Keynote Speakers

Interim Minister
Unitarian Coastal Fellowship

Rev. Micah C. Ma (he/they) is a Unitarian Universalist minister currently serving the Unitarian Coastal Fellowship in Morehead City, NC. They were born and raised in southern California and lived in the San Francisco Bay Area for most of their adult life, where they learned how to be an activist as part of Occupy, Black Lives Matter, and other local community organizations. They worked as a mental health chaplain at a VA hospital in Cleveland, Ohio from 2019 – 2021 before moving to eastern North Carolina. They are queer, transmasculine, Chinese-American, and delighted to be here. When they’re not rolling around eastern NC causing “good trouble” they can be found playing Pokemon Go, trying new foods, attempting to befriend crows, or playing Dungeons and Dragons.

MDiv, MAMFT
Doctoral student in Medical Family Therapy
East Carolina University

A native of Daytona Beach, Florida, Samuel R. Heath (he/him) is an example of the tenacity of faith. He aspires to be a beacon of hope and empowerment at the intersection of spirituality and mental health. He is committed to advancing the plight of marginalized people by working to deconstruct systemic racism and health inequities. He is currently a PhD student at East Carolina University studying Medical Family Therapy. Samuel has a Master of Divinity from the Interdenominational Theological Center in Atlanta, Georgia and a Master of Marriage and Family Therapy from Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky.