Message from Vyda Ng and the CUC Board of Trustees
May 5, 2025
Dear friends,
When I took on this role in May 2012 as Executive Director of the Canadian Unitarian Council, I was nervous, trepidatious, hopeful and naive. Almost 13 years later, I am no longer so naive or anxious, and I am filled with gratitude and appreciation for you, Canadian Unitarians and Universalists, who show up faithfully in both challenging and joyful times. We have been through a lot together.
I’m sharing with you all my decision to step away from this work that has both consumed and energized me. It’s time for new leadership to emerge at the CUC in these changing times, and to lead this faith community with fresh energy. My departure date is not immediate – I will be leaving at the end of June 2026. I decided to provide ample notice to the CUC Board so that an effective transition plan could be put into place, and I would have time to organize my thoughts and ensure efficient systems for your next Executive Director.
Amid an unsettling global context, I have faith in the resilience and courage of Canadian UUs. With an innovative transition plan now in place, the future that is before you is one that you co-create together. Over the next year, I will work with the staff team and the CUC Board to ensure a stable transition and set the organization up for success going forward.
I invite you to a conversation with me on Wednesday, May 28, from 7:30 to 9:00 p.m. ET. You may have questions, concerns or thoughts that you’ve held. Members of the CUC Board will join me, and we’ll answer questions you may have.
Be well, my friends.
Vyda
With deep appreciation for years of committed service to our Canadian Unitarian Council, the Board of Trustees has accepted Vyda Ng’s notice of retiring from her CUC Executive Director role. Her thirteen years as Executive Director have enabled the CUC to accomplish much and be effective through significant challenges, and changes. While this is a bittersweet moment, we have profound feelings of gratitude for her commitment to the organization over the years and tremendous appreciation for her willingness to engage in a collaborative transitional plan.
We are pleased to announce that the CUC Board has contracted with Rev Anne Barker as the Transitional Executive Director (TED) for the next three years. Her term overlaps one year with Vyda Ng’s, allowing a gentler, more thorough transfer of knowledge and responsibilities followed by two years to discern the process and scope of the future permanent Executive Director position. This transitional period will be a time to experiment with innovative ideas and events, consulting, and collaborating, while maintaining the vital ongoing support that CUC provides to congregations. We are excited and looking forward to what the next three years will bring.
The Board
Working in Congregational Life with the Canadian Unitarian Council, these last two years, has been a rich and rewarding experience, and, I’m here because of the encouragement and leadership of Vyda Ng. I am grateful that she recruited me to the team – and for her encouragement to stretch farther.
In this overlapping year, it will be an honour to have Vyda’s mentorship in the CUC’s ED functions, and it will be a luxury to combine her institutional knowledge and wisdom with my passion for creative, caring, and meaningful adaptation.
We are all in the midst of many rapidly changing contexts: institutionally, environmentally, culturally, politically, and personally. Together, we can hold one another in loving care as we work with purpose toward our collective, interdependent future.
Rest assured, I will continue to directly serve congregations throughout the next year, and there will be no decline in Congregational Life support. Indeed, with the Forward Facing Initiatives we’re imagining right now, you can expect more! More programming. More contact. More collaboration. And especially, more opportunities to participate and to co-create. As my portfolio expands, you can expect this to enhance your congregational opportunities.
Canadian Unitarian Universalism is a precious practice, worthy of our efforts to revitalize and share. We will make good use of this transitional time to imagine the next directions for our collective journey. Together, we will invigorate sustainable, nourishing, and purposeful Unitarian Universalism in Canada.
Anne Barker
Contact: communications@cuc.ca