UUCP Board of Trustees

Co-Presidents: Deborah Singer Pires and Arlene Holpp Scala

Deborah Singer Pires, Co-President

Deborah is an Associate Professor Emeritus, of English as a Second Language, Union County College. She is also a writer, actress, singer, painter, mother, and grandmother. Her education includes an M.A. from NYU and a B.A. from Queens College of CUNY.

She joined UUCP in 1998. Deborah was formerly Board of Trustees, Trustee; Program Team Chair; Committee on Ministry, Chair; and member of the Growth Team, choir, R.E. Team, Membership Team, Racial & Social Justice Team, ad hoc committee to develop Small Group Ministries, Small Group Ministry. In addition, she was the Entertainment Coordinator for several canvas dinners. Attended G.A. Boston, Metro District, ARC meetings, District meetings at Shelter Rock, as well as attending all UU FaithAction NJ Issues Conferences.

Arlene Holpp Scala, Co-President

Arlene Holpp Scala has been a member of UUCP since 2005. She was formerly a Board Trustee, Board Secretary, Chair of the Program Team, and a member of the Growth Team.

Arlene is Professor Emerita from the Department of Women’s and Gender Studies, at William Paterson University, which she chaired for 20 years. She earned her doctorate at Columbia University. She taught many courses addressing sex,  gender, sexuality, race, ethnicity, and class.

She has lived Englewood since 1997 with her wife Donna Ezrol and numerous cats. Arlene and Donna have 6 children, 4 in-law children, and 4 beautiful grandchildren: Emily, Juliana, Charlotte, and William.

Sydelle Postman, Secretary

Sydelle was born and raised in New York City, in the Western Queens neighborhood of Astoria, whose residents were primarily Eastern European, German, Italian, Irish, Greek and Jewish immigrants.  She holds a B.A.  from the University of Wisconsin, Madison and an M.Ed. in Vocational Rehabilitation Counseling from Hunter College, CUNY, New York City.  She loved the work she did for more than thirty years, as an employment counselor with people who were blind or visually impaired.

Sydelle joined UUCP more than 20 years ago and her daughter, Hannah, went through our Religious Education programs for many years.  Hannah still maintains a bond with some of the other young people she met here and values how she was encouraged to follow her own spiritual path.

Retired now for more than six years, Sydelle has been serving as the Secretary of UUCP’s  Board of Trustees, helping raise funds by selling ShopRite gift cards and working on the Annual Service Auction.   In the past she has served on the Religious Education team and the Committee on Ministry.  In addition she is teaching ESL as a volunteer and taking various classes to keep her brain and body healthy!

Sydelle loves this small, diverse, spiritual home. She believes that while we’ve gotten smaller in number and  haven’t been able to meet in person, due to the coronavirus pandemic, we’ve been able to maintain contact with one another and keep our sense of community alive.

Donna Buono, Treasurer

Donna Buono was born and raised in Franklin Square, Long Island, NY. Her family joined the Ethical Culture Society where she attended Sunday school throughout her childhood.

She studied math at Boston University and moved to Englewood in 1974 with her husband where they raised their daughter. Her daughter lives outside of Philadelphia with her husband and daughter.Donna has worked for 45 years as a computer programmer and earned a Masters degree in Statistics from Columbia University. She is currently working at Columbia University as a data analyst in Cancer Research.In addition to numbers, she loves sewing, quilting, walking/hiking and gardening.
And best of all is spending time with her 11 year old granddaughter.She was introduced to UUCP in 2004 and became a member shortly after.

She served on the Membership Team and the Board of Trustees before accepting the position of treasurer.

Michael Meyers-Jouan, Trustee

Michael Meyers-Jouan was born in New York City, but raised in the suburbs. He attended schools in Mamaroneck, New York. Michael has spent forty-five years working with computers, in everything from three man startups to Fortune 500 companies, and has been married to Sylvie Jouan-Meyers for forty years. Michael was raised in a “non-religious” household. Although his ancestors were Jewish, Michael was not satisfied with his experiences with Jewish congregations, and was looking for something that would fit better with his scientific and engineering-based philosophy when he encountered the UUCP and realized that he had found his family. Michael has served on the Board of Trustees as Secretary, President, Treasurer, and then as a Trustee. Michael and Sylvie live in Wanaque, NJ.