Meet the Staff

Minister
Rev. Mitra Rahnema

Rev. Mitra Rahnema returns to Grosse Pointe as our consulting minister for the 2024-2025 church year. Previously, between 2009 and 2011, she was our interim minister. Rev. Mitra is a lifelong Unitarian Universalist and graduate of Starr King School for the Ministry. She has offered ministry to congregations in Missouri, California, and of course here in Michigan. Over the past 20 years, she served our larger Unitarian Universalist denomination in several ways including as DRUUMM Trustee and as a UUMA Committee on Anti-Racism, Anti-Oppression, and Multiculturalism member. Mitra is the editor of the 2017 book and UUA Common Read, “Centering: Navigating Race, Authenticity, and Power in Ministry.” Mitra is passionate about cooking, her fur baby Bayley, and gardening. When not in Grosse Pointe she lives in Portland, Oregon. She is dedicated to building vibrant and engaged anti-oppressive communities.

Director of Children's Religious Education
Julie Artis

It gives me great pleasure to serve as the Director of Religious Education for Grosse Pointe Unitarian Church. I have served in this position for the past ten years. Before I was recruited for this position, I served for ten years as the director of a preschool and the director of "The Tutoring Tree", an organization that served deserving children in the Detroit area in need of educational support. My formal education is in Health Education and advanced study in Health Services Administration. I have attended five UU Modules and am OWL (Our Whole Lives) trained in Elementary and Junior/Senior High School.
I have been members of GPUC since 1990. Our two daughters were raised in the UU faith and attended GPUC. They all went through the Religious Education program and OWL at GPUC.
My personal mission as a Unitarian Universalist is to empower leaders of all ages to explore and fulfill their spiritual journey while making social change in our community. I am eager to continue my work at GPUC and look forward to greeting present and future parents and students in the Religious Education Program.

Director of Music
Joseph Palazzolo

I have been playing the piano since 1960. I sang in and conducted choirs since middle school, and became a professional music director, organist, and pianist in high school, continuing to the present day. I am also a composer, and the chairman of the Birmingham Center of the Mich. Fed. of Music Clubs—I guess you could say music is my life. In 1977 I received my BA in music from Oakland University. I have been working as choir director at GPUC since 2002, and as full music director since 2006, and love it. The people of GPUC are not only talented and intelligent, but also warm and accepting and I find it a pleasant place to work. I direct both the Youth and Adult Choirs and play for Sunday services. In addition to my work at the Unitarian Church, I am also the director of the Grosse Pointe Community Chorus, a group of about 60 singers, and I teach piano both in Room 2 of the Religious Ed Wing of the Church, and at my home in Ferndale.

Office Administrator
Ameera Bandy

I joined the GPUC Team in July, 2020 in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic. After working in Bookkeeping, Property Management and Administration for 10 years, I felt I was not growing in the ways I needed. I found myself restless searching for a position that would be different from what I had done in the past and lo and behold I found an ad for Office Admin here at GPUC. Since being here, I have found that the opportunity for spiritual and emotional growth I've experienced here, was exactly what I had been longing for.

I am a mother to a beautiful little girl and the wife of a carpenter. In my free time, I enjoy writing, singing & spiritual exploration. I am a life long learner and couldn't be more grateful for being here in a space where I can continue to expand my mind in a positive manner. I look forward to getting to know the community here at GPUC!

Choir Director
Kayvon Kashani-Gharavi

Kayvon Kashani-Gharavi holds a bachelor's degree in vocal performance from Oakland University where he had the opportunity to be the student conductor of both the Oakland Chorale and University Chorus. He also holds a Master Degree in choral conducting from Westminster Choir College where he held an assistantship for the Symphonic choir, preparing a number of pieces to be performed with the New York Philharmonic and the Philadelphia Symphony Orchestra. Since graduating Kayvon has become a professor of vocal studies at Madonna University and worked as the artistic director for a number of companies including ENCORE men’s chorus, Grosse Pointe Community Chorus, and Stagecrafters. In the coming years he is planning on pursuing a Doctorate in choral studies and hopes to one day conduct at a university level.