UUMH Chatham Staff
Reverend Chris McMahon
A 1977 graduate of the United States Merchant Marine Academy, Rev. McMahon sailed for many years on commercial merchant ships engaged in worldwide trade. He is a master mariner of steam, motor, and sailing vessels. Rev. McMahon earned a Master of Divinity from Starr King School for
the Ministry at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkley, Calif. in 1993.
Rev. McMahon is also a Rear Admiral in the Maritime Service and served in this capacity in several senior positions with the U. S. Department of Transportation and Maritime Administration. For many years, he also served as a part-time minister with several Unitarian Universalist congregations on
Long Island, N.Y. In 2021 he retired from the federal government.
Rev. McMahon also holds master’s degrees in business from American University and in mental health counseling from Long Island University. He is currently an adjunct professor at Nichols College in Dudley, Mass. where he teaches "World Religions" " and "Leadership." Rev McMahon is eager to return to ministry, he said. "I feel a strong calling to help people develop their spiritual side and through pastoral counseling to help people deal with the challenges of life."
Rev McMahon and his wife, Virginia, reside in Woodstock, Conn. and Brewster, Mass.
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Frank Toppa - Music Director
Frank Toppa is a full-time musician. In addition to his dedicated work as the organist and music director of the Unitarian Universalist Meeting House of Chatham, he teaches music half-time at the Chatham Elementary School and half-time at Belmont Day School outside of Boston, enriching the lives of scores of elementary schoolers.
Frank’s long and varied career has included teaching posts in the Brookline Public Schools, and Nauset Regional Middle and High Schools, among others. He has served as Choir Director, Organist, and Handbell Director at the Unitarian Universalist Society of Amherst, and the Federated Church of Orleans. Frank plays String Bass with the Cape Cod Orchestra, Tuba with the Chatham Band, and Baritone Horn with the Harwich Town Band. He also plays Electric Bass with the Sound Dunes Swing Ensemble and the Sentimental Journey Band. Occasionally he can be found on a street corner playing the accordion. He plays almost every common musical instrument.
Frank holds a Master’s in Musicology from B.U. and Music Ed. in Organ Performance from UMass Amherst, respectively, and a Bachelors in Music Ed. in Choral Performance from Hartt College.
He has been an active member of IRAS, the Institute on Religion in an Age of Science for over 30 years and has been their music director at a number of conferences. He attended many UU General Assemblies in the '80s through the early 2000s.
Kim Carroll - Bookkeeper
Kim Carroll, our bookkeeper, worked as an equity trader for 30 years in Boston. After this she worked as a secretary/bookkeeper at a Needham, MA elementary school for 15 years. In 2020 she retired to South Chatham and in 2021 began working at the Meeting House.
Michael Caliri - AV Tech
UUMH is happy to welcome Michael Caliri as our AV Tech. Michael had been the Eastham Video Services coordinator for ten years. He moved all the town meetings to Zoom and then to a hybrid format. We are fortunate to have someone with Michael’s experience. Michael is recently retired and lives in Orleans with his wife Francesca.
KD Ryan - Communications Consultant
KD Ryan has enjoyed a career in the nonprofit sector working for the greater good. KD now enjoys freelancing as “Social Techie”, providing communications support to UUMH and other local entities.
KD works with social media - especially Facebook & Instagram; emails with Constant Contact or MailChimp; graphic arts using Canva; and manages website content using WIX and WordPress software.
KD is a Massachusetts native and has lived with her family in various New England towns, including South Yarmouth, for twelve years.
Dawn Dinnan - Office Administrator
Dawn is delighted to be a member of UUMH's caring community as part-time office administrator. She especially enjoys being so close by at Watermark Office Services at Munson Meeting Way, a quick walk across the street.
She grew up in Andover and has been a part of the Chatham community all her life, beginning with summer vacations with extended family who continue to share a deep love of this special town. You might recognize her from her 1980s jobs—ice cream scooping at the Chatham Ice Cream Shoppe, waitressing at The Northport Seafood House, and writing news and feature stories for The Cape Cod Chronicle (byline Dawn Aikman).
