Our Staff

Rev. Erica Richmond joined the First Parish team in August 2020. After several years as a hospital chaplain and one year at the Unitarian Universalist congregation in North Andover, Rev. Erica is thrilled to be settling into Arlington. She brings humor, warmth, and curiosity to her ministry, all the while making space for grief and injustice to be heard and honored. Rev. Erica grew up as a Unitarian Universalist at the First Parish in Brookline- she will be forever grateful for the faith formation she received there. She then went onto Clark University in Worcester where she studied International Development and Gender Studies. After completing her undergraduate degree she stayed at Clark to earn her Masters in Community Development. Next it was onto New York City- she graduated from Union Theological Seminary in 2013. Rev. Erica spent two years in Seattle at Harborview Medical Center and then served as the Palliative Care chaplain at Hartford Hospital from 2015-2019. In this complex and aching world, she believes we must hold each other tenderly, creating a beloved community that can journey together, through joys and sorrows, through triumphs and challenges. She loves all things New England, including our sports teams, our autumns, and our history. Beyond that, she loves reading psychological thrillers, going on rambling walks with friends, and perfecting her newly-discovered commitment to biking.

Stevie came to Unitarian Universalism through First Parish Arlington, drawn in by how our community values young people. Regularly attending during high school, Stevie found a spiritual home here, and first felt a pull towards ministry.

Stevie studied religion while attending Deep Springs College and Brown University. In his early twenties, Stevie worked in a preschool for children with autism in Providence, RI. During this time, Stevie also co-created a young adult social justice retreat at Rowe Camp & Conference Center (one of our UU camps).

Stevie initially worked as First Parish’s Religious Education Assistant in 2014, under the direction of Tina Schultz. Called to UU ministry, Stevie completed a Master of Divinity program at Harvard Divinity School while simultaneously putting his ministry training into practice as the First Parish Youth Program Coordinator. Additionally, Stevie served as an intern minister at the First Unitarian Universalist Church of San Diego, CA. In 2019, First Parish voted to ordain Stevie, which we celebrated together in October of that year.

Immediately before returning to First Parish in August 2023, Stevie served as the Youth and Young Adult program staff in the UUA’s Office of Lifespan Faith Engagement, accompanying the denomination’s youth and young adult ministries.

From Stevie
“Dear First Parish,
I am delighted to serve the congregation as the minister of religious education. I am honored to carry on Tina’s legacy and help chart our future together. First Parish is a vibrant, empowered community with an incredibly dedicated staff team. And First Parish has committed to its religious education program, especially for its young people, over and over again. Let’s continue that work together.
Warmly, Stevie”

Learn more about our RE program.

Marta was voted by the congregation Minister Emerita on May 18, 2025. Retired from full time parish ministry She lives in Vermont with her husband, Charlie Duffy, and works as a spiritual director.

For sixteen years Marta served First Parish as Lead Minister (2009-2025) during which the congregation grew in membership and engagement. During her ministry the current Lay Ministry and Worship Associates programs were developed, social justice efforts expanded, and a deepening of spirituality in the congregation experienced through lectio divina, silent retreats and the approach to theological diversity in worship statement in the phrase adopted by the Worship Associates “You Sing My Hymn, I Sing Yours.”

Marta is a graduate of Smith College and Harvard Divinity School. She was trained as a spiritual director at the Mercy Center in Burlingame California and was affiliated as a spiritual director at Bethany House in Arlington MA 2001-2008. For nearly forty years she served congregations in New England. She was the first woman minister in the city of Salem serving the Universalist congregation 1987-1997. She served as co-minister of South Church in Portsmouth, New Hampshire 1997-2005, and Interim Minister in Montpelier, Vermont (2008-2009) before coming to Arlington MA.

Kay Milano (they/them) is thrilled to be joining the staff at First Parish as the Youth Program Coordinator in August of 2025. They graduated from Tufts University in 2020 with a degree in Philosophy and bring experience in faith-based education, volunteer leadership, and inclusive community building. Kay has coordinated volunteers with Sanctuary Boston, a spiritually rooted justice-focused community, and is passionate about fostering spaces where youth feel empowered to bring their full selves — to ask big questions, cultivate compassion, and build friendships across differences. Outside of work, Kay enjoys learning to play piano (currently working through Hozier’s Unreal Unearth), spending time in Queer community, and supporting grassroots justice efforts.

Bella Jaffe joined First Parish as the Religious Education Assistant in October 2024. Bella grew up as a community member here at First Parish. They draw experience from their community members and mentors and from attending and working at the UU camps at Rowe Camp and Conference Center in Rowe, MA. They were a camper ages 11-18, staffed YPC (8-12) and JHC (13-15), and most recently Co-Directed JHC in the summer of 2024. They studied Molecular Biology and Biochemistry as well as integrative sciences at Wesleyan University. Bella adores supporting the growth of young people and adults alike and is a dedicated and compassionate listener. They are overjoyed and filled with gratitude by the opportunity to foster a welcoming, encouraging, intentional, and creative environment at First Parish. Bella looks forward to giving back to the community that has given them so much.

Daniel Parsley enjoys an active career as a conductor, educator, scholar, and professional chorister. Daniel is Director of Choral Activities and Director of Graduate Conducting Programs at the historic School of Music at Boston University, the oldest degree-granting music program in the United States. At BU, Daniel oversees the comprehensive MM, MSM, and DMA conducting programs, teaches graduate conducting and choral literature, and leads the BU Singers and Symphonic Choir. Daniel was most recently the Director of Choral Activities and Program Head at Thomas More University in the Cincinnati area. At Thomas More, he founded and directed three choruses that included over 125 singers and taught music history and music theory. While in Cincinnati, he also served as associate director for the Cincinnati Youth Choir, Ensemble-in-Residence at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.

Since 2019, Daniel has served as associate conductor of the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra (CCO). At the CCO, he leads the We Are One series, special events such as the Walk with Amal project, and assists with an annual Summermusik festival. In 2023, Daniel will make his guest conductor debut with the Portland Symphony Orchestra and Coro Volante. Most recently, Daniel was the assistant conductor and choral conducting fellow for the Cincinnati May Festival, where he prepared choruses for the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and Cincinnati Pops. Daniel’s passion for choral arts extends beyond conducting: He has performed with many choruses as a professional singer, including the Cleveland Orchestra Chorus, Cincinnati May Festival Chorus and Youth Chorus, Toledo Opera, Tuscia Opera Festival (Viterbo, Italy), and Berkshire Choral Festival. As a conductor of symphonic choral literature, Parsley has most recently prepared choruses for John Morris Russell, Gerhardt Zimmermann, James Meena, and Giordano Bellincampi.

Parsley has enjoyed a wide breadth of diverse professional experiences globally ranging anywhere from roles as a research fellow in Ghana, West Africa through the Edward Brueggeman Center for Dialogue to engagements with the National Chorus of Korea in Seoul. Upcoming engagements, masterclasses, and residencies include the Hochschule für Musik und Theater München, the University of British Columbia, and the Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst Wien. He has served as faculty for the Kentucky Institute of International Studies (KIIS) Salzburg Study Abroad Program and Cooperative Center for Study Abroad (CCSA) London summer study abroad since 2013.

A Cincinnati native, Parsley completed a Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) in Choral Conducting with a cognate in orchestral conducting at the University of Cincinnati-College Conservatory of Music (CCM). Daniel also holds a M.M. in Choral Conducting from Bowling Green State University and a B.M. Voice Performance and B.A. International Studies with concentrations in economics and history from Xavier University. In 2019, Daniel was selected as one of four finalists for the 2019 American Choral Directors’ Association National Graduate Conducting Competition held in Kansas City. Parsley has studied conducting under Robert Porco, Earl Rivers, Brett Scott, AikKhai Pung, Mark Munson, and Tom Merrill.

Kenneth Seitz, First Parish Staff Accompanist, brings to First Parish extensive experience as a seasoned soloist and accompanist, as well as director of a number of Boston area choral and instrumental ensembles. He was chosen to serve as Music Director at First Parish beginning in the fall of 1984, and remained in that position until the fall of 2002. Continuing his musical connection with the congregation, Ken was designated Music Director Emeritus as of 2008, and was asked to serve as interim director of music in the fall of 2014 while First Parish sought a new director. He was again asked to serve in the 2018-2019 church season, this time as staff accompanist, and continues in that position to this day.

Allison Sillers (she/her/hers) joined the First Parish staff in September 2024, as Office and Communications Associate. Allison is active in her local UU church in Reading, MA and loves the intergenerational relationships she has made working with fellow congregants. She has volunteered with adults and youth with disabilities at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston since 2014, supports Zoom and YouTube meetings and worship at her church, and teaches lessons to elementary students about disabilities with the Reading-based non-profit Understanding Disabilities, Inc.

Allison is originally from Virginia and has lived in Reading, MA since 2015 with her husband Ryan and two sons Ian and William. Here at First Parish, Allison updates the website, e-Bulletin, and calendars, prints the Order of Service, manages room reservations, and is always available to provide technical and administrative support to congregants and volunteers.