Our Leadership

Staff Team

The Reverend Doctor Tera Landers
Senior Pastor

Rev. Dr. 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 earned her Doctor of Ministry degree through Pacific School of Religion in May 2024. Her D.Min. project title is "Nature's Rhythms Reflected in Our Spirits: A Seasonal Liturgical Cycle in Unitarian Universalism." Prior to her ministry at Throop, Rev. Tera worked for 16 years as UUA Congregational Life Staff.

Rev. Tera is active outside of Throop on issues related to Earth care, sustainability, and housing justice. She is a frequent contributor to Coloradoboulevard.net, writing about eco-feminist spirituality.

Rev. Dr. Megan Visser
Community Minister in Affiliation

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

M. Hawkes
Musician in Residence

M. Hawkes is a SoCal native, professional musician, and educator. For over a decade, they have 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. M. 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.

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

Phillury Platte
Administrator

Phillury Platte joins the Throop team as our part-time Administrator, 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, joining her son and daughter-in-law, sister and nephews, who are all LA residents.