Vermont Celebrants is Martha’s response to a call of the heart, with roots tracing to her teenage years. Raised a mainline Episcopalian, in high school she began to question her beliefs, and to grapple with life’s meaning.

Her BA degree in cultural anthropology from Mount Holyoke College was followed by an MA in Education and Theological Studies at Union Theological Seminary in New York City. Martha sought work in a liberal setting where she could inspire others, and where religion and learning intersected.

She taught high school religious studies at Northfield Mount Hermon School, and soon thereafter discovered Unitarian Universalism (UUism), a faith which she has personally claimed since 1995. She served two UU congregations for over 15 years as Director of Religious Education, during which she honed her gifts as an imaginative, engaging storyteller; and as a spiritual leader who regularly designed and held sacred space with warmth, authenticity, and just the right dose of humor. You’ll find several videos of Martha here, engaging congregants of all ages in curious wondering.

Martha created Vermont Celebrants in large part through taking up backpacking! This long-deferred dream led her to her first solo trip of three days on Vermont’s Long Trail. The alone-time afforded by the trail, trees, roots and rocks catalyzed her clarity and courage to make her work in the world, and Vermont Celebrants has been her vehicle for just that.

A lifelong singer, Martha is a soprano with Burlington’s a cappella group, Social Band. She also enjoys gardening, wordplay, home improvement, woodworking, and running.

Martha lives in a yellow bungalow in Burlington’s Old North End with her spouse, Lucy.