The Rev. Dr. Michael A. Schuler serves as the Parish Minister of the First Unitarian Society of Madison. During his 17-year tenure, the Society has grown rapidly to over 1300 adult members and approximately 200 active affiliates; 450 children are registered for Church School and youth activities.
First Unitarian Society is currently the largest UU congregation in North America. Schuler has been active on many local boards, including Wisconsin Interfaith IMPACT, several UW-Madison advisory groups, and is a member of the Steering Committee of Dane County United—a broad-based organization of faith communities, labor unions, and neighborhood associations. For several years he has been a regular contributor to the features and editorial pages of Madison’s afternoon newspaper, the Capitol Times. Denominationally, Schuler has served on the Meadville-Lombard Winter Institute Planning and chaired CENTER, a working committee that plans, coordinates and implements continuing education programs for Unitarian Universalist Ministers. He is presently President of the Central Midwest District UU Ministers Chapter and a member of the UUA’s Large Church Planning Team. Before being called to Madison, Schuler successfully served UU congregations in Binghamton, New York, and Sioux City, Iowa. He earned his B.A. in political science, received his M.Div. from Starr King School for the Ministry, and holds a Ph.D. in the Humanities from Florida State University. Michael and his life partner, Trina, share their home with a 18-year-old son, Kyle.