Nate M. Esparza (they/he) is the Southern Regional Administrator for the Unitarian Universalist Association. Based in Lawrenceville, Georgia, Nate supports the Southern Region by stewarding the systems that help staff, congregations, and leaders do their work with clarity, care, and sustainability.
Their role spans scheduling, budgeting, events, communications, and digital infrastructure, and on any given day might involve coordinating a complex calendar, supporting a regional gathering, editing a video, designing a graphic, or building (or fixing) systems so the same problems don’t keep repeating. Nate is often called in when something matters, feels heavy, or needs to be done thoughtfully, and they are especially committed to systems that support accessibility, transparency, and staff wellbeing.
Nate approaches administration and communications through care. Their work is shaped by deep listening, attention to human capacity, and a belief that good systems should support people rather than exhaust them. In addition to their administrative role, Nate contributes to the spiritual life of the Association and has offered sermons and reflections at trans-centered UUA events, including Sermon of the Month, Trans Day of Visibility, and Trans Day of Remembrance.
Outside their regional work, Nate is a graduate student in Religious Studies at Georgia State University, a Wellstar Health System Graduate Fellow, a member of the 2025-26 Trans Seminarian Leadership Cohort, a board member for the LGBTQ+ Institute at the National Center for Civil and Human Rights and a member of the Dying Trans team, focusing on chaplaincy and spiritual care—particularly around trans death and dying.
Their work is spiritually grounded in relationships with Morrigan, Hestia, Danu, and Loki, and in ancestral ties rooted in Hispanic and Indigenous lineage.
If you’d ever like to talk about systems, care, storytelling, chaplaincy, or just grab a virtual (or in-person) cup of coffee or tea, Nate would be glad to connect.