francisco and San Mateo, the most recent being named 2019 Woman of the Year for Assembly District 22. Currently, Penny works as the Faith Director with Housing Leadership Council of San Mateo and the Faith Communities Housing Liaison for the County of San Mateo. She is the founder and co-director of the Peninsula Solidarity Cohort.
Rev. Dr. Marlyn Bussey, Co-director
Rev. Dr. Marlyn Bussey has been the Pastor of St. James AME Zion Church since January 2009. She is the first female appointed to St. James since the church was erected in 1927, and previously served as the associate minister at First A.M.E. Zion Church in San Francisco. During her tenure, St. James has become known as not only a church in the community but a church of the community, meeting the needs of the North Central community, the city of San Mateo and San Mateo County with health education and services, voter education and registration, census education and registration and educational services for the children of the neighborhood.
Pastor Bussey stands proudly on the front lines of social justice as a community leader and social activist. She is the recipient of numerous awards: Heroes for Health, 2013; Everyday Heroes, 2014; The Jefferson Award in 2016 for Outstanding Public Service; and the NAACP Award for Outstanding Community Service in 2018, to name a few.
Dr. Bussey serves as the Co-Director of the Peninsula Solidarity Cohort.
Rev. Dr. Tovis Page, Program Coordinator
Tovis Page will be ordained into the Unitarian Universalist ministry in May 2023. She earned a Master’s of Arts in Social Change from Starr King School for the Ministry in 2022 and completed her Clinical Pastoral Education that same year at Stanford Hospital. She has served the Unitarian Universalists of San Mateo as both a contract Worship Minister (2023) and a ministerial intern (2018-19). While an intern, she also served the Unitarian Universalist Coastside Community in Half Moon Bay, and is a longtime member of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Redwood City. Tovis has been active in interfaith circles on the Peninsula for nearly a decade. She joined the Peninsula Solidarity Cohort in 2018 and was hired in the role of Program Coordinator the following year. She is an integral member of the Planning Team.
Prior to receiving her call to Unitarian Universalist ministry, Tovis earned a Master’s of Theological Studies from Harvard Divinity School and a PhD in Religion, Gender and Culture from Harvard University. During her time at Harvard, Tovis taught graduate and undergraduate students in the fields of theology, religion, feminist studies and environmental studies. She has a background in Vipassana meditation practice and completed a yearlong course in Buddhist chaplaincy before starting her UU training.
Current cohort members
| Rev. Dr. Jorge Abdala | Igreja Presbiteriana Brasileira de San Mateo and Latinos Unidos en Cristo | San Mateo |
| Rev. Jorge Bautista | Congregational Church of San Mateo | San Mateo |
| Rev. Dr. Marlyn Bussey | St. James AME Zion Church | San Mateo |
| Rev. Michael Cronin | Island United Community Church | Foster CIty |
| Rabbi Lisa Delson | Peninsula Temple Sholom | Burlingame |
| Rev. Kristi Denham | Retired UCC Minister | Marin |
| Rev. Ann Duncan | Burlingame UMC | Burlingame |
| Rev. Terri Echelbarger | Many Journeys Metropolitan Community Church | San Mateo & Pacifica |
| Rev. Stefanie Etzbach-Dale | UU San Mateo | San Mateo & Redwood City |
| Rabbi Nat Ezray | Congregation Beth Jacob | Redwood City |
| Diane Fahrner | PMC Co-Pres; Asso with Sisters of Mercy | Burlingame |
| Rev. Brian Ferguson | UU Fellowship of Redwood City | Redwood City |
| Nani Friedman | Faith in Action Bay Area | San Mateo County |
| Rev. Courtney Geibert | Messiah Lutheran | Redwood City |
| Rev. Katie Goetz | Woodside United Methodist Church | Redwood City |
| Rabbi Marv Goodman | Retired Rabbi | Foster City |
| Rabbi Ilana Goldhaber-Gordon | Congrgeation Beth Jacob | Redwood City |
| Rev. Mary Graves | Trinity Presbyterian Church | San Carlos |
| Adriana Guzman | Faith in Action Bay Area | San Mateo County |
| Rabbi Laurie Hanh-Tapper | Stanford University, Chaplain | Palo Alto |
| Krista Hanson | Member of CCSM | San Mateo |
| Rabbi Rebecca Hecht | Peninsula Temple Beth El | San Mateo |
| Rebecca Hetey | Research Scientist on Policing & Implicit Bias | Stanford |
| Rabbi Moshe Tom Heyn | Coastside Jewish Community | Half Moon Bay |
| Pastor Sue Holland | Coastside Lutheran Church | Half Moon Bay |
| Rev. Andrea Howard-Washington | Trinity Baptist Church of San Mateo | San Mateo |
| Dr. Sharon Jacobs | UMC and UCC | Marin |
| Jerry McBride | San Mateo Quaker Worship Group | San Mateo |
| Deacon Lauren McCombs | Episcopal Church of St. Matthew | San Mateo |
| Rev. Ben Meyers | Hospice Chaplain | Oakland |
| Rev. Jim Mitulski | Congregational Church of Belmont | Belmont |
| Rev. Carole Moore | Trinity Baptist Church of San Mateo | San Mateo |
| Rev. Dawn Neal | Buddhist teacher and interfaith chaplain | Redwood City |
| Rev. Dr. Penny Nixon | PSC Co-director | San Mateo |
| Sister Joan Marie O’Donnell | Sisters of Mercy, Mercy Center | Burlingame |
| Dr. Tovis Page | Peninsula Solidarity Cohort / UUFRC | Redwood City |
| Rev. Jen Plantenberg | Community Baptist Church | San Mateo |
| Rev. Joshua Serrano | Holy Trinity Lutheran | San Carlos |
| Rev. Iain Stanford | St. Peter’s Episcopal | Redwood City |
| Rev. David Usher | Retired UUA minister; SURJ | San Mateo |
| Deacon Sina Vuna | Minister of Community Engagement, Bay District Peninsula, United Methodist Church | San Mateo |
Former Cohort Members
Rev. Henry Toryo Adams, Rev. Valerie Duecker, Rabbi Amy Eilberg, Rev. Dr. Thomas Fisher, Rev. Amie Giordano, Rev. Rolf Hansen, Rev. Kurt Heineman, Rabbi Corey Helfand, Rev. Holly Hillman, Nyla Ibrahim, Rev. Anna Lange-Soto, Lorena Melgarejo, Rev. Ted Pecot, Sonja Pilman, Rev. Tuhina Rasche, Rabbi Laura Rumpf, Rev. Dr. Kibbie Ruth, Rev. Thomas Skillings, Rev. Dr. Don Smith, Rev. Kaloma Smith, Samina Sundas, Msgr. John Talesfore, Rev. Connie Winter-Eulberg
Contacts
Rev. Dr. Penny Nixon, PSC Co-Director: revgpn@gmail.com
Rev. Dr. Marlyn Bussey, PSC Co-Director: marlynbussey@gmail.com
Rev. Dr. Tovis Page, PSC Program Coordinator: peninsulasolidaritycohort@gmail.com