international c onsultative research (icr) conference

International Consultative Research Conference

International Consultative Research (ICR) Conference Attendee Biographies & Contact Information

Australia Trudy Dantis, PhD Director, Australian Catholic Bishops Conference National Centre for

Pastoral Research

Canberra, Australia

[email protected]

ICR Conference Role: Research Presenter, Day 2

Dr. Trudy Dantis is the Director of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference National Centre for

Pastoral Research (formerly the ACBC Pastoral Research Office). She has a PhD in Pastoral

Studies from the University of Divinity as well as degrees in Community Resource Management

and Social Work. Trudy is the author of two books including, A Handbook for Building Stronger

Parishes (2016) and has co-authored several books and research reports on parish vitality, the

demography of Australian Catholics and aspects of Catholic belief and practice in Australia. She

is lead researcher for the ongoing Plenary Council and has co-authored numerous reports on the

process, including the recent Listen to What the Spirit is Saying: Final Report for the Plenary

Council Phase 1. Trudy has held honorary appointments at the Australian Catholic University and

is currently an Honorary Research Associate of the University of Divinity. She is also Deputy Chair

of the Board of the Christian Research Association.

Cameroon Rev. Sr. Margaret Ajebe-Sone, SST High School Principal; Previous ASEC-CARA Visiting Scholar

[email protected]

Kumba, Cameroon

ICR Conference Roles: Visiting Scholar Panel Presenter, Day 4; Prayer

Rev. Sr. Margaret Mary Ajebe-Sone belongs to the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Therese of

the Child Jesus of Buea, Cameroon. She has a Masters degree in Educational Foundations and

Administration from the university of Buea, Cameroon and a diploma in Spiritual Theology from

ICR Conference Attendee Bios | of 34

mailto:[email protected]



St. Thomas Aquinas Pontifical university Rome. She is currently a High school principal and she is

very interested in the education of the girl child and in the holistic formation of young people who

are the future of the church.

Sr. Margaret is also interested in research. She carried out some studies on school violence,

positive discipline, work as a means of glorifying God and English Language across disciplines in

secondary schools in Fako, Cameroon. In August 2019, she was a visiting scholar at the Center

for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) at Georgetown University in Washington, D,C.

There she had the opportunity to participate in different studies and to improve on her skills in

research. She was also able to carry out a study on generational differences. She has just

completed a study on the vow of obedience. Sr. Margaret’s next study will be on entrants into

religious life for 2020.

Sr. Elizabeth Chiati Ankiambom, SSA, PhD Lecturer at the Catholic University of Cameroon, Bamenda

Bamenda, Cameroon

[email protected]

ICR Conference Role: Discussion Participant, Day 5

Sr. Elizabeth Ankiambom Chiatii is a Bonafide member of the Congregation of the Sisters of St.

Ann, founded in Turin-Rome in 1834. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics, a Master’s

Degree in Economics and a Ph.D. in Management, all obtained from the University of Buea,

Cameroon, West Africa. Sr. Elizabeth is presently pursuing a second Ph.D. in Economics in the

University of Bamenda, Cameroon. Her defense may be scheduled early next year if God

permits. She has a Diploma in Religious Sciences and a Diploma in Music, obtained from the

Istituto Sant’Anna, Rome and Vatican Music Centre, Rome respectively. She has published some

articles in international journals and attended some international conferences in order to facilitate

her substantial contributions to the field of research and community building. She has supervised

a good number of undergraduate and Masters Thesis within the academic field. She has a

passion for the propagation of scientific research.

Sr. Elizabeth is presently teaching in the Catholic University of Cameroon (CATUC) Bamenda in

the Departments of Economics and Management. As a Sister of St Ann, she carries out the

teaching apostolate with diligence, commitment and responsibility. She has experience in the

mentorship activities for most of the university students and graduates. She works in the areas of

Human Resource Management, Environmental and Development Economics to assist the local




community through the City councils to ensure environmental stewardship and sustainability.

She is the Pioneer Principal of two colleges: St Ann’s High School Limbe and Enrichetta

Comprehensive College Mokunda, Limbe-Cameroon. Sr Elizabeth has worked in the teaching

field for a good number of years, within the secondary and higher Institutes of Learning. She

loves working with the youths within the academic and non-academic domains. In addition, she

enjoys integrating and fostering the learning of music to enhance singing in liturgical and

non-liturgical educative settings.

Sr. Rosemary Arrah, HHCJ Principal, Queen of the Rosary College

Mamfe, Cameroon

[email protected]


Sr. Rosemary Oneke Arrah is a religious sister in the congregation of the Handmaids of the Holy

Child Jesus. She received a Bachelor’s degree in Theology/Education and Business Information

Systems from the College of Saint Mary Omaha and holds two Master’s degrees in Special

Education and Educational Leadership from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. She is a

Certified Positive Discipline Trainer for Parenting, Classroom and Early Childhood and

Empowering People in the Workplace. She is also a trainer in The Power of Positive Leadership.

Sr. Rosemary has experiences in literacy and learning, leadership and technology. She is

interested in research in the areas of literacy, special education, leadership and women’s studies.

She has researched and published in the area of special education.

She is passionate to influence others for the common good and promotes non violent discipline

in schools, homes, workplaces, churches, religious communities, and communities through

Positive Discipline, social emotional learning, and Adlerian principles. And for Sr. Rosemary,

Positive Discipline is a daily life experience of creating respectful interactions and connections in

the world. Sr. Rosemary serves as the principal of Queen of the Rosary College Okoyong, a

boarding school for middle and high school girls. Apart from her work as a principal, she

promotes literacy and education in Africa through “Reading Drive for Africa” and positive

education and family empowerment services for Africa. In addition to the core Positive Discipline

certification workshops, she offers training in whole school literacy for schools and school

leadership, as well as workshops for Christian women and youth organizations.




Sr. Joan Mary Kiyveyonge, SUSC PhD Student and Assistant Director and Teacher at the Maryvale Institute

Yaounde, Cameroon

[email protected]


Sr. Joan Mary Kiyveyonge is a Holy Union Sister in Cameroon. She was born on the 23rd of March

1973 in Kumbo North West region of Cameroon and began her journey in the religious family in

1992. She professed temporary vows in 1995 and was sent to work in one of their colleges. She

undertook studies at the Catholic University of Central Africa in Yaoundé, Cameroon and

obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Philosophy and later on in Theology. After a work life as teacher

of English Language, school administrator and servant to persons with special needs at a skill

transfer center, she later earned a Masters Degree in Theology. She has since then served as

Assistant Director and teacher of scripture at the Maryvale Institute, Bamenda as well as in

formation houses while animating several sessions and directing retreats. She is also a grateful

alumnae of the SLDI program, 2015 graduation batch. At the moment she is enrolled in the

Catholic University of Yaoundé as a PhD student in Scripture basing her research on the book of

Judges, particularly the person of Abimelek.

Rev. Fr. Michael Suh Niba, PhD Research Scholar, Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) at Georgetown

University

Bamenda, Cameroon

[email protected]

Fr. Michael holds a Doctorate in Philosophy from the Pontifical Urban University, Rome. He has

taught Systematic Philosophy in the Saint Thomas Aquinas Major Seminary, Bambui, Cameroon;

Catholic University of Bamenda, Cameroon; and some Institutes of Consecrated Life, Cameroon,

between 1994 and 2016. He acted as Head of Department in these institutions. Between 2010

and 2016, he was the pioneer Vice Chancellor of the Catholic University of Cameroon, (CATUC)

Bamenda. His interest in the capacity building especially of the Woman Religious was

instrumental to the introduction of ASEC's SDLI programs in Cameroon. At the moment he is a

Research Scholar at the School of Philosophy and the McLean Center for Studies in Culture and

Values at Catholic University of America as well as the Center for Applied Research in the





Apostolate at Georgetown University. His research interests at the moment include the

challenges the world of the spirits pose to evangelization and using the CARA research method

in African Christianity. Two books on Saint John Paul II will be out this year.

India

Rev. Dr. Mathew Abraham Puthenchirayil, CSsR,

MD Director General, Catholic Health Association of India (CHAI)

Hyderabad, India

[email protected]

Fr. Mathew C.Ss.R, is a Medical Doctor and a Public Health Professional who chose to become a

Catholic Priest in order to serve the larger society with an undivided heart. He has an MBBS

degree and a PG in Community Medicine. As part of his journey to priesthood, he was also

trained in psychology, philosophy, theology and spirituality. He has held leadership positions in

Catholic Healthcare for over a decade, as Health Secretary of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference

of India and currently as the Director General of the Catholic Health Association of India, a

network made up of 90% religious sisters. Currently he holds the position of President of the

Christian Coalition for Health (CCH) and the Chair of LINC Asia, a pan-Asian Disability Inclusive

Network. He is passionate about promoting compassionate, affordable and quality healthcare in

the margins of society, particularly through the contribution of religious sisters.

Rosemary Thomas Consultant – CHAI; Ministry: Healthcare / Vocation Promotion

Secunderabad, India

[email protected]

Rosemary has completed her MBA with a specialization in Human Resources. She worked in the

corporate sector for five years before switching to the nonprofit sector. She has 11 years of

experience in the Catholic Healthcare Network in general management, project implementation,

and HR roles. During this time, she has obtained experience in advising and working with several





women religious congregations and institutions. She played a key role in the Hilton project that

‘enables 45 women religious congregations to revisit, rediscover and reposition their healthcare

ministry’. She is passionate about vocation promotion, highlighting the contributions of sisters,

and the importance of system strengthening in Catholic institutions. At present, Rosemary is

working on a website focused on Vocation Promotion for India; with a social media section that

will demystify Catholic religious life and ministry through the sharing of stories.

Kenya

Doreen Ajiambo Regional Correspondent, Global Sisters Report

Nairobi, Kenya

[email protected]

Doreen Ajiambo is a multi-media journalist based in Nairobi, Kenya. She covers religion, refugees

and politics stories from East Africa and beyond for various outlets in Europe.

Sr. Consolata A. Aloo, FSSA, CPA-K Executive Secretary of the Catholic Scholarship Program for Kenya (CSPK) at Tangaza University; Accountant Nairobi, Kenya [email protected]; [email protected]


Sr. Consolata A. Aloo, who resides in Kenya, is a member of the Franciscan Sisters of St. Anna

(FSSA), a congregation founded in Kenya in 1962. An accountant by profession, Consolata joined

Tangaza University College in 2016 as the Executive Secretary to the Catholic Scholarship

Program for Kenya (CSPK). She coordinates CSPK activities like grant accountability, selection

processes, leadership courses etc. CSPK’s main objective is to develop Catholic leaders. Aloo

doubles up as the Secretary of the University Council since June 2020.

Prior to 2016 Consolata worked for nine years as the financial administrator/project coordinator of

the FSSA, this was after her 11 years in Lwak Girls School as the Bursar. Consolata has immense

experience in financial management, resource mobilization and proposal writing. She developed

the skills in proposal writing through a training by ASEC-SLDI of 2007-2009, finance track. She






occasionally offers facilitative and consultative services to various institutions and individuals in

these areas of her expertise. Consolata has passionately mentored different persons in proposal

writing as she believes that “knowledge acquired is best useful when shared”.

Consolata is a Certified Public Accountant of Kenya (CPA-K) and holds a Bachelor of Commerce

from KCA University and a Master of Commerce degree from Strathmore University. Her Master

thesis focused on “Perception of the effectiveness of fraud prevention and detection techniques

in Kenyan County governments.”

Sr. Hellen Bandiho, STH, PhD Secretary General, Association of Consecrated Women in Eastern and

Central Africa (ACWECA); Previous ASEC-CARA Visiting Scholar

Nairobi, Kenya

[email protected]


Sr. Hellen Anthony Bandiho, STH belongs to the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Therese of the

Child Jesus with its Motherhouse in Bukoba, Tanzania. She is Tanzanian by nationality and

currently she serves as a Secretary General of the Association of Consecrated Women in Eastern

and Central Africa with its headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya. She obtained her MSc (Business) and

MBA from Edgewood College in Madison, WI and her Doctorate in Educational Leadership from

Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, PA. Last year (2019), she spent 6 months with the Center for

Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) at Georgetown University, learning about applied

research in the apostolate. For a long time, Sr. Hellen has been an educator and administrator at

St. Augustine University of Tanzania (SAUT) and a Director of SAUT-Arusha Centre.

Sr. Delvin Chebukwa Mukhwana, DHM Project Manager, Association of Sisterhoods of Kenya (AOSK)

Nairobi, Kenya

[email protected]; [email protected]


Sr. Delvin Mukhwana is a Daughter of the Heart of Mary (DHM). She has a diploma in Social Work

and Community Development, a degree in Development Studies and is an on-going masters

student in Project Planning and Management at the Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA)

awaiting to defend her proposal titled: Child Rights And Protection Programmes and the






Wellbeing of Children in Catholic Sponsored Charitable Care Institutions in Nairobi City County,

Kenya. Presently, she works at the Association of Sisterhoods of Kenya (AOSK) as a Project

Manager for Catholic care of children in Kenya. Previously she also served at the ASOK a

program officer for gender, human rights and environment. Also Delvin serves her congregation

as a local superior of her community and a regional counsellor for East Africa region.

Sr. Ann Kamene Musyoka, ASN Development Coordinator, Assumption Sisters of Nairobi

Nairobi, Kenya

[email protected]


Sr. Ann Kamene Musyoka, ASN is a member of the Religious Institute of the Sisters of the

Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Nairobi, commonly known as the Assumption Sisters of

Nairobi (ASN) which was founded by His Grace, the late John Joseph McCarthy CSSP in Kenya in

1953. She has a bachelor’s degree in Development Studies from the Catholic University of

Eastern Africa (CUEA) and a diploma in Social Work and Community Development from the

Kenya Institute of Social Work and Community Development (KISWCD) in Kenya.

Sr. Ann is presently working at the congregational development office as the development

coordinator. Her roles include resource mobilization, projects design, implementation and

monitoring of congregational projects. She carries out her work with responsibility, commitment

and passion. She has experience in working with the youth, people with special needs and the

elderly. She loves empowering people to overcome the situations that compromise their quality

of life.

Sr. Pasilisa N. Namikoye, LSOSF Executive Secretary, Association of Sisterhoods of Kenya (AOSK) &

Doctoral Student

Nairobi, Kenya

[email protected]

ICR Conference Roles: Research Panel, Day 6

Sr. Pasilisa Namikoye, is a Little Sister of St Francis (LSOSF), Currently AOSK Executive Secretary,

pursuing a Ph.D. in Finance at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT),

awaiting data collection. She has a Master’s Degree in Finance and Investment at KCA





University, a degree in Finance in Business Administration and an advanced Diploma in

Accountancy at St. Augustine University of Tanzania. She has lectured at JKUAT University and

Kibabii University. She published two journal articles in finance and management on women’s

access to micro credit financing and co-authored a journal on Chama default in Bungoma County,

to help the bank on policy formulation and empower women through financing and addressing

the challenges women face in accessing finance. For several years she has been the Project

Manager in the West of Rift Valley Kenya for the LSOSF and has initiated a number of projects.

She is an accomplished team builder with a wide experience in leadership, administration, human

and financial resource management, project management, institutional capacity strengthening

and community mobilization accumulated through the years. She has a great zeal to document

the work of Catholic Sisters, and is currently working on a book, Financial Sustainability for the

Religious.

Sr. Bibiana Ngundo, LSOSF, PhD Lecturer, Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA); Previous

ASEC-CARA Visiting Scholar

Nairobi, Kenya

[email protected]


Sr. Bibiana Ngundo is from Kenya and a member of the Congregation of the Little Sisters of St.

Francis. By profession she is a teacher and currently, lecturer at the Catholic University of

Eastern Africa. Besides teaching, Sr. Bibiana is involved in research both within and outside the

campus. At the university she teaches Culture and Religion as her area of specialization. In her

academic endeavor, she has published several articles and book chapters. In 2017 she had the

opportunity to visit CARA for six months where she learned about Applied Research in the

Apostolate. With this experience, she shares knowledge with SLDI and HESA students studying

under ASEC.




Ann Rita K. Njageh, PhD Educator, Researcher and Skills Coach & Visiting Scholar at St. Mary's

University, Faculty of Education, Humanities and Social Sciences

[email protected]

ICR Conference Role: Research Panel, Day 6

Ann Rita K. Njageh is an educator with over 17 years experience in the university education

sector. Rita worked with the Higher Education for Sisters in Africa (HESA) students at CUEA for

eight years (2012 – 2019) when she served in the Directorate of Academic Linkages in her alma

mater, The Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA). She holds a Bachelor of Education

degree (English and Literature), a Master’s in Educational Research and Evaluation, and a PhD in

the same field, all from CUEA. Rita’s research interests are multidisciplinary and include: Catholic

education, professional development, education for peace, arts and peace building, research and

evaluation, and quality assurance. She has several publications to her name and is a passionate

mentor of undergraduate and graduate students in the conduct of research. Rita is also a

certified Lifeforming Leadership, Growth and Life Coach.

Sr. Agnes Njeri, SSJ, PhD Lecturer, Department Head, and Director for the Centre for Leadership

and Management at Tangaza University College (TUC)

Nairobi, Kenya

[email protected]

Sr. Agnes holds a PhD in Applied Mathematics from the Catholic University of Eastern Africa. She

has over ten years’ experience of teaching at high school as well as in university level. She has

also held different leadership positions in her congregation and in the education sector. Sr.

Agnes belongs to the Sisters of St. Joseph of Mombasa, a local congregation and so she

understands the challenges facing local religious congregations especially in providing education

for their sisters. Currently she serves as the Director for the Centre for Leadership and

Management at Tangaza University College.





Sr. Bernadetta Nzioka, DSH Coordinator of Justice and Peace Commission, Association of SIsterhoods of Kenya (AOSK) Nairobi, Kenya [email protected] ICR Conference Role: Discussion Participant, Day 5

Sr. Bernadetta Nzioka, DSH is of the congregation Daughters of the Sacred Heart (DSH) founded

in Malta in 1903. She has a diploma in Social Work and a bachelor’s degree in Management from

DePaul University Chicago and she is currently pursuing her Masters in Business Administration

(MBA) in Tangaza University in Kenya. Sr. Bernadetta is currently working with the Association of

Sisterhoods of Kenya (AOSK) Justice and Peace Program, championing for human rights, gender

and development issues especially for women and children. She coordinates the Justice and

Peace programs across the country using the AOSK structures to reach out to the marginalized

addressing issues injustice. She has experience in leadership and project management and she

has good experience in working with different projects within her congregation. She is very

passionate in working with and among the poor, supporting them to find the power within them

and uphold their dignity. She believes in upholding the dignity of the human person regardless

of their status.

Lesotho

Sr. Eusebia Matseliso Lerotholi, SCP Manager and Professional Counsellor at Motsekuoa Health Centre and

Director of Andrew Blais Orphanage

Mafeteng, Lesotho

[email protected]


Matseliso was born in Ha-Lefuleri Leribe on 04/04/1977. She belongs to the congregation of the

Handmaids of Christ the Priest. She graduated from St. Michael’s high school in November 1997

and the National University of Lesotho in 2015 with a Bachelor of Arts in pastoral care and

counselling. The African Sisters Education Collaborative awarded her with a certificate in finance

in 2018 from the SLDI program. She is a professional counsellor with a decade of successful





experience in managing a health facility, organizing and conducting team meetings to ensure that

prioritizing of work duties are done appropriately. She is also responsible for overseeing daily

activities of Andrew Blais Orphanage as a director which houses 52 children, as well as ensuring

that administrative records are up to date as a bursar. Another milestone in her life was an

establishment of trade school in 2020. She has received several awards including: the Paul

Harris fellowship for meritorious service; Paul Harris fellow for life; the Thomas Lesaoana Manyeli

memorial award 2015 for best student; and Radio Maria certificate of recognition for overall

performance and leadership in the development of Lesotho for Basotho. Although Matšeliso has

received numerous accolades for her work and achievements over the years, she says her

greatest reward is the long-term professional relationships developed and maintained with

individuals of all backgrounds.

Sr. Aloysia Makoae, SNJM, PhD Lecturer, Lesotho College of Education; Previous ASEC-CARA Visiting

Scholar

Maseru, Lesotho

[email protected]


Dr. Sr. Aloysia Makoae is a sister of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary in Lesotho province. She

graduated at the National University of Lesotho with BAED in English Literature and African

Languages and Literature in 1994. After her graduation she taught at Holy Names High School

for two years and her congregation sent her as one of the pioneers to Mariasdaal High School in

South Africa in 1997 but due to apartheid from the Afrikaners in that school, the sisters came back

after three years. She had an inspiration to do masters in African Languages and Literature in

Botswana University where she graduated in 2004. Afterwards, she became the principal at Abia

High School before she joined the department of African Languages and Literature at the

National University of Lesotho as a Lecturer. Due to the crisis that occurred at the university, she

was admitted at the Lesotho College of Education as a lecturer until today. She pursued a

doctorate in African Languages and Literature with Kwazulu Natal University, South Africa and

graduated in 2016. Apart from being a Lecturer, she is a Councilor to the provincial and works

with committees to empower the sisters in their ministries and communities they serve. Recently

she finished the Visiting Scholar program on applied research run collaboratively by African

Sisters Education Collaborative [ASEC] and Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate

[CARA].




Sr. Theresa Ntsoaki Noko, SCO Manager of Elizabeth Bruyere Old Age Home

[email protected]

Leribe, Lesotho


Sr. Ntsoaki Theresia Noko was born on 26 April 1976 from Roma Hamotanyane district of Maseru.

She is the second born child of Mr Peter Noko and Mrs Alphoncina Noko from a family of children

with two boys and two girls. She attended school at Ha Meshaka Primary School then followed

Secondary School at Paray and finished her High School at Mt. Royal Leribe which was run and

administered by the Sisters of Charity of Ottawa. Sadly she lost both her parents at an early age

and was brought up by her grandmother. Her grandmother’s passion and compassion when

upbringing her, despite poverty, was so admirable and amazing. Moreover her grandmother

implanted in her life the seed of Christian values, to put God first and know that we are nothing or

cannot conquer life challenges if we don’t put our trust in God. Hence she is who she is because

she has never let go of the enthusiastic spirit she inherited from her grandmother.

She is a wholeheartedly devoted Grey Nun of the Sisters of Charity of Ottawa who willingly chose

to serve the most vulnerable people. She would keep the love towards the poor because she

was the product of those who lived their lives to serve. She has acquired the following

qualifications: Certificate in home based care; Certificate in Pre – School; Certificate in Catering;

Certificate in Formation in Religious life and Leadership course; and Administration track of SLDI,

so to make my commitments and dedication fit in the life of those who need most.

Sr. Augustina Limakatso Thokoa, SNJM Administrator of Mazenod High School

Maseru, Lesotho

[email protected]


Sister Augustina Limakatso Thokoa is a South African citizen born August 10, 1966. She is the 3rd

born. She started schooling in 1974 on the farm where she was born. By 12 years, her father

died. She became a baby minder for two years at the age of 16. She joined the Sisters of the

Holy Names of Jesus and Mary [SNJM] in Lesotho in 1990 and took Perpetual Vows in 1999. She

celebrated her Silver Jubilee in 2019. She has been a Provincial Councillor since 2016 to date.





She completed her 'O' level at Holy Names High School and holds a Diploma in Adult Education.

She became an Administrator at Mazenod High School in August 2017 through ASEC-SLDI and is

eager to learn more. She worked at St. Rose Health Centre for 3 years and managed the St.

Angela Home for the Disabled Children for 21 years. She implements what she learnt from

ASEC-SLDI and succeeds enormously. She improved her workplace and mentors sisters and the

teachers who seem interested. She creates time for her Community Life, ministries and her part

time studies, serving with integrity and optimism. She is sociable and has a good sense of

humour.

Mexico

Fr. Luis Fernando Falcó Pliego, MSpS, PhD Director, Proyecto Cruces Misioneros del Espiritu Santo

Mexico City, Mexico

[email protected]


Fr. Luis Fernando Falcó Pliego is Mexican. He is a member of the Missionary of the Holy Spirit

congregation as a priest. He has a BA in Social Sciences from FLACSO Mexico (2004) and a PhD

in Political and Social Sciences at UNAM (2017). His doctoral dissertation is about organizational

process in male religious life in México (1985 – 2010). He was the President at the Instituto de

Filosofía (2004-2013) in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, an inter-institutional initiative of Mexican

religious life for philosophical formation of their candidates. Since 2013 he has been the Director

at Proyecto Cruces MSpS. He coordinated the consulting team for religious life and clergy at

Proyecto Cruces also since 2013. He published a book titled, Contingencia y Llamado Eterno

(2010) on religious life formation issues from a sociological perspective.




Nigeria Rev. Fr. Anthony Igbokwe Amadi, CSSp, PhD University Lecturer; Head of Department at Veritas University: The

Catholic University of Nigeria (VUC)

Abuja, Nigeria

[email protected]; [email protected]

Rev. Fr. Dr. Anthony Igbokwe Amadi, C.S.Sp is a Catholic Religious Missionary Priest. He belongs

to the Congregation of Holy Spirit, Province of Nigeria South-East. After his priestly ordination, he

worked in Zimbabwe and South Africa for twenty-five years. While on mission, he served as the

first district Superior of Zimbabwe. He also served in different capacities both in Zimbabwe and

South Africa as parish priest, teacher, lecturer, university chaplain, diocesan priestly consultor,

diocesan music composers’ chaplain, and poem presenter. In 2014, he took up appointment at

Veritas University, the Catholic University of Nigeria, where he has served as acting chaplain,

acting first dean college of education, deputy dean college of post graduate studies, acting

chairman security committee, and senate member. He is also a member of Catholic Bishops

Conference Education Committee Board, Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria. Currently, he

is the head of department, Religious Studies. He has published two books and the third one

ready for publication is, At Home with the Most Holy Eucharist: Gift and Blessing to Humanity. He

has also published many poems and articles internationally and locally. He holds PhD in

Systematic Theology and MEd in Educational Administration, Policy and Planning. Fr. Amadi is a

seasoned poet who likes a serene and quiet place for reflection, meditation and prayer.

Sr. Oluwaseun Grace Amulejoye, DHS, ACA Associate Chartered Accountant & Vice Provincial Bursar, Daughters of the

Holy Spirit

Osogbo, Nigeria

[email protected]


Sr. Amulejoye Oluwaseun Grace DHS, ACA, is a sister of the Congregation of the Daughters of

the Holy Spirit (DHS) in Southern Nigeria. On the 1st of July, 2019, she began her mandate as the

Vice-Provincial Bursar. Sr. Amulejoye has specialized knowledge of accounting, business

practices, education, administration and youth coordination. She became a member of the






Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria in November, 2019. Prior to her present duty as the

Vice-Provincial Bursar, Sr. Amulejoye served for five years as the School Administrator at Holy

Spirit Catholic Nursery and Primary School, Ilogbo, Ogun State where she was saddled with

school administration, staff and pupils welfare, extracurricular activities, recruiting, staffing and

training. Presently, Sr. Amulejoye is living and working in Osogbo, Osun State of Nigeria.

Sr. Josephine Maria Eke, OLF, PhD Lecturer of English, in Dept of General Studies (GST) at Plateau

State University

Bokkos, Nigeria

[email protected]


Sr. Josephine is a Sister of Our Lady of Fatima Congregation Jos, Nigeria, with Ph.D. English

Education in 2014 from University of Jos. She is a Lecturer of English Language in the General

Studies Department (GST) Plateau State University Bokkos, Nigeria. She has been in education

at various levels: Primary, Secondary and Tertiary since 1979. She has served in various

capacities and committees in the Congregation and the Church, as school principal, financial

administrator and committee chairperson. She is a GST Examination Officer and 200 Level

Students coordinator. She also has passion for prison pastoral care, writing, workshops and

project writing.

Sr. Florence Emurayeveya, EHJ Project Manager, Sisters of the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus; Previous

ASEC-CARA Visiting Scholar

Lagos, Nigeria

[email protected]


Sr. Florence is a religious sister of the institute of the Sisters of the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus,

EHJ in Nigeria. She is based and resides in Lagos, Nigeria. She is the project manager of her

institute, an educationist by profession, an alumnae of the African Sisters Education Collaborative

(ASEC)’s Sisters Leadership Development Initiative (SLDI) and also was a CARA Visiting Scholar.





Sr. Blessing Okpe, SON, PhD Head Teacher, Nativity Private School

Makurdi, Nigeria

[email protected]


Sr. Blessing Aladi Okpe, S.O.N, Ph.D. is of the Sisters of the Nativity (S.O.N) Congregation in North

Central Nigeria. Sr. Blessing has vast experience in Education, Pastoral Counselling, and Women

and Youth Empowerment. She is also a writer. She has published three books, seven journals,

and five articles. She has a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from Sacred Heart University

of Milan, Italy 2011. She received her Ph.D. in 2019 from Nasarawa State University, Keffi Nigeria

after successfully defending her doctoral thesis: Influence of home background on academic

performance of senior secondary schools students in North Central, Nigeria. Sr. Blessing has

been a Religious Instructor for the past 20 years. She is presently the Head Teacher Nativity

Private School. She is also a marriage counsellor in Holy Ghost Parish and St. Camillus

Chaplaincy School of Nursing and Midwifery, Makurdi Benue State, Nigeria.

Sr. Lilian Oranma, SNDdeN Hostel Manager

Abeokuta Ogun State, Nigeria

[email protected]


Oramah Lilian Nkiru was born in Enugu State, Nigeria in the year 1983 to the late Mr. and Mrs.

Patricia Oramah both from Adazi Nnukwu in Anaocha Area, Anambra State. She is the fifth of

eight children of her parents. She attended Union Primary School in Adazi Nnukwu and

proceeded to National Comprehensive Secondary School Awka. On her completion, she was

admitted to study Mass Communication in Federal Polytechnic Oko in 2005 and graduated in

2010 after completing Higher National Diploma. She processed to do her one-year mandatory

National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in Abuja in 2011. Prior to this, Sr. Lilian had always wanted

to serve God in a more pronounced way. Thus, after her NYSC, she was admitted to begin her

religious journey with the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur in Fugar Edo State. She was

professed in the year 2016 after completing all that was required of her. She has taught different

age groups ranging from primary school to secondary school. She has equally worked with both





male and female students in the hostel as hostel manager till date. Presently, Sr. Lilian is working

at Notre Dame Girls’ Hostel, Abeokuta Ogun State. Her hobbies are: singing, photography,

writing, reading, cooking and travelling. She has great strength in making a positive impact in the

life of the people around her and motivating them to be better people.

Poland Fr. Wojciech Sadlon, SAC, PhD Director, Institute for Catholic Church Statistics at Cardinal Stefan

Wyszynski University

Warsaw, Poland

[email protected]


Father Wojciech Sadłoń (born 1983) – a Pallottine, ordained priest in 2009. After the MA degree

in theology, in 2013, at Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University in Warsaw (UKSW) he defended his

PhD dissertation in sociology, discussing the topic of religious social capital. Since 2006 he has

been working at the Institute for Catholic Church Statistics where he conducts research projects,

among all, on the church third sector in Poland.

He is the secretary of the Archangel Michel Social Forum, cooperates with Katholische

Sozialwissenschaftliche Zentralstelle in Mönchengladbach and with Deutches Institut für

Community Organizing in Berlin. He is a member of the European Sociological Association, the

Polish Sociological Association and the European Research Network on Philanthropy. He held

pastoral scholarships in Ukraine and in Moscow. He is also the chaplain of students-residents of

Pallotti-Hostel Dormitory in Warsaw.

Tanzania Sr. Godfrida Mark Marandu, COLU Nurse Educator at Catholic University of Health and Allied Sciences

(CUHAS)

Mwanza, Tanzania

[email protected]


My name is Sr. Gotfrida Mark Marandu of the congregation of Our Lady Sisters of Usambara in

Tanga region in Tanzania. She is a professional and hardworking register nurse with experience





of 18 years, currently she has a Master of Science in nursing education. She enjoys working as a

nurse tutor where she has a wide attribute of skills, experience and knowledge. She is

self-motivated and dedicated to her profession and looking to be an expert in teaching and

learning, curriculum development and research projects.

She pursued her Master of Science in nursing education (MSNED) at Kenya Methodist university

in 2014 after successfully defending her Master’s thesis, Evaluation of Implementation of

E-Learning in Nursing Schools in Tanzania: Case of Open University. Up to date, she is working

at the Catholic University of Health and Allied Sciences (CUHAS) as an Assistant Lecturer and a

coordinator of sisters who are being sponsored by HESA/ASEC. She wishes to continue with a

PhD, where her concept paper deals with, The Effect of a Breast Health Promotion Program on

the Knowledge, Beliefs, Breast Cancer Screening Practices: Prevalence and Clinical Pathological

Pattern of Palpable Breast Lumps Among Nuns of Selected Convents and Surrounding

Community in Lake Zone - Mwanza.

Sr. Deusdedita Lutego Maurilio, CST, PhD Lecturer at St. Augustine University of Tanzania (SAUT)

Mwanza, Tanzania

[email protected]


Sr. Deusdedita Lutego, CST, PhD is a member of the Missionary Sisters of St. Therese of the Child

Jesus Diocese of Iringa- Tanzania. Sr. Lutego has been a full-time lecturer of Mathematics and

QM at SAUT since 2002 in the Faculty of Business Administration. She holds a Ph.D. in

Mathematics from Vechta University-Germany; a master’s degree in Mathematics (MSc) from

Mahatma Gandhi University (MGU) -India; a master’s degree in Business Administration (MBA)

from Uganda Martyrs University - Uganda; and a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics (BSc) from

Mahatma Gandhi University-India. Sr. Lutego works with the National Board of Accountants and

Auditors (NBAA) under the Mathematics section, an accounting professional and regulatory body

operating under the Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs in Tanzania. Sr. Lutego has written

a chapter in the book Transformative Partnerships: Role of Agencies, Foundations, Institutions in

Promoting Strategic Social and Sustainable Change for Women Religious in Africa, edited by Sr

Jane Wakahiu, LSOSF. Sr. Lutego worked as Project Support Assistant (Sister-Coordinator) for

Tanzania project titled “Religious Life for Women in East/Central Africa: A Sustainable Future”




from April 2018 to May 2019. Sr. Lutego has an interest in research related to mathematics and

the challenges facing secondary school teachers while teaching mathematics.

Sr. M. Redemista Makarius Ngonyani, OSB, PhD Lecturer at St. Augustine University of Tanzania (SAUT)

Mwanza, Tanzania

[email protected]


Sr. M. Redemista Makarius Ngonyani, Ph.D is a member of a diocesan Congregation of the

Benedictine Sisters of St. Agnes, Chipole. She received her BA in Religious Studies at St. Martin's

College in Lacey, WA and afterward her Degree of Licentiate in Canon Law at the Catholic

University of Leuven, Belgium, then her Doctorate in Theology with specialization in canon law at

the Catholic University of Eastern Africa in Kenya. Her dissertation was on “The Power of

Governance of the Diocesan Bishop in Relation to Institutes of Consecrated Life, in the Light of

Canon 678 of the 1983 Code: A Case Study in the Catholic Archdiocese of Songea in Tanzania.”

She has taught Canon Law for Religious to the Novices of her congregation, facilitated seminars

on religious life, chaired the committee for the revision of the constitution of her congregation,

assisted in reviewing different religious’ constitutions and was involved in the Historical

Commission for the Beatification process of the Servant of God, Sr. Bernadetha Mbawala OSB.

Since November 2012, she has been lecturing at St. Augustine University of Tanzania in Mwanza.

Apart from the university’s routine, under the guidance of Dr. Catherine Sexton and Dr. Maria

Calderón Muñoz, Sr. Redemista has been involved on the research project entitled “Religious Life

for Women in East and Central Africa: a Sustainable Future” which aimed at searching on the

sisters’ understandings of the essence of religious life for women in East and Central Africa.




Uganda Sr. Lucy Dora Akello, LSMIG, PhD Senior Lecturer at Uganda Martyrs University; Current CARA-ASEC

Visiting Scholar

Kampala, Uganda

[email protected]


Sr. Lucy is a Senior Lecturer at Uganda Martyrs University, Nkozi. She holds a PhD in Pedagogy

(the University of Groningen, The Netherlands), Master of Education (MAK), and Bachelor of

Education (CUEA). She obtained an award of Distinction for the Postgraduate Course in

Research Methods and Writing Skills (CBR). She is a founding member of the Ugandan

Universities Quality Assurance Forum. She served as General Secretary to Uganda Universities

Quality Assurance Network (UUQAF) and East African Quality Assurance Network (EAQAN).

Currently, she is engaged in teaching, research and community engagement. She has done

research on literacy and has published. At the moment she is involved in two child-focused

research projects in Uganda on children’s stories and child labour. She has participated in a

number of workshops and conferences at national, regional, and international levels.

Sr. Lydia Apili Bwor, LSMIG Secretary General, Association of Religious in Uganda (ARU)

Kampala, Uganda

[email protected]

Sr. Mary Lydia Apili Bwor, LSMIG, is the Secretary-General for the Association of the Religious in

Uganda (ARU). She is a teacher by profession, with a certificate and a diploma in education from

Kyambogo University in Uganda, a bachelor’s degree in education from the Catholic University of

Eastern Africa in Kenya and she is pursuing a Master’s Degree in Education from the Catholic

University of Eastern Africa in Kenya.

Sr. Lydia served in her previous community as Superior and Vocations’ Animator. She has

worked mainly with pupils and the youth for 22 years. She served as head teacher for 11 years

and served as inspector of Schools for Kwania District Local Government in 2018. Sr. Lydia has a






diploma in Advanced Educational Management from Uganda Martyrs University in Uganda. She

also has a certificate in Administrative Law from the Law Development Centre in Uganda.

Sr. Mary Lilly Driciru, MSMMC Communication Coordinator at the Association of Religious in Uganda

(ARU) Secretariat

Kampala, Uganda

[email protected]

Sr. Mary Lilly is a member of the Missionary Sisters of Mary Mother of the Church (MSMMC) in

Uganda. She holds a Master’s Degree in Social/Mass Communication from the Pontifical

Gregorian University-Rome. Sr. Mary Lilly is a passionate pastoral communicator and journalist

with a field experience of 26 years. Currently, she serves in the Secretariat of the Association of

the Religious in Uganda (ARU) as Communications Coordinator and Vice Chairperson for the

Committee of JPIC. She is also a Social Justice Advocate for preventing and responding to

Trafficking in Persons (TIP) and Gender Based Violence (GBV).

Sr. Specioza Kabahuma, DST Assistant Secretary General, Association of Religious in Uganda (ARU)

Kampala, Uganda

[email protected]

Sr. Specioza is a Catholic religious sister, from the Institute of the Daughters of St. Therese of the

Child Jesus with a Mother House in Fort Portal Diocese, Uganda. She is a Social Worker but

specifically a Development Animator (Rural Development and Human Rights Specialist). Specioza

holds a BA (with Honors) and an MA in Ethics and Development Studies from the Catholic

University of Uganda Martyrs. She has a background of religious studies and theology, research,

rural sociology and African anthropology. Sr. Specioza worked with the Uganda Episcopal

Conference (UEC) as National Executive Secretary for the Commission for Justice and Peace,

from April 1997 to November 2010, responsible for research and the production of Pastoral letters

of the Bishops on different issues in the country. She also served as Superior General of her

Institute from 2010 – 2016. Currently she is serving as Assistant Secretary General at the

Association of Religious in Uganda.





United Kingdom Catherine Sexton, PhD Assistant Professor (Research), Centre for Catholic Studies, University of

Durham

Durham, England

[email protected]

ICR Conference Roles: Research Presenter, Day 1; Research Panel Day 6

Catherine is Assistant Professor (Research) at the Centre for Catholic Studies (CCS), Durham

University, England and a Senior Research Fellow at the Margaret Beaufort Institute of Theology

(MBIT) in Cambridge. She has a professional background in international development. She

gained her PhD (2018) for researching theologies of ministry among older R.C. sisters in the UK.

Catherine was lead researcher and then Director on two projects funded by the Conrad N. Hilton

Foundation: a 2- year project investigating vitality in women’s religious congregations in the UK

and Ireland and ‘Religious Life Africa: A sustainable future’. Both have been undertaken

collaboratively between MBIT and the CCS at Durham. She has also worked for and alongside

religious congregations internationally as a freelance consultant and researcher, advising 19

congregations of Dominican sisters in the US and Africa on their ‘Futuring our Charism’ project,

and working with GHR Foundation, ZAS Zambia, and the UISG to produce Sowing Bountifully in

2016.

United States Sr. Thu T. Do, LHC, PhD Research Associate, Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA)

at Georgetown University

Washington, DC, USA

[email protected]

ICR Conference Roles: Research Presenter, Day 2; Zoom Facilitator

Sister Thu T. Do, LHC, Ph.D. is a research associate at Georgetown University Center for Applied

Research in the Apostolate. She holds a Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration from Saint

Louis University, an M.A. in Higher Education from Boston College, and an M.B.A. from Spring

College.





Sr. Mary Cecilia Draru, LSMIG, PhD Executive Director, African Sisters Education Collaborative (ASEC)

Scranton, PA, USA

[email protected]

ICR Conference Roles: Planning Committee Chair, Presenter, & Moderator

Sr. Draru Mary Cecilia, LSMIG, PhD is of the congregation Little Sisters of

Mary Immaculate of Gulu (LSMIG) in Northern Uganda and began her role as ASEC Executive

Director in November 2017. Sr. Draru has vast experience on gender, education, and sustainable

development in Africa. She received her Ph.D. in September, 2017 from Radboud University in

Nijmegen, Holland after successfully defending her doctoral thesis, Education Pathways:

Narratives of Female Academics and Administrators. Prior to her role as ASEC Executive

Director, Sr. Draru spent 15 years serving at ASEC’s HESA partner institution, Uganda Martyrs

University (UMU). Her most recent role at UMU was Dean of Students, where she was

responsible for student welfare, student extracurricular activities, and managing alumnae

relations.

Fr. Thomas Gaunt, SJ, PhD Executive Director, Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA)

at Georgetown University

Washington, DC, USA

[email protected]

ICR Conference Roles: Director, Planning Committee Chair, Presenter, &

Moderator

Father Thomas Gaunt, S.J. currently serves as the Executive Director of the Center for Applied

Research in the Apostolate, a position he has held since January 2011. Prior to coming to CARA,

Father Gaunt has served in Jesuit governance as the Socius/Executive Secretary of the Jesuit

Conference-USA for nine years and the Formation and Studies Director of the Maryland and New

York Jesuit Provinces for seven years. After ordination, he spent ten years as a pastor and as

Director of Planning and Research in the Diocese of Charlotte.

Father Gaunt entered the Society of Jesus in 1971, earned a BA in Philosophy from St. Louis

University in 1976. He received an STB from the Bellarmine School of Theology in Chicago and a

Masters of Divinity from Loyola University in Chicago in 1981. Father Gaunt later went on to





complete a Masters in Public Administration (1985) and a Ph.D. (1994) in City and Regional

Planning, both from the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill.

Mary L. Gautier, PhD Retired Senior Research Associate, Center for Applied Research in the

Apostolate (CARA) at Georgetown University

Mobile, Alabama, USA

[email protected]

Mary L. Gautier (PhD Sociology, Louisiana State University) retired in 2019 as senior research

associate at CARA, the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown University,

a position she held for 21 years. Before coming to CARA in 1998, Mary taught sociology at

Louisiana State University and at Texas Christian University and served as a lay pastoral

associate in Baton Rouge, Louisiana for six years. At CARA, Mary specialized in Catholic

demographic trends in the United States, managed CARA databases, and conducted

demographic projects and computer-aided mapping. She also edited The CARA Report, a

quarterly research publication, and other CARA publications. She is co-author of twelve books on

Catholicism in the United States, most recently Migration for Mission: International Catholic

Sisters in the United States. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for Liturgical Press

and for ASEC, the African Sisters Education Collaborative.

Felice Goodwin Lead for Communications and Development, Center for Applied Research

in the Apostolate (CARA) at Georgetown University

Washington, DC, USA

[email protected]

Felice Goodwin joined CARA in 2011 to assist in marketing and development. She manages two

annual appeals a year. She writes and designs the annual report for one and a summer letter for

the other. Each fall she oversees an annual award ceremony given to a person who has

contributed to exemplary Church research. She markets the CARA Report, The Catholic Ministry

Formation Directory and the Parish Life Survey program with direct mailings. In her spare time,

Felice also assists in research projects by analyzing data and writing reports.

She assists the African Visiting Scholars with visa paperwork and Georgetown orientation. She

manages the interns’ schedule, maintains a donor and client database, answers the phones,





purchases office supplies and manages large mailings. Felice earned a B.S. in Business with a

concentration in Marketing from Towson State University. She is married and has four daughters

that are always testing her.

Sr. Mary Johnson, SNDdeN, PhD Distinguished Professor of Sociology and Religious Studies at Trinity

Washington University

Washington, D.C., USA

[email protected]


Sister Mary Johnson is a Sister of Notre Dame de Namur and Distinguished Professor of

Sociology and Religious Studies at Trinity Washington University in Washington, D.C. At Trinity,

she is also co-director of the Billiart Center for Social Justice. Previously she was on the faculty of

Emmanuel College in Boston. She holds Research Associate status at the Center for Applied

Research in the Apostolate (CARA) at Georgetown University.

Sister Mary holds an MA and PhD in Sociology from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst,

and a BA from Emmanuel College. She speaks nationally and internationally on issues related to

Catholicism, religious life, and the Catholic Social Tradition. She has authored numerous articles

and book chapters, and has co-authored three books: Young Adult Catholics: Religion in a

Culture of Choice (University of Notre Dame Press, 2001), New Generations of Catholic Sisters:

The Challenge of Diversity (Oxford University Press, 2014) and Migration for Mission:

International Catholic Sisters in the United States (Oxford University Press, 2019). She is

co-editor of Solidarity Toward the Common Good: Women Engaging the Catholic Social

Tradition, forthcoming from Paulist Press. Sister Mary is a member of the Catholic Common

Ground Initiative.




Sr. Kevin Karimi, LSOSF, PhD Researcher- Program Evaluation, African Sisters Education Collaborative

(ASEC)

Scranton, PA, USA

[email protected]

ICR Conference Roles: Planning Committee Member; Research Presenter,

Day 2

Sr. Kevin is originally from Kenya. She joined religious life in 1993, serving to-date in various

capacities from administrative roles to director of various programs; e.g. rehabilitation and

reunification of at risk and homeless children in Nairobi. She also served in programs for

internationally displaced persons (IDPs) in Nairobi during and after the post-election violence in

Kenya through the collaboration of FFA-Kenya, JPIC-Franciscans Africa, and Damietta Peace

Initiative. Additionally she served as Diocesan Director of the Pontifical Missions Societies for the

Catholic Diocese of Bungoma. She initiated and fundraised for the current construction of

Bungoma Cathedral through “A Friends the Church initiative.” She obtained her BA and MA from

the University of Nairobi Kenya and a Diploma in Peace Studies from CUEA. She earned a MSW

(2017) and PhD in Strategic Leadership and Administrative Studies from Marywood University

(2020) in Scranton, PA in the United States. Sr. Kevin’s passion is in Research and Advocacy for

the under-served to provide evidence-based practice for a better world.

Tara Lopatofsky, PhD, CCLS Program Manager- Monitoring & Evaluation, African Sisters Education

Collaborative (ASEC)

Scranton, PA, USA

[email protected]

ICR Conference Roles: Planning Committee Member; ASEC Presenter, Day

4

Dr. Tara Lopatofsky earned her doctorate in Administration and Leadership with an emphasis in

Health Promotion from Marywood University in Scranton, PA. Her dissertation was entitled The

Perceived Impact of Post-Secondary Education on Kenyan Catholic Sisters’ Understanding of

Their Lives as Women Religious: A Case Study. She also holds a Master’s Degree in Education

and a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Human Development, both from Arizona State University.

Dr. Lopatofsky has extensive experience working with children as an educator, social worker and





healthcare professional. She is both a Certified Child Life Specialist (CCLS) and a certified

primary, secondary and special education instructor. Currently, Dr. Lopatofsky is a program

manager in the monitoring and evaluation unit at ASEC, a position she has held for 3 years. As a

program manager, she works to collect, interpret and report data from all 10 countries in which

ASEC operates and also manages ASEC’s Research Initiative.

Sr. Joyce Meyer, PBVM International Liaison for Women Religious, Global Sisters Report

[email protected]

Joyce Meyer, PBVM, is a Sister of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary and served as

executive director of the Conrad N. Hilton Fund for Sisters, a grant-making organization

supporting the works of Catholic sisters globally, from 1999 through October 2011. She worked

for five years as a missionary in Zambia, where she taught English at a secretarial college and

served as executive director for the Zambia Association of Sisterhoods, the national conference

of women religious. She is on the boards of the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, Medicines for

Humanity and the International Foundation of the Good Shepherd Sisters and has served as

international liaison to women religious for Global Sisters Report since January 2014.

Angelique Motumbo Senior Program Officer- Catholic Sisters Initiative, Conrad N. Hilton

Foundation

Agoura Hills, CA, USA

[email protected]

ICR Conference Roles: Hilton Foundation Presenter, Days 5 & 6

Angelique “Cindy” Mutombo is the Senior Program Officer, Catholic Sisters Initiative (Africa). In

this position, Mutombo plays an important role in helping the Conrad N. Foundation grow and

develop its grantmaking in key priority areas of the Catholic Sisters Strategic Initiative, with a

focus on global Catholic sisters, including international and human development issues in Africa.

Mutombo most recently worked as a program manager for economic and social justice at the

Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa, based in the Democratic Republic of Congo. She has

worked on international education, monitoring and evaluation, and policy projects. Mutombo has





over 15 years of experience working on issues of inclusive education, informal traders, food

security and women’s rights, using a creative activist approach. She has a master’s degree in

urban and environmental planning from Tufts University in Massachusetts and a bachelor’s

degree in earth science from Central State University in Wilberforce, Ohio.

Jennifer Mudge Senior Program Manager, Monitoring & Evaluation, African Sisters

Education Collaborative (ASEC)

Scranton, PA, USA

[email protected]

ICR Conference Role: Planning Committee Member

Jen is a Licensed Social Worker with a master’s degree in Social Work from Marywood University

and a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the Pennsylvania State University. Through over ten

years of crisis response and advocacy work with domestic and sexual violence survivors,

combined with experience in youth- and women-led international development efforts, she

cultivated a passion for working collaboratively with women and communities. In addition, her

experiences working in rural Uganda influenced her belief in partnerships and education as

powerful tools in creating change. While conducting her graduate research on sexual assault in

the university setting, it became increasingly evident that evaluating programs and policies is an

essential component of social justice-oriented work. Inspired by ASEC’s mission, she strives to

utilize evaluation findings to continually improve ASEC programs and highlight program

outcomes that not only speak to sisters’ individual achievements, but their contributions to their

congregations and to the social and economic development of communities in sub-Saharan

Africa. She is a co-author of a book chapter titled, “Promoting social justice in Africa through the

education and training of Catholic sisters”, published in the Handbook on Promoting Social

Justice in Education. She has also presented at numerous conferences within the U.S. and Africa

about ASEC’s programs and the positive impact of Catholic sisters in Africa.




James Sullivan, AIA Dean, College of Professional Studies, Marywood University

Scranton, PA, USA

[email protected]

Mr. Sullivan is currently Dean of the College of Professional Studies at Marywood University,

where he has held an appointment since 2015. Before joining Marywood, he taught architecture

and interior design at Louisiana State University where he also served in several administrative

roles. Mr. Sullivan is a licensed architect and practiced in New York City before entering higher

education. His undergraduate degree is in Environmental Design from Miami University (Ohio),

and his graduate degree is in Architecture from the University of Pennsylvania.

Sonja Uwimana Program Officer - Catholic Sisters Initiative, Conrad N. Hilton Foundation


[email protected]


Sonja Uwimana coordinates grantmaking activities for the program department of the Conrad N.

Hilton Foundation. Uwimana monitors current grants and supports the development, review and

presentation of grant proposals related to the Catholic Sisters Initiative. Prior to joining the Hilton

Foundation, Uwimana served as Sudan country manager for Saferworld, based in Kampala,

Uganda. Uwimana also previously worked for the National Endowment for Democracy, where

she managed a grant portfolio of civil society development programs in Sudan, South Sudan,

Ethiopia, Rwanda and Burundi. She is a former Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar to the University of

KwaZulu-Natal in Durban, South African, and holds a master’s degree in international affairs from

the New School, and a bachelor’s degree in international relations from Pomona College.





Sr. Jane Wakahiu, LSOSF, PhD Associate Vice President of Program Operations and Head of Catholic

Sisters Initiative at the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation


[email protected]


Sister Jane Wakahiu, LSOSF, Ph.D., is a member of the institute of the Little Sisters of Saint

Francis, Kenya. Wakahiu provides leadership and direction of the Hilton Foundation’s program

department operations budget, contracts, consultant management and policy implementation.

She also oversees the planning, development, implementation and evaluation of the Catholic

Sisters Initiative. Responsibilities include advancing the vitality of congregations of women

religious globally, enhancing global capacity-building, and enabling sisters to contribute more

profoundly to sustainable human development, as well as to enhance the effectiveness of

Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. She also contributes to the Foundation’s

strategic planning. In her previous role, Wakahiu led the Foundation’s grantmaking program

department in an interim capacity.

Prior to joining the Foundation, Wakahiu was the executive director of the African Sisters

Education Collaborative (ASEC), where she implemented many programs by working closely with

leadership conferences, major superiors, religious congregations and institutes, twenty-three

partner colleges and universities in the United States and Africa, and major foundations. Wakahiu

has extensively taught at the undergraduate and graduate level, and has a breadth of teaching

and administrative experience from leading a high school in Kenya and as a leader of women’s

organizations. An accomplished author and editor of two books, Wakahiu serves as a

contributing writer for the Global Sisters Report and her peer-reviewed articles have been

published in national and international journals. Wakahiu holds a Ph.D. in human development

from Marywood University, a Master of Arts degree from Saint Bonaventure University, and a

Bachelor of Education from the Catholic University of Eastern Africa.




Jonathan L. Wiggins, PhD Director of CARA Parish Surveys and Research Associate, Center for

Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) at Georgetown University

Washington, DC, USA

[email protected]

ICR Conference Role: CARA Presenter, Day 4

Dr. Jonathon (Jon) Wiggins works most directly with the Visiting Scholars – Religious Sisters from

various countries on the African continent who come to CARA at Georgetown University for a

six-month mentoring program. As such, he has collaborated with the Visiting Scholars on studies

in both the United States and in their home countries. Jon attended St. Meinrad College and

graduated from Purdue University with degrees in psychology and social studies education. At

Purdue, he served the university parish as liturgy committee chair and as a Mass coordinator.

Jon earned his M.A. and Ph.D. in sociology at Loyola University of Chicago, where his dissertation

was a sociological analysis of contemporary Marian devotion in the U.S. Catholic Church. He

joined CARA in January 2000 as the Director of CARA’s Parish Surveys. These studies are a tool

that parishes and other pastoral ministries can use to evaluate the adequacy of their services,

identify the needs and concerns of those they serve, and plan for the future direction of their

organizations. Jon has co-authored two books about Catholic parishes and deacons. He also

served as a Catholic chaplain-in-residence in a residence hall at Georgetown University from

2003 to 2008.

Zambia

Sr. Charity Bbalo, RSHS Deputy Head Teacher, St. Joseph’s Secondary School

Monze, Zambia

[email protected]


Charity Bbalo is a Religious Sister of the Holy Spirit. She is the Deputy Head Teacher at St.

Joseph’s Secondary School in Monze Diocese, Zambia. She studied at the University of Zambia

and obtained a Bachelor of Arts with Education in English and Religious Studies. She studied for

her Master of Arts degree in Multicultural and International Education at Oslo University College,





Norway. Charity’s research interests include literacy in second language learning and religious

life as well as cross-cutting issues such as HIV/AIDS and climate change.

Sr. Joan Chisala, CSJB Programs Coordinator-Zambia, African Sisters Education Collaborative

(ASEC); Previous ASEC-CARA Visiting Scholar

Lusaka, Zambia

[email protected]


As ASEC Programs Coordinator, Sr. Joan Chisala is both diligent in her work and committed to

the apostolate. She joined ASEC last year in 2019 after many years of serving as a Religious in

the Congregation of the Sisters of St. John The Baptist. With 31 years of experience as a

Religious Sister, Sr. Joan's main area of practice is teaching with specialization in children's

welfare as a Primary School teacher. She holds a Bachelor's Degree in Primary Teaching and she

is so efficient at her job that she considers herself a promoter and evangelizer. Apart from being

a teacher, Sr. Joan is a third ASEC Visiting Scholar and a beneficiary through a grant awarded by

Conrad N. Hilton Foundation. Through her research skills obtained from CARA, Sr. Joan has

developed a passionate interest in research and has therefore formed a group of six Sisters from

different congregations who are alumnae of ASEC’s Sisters Leadership Development Initiative

(SLDI) program and have passion for research too to work with in promoting research in Zambia.

Sr. Joan's dream is to engage influential policy makers and thought leaders in educating the

women religious in Zambia more on social entrepreneurship.

Sr. Helen Kasaka, LSMI Executive Assistant and Communications Officer for Little Sisters of Mary

Immaculate, St. Charles Lwanga Province

Lusaka, Zambia

[email protected]


Sr. Helen belongs to the family of the Little Servants of Mary Immaculate Sisters, an international

Congregation founded in Poland by a layman, called Edmund Bojanowski. She has a degree in

Mass Communications and a minor in Psychology from the University of Zambia. After her

completion in 2007, she was sent to work with the Episcopal Conference of Malawi as National





Communications Secretary/Director. In 2013, she took part as Assistant Researcher on a

research carried out by the Association of Consecrated Women in East and Central Africa

(ACWECA) to explore the impact of African beliefs and practices on the formation and life of

Religious Women in Eastern and Central Africa. In 2018, she completed her training in the Sisters

Leadership Development Initiative (SLDI) Administration Program at Kalundu International Study

Centre, Zambia. In 2017 to 2019, she participated in a research project exploring the vitality and

sustainability of religious life for women in East and Central Africa, ACWECA, which was

conducted by the Centre for Catholic Studies at Durham University and the Religious Institute and

Margaret Beaufort Institute of Theology, Cambridge.

Sr. Estella Kasonde, DOR Deputy Head Teacher, Ibenga Girls Secondary School

Mpongwe, Zambia

[email protected]


Sr. Estella belongs to the Daughters of the Redeemer, a Diocesan Congregation in the

Archdiocese of Lusaka, Zambia. She is currently the Deputy Head Teacher at Ibenga Girls

Secondary School in Mpongwe, on the Copperbelt. She holds a Bachelor of Arts with Education

(English Language) and a Master of Education (Literacy and Learning) from the University of

Zambia. She has taught English language and Religious Education at different secondary schools

in the country. She attended the Leadership and Formation Course at Kalundu Study Centre and

the Religious Formation Ministry Program (Loreto House Programme) in Dublin, Ireland. She

obtained a Postgraduate Diploma in Theology (Religious Formation Pathways) from the University

of Wales, Lampeter in 2003. This enabled her to serve as Directress of novices in her

Congregation. She participated in the Sisters’ Leadership Development Initiative (SLDI)

Administration Program under African Sisters Education Collaborative (ASEC) from 2014- 2015.

She also feels that religious sisters in Zambia have contributed immensely to the development of

the country, yet very little is documented. They provide quality education and health care

services in addition to pastoral care. Sr. Estella’s research interest is to trace and explore some

of these contributions and document the role of the sisters in national building.



international c onsultative research (icr) conference

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