Rev. Dr. James Kubal-Komoto, Minister

The Rev. Dr. James Kubal-Komoto has served as the minister of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship at Stony Brook since August 1, 2026.

“For me, ministry is all about helping people learn to live more fully and helping make the world a better place,” Rev. James says.

He previously served Unitarian Universalist congregations in Raleigh, North Carolina, for seven years and in the Seattle suburbs in Washington State for 16 years. He also worked on the staff of the Unitarian Universalist Association for three years.

He is the author of A Liberal Religious Path: A Short, Personal Introduction to Unitarian Universalism.

He was very involved in community organizing during his past ministries and helped organize multi-racial, multicultural, multi-faith coalitions that successfully advocated for issues such as immigration reform, providing support to homeless individuals, and creating more affordable housing.

“I’m looking forward to exploring how the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship at Stony Brook might partner with others in the community to address the needs of our most vulnerable neighbors.”

Before discerning a call to ministry, he worked as a journalist and a teacher. He spent four of those years living in Tokyo, Japan.

He holds a doctor of ministry degree from Meadville/Lombard Theological School, one of the two Unitarian Universalist seminaries in the United States, and an undergraduate degree in philosophy from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

A native of the Chicago suburbs, he now lives in Port Jefferson Station with his wife Hiromi, their dog Yakumo, and their cat, Alice. His young adult son is a student at East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina.

To contact Rev. James, email him at james@uufsb.org or call him at 631-751-8336 .

To schedule an appointment with him, visit here.

Susan Buckley and Michele Maggio, Co-Directors of Religious Education

Susan Buckley and Michele Maggio serve as UUFSB’s part-time co-directors of relgious education and are responsible for programming for children and youth from birth through high school.

Both Susan and Michele are long-time members of UUFSB and spent years volunteering as teachers before joining UUFB’s staff.

A recently retired preschool teacher,  Susan enjoys participating in UUFSB labyrinth walks and can also be found helping in the kitchen after Sunday services. Outside of UUFSB, she enjoys long neighborhood walks, Zumba classes, reading, and spending time with her friends and family. She is also a long-time volunteer at the Long Island Feline Adoption Center in Smithtown and enjoys spending time with her own two furry friends.

Before retiring in 2023, Michele worked as a speech-language pathologist both in private practice as well as in elementary schools. She enjoys cycling, yoga, and playing pickleball. Michele and her husband Greg are most grateful for the time they spend with their three sons and partners, grandson, and one cut little grand dog!

To contact Susan or Michele about any of our programming for children and youth, email them at dre@uufsb.org .

Linda Contino, Choir Director

Linda Contino serves as our choir director.

She recently retired after 40 years in the Three Village Central School District, 38 of which she served as the Choral Director at Ward Melville High School in East Setauket. Throughout her tenure, she conducted the Women’s Choral Ensemble, Concert Choir, and the select Chamber, Madrigal, Vocal Jazz Ensemble, Camerata. Under her leadership, these ensembles performed at multiple concerts, community events, festivals, competitions, and collaborations along the East Coast, including multiple performances at Disney World.

In addition to her work with choral ensembles, Linda was the Vocal Director for 39 musicals at Ward Melville High School. Over the last 20 years, she also took on all directorial roles leading productions such as Miss Saigon, Beauty and the Beast, Phantom of the Opera, Sweeney Todd, Into the Woods, Anastasia, and Mamma Mia, among others. Linda was and is very active in all professional organizations and leadership positions in ACDA, NAFME, NYSSMA, and SCMEA. Linda was the Chairperson for the Suffolk All County Vocal Jazz Ensemble for several years, as well as the NYSCAME All County Treble Choir for over 20 years. She also enjoyed her service as the All State Vocal Jazz Assistant Chairperson and All State Vocal Jazz Chairperson for 4 years for NYSSMA in New York State.

Linda is a graduate of Ithaca College, receiving a Bachelor of Music in Voice and Music Education, where she studied choral conducting under Lawrence Doebler and vocal jazz under David Riley. She also studied voice with Roland Bentley. She earned her Master’s Degree from CW Post and Stony Brook University. Beyond her school career, Linda continues to inspire musicians as a private voice instructor. She sings with the Huntington Choral Society where she serves on the Board of Directors and Production Coordinato. In the summer Linda also performs with Belle Voci Intergenerational Women’s Choir. She directs the Three Village Women’s Choir in Stony Brook and Setauket, New York. She is thrilled to serve as a guest conductor, clinician at various competitions, festivals, and All-County events—always eager to contribute wherever she is needed!

Sharena Sacher, Congregational Administrator

Sharena uses her administrative skills to bring order to the beautiful chaos of an active congregation.

She is responsible for bookkeeping, room scheduling, and facilitating outside rentals among other responsibilities.

A graduate of Stony Brook University with a degree in Psychology and a minor in Business Administration (Accounting), she has spent more than 25 years helping organizations streamline operations, manage finances, improve systems, and embrace technology. She firmly believes there’s almost always a better way to do something—and she’s probably already making a checklist for it.

Outside the office, Sharena is endlessly curious. She enjoys exploring AI and new technology, tackling creative projects, and learning just about anything that catches her attention. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she co-founded a nonprofit supporting senior citizens, an experience that reinforced her love of building strong, connected communities.

Whether she’s solving a problem, organizing the next big project, or lending a helping hand, Sharena is always happy to chat. Feel free to stop by and say hello!