Our Minister and Staff
Our minister and staff provide us with confidentiality, respect, and care.
Ministry
Reverend Doctor María Cristina Vlassidis Burgoa
The Rev. Dr. Maria Cristina Vlassidis Burgoa was installed as our settled Minister in April of 2017. Her approach to Ministry is collaborative, deeply rooted in unconditional Love, and intentionally engaged in transformative Social Justice. Rev. Maria Cristina’s rich multicultural background as a proud Latinx/Immigrant/Two Spirit/Queer/Indigenous person informs her spiritual practice of radical welcoming of people from diverse theological/religious/
Rev. Maria Cristina received a Juris Doctor degree from the City University of New York School of Law, with a specialty in Immigrants’ Rights. She received a Master of Divinity and a Doctor of Theology degree from Harvard Divinity School. Before coming to Starr King UU Church in Hayward, she served First Parish Unitarian Universalist Church in Brookline, Massachusetts. She is the past President of DRUUMM (Diverse Revolutionary Unitarian Universalist Multicultural Ministries), serves the UU Ministers Association as a Dedicated Good Officer, and is on the Faculty of Starr King School for the Ministry.
Staff
Kelli Abatangelo, Office Administrator
Kelli provides outstanding administrative support to Starr King. She brings 25 years of customer service experience to her work here. She enjoys interacting with members and visitors, and we appreciate her dedication.
When she’s not working, Kelli volunteers with her daughter’s Girl Scout troop, gardens, and loves cooking up a batch of homemade gnocchi.
Linli Wang, Pianist
We are thrilled that soon after graduating from the Boston Conservatory at Berklee, Linli accepted the position of church pianist in August 2017. She has served as church pianist at the Arlington Street Church in Boston, United Lutheran Church in Manteca, CA, and First Unitarian Church of Stockton, CA, and directed two choirs.