AQUINAS INSTITUTE - Key Persons

Job Titles:

• Education

Alec holds a joint PhD in Health Care Ethics and Theology from Saint Louis University, where his research focused on theological anthropology and philosophy of technology. After an ethics internship at the Catholic Health Association, he was inspired to join Catholic health ministry and now serves as Director of Ministry Formation and Workplace Spirituality for Bon Secours Mercy Health. He continues to be interested in the way certain developments in 20th century Catholic thought can inform practical ministry questions today, especially the "how" of formation in a digital age.

Job Titles:

• Member of the Board of Trustees

A St. Louis native and 2006 graduate of the MAPS program at Aquinas, Angie served as Director of Religious Education at St. Francis Xavier College Church for more than 10 years. She continues to actively volunteer at multiple Catholic organizations in St. Louis. She has served on the Aquinas board since 2020.

Job Titles:

• Education
• Fellow in Homiletics at the University of Notre Dame

Garrido has served as the Marten Faculty Fellow in Homiletics at the University of Notre Dame. Her research focuses on theology of preaching, homiletics, ministerial administration, and human development.

Job Titles:

• News

Job Titles:

• Member of the Board of Trustees
• CFO for the Archdiocese of St. Louis
• Vice - Chair, Aquinas Institute Board of Trustees

Barb Thibodeau is currently the CFO for the Archdiocese of St. Louis. Formerly the CFO for the Congregation of the Mission Western Province (the Vincentians), Thibodeau collaborated with the priests, brothers, ministries, committee members and others in the western half of the United States, Kenya, Italy, and elsewhere. She has served on the Aquinas board since 2017 and was elected Vice-Chair in August 2022.

Br. Joseph Trout, OP Member, Board of Trustees A 2015 graduate of Aquinas Institute, he serves as the Socius to the Provincial for the Province of St. Albert the Great. He is a member of the International Theological Commission on the Vocation of the Cooperator Brother in the Church, as well as the Board of Fenwick High School in Oak Park, Illinois. He has served on the Aquinas board since 2023.

Job Titles:

• EDUCATION
• Professor of Historical Theology

Dr. Matz serves Aquinas Institute as Professor of Historical Theology and Associate Dean for Academic and Administrative Assessment. His research interests span Christianity in Late Antiquity and in the Middle Ages; in particular, he is interested in the Cappadocians, reception of Augustine, the Carolingian era, and the intersection of religion and the State. In addition to roles in several research project groups, he is a member of the North American Patristics Society, the Society of Christian Ethics, and the Society of Biblical Literature.

Job Titles:

• Member of the Board of Trustees

Vice-President of Communications and Marketing for Catholic Health Association of the United States (CHA), Brian previously served for 14 years in various communications and advocacy roles with Springfield, Illinois based Hospital Sisters Health Systems. He has also served in public relations roles with the state of Illinois and for Illinois political candidates. He began his career as a radio reporter in Chicago, Illinois. He has been a member of the Aquinas board since 2021.

Job Titles:

• Member of the Board of Trustees

The Chief Sponsorship Officer for assigned markets within the Bon Secours Mercy Health System (BSMH), Brain also serves on the board of Roper St. Francis Health System, a joint venture between the BSMH and the Medical Society of South Carolina in Charleston, South Carolina. He has served on the Aquinas board since 2021.

Job Titles:

• Instructor of Preaching

Danielle Harrison, MA, instructor of Preaching the Bible, is the President of Mission, Faith, Equity Consulting and works with Secondary schools and communities to help them integrate their mission and vision into daily practice. Skip To Main Content Danielle Harrison was born in 1965 in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, the middle child of Francois and Gladys Charles. The family moved to the United States when she was a small child, landing in St. Louis so that her father could work at Homer G. Phillips as a physician. Danielle began her education at Visitation Academy in St. Louis, moving through the school's program from 1 st to 12 th grade. After Visitation, Danielle attended Dartmouth College and St. Louis University Law School. She has worked for the governing staff of the Jesuits in the Missouri Province, co-founded a retreat ministry in Southern California, created a center for spiritual development for a hospital system in Lubbock, Texas, and worked for the United Central and Southern Province of Jesuits as part of Slavery, History, Memory, and Reconciliation Project. Danielle received a master's degree in theology at Aquinas Institute, with a concentration in Biblical Studies. She then began a career in Secondary Education: Teaching high school Theology at a number of schools in the St. Louis area. She has also served as Mission Integration Leader for Visitation Academy and Cor Jesu Academy. Currently she serves as a member of the Preaching team at King's House at Our Lady of Snows Center in Belleville, Illinois and is the President of Mission, Faith, Equity Consulting, which works with Secondary schools and religious communities throughout the country in helping them integrate their mission, vision, and charism into their daily practice, focusing on Diversity, Faith, Equity and Belonging. She is also a contributor to the African American Catholic Youth Bible. Danielle is married to Tim Harrison, an Ordained United Methodist Minister who currently serves as Pastor of Friedens United Church of Christ in Troy, Illinois, after 23 years as Chaplain of McKendree University. She enjoys singing, playing the piano, and reading…and of course, having the opportunity to share God's Good News to God's People!

Job Titles:

• Deacon
• Member of the Board of Trustees
• Member of the Executive Leadership Team at UnitedHealth Group

Deacon Michael A. Meyer is currently Senior Deputy General Counsel and a member of the Executive Leadership Team at UnitedHealth Group, where he provides legal counsel to the Chief Compliance & Ethics Officer. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Language from the Georgetown University School of Languages and Linguistics, a Master of Arts in Theology and a Certificate in Diaconal Ministry from Saint Elizabeth University, and a Doctor of Ministry in Preaching degree from Aquinas Institute of Theology. Meyer is an ordained permanent deacon in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Metuchen, New Jersey. He is the co-author of The New Rules of Global Trade, A Guide to the World Trade Organization (Carswell, 1997), a contributing author in Preaching Racial Justice (Orbis, 2023), and the author of numerous articles on law and theology. Deacon Meyer has served on the Aquinas Board since 2024.

Job Titles:

• Deacon
• Member of the Board of Trustees
• Chancellor and Secretary of the Curia in the Diocese

Deacon Patrick Toole serves as the Chancellor and Secretary of the Curia in the Diocese of Bridgeport; he is also the parish deacon at St. Catherine of Siena Parish in Trumbull, Connecticut. Before taking on various diocesan ministerial roles in January 2018, Deacon Toole worked for the IBM Corporation for more than 33 years. He served as IBM's Global Vice President and Chief Information Officer among other roles. Deacon Toole holds a Doctor of Ministry in Preaching degree from Aquinas Institute of Theology, an MBA from Queens University of Charlotte (formerly Queens College), and a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering degree from the University of Notre Dame. He was also named an honorary alumnus of Fairfield University in 2023.

Job Titles:

• Assistant Coordinator, Admissions and Financial Aid

Job Titles:

• Member of the Board of Trustees
• EDUCATION
• Faculty Representative, Board of Trustees

A member of the faculty at Aquinas Institute teaching in areas of ministerial formation and Christian spirituality, Dr. Wright also serves as the Director of Theological Field Education and the Director of the Master of Arts in Pastoral Ministry - Catechesis of the Good Shepherd degree program. She has served on the Aquinas board as the Faculty Representative since August 2022.

Job Titles:

• Member of the Board of Trustees
• Chairman of the Board of Trustees
• Chairman, Aquinas Institute Board of Trustees
• Retired Senior Vice - President

Dr. Daniel O'Brien serves as Chair of the Board of Trustees of Aquinas Institute of Theology. Comprised of 25 members including members of the Dominican Order and lay men and women from around the country. Dan O'Brien is a retired Senior Vice-President of Ethics and Church Relations for Ascension Health (1991-2019) and is currently a member of the Ascension Sponsor. He received his PhD with honors in health care ethics from St. Louis University in 2000, his MA in Systematic Theology from Aquinas Institute in 1988, and his BA in Philosophy from Regis University in 1986. He also studied numerous specialties at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas (the "Angelicum") in Rome, Italy, in 1988-89. He has has been a Trustee since 2020 and has served as Chair of the Aquinas board since August 2021.

Job Titles:

• Member of the Board of Trustees

Fr. Carl Paustian, OP, is the Director of Vocations of the (Southern) Province of St. Martin de Porres and is an appointed member from his province. Fr. Paustian is originally from Houston, Texas, and he is a graduate of Texas A&M University. He also holds the MDiv and MA from Aquinas Institute. He previously served as the Parochial Vicar of St. Elizabeth University Parish in Lubbock, Texas, and as Chaplain to Raider Catholic, the Catholic Student Center at Texas Tech University. He currently lives at the Southern Province Novitiate community of St. Albert the Great Priory in Irving, Texas. He has served on the Aquinas Board since 2025.

Fr. Gerard Francisco Timoner, III, OP, was elected 88th Master of the Order of Preachers, the successor to St. Dominic, in July 2019 at the General Chapter in Vietnam. Fr. Gerard is a son of the Province of the Philippines and the first Master of the Order from Asia.

Job Titles:

• Member of the Board of Trustees

A St. Louis native, Fr. John is a priest in the Archdiocese of St. Louis, where he has served for 30 years in parish ministry. Fr. John has served many parishes as pastor, including the parishes of St. Pius V and Mary, Queen of Peace, and he is currently the pastor of St. Margaret of Scotland in St. Louis. He was honored with Aquinas Institute's Great Preacher Award in 2016. He has served on the Aquinas board since 2018.

Job Titles:

• Member of the Board of Trustees

A graduate of Aquinas Institute of Theology (MDiv, '92). Fr. Morrone serves as the Prior Provincial of the sponsoring Province of St. Albert the Great. After ordination in 1992, he worked in campus ministry until 1997. He previously served as the Socius to the Provincial from 2011 until 2019. Most recently, he was the Prior of St. Dominic Priory and Novitiate in Denver, Colorado. He has also served in formation for the Province of St. Albert the Great as the Vocation Director (1997-2002) and Novice Master (2003-2011). He has been a member of the Aquinas board since 2023.

Job Titles:

• President

Since 2019, Fr. Mark has served as the 10th President of Aquinas Institute of Theology. He is a Dominican friar of the Province of St. Martin de Porres (Southern). For more than 25 years, he has ministered in Catholic higher education, serving much of it at Barry University in Miami Shores, Florida, where he was a professor of Theology, Chair of the Department of Theology and Philosophy and Associate Dean for Graduate Students in the College of Arts and Sciences.

Job Titles:

• Member of the Board of Trustees
• Member of the Provincial Council of the Dominican Province of St. Albert

A 2016 graduate of the Master of Divinity (MDiv) and MA programs of Aquinas Institute of Theology, Fr. Hyde is a member of the Provincial Council of the Dominican Province of St. Albert the Great. Since 2016 he has served the St. Paul Catholic Center in Bloomington, Indiana, both as Director of Campus Ministry and pastor (beginning in 2019). He also serves the National Eucharistic Revival as a National Eucharistic Preacher. He has served on the board of Aquinas since 2023.

Job Titles:

• Member of the Board of Trustees

A 2006 graduate of the Master of Divinity (MDiv) program at Aquinas Institute, Fr. Merced serves as Prior Provincial of the Dominican Province of St. Martin de Porres, United States. After ordination to the priesthood in 2005, his first assignment was as the Parochial Vicar of St. Anthony of Padua parish in New Orleans, Louisiana (2006-2009). He then became the Parochial Vicar at St. Edward parish in Dallas, Texas (2009-2011). More recently, he served at Holy Ghost parish as Parochial Vicar (2011-2012) and Pastor (2012-2022). He has served on the Aquinas board since July of 2022.

Job Titles:

• Member of the Board of Trustees

A 2017 graduate of Aquinas Institute with an MA in Theology and a Master of Divinity, Fr. Dávila is the Regent of Studies for the Dominican Friars, Province of St. Albert the Great. He is Assistant Professor of Systematic and Historical Theology at Aquinas, and he holds a PhD in Theology from the University of Notre Dame with a focus in Patristics, Medieval Theology, and Systematics. He has served on the Aquinas board since 2023.

Job Titles:

• Member of the Board of Trustees

Regent of Studies for the Dominican Province of St. Martin de Porres and a member of the Provincial Council, Fr. Cavalier has served as the founding Director of the Congar Institute for Ministry Development since 2005, and he is the Doctorate of Ministry Program Director and Associate Professor of Practical Theology at Oblate School of Theology in San Antonio, Texas. He has served on the Aquinas board since July 2022.

Job Titles:

• Member of the Board of Trustees

A 2014 graduate of the MA in Health Care Mission program at Aquinas Institute, George has served in Catholic healthcare for more than 20 years in various Mission Integration Executive roles that have helped deepen ministry identity, advance strategic priorities, and foster an inclusive culture where all may flourish. He is currently the Vice President of Mission Integration for Mercy Southeast Communities. He recently co-chaired Aquinas Institute's 29th Annual Great Preacher Award Committee and has served on the Aquinas board since July 2022.

Job Titles:

• All Things Aquinas Media
• Student Spotlight

Jen was born and raised in St. Louis. Her family was very involved in their parish, Incarnate Word, and both family and faith were highly emphasized in their household. They ate dinner as a family every night, and her mom encouraged her and her siblings to read and be creative. Given this, Jen was a pretty nerdy kid; she was a strict rule follower, and she tried to "be good" because "Jesus wanted [her] to be good." Jen attended St. Joseph's Academy and met a fantastic group of girls, many of whom she still calls her closest friends. She attended her church youth group but did not feel intellectually filled. She always understood and experienced "heart" in her faith but wanted more of the "brain" aspect. She attended Saint Louis University (SLU) for her undergraduate degrees and received two Bachelor of Arts degrees, one in theology and another in theatre performance. While she was in college, the attacks of 9/11 occurred. The entire country was distraught and had no idea what to do or how to process this event. SLU held a prayer vigil, and the choir director at College Church asked if she would cantor for this vigil. This was the first time that Jen ever sang at College Church, and she has been singing there ever since. "I've never seen College Church so full. There was an ocean of people, and I had to step over people to get to the cantor stand. As I was singing, I had a moment where I felt that I was lifted out of my body, and I felt the Spirit tell me, ‘This is for you; this is your skill.' That's something I've never doubted since then." Upon graduating, Jen had no plan. She studied two things that she loved but didn't necessarily have a mentor who helped her figure out a path forward. All she knew was that she loved both theatre and her faith and had no idea how she would live this out. Jen worked at Starbucks for two years after receiving her undergraduate degree. She had an education and skills but didn't have direction, only a sense of clarity of purpose. Trading Starbucks for Shakespeare, Jen toured with a Shakespeare touring company for a year-and-a-half. It was during this time that she realized she missed engaging people through some sort of ministry, and she accepted a job as campus minister at Visitation Academy. Regarding this shift, Jen shared, "Stories are critical. The stories we tell of who we are as individuals, who we are as a human people, and who Christ is matter. In acting, I embody a person. I may not be this person, but I understand some parts of this person. As a minister, I help people connect their story to Christ's." While working at Visitation, she met her now-husband on a blind date, and they married two years later. After some time, Jen felt she was being called to something else. She took this opportunity to explore the idea of graduate school. Her husband, Terry, had a few friends who attended Aquinas Institute, and she wanted a program that would allow her to explore scripture - and the stories found within - in a deep way. Jen loved her scripture classes, and she loved her classmates! Jen shared a moment in her time as a Master of Arts student at Aquinas that genuinely touched her: "Halfway through one semester, Br. James Peter [now Fr. James Peter] stopped me and said, ‘When I entered the Dominican order, I was confused as to why they train us with lay people, and then I met you, and I realized why.'" Jen continued her story, saying, "Dominicans don't train their people like other seminaries do. There's a reason the Dominican order isn't dying. It's because they've made it a point to train men in a school that works how the world works." After graduating, Jen served as a middle school religion teacher at the Academy of the Sacred Heart in St. Charles. She initially thought she would hate teaching middle school but quickly learned that she loves how middle schoolers' brains work! Five years ago, Jen began her work as a Campus Minister at Washington University's Catholic Student Center, and she loves it! She works with graduate students and young adults. Jen runs Upper Room, an undergraduate formation program for students who have an active faith life but want to learn more about the church's intellectual tradition. She also runs an intergenerational book club. She spends most of her days walking with her students on one of their faith journeys, drinking coffee, and helping students figure out what's next for them. She's been married for twelve years and has four chickens, two dogs, and one adorable and hilarious baby boy. Jen is still very involved in the theatre world and works part-time at the CSC to be a mom and be involved in theatre. She performs in three to four shows annually, and you can frequently catch her serving as a cantor at various parishes and events. (She will be joining us for Aquinas' Commencement services). Jen said, "God making me an artist is the best thing he could've made me. It's the vehicle in which I speak about him without knowing I'm speaking about him or having to try." When asked about Aquinas Institute's impact on her, Jen shared, "Being the only female in many of my classes made me more feminist in my theology. Not because that's what I was being taught, but because I was the only woman in many of my classes. I realized, ‘Wow, my voice does need to be heard.' I started to see more of the inequity and disparity in the church and the world."

Job Titles:

• Member of the Board of Trustees
• Senior Advisor

Jennie Weiss Block, OP Member, Board of Trustees A Dominican laywoman and a practical theologian, Dr. Block is a Senior Advisor on Health and Policy at Partners in Health and is the author of Copious Hosting: A Theology of Access for People with Disabilities and Paul Farmer: Servant to the Poor. She resides in Miami, Florida. She has served on the Aquinas board since 2015.

Job Titles:

• Student Spotlight

JoAnn is a Doctor of Ministry in Preaching student but started her career as an attorney. Attorney to Preacher…now that's a story! JoAnn was born in Mississippi and was adopted at four days old. She was raised by a Methodist father and a Baptist mother. When she was six years old, JoAnn's father passed away. After that, church wasn't a part of life for her or her mother. Yet, somehow, she always ended up at church. Neighbors, extended family members, and friends always offered to take her to church and ensure that faith remained a part of her life. At the age of 11, she was baptized in a small rural Baptist church. When explaining that she was adopted, JoAnn's parents told her that "a very nice attorney" helped them adopt her. With that, JoAnn decided that she would be an attorney. She attended college at Louisiana State University (LSU) in Baton Rouge, LA, where she was introduced to and fell in love with the Catholic Church. She converted to Catholicism just a month before she graduated from college. JoAnn attended law school at Mississippi College, where she met her husband! At orientation, the dean told the students to look to the person on their left and right and that one wouldn't be there at the end of the semester. Little did she know that her future husband was the person to her left. The two graduated from law school three years later and married the following year. After law school, JoAnn and her husband Todd moved to Natchez, MS, and began to practice law together. JoAnn practiced law for about ten years before she felt the Lord calling her in a different and very unexpected direction. In 2005, a friend shared with her a brochure about the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd (CGS). The two decided to begin training to be Level 1 catechists, driving three hours each week for the training. They started a CGS program at their home parish, and JoAnn became a CGS catechist in Levels 1-3. While JoAnn was still practicing law and her oldest son was in first grade, he brought home from school a coloring page explaining that the bread and wine were a symbol of Christ's Body and Blood. With that, she knew that she had to do something. She approached her pastor about starting an atrium at the school. With his support, she began a CGS atrium at Cathedral Elementary School the following year, where she was a catechist for ten years. When asked about the transition from law to teaching, JoAnn said, "I continue to use the public speaking and communication skills that I learned while practicing law - even the negotiation skills! Being able to tell a story well is an important part of being an attorney, teaching, and preaching." When a teaching position became available in the high school theology department, the school approached JoAnn about moving from the elementary to the high school. JoAnn accepted the position, but it required a master's degree. She began the Master of Arts in Pastoral Studies - Catechesis of the Good Shepherd (MAPS-CGS) program at Aquinas as she began her new teaching position. Near the completion of the program, two of her professors, Dr. Ann Garrido and Dr. Carolyn Wright, asked the cohort members what other topics they may like to explore, and JoAnn said preaching. They set up an opportunity for her to preach at vespers during the cohort's in-person session, and as JoAnn says, "I was hooked!" Her professors encouraged her to apply for the Doctor of Ministry in Preaching program, and JoAnn eagerly stepped up to the challenge! "I never imagined I'd be Catholic, that I'd be teaching anywhere, let alone a Catholic School, and I certainly didn't expect to study theology or preaching. God continues to work in my life, and I am confident that the Holy Spirit will lead me to use my gifts for my good and that of others." JoAnn joined the Doctor of Ministry in Preaching program in the 2022 cohort, something that she could have never imagined. She and her cohort members recently attended their last in-person intensive at Aquinas and are beginning to work on their thesis projects. JoAnn has four living children and one child who is with the Lord. They, along with her students and other various ministries, keep her very busy. "It's a lot to find study time and to be away for a week each semester. I am thankful for my family, friends, and co-workers who make my doctoral studies possible. It is such a luxury to have the intensive weeks to be with my cohort and to focus entirely on this work." JoAnn currently holds the titles of Theology Instructor and Theology Department Chairperson at Cathedral Catholic School in Natchez, Mississippi. She teaches Catholic morality, Theology of the Body, and Catholic Social Teaching and is the peer ministry coordinator for the school. People are often puzzled when JoAnn tells them she is working towards a Doctor of Ministry in Preaching as a woman in the church. JoAnn hopes to preach more and show others that women have an essential role in the church's preaching ministry. She is focusing her thesis project on preaching in Catholic education. Some of her motivating questions are: "How do we truly use preaching in Catholic education to minister to the whole child? How might preaching enable students to embody the Gospel, and what is the role of imagination in this process?" JoAnn has had quite a journey to come to where she is today. She inspires many and works to shape the future of Catholic education and catechesis. Pray for her as she works towards completing her dissertation and for her future ministry. Regarding her journey, she shared, "It hasn't been a straight path, and, at times, it's been quite difficult, but I am certain that, all along, God is weaving together something beautiful."

Job Titles:

• Instructor for Preaching the Bible Skip to Main Content

Juan Escarfuller was born and raised in the Dominican Republic until his family immigrated to New Orleans at age seven. Inspired by Catholic social teaching, he is committed to do justice work with immigrants and their US-born, Spanglish-speaking children. At Fe y Vida, Juan currently serves as Executive Director and ministers to train the next generation of Latinos to lead in the church and society. He does this by creating an interactive space for jóvenes to stand up, speak up, challenge assumptions - hacer lío - test new things, make mistakes, learn, contribute, and discern vocation and purpose on the way to heaven. To this work he brings experience and passion for the universe of diverse Catholic spiritual traditions and practices, Latino youth human and leadership development, dismantling racism, and biblical lay preaching naming God's grace here and now in the lives of young people and their immigrant families.

Job Titles:

• Member of the Board of Trustees

Kathy Sommers is a graduate of Santa Clara University and holds the Masrer's of Physical Therapy from Washington University. She has had a career as a physical therapist centered on pregnant and birthing women. A familiar face at Aquinas Institute, Kathy regularly audits classes in Aquinas's residential programs. She is a volunteer active in Catholic organizations throughout the region, among them the Campion program at Saint Louis University, the Lourdes Bernadette's women's association, and Washington University's Newman Center, where she received the 2023 Newman Award of Service with her husband, Dr. Tom Sommers. Kathy and her husband have six children.

Job Titles:

• Member of the Board of Trustees

A Managing Principal of TDK Technologies in St. Louis, a technology consulting firm specializing in custom software development. She is active in the business community, with memberships in Greater St. Louis, Inc. and TechSTL. She has served on the Aquinas board since 2023.

Job Titles:

• System Vice President, Mission & Formation for Common

Kyle Klosterman is System Vice President, Mission & Formation for CommonSpirit Health. In this role, he has responsibility for leading the integration of mission and formation initiatives across the entire organization. His broad professional experience includes roles in education, ministry, and finance. Prior to joining CommonSpirit Health, he served as Vice President, Mission Integration for Mercy. In this role, he had responsibility for formation analytics, as well as coordinating mission integration efforts for Finance, Revenue Management, Quality and Safety and Integrated Marketing across Mercy. His experience in health care also included serving as a community health educator in the School Outreach and Youth Development Department speaking to over 10,000 elementary, middle, and high school students on the topics of emotional intelligence, substance abuse prevention, and school safety for BJC HealthCare, St. Louis, Missouri. Before entering the field of health care, he served as the director of youth ministry for Queen of All Saints church, St. Louis, Missouri. Previous to entering full-time ministry, he supported financial analysis and transformation initiatives at JP Morgan Chase in Columbus, Ohio. He is a member of CHA's Ministry Leadership Formation advisory committee serving as the metrics subcommittee chair. He co-authored Value of Mutual Inculturation for CHA's journal, Health Progress. He presented Maximum Impact Metrics: Bridging Formation with High Operational Performance at the Catholic Health Association Assembly. Recently, he received the Catholic Health Association's Tomorrow's Leaders award that honors dedicated, high-performing individuals who already have demonstrated commitment to advancing the mission of Catholic health care. He serves on Good Shepherd Children and Family Services board of directors, an organization that responds to the call of Jesus by offering maternity care, adoption and foster care services for children and families in St. Louis, Missouri. He is an active member of St. Margaret of Scotland church, St. Louis, and serves as formation advisor to the SMOS Parish Council. He and his wife, Heidi, are advocates for adoption and children in the foster care system by promoting organizations that seek to support and unite children with a forever family.

Job Titles:

• Education

Job Titles:

• Education

Job Titles:

• Coordinator, Enrollment Management

Job Titles:

• Member of the Board of Trustees

A 2014 graduate of the Spiritual Direction program at Aquinas, Steve Givens is a retreat and spiritual director, a widely published writer on issues of faith and spirituality and a retired administrator of Washington University, where he served as Associate Vice Chancellor and Chief of Staff. He serves as Executive Director of Bridges Foundation, which offers the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola in the greater St. Louis region. He has served on the Aquinas board since 2016.

Job Titles:

• Education
• Member of the Anglican

Dr. Clem's research interests include the thought of Thomas Aquinas, the Anglican intellectual tradition, virtue ethics, health care ethics, and the intersection of religion and morality. Before joining the faculty at Aquinas Institute, he was Visiting Assistant Professor of Theology at Valparaiso University. He is a priest in The Episcopal Church. Dr. Clem is a member of the Anglican - Roman Catholic International Commission (ARCIC) and serves on the Board of Trustees of the Anglican Theological Review and The Living Church Foundation.