Diverse Leaders Bring Fresh Vision to the UWH Board of Directors

Unity World Headquarters welcomes its 2026 board leadership as Rev. Juan del Hierro ascends to chair, Rev. Sandra Campbell to vice chair, and Rev. Karol Scotta to secretary. They bring a wealth of experience in ministry, community service, and spiritual leadership. This group also represents diverse life experiences and a broad range of perspectives. As we look ahead, their stories remind us how Unity teaching can transform personal challenges into paths of service and growth.

Rev. Juan del Hierro, Board Chair

Rev. Juan del Hierro, senior minister at Unity on the Bay in Miami, Florida, steps into the role of board chair with a deep commitment to sacred activism and community building—and as the first Hispanic board chair Unity has had.

Juan’s spiritual journey began in the Catholic Church, where he grew up with a strong sense of faith and an early calling to leadership. “There was always that desire to be of service and live in a more spiritual way,” he recalls. Having come out as gay in high school, he gradually noticed places where traditional church teachings didn’t align with his own experience of God or his sense of personal divinity.

Juan says he felt no harm from his Catholic background—in fact, he remains grateful for it.

Still, something deeper was calling. When he first walked into Unity on the Bay in 2002, he found a welcoming space that honored the individual connection to the Divine. “I fell in love with the ways in which it allowed individuals to come to understand their own relationship with God,” Juan says. Initially, he alternated between Unity and the Catholic church until the pivotal moment when the then-minister of Unity on the Bay donated to an LGBTQIA+ rights organization where Juan volunteered. It was at that moment that he committed completely to Unity.

Juan has long been a passionate advocate for social justice, addressing issues like homelessness, child poverty, voting rights, equality, and LGBTQIA+ rights. He and his family were plaintiffs in the 2015 lawsuit that brought marriage equality to Florida. He describes his activism as sometimes “heavy work” where there tends to be a lot of fear: fear of rights being taken away or fear of walking through the world as “an other.”

“LGBTQ rights and social justice have always been very interconnected with the values and the beliefs and the faith of Unity,” Juan explains. "Unity really invited me to recognize that it didn’t have to come from a place of fear... Rather than be pushed into things out of fear, I could be really pulled into something holding the greater vision of equality and diversity and grace."

As one of the youngest board chairs in Unity history since the shift to nonprofit governance in 2000, Juan is passionate about engaging younger generations. "Not only does Unity bring about positive changes within our individual lives, but I also believe that it is what ultimately will affect major changes for all people and create a world that works for all," he says. "There’s something really beautiful and powerful about serving something that has served you and of growing, expanding, and deepening something that has grown, expanded, and deepened you."

Rev. Sandra Campbell, Vice Chair

Unity teachings helped her get through unthinkable tragedies: the death of her 2-year-old son, the murder of her father, and a diagnosis of cervical cancer.

Reading Daily Word® and receiving prayer support from Silent Unity helped keep her grounded and give her the strength to get through those dark times.

This inspired her to become a minister so she could help others the way Unity helped her. “I could turn my mess into a message and my test into a testimony,” she recalls. When she first started studying to become a minister, she could only take one week of classes at a time during her vacation time, and she knew it would take her quite a long time to become a minister.

Fortunately, the Unity Urban Ministerial School, established in 1979 as an independent Unity seminary to attract more Black students, began offering an online program in 2008, which was much more doable for Sandra. She traveled quite a bit for her work at that time, and it was a game-changer for her to be able to keep up with classwork while traveling. She was in the first graduating class from the online program.

Understanding the relevance of board service, she didn’t hesitate to join the board when invited. “It was an honor to be at that level of support for a movement that reaches so many around the globe,” she says. “And we have some amazing people. Each person on this board brings unique gifts, talents, and experiences.”

Sandra is also a playwright, a cofounder of Temple Toastmasters Club, and a historical reenactor. She talks about using storytelling as a tool to connect with her congregation, and she emphasizes the importance of people using all their gifts and talents to align with their passion.

As Unity looks to the future, Sandra remains deeply committed to honoring the movement’s foundational teachings. She often emphasizes the importance of “keeping the old teachings as you build the new,” holding fast to the core principles of Charles and Myrtle Fillmore alongside metaphysical Bible interpretations. For her, these approaches offer many people a fresh, empowering way to understand and relate to the Bible—turning ancient scripture into practical spiritual tools for everyday life.

Rev. Karol Scotta, Secretary

Rev. Karol Scotta, spiritual leader of Unity of the Westside in Culver City, California, and founder of Options for Life—a program supporting adults with intellectual challenges—steps forward as a board member with a heartfelt commitment to service and seeing the divinity in every person. She is also the first board officer with Native American background.

Raised Catholic with a strong sense of an external God, Karol's spiritual path shifted when she was given a copy of Martha Smock's book, Listen Beloved. "It taught me about oneness and God not being up there but inside—a loving God, not a punishing God," she shares. Although it took her a while to join a Unity church, once she did, she didn’t look back. She felt called to ministry despite a busy life. "Your path comes up to meet you," she says.

After initially refusing the call, she realized, "This is going to keep coming up until I stop resisting."

Karol’s life experiences have deeply informed her approach to ministry and leadership. As a proud elder in the Sault Ste. Marie band of the Chippewa Tribe, she sees strong alignments between Unity teachings and indigenous wisdom—particularly in honoring elders, respecting nature, and making decisions with seven generations in mind. She often refers to former board members as ancestors or elders, reflecting, “You have been here, you have done this, and I respect the work that you did so that we can be here today to do what we do.”

Her lifelong involvement with the Girl Scouts has similarly instilled a strong ethic of service and giving back—values she carries into everything from her work with Options for Life to her role on the Unity board.

Her work with Options for Life stems from decades serving people with disabilities—in schools, residential homes, and independent living programs—where she's witnessed profound transformations. "We have respect for the people that we serve and we see the divinity in them," Karol explains. "These are adults with challenges and obstacles." She recounts helping a participant start a crocheting business, shifting from begging to productive exchange—a realization of her own divinity. "The most beautiful people that are in bodies that do not reflect their beauty—you must go deeper to get that beauty," she adds.

When invited to join the board, Karol initially hesitated but discerned through prayer: “I don’t get to pick the ways I want to serve; I’m called to the ways I’m called to serve.” She sums up her life goal by simply saying, “More God, less Karol.”

A Shared Commitment to the Future of Unity

This diversity in board leadership builds on years of intentional efforts at Unity World Headquarters to expand the movement’s reach and support in Black and Hispanic communities. Rev. Sandra Campbell, as executive director of the Unity Urban Ministerial School, has long championed education and opportunities for Black students and emerging leaders, helping to prepare ministers who bring the teachings to diverse congregations. Similarly, Rev. Juan del Hierro’s ministry at Unity on the Bay in Miami and his community activism have strengthened connections in Hispanic communities for many years.

With these experienced leaders now guiding the board, ministers and members from these communities can expect the same steady dedication to inclusion, representation, and growth that has marked the progress of Unity in recent years as we continue to make the teachings accessible and relevant to more people everywhere.

These leaders credit the teachings with turning personal trials into blessings and are eager to guide the movement forward. As Juan says, “There is a great purpose for all of us, and to me that purpose is all about not only going within and living into the Christ nature that we are, but it’s also about lifting others up and really walking this path together as one human family."