In Memory of Rev. Dr. Brock H Leach (Dec. 30, 1958 − May 25, 2026)
We offer our condolences to the family and colleagues of the Rev. Dr. Brock H. Leach, who died on May 25, 2026, at the age of 67.
Brock was born on December 30, 1958, in Pontiac, Michigan, to Beth and Clayton Leach. As a young child, he spent four years in Germany with his family, where he began his education at Frankfurt International School. After returning to Michigan, he completed elementary and junior high school in the Detroit area before his family relocated to Colorado. He attended high school in rural Monument, Colorado. During high school, Brock was influenced by a mentoring relationship with a minister in the United Church of Christ (UCC). Alongside other young people, he participated in outreach and social justice trips throughout Colorado, serving migrant farm workers, people experiencing homelessness, and patients in an alcohol rehabilitation center. These transformational experiences first awakened his call to ministry, particularly social justice ministry. He learned something of his ability to make a difference in the lives of others.
Brock attended the University of Colorado, Boulder, earning a Bachelor of Arts in Economics in 1980. He then completed a Master of Business Administration, with concentrations in Marketing and Finance, from the University of Chicago in 1982. During business school, he met his future wife, Julie, and the two married after graduation. That same year, Brock began what would become a distinguished twenty-four-year tenure with PepsiCo, serving in a series of senior management positions. Following the birth of their daughter, Brock and Julie discovered that the First Unitarian Church of Dallas, Texas, was planting a start-up congregation in the suburbs. They became near-charter members of Horizon Unitarian Universalist Church in Carrollton, Texas, serving in many capacities, witnessing Horizon’s growth, and falling in love with Unitarian Universalism.
As Brock’s career took the family to different parts of the country, they found new Unitarian Universalist congregations to call home. Throughout those years, Brock realized that his corporate career had become a form of ministry – mentoring and developing people, building innovative, collaborative teams, and helping lead the company’s effort toward healthier products. After more than twenty years of corporate leadership, active involvement in three Unitarian Universalist congregations across three cities, countless committee assignments and board leadership roles, teaching experiences, community service projects, and raising two children who became committed UUs, Brock discerned that it was time to answer his call to ministry.
Grounded in profound faith in the salvific power of Unitarian Universalism and convinced that his talents and experiences had prepared him for community ministry, he entered Meadville Lombard Theological School. In 2011, he graduated with his Master of Divinity. In May 2024, he completed a Doctor of Ministry in Transformational Leadership at Boston University, Massachusetts.
The Rev. Dr. Leach was ordained to UU ministry on June 11, 2011. From 2011 to 2015, he served as Vice President of Mission, Strategy, and Innovation for the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC) in Cambridge, MA. In this role, he led the development of the UU College of Social Justice, a new program area designed to build Unitarian Universalists’ capacity to advance justice. Bringing the UU College of Social Justice to life required hours of patient attention to detail, thoughtful system design, negotiation of commitments, and subsequent administration until a permanent director was appointed. Through this work, Rev. Dr. Leach demonstrated a collaborative leadership style characterized by deep listening and a commitment to ensuring that every voice was heard and valued. His personal warmth and inclusive approach contributed mightily to the growing sense of community within the UUSC and foundation for the College. From 2017 to 2026, he served as a consultant for Emerging Ministries for the UUA.
The Rev. Dr. Leach served as a board member and treasurer of the Florida District UUA (2010). He was an affiliated minister with the UUs of Sarasota, Florida (2011–2026). His services to the Sarasota congregation included serving on the Committee of Ministry (2003–2005); co-chairing the Ministerial Search Committee (2006–2007); and coordinating for Lay Pastoral Care Associates. From 2021 to 2026, he was also an affiliated minister of the Church of the Larger Fellowship in Boston, Massachusetts. In addition, he returned to Meadville Lombard Theological School as a faculty instructor in leadership formation.
Beyond his ministry, Brock was deeply engaged in community leadership, serving on the board of Children First, the Education Foundation of Sarasota County, the Sarasota African American Cultural Coalition, Habitat for Humanity Sarasota, Inc., Preventive Medicine Research Institute, the PepsiCo Foundation, and many other organizations.
Outside of his professional life, Brock was an avid reader who found joy in the arts, travel, walking, running, and skiing.
A celebration of Brock’s life will be planned in the near future.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations in his name may be made to the following organizations:
- Unitarian Universalist Association
- Unitarian Universalist Service Committee
- Education Foundation of Sarasota County
- Unitarian Universalists of Sarasota
Donations may also be made to any of the many organizations and causes dear to Brock’s heart.
Notes of condolence may be shared here.