Our Leadership

Staff Team

The Reverend Tera Landers
Minister

Rev. Tera Landers has served as Throop’s minister since 2012. In March 2017, she accepted the call to serve as their settled, permanent minister. Rev. Tera earned her Master of Divinity from Meadville Lombard Theological School, where she won the prize for religious education. Currently, Rev. Tera also serves as an Assistant Professor at Starr King School for the Ministry. She is pursuing a Doctor of Ministry through Pacific School of Religion. Prior to her ministry at Throop, Rev. Tera worked for 16 years as UUA Congregational Life Staff.

Rev. Tera is active outside of Throop. She serves as President of the Pacific Southwest District UU Ministers Chapter. She is the Secretary for UU Animal Ministry, a member of Friends in Deed Clergy Committee, and a member of Pasadena Environmental Advocates.

Rev. Megan Visser
Community Minister in Affiliation

Rev. Megan Visser is a Unitarian Universalist minister, educator and social scientist. In Fall 2018, Megan entered into a formal relationship with Throop as a community minister in affiliation. Megan received her ministerial training at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, First UU Church of San Diego, and Cedars-Sinai Medical Center here in Los Angeles. She was ordained in 2019.

Megan serves full-time as the Assistant Professor of Ethics and Society at Starr King School for the Ministry, which prepares people for Unitarian Universalist ministry and progressive religious leadership. Meanwhile, she participates in the spiritual care research and chaplain community here in Los Angeles. Her doctoral dissertation focuses on the religious/spiritual experiences of women of color coping with congestive heart failure. The relationship between religion/spirituality and health is central to Megan’s ministry; she looks forward to deepening her relationship to the Throop community as her teaching, scholarship and ministerial practice continue to grow and develop.

Megan shares her life with her partner, Stefanie, a cat named Emerson and a dog named Violet.

Meghan-Nicole Hawkes
Musician in Residence

Meghan-Nicole Hawkes is a SoCal native, professional musician, and educator. For over a decade, she has been involved in music ministry and directing worship services, and finds deep joy in creating beautiful experiences with others through the joining of instruments and voices. She holds a Bachelor of Music in keyboard accompanying from California Baptist University, a Master of Arts in historical performance practices from Claremont Graduate University, and is currently in the process of completing a doctoral degree in the same.

Meghan loves making connections with and mentoring students at Norco College, where she is an adjunct associate faculty member and the staff accompanist for their music department. She spends much of her free time swing dancing, hiking, and traveling with her partner.

With great excitement in getting to know the congregation at Throop, she is looking forward to sharing in the joy and healing powers of music with you all.

Phillury Platte
Administrator

Phillury Platte joins the Throop team as our part-time Administrator in August, bringing nonprofit management experience, recently retiring as vice president for a Midwest behavioral health organization serving children and families. Phillury has managed staff and volunteer teams in university and social service settings to advance donor relations, strategic planning, and communications. She has served as the liaison to board committees and community partnerships. Phillury has a masters in Psychology and taught as adjunct faculty at Washington University in St. Louis. Phillury relocated to Pasadena last summer, joining her son and daughter-in-law, sister and nephews, who are all LA residents. She looks forward to supporting the Throop congregation!