Our Team
The staff of the Office of Ignatian Spirituality works as a team to support our Ignatian Young Adult Ministries initiatives for young adults, including CLA and Jesuit Connections.
Elise Gower
Elise coordinates Contemplative Leaders in Action (CLA). She brings over 10 years of experience working in ministry and community engagement at Loyola University Maryland and The University of Scranton.
Elise is committed to individual and collective antiracism work, faith intersections within the LGBTQ+ community, and understanding discernment as a critical tool for informed and effective leadership. She seeks to engage others in Ignatian spirituality, a tradition that is rich in history and adaptable in meeting communities diverse in background, identity, and experience. Elise lives in Baltimore, Maryland.
Get in touch with Elise at egower@jesuits.org.
Associate Director for Contemplative Leaders in Action
Kate André
After studying Music and Drama as an undergrad at UNC-Chapel Hill and pursuing performance in NYC, Kate attended Yale Divinity School where she earned an M.Div. and S.T.M. Her master's thesis focused on sketch comedy as a tool for community-building in worship. Kate also trained in multi-faith college chaplaincy with Yale University Chaplain Sharon Kugler and served from 2013 to 2015 as the Director of Campus Ministry at the University of Saint Joseph in West Hartford, CT. From 2015 to 2019, Kate taught World Religions, Philosophy & Ethics, and led the Upper School Campus Ministry program at the Convent of the Sacred Heart, an all-girls' Catholic school in Manhattan's Upper East Side. She completed her 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training at Kripalu in 2013 and 40-hour Basic Mediation Training with the New York Peace Institute in 2016. Kate served as a Chaplain Resident at The Mount Sinai Hospital from 2019 to 2020 and is thrilled to be part of the Contemplative Leaders in Action team!
Cohort Coordinator – Boston
Who is a leader who inspires you?
I am inspired by Mount Sinai Hospital chaplain Apolinary Ngirwa. During the height of the pandemic in NYC, Apolinary continued to serve patients and staff with his hallmark joyful kindness, despite repeated COVID exposures. He even took on additional work to keep more vulnerable members of his team safe. He leads humbly, models intellectual curiosity by sharing scholarly articles, goes out of his way to encourage young talent to blossom, and makes everyone he encounters feel seen and valued. All of this Apolinary does without requiring accolades. He simply lives out the values of his faith by daily loving God, self, and neighbor, and he inspires me to do the same.
Get in touch with Kate at claboston@jesuits.org.
Allain Andry
Allain thanks the many Jesuits who have staffed St. Peter parish in Charlotte for his engagement with Ignatian spirituality. Allain has been a business lawyer for 35 years but also has been active in the faith formation and RCIA ministries at his parish. He made the Spiritual Exercises and has been the leader of the Ignatian spirituality ministry team at St. Peter. He is a spiritual director and completed his formation through Fairfield University.
Allain recently retired from his law practice and is very enthusiastic about CLA’s mission of accompanying young adults as they develop, discern, and integrate Ignatian spirituality and leadership through all areas of their lives.
Allain is originally from New Orleans (thus the spelling of his name, pronounced Allen). He and his wife Mary Catherine (MC) met in law school and moved to Charlotte after graduation. They have three children. Allain loves the mountains, apples, gardening and playing pickle ball.
Cohort Coordinator – Charlotte
Who is a leader who inspires you?
It is hard to pick just one. I most admire leaders who use their warmth, openness, and genuine interest and caring to draw and inspire people. Those outstanding leaders also manage to convey the deep seriousness of their missions in a joyful way. One great example is Jim Bowler, S.J. who did so much to build the spiritual direction and young adult ministries during his three years at St. Peter.
Get in touch with Allain at clacharlotte@jesuits.org.
Beth Brin
Beth is excited and honored to serve as the cohort coordinator for the inaugural Denver cohort! She comes to CLA with backgrounds in workforce development, education, and ministry, as well as personal and professional experience with Jesuit education, formation and Ignatian spirituality. She attended Gonzaga University for undergrad (B.A. in English), Regis University for her M.A. in Social Science and is in the final stages of her M.A. in Pastoral Studies at Loyola University New Orleans. In addition, she served as a Jesuit Volunteer in Camden, NJ and worked for the Corporate Work Study Program at Arrupe Jesuit High School in Denver.
She began her current role as the University Minister for Formation & Outreach at Regis University in 2019 and she continues to be inspired by the students and colleagues who animate God’s love and presence in unique and wonderful ways. She looks forward to accompanying the members of the CLA cohort and the ways her roles will compliment and intersect each other. Beth considers her encounters and engagement with Ignatian spirituality and Jesuit formation a gift and solace in her ever-evolving relationship with God and her Catholic faith.
Beth grew up in a suburb of Denver and lives with her husband and their four children near Denver. When she’s not keeping up with her kids, doing all things campus ministry, or working on homework, Beth enjoys yoga, coffee, reading and spending time in the many beautiful and sacred spaces Colorado has to offer—a tent, a book and a campfire under the stars is one of her true happy places!
Cohort Coordinator – Denver
Who is a leader who inspires you?
Lately, I’ve been drawn to the example of St. Alphonsus Rodriguez, SJ (1533-1617). Known for a holiness that shone through the very ordinary work he did as doorkeeper at a Jesuit school, St. Alphonsus imagined everyone who knocked at the door to be God himself, greeting them with warmth and genuine gladness for their presence. I see him as a model of hospitality, perseverance, trust, and mentorship with a deep sense of God’s love and abiding presence—these are all traits I desire to cultivate in my own development as a servant leader.
Get in touch with Beth at cladenver@jesuits.org.
Roxanne De La Torre
A proud first-generation daughter of Filipino immigrants who settled in Queens, New York, Roxanne studied Theology and Communications & Media Studies at Fordham University while immersing herself in campus programming centered around the intersections of justice, faith, solidarity, and community-building.
After earning her Master's degree in Religious Education with a concentration in Youth & Adult Ministry at Fordham's Graduate School of Religion and Religious Education, she joined the Cabrini Mission Corps in 2011 as a volunteer serving at Cabrini University's Wolfington Center for Service & Justice, and then served with the Jesuit Volunteers Corps from 2012-2014 as a teacher and basketball coach at St. Peter Claver High School - a Jesuit boarding school in Dodoma, Tanzania.
In 2015, Roxanne returned to the United States and was appointed to the position of Residence Campus Minister for Social Justice at St. John’s University in Queens, New York. A few months later, an opportunity to serve at her alma mater brought her back to Fordham University where she assumed the role of Director of The Dorothy Day Center for Service and Justice. She later led the initiative to more intentionally and concretely integrate Fordham University with its surrounding communities through the creation of the Center for Community Engaged Learning.
After five and a half years of administrative work at Fordham University and feeling called to be more deeply in solidarity with marginalized individuals and families in our thriving NYC communities, Roxanne decided to leave the field of higher education for the non-profit world. Since 2021, she has served as the Director of Outreach at Xavier Mission, a for-impact organization in New York City supporting those struggling with food and housing insecurity. Roxanne also earned her Certificate of Spiritual Direction in 2023 from the Church of St. Francis Xavier NYC, and joyfully ministers as a Spiritual Director. She is incredibly excited to be part of the CLA team and to continue to grow and delight in the graces of Ignatian Spirituality through experiences with her cohort.
Cohort Coordinator – New York City
Who is a leader who inspires you?
I continue to be inspired by two Jesuit friends from the Eastern Africa Province (AOR) with whom I worked alongside at St. Peter Claver High School (SPCHS) in Dodoma, Tanzania. Fr. James Ayaga, S.J. and Fr. Jean-Baptiste Musiitwa, S.J. were the Headmaster and Academic Dean respectively at SPCHS when I served as a volunteer there and I learned tremendously from them both. They each are careful discerners, and so all of their leadership decisions at the high school were marked by a distinct prayerfulness and intentionality that took various scenarios and all those involved into great care and consideration. I pray often in gratitude for their steadfast example of patience, courage, and spiritual fervor, and especially for the influence they continue to have in my life. They now are each leading schools in South Sudan, where their leadership and steady presence are daily impacting the lives of so many people.
Get in touch with Roxanne at clanyc@jesuits.org.
Kate Haser
Kate is involved with a number of Jesuit and Ignatian projects in Baltimore. She directs the Spiritual Exercises and offers spiritual direction. She is a parishioner at St. Ignatius Church and serves on the mission and identity committee of Loyola Blakefield, a Jesuit high school.
Kate worked for thirty-five years for the Jesuit Volunteer Corps and recently joined the national board.
It’s not all about Ignatian spirituality and the Jesuits! Kate stays in touch with her five siblings and a wide range of friends, and enjoys cooking and baking, tending her row house garden, knitting, and following the Orioles and the Baltimore restaurant scene.
Cohort Coordinator – Baltimore
Who is a leader who inspires you?
Chris Kerr, the executive director of the Ignatian Solidarity Network (ISN), is a leader I admire. ISN is a relatively young organization which under Chris’s leadership and direction is laser-focused on its mission to network, educate, and form advocates for social justice, while at the same time expanding in outreach and relevance. I experience Chris as one who is grounded spiritually and emotionally, who brings vision and energy, who listens to those around him and makes sound decisions on the direction and growth of ISN.
Get in touch with Kate at clabaltimore@jesuits.org.
Marselys Lucero
Marselys Lucero is a San Francisco Bay Area Native and works as a DEI professional in Connecticut. Marselys holds a B.A in Religious Studies from UC Davis and a Master of Divinity from the Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University. Marselys has had the honor of working with a variety of communities including foster youth, high school and college students, and leading groups of young adults. Marselys enjoys practicing meditation, is currently in the process of adopting a dog with his wife, and loves spending time with his niece and nephew any chance he gets.
Cohort Coordinator – Virtual
Who is a leader who inspires you?
There are so many! But one leader that inspires me is my good friend and colleague, Edwin Ortiz at Regis High School. In our three years working together, Edwin always kept students and their welfare as his main focus and showed selfless leadership, even in the midst of a pandemic.
Get in touch with Marselys at clavirtual@jesuits.org.
Anthony Marciniak
After graduating from Western Michigan University and the University of Michigan with a BS/MS in Aeronautical Engineering, Anthony started his career as a design engineer working on satellite components and safety system products. 15 years into his career, he was invited to participate in Detroit’s inaugural CLA cohort and the transformation was immediate. He was able to see his inherent strengths, articulate his mission and align his values with his faith to become the servant leader he aspires to be today. During his progression into engineering leadership, Anthony found his passion for the development of people rather than the development of the product.
This has provided the direction and vigor to shift his career into human resources. He is currently the Director of Human Resources for a health and wellness software and coaching company. Talk about a pivot!
In addition to his career and CLA Detroit, Anthony is a sport enthusiast in playing and watching. Golf, softball, skiing, and any major sport, he will try, play, or watch. He and his wife (another CLA alum) have been married for 8 years and currently have one son.
Cohort Coordinator – Detroit
Who is a leader who inspires you?
One thing I have learned in my journey is that we are all leaders at some point in our lives, whether we know it or not. A leader who is authentic to who they are, can bring out the best in those they lead, allow people to grow and meet their potential, and willing to sacrifice the spotlight for others to shine.
Get in touch with Anthony at cladetroit@jesuits.org.
Meg McNeill
Meg is a double graduate and former employee of Georgetown University, where she helped advance global social justice initiatives in the Office of the President. She identified her interest in leadership development as a Peace Corps volunteer in the Caribbean, where she worked with the Grenada National Organization of Women to support local leaders advancing important work related to HIV/AIDS.
Meg and her husband Dan met as co-workers at Georgetown when she was a participant in CLA in DC (clearly a formative time!). They now live in Mount Airy, MD and have a three year old daughter and a Bernese Mountain Dog. When not chasing daughter or dog, Meg loves travel, journaling, and reading.
Meg now works in leader development for a large professional services firm and serves as a consultant and coach to her teams. She is excited to bring experiences in community development, leadership, and corporate learning to contribute to the CLA community and to journey with the DC cohort.
Cohort Coordinator – Washington, DC
Who is a leader who inspires you?
I admire the leadership of Paul Farmer, medical anthropologist and founder of Partners In Health, a global health non-profit with the mission of providing a preferential option for the poor in health care. His work was rooted in his faith and his commitment to giving voice to the marginalized. As a movement leader, Dr. Farmer prioritized partnerships for scaling impact while also being willing to go it alone if needed.
Dr. Farmer passionately described the bold work of his calling in a way that invited courageous action from others. In addition to deep commitment to systemic change, he connected with patients and collaborators in a way that left them feeling seen and valued.
Get in touch with Meg at cladc@jesuits.org.
Jackie Newns
Jackie works for the Saint Raphaela Retreat Center directing communications and supporting retreat ministry alongside the Handmaids. As an artist and spiritual director, Jackie creates intentional environments for introspection, brave dialogue and creative prayer practices through the lens of Ignatian spirituality. A graduate of University of Scranton and the Boston College School of Theology and Ministry, Jackie now resides in Wyncote, PA, with her partner, Rachel. In her free time, she enjoys thrifting, biking, and building a floral design business. As a CLA alum (Boston 2013-15), she is grateful to be reconnected with this transformative program.
Cohort Coordinator – Philadelphia
Who is a leader who inspires you?
I'm inspired by the leadership of Lyan Tri, ACJ, who directs the St. Raphaela Retreat Center with deep humility and joyful hospitality. She's one of those leaders who empowers the voices around her, artfully delegates and prioritizes her own prayer life. In the midst of the pandemic, she supported the dreams of a new gift shop at the Center that supported local artisans and gave retreatants the resources to create prayer spaces at home. Because of Lyan's generosity and Ignatian spirituality St. Raphaela Center is a place where an individual's unique talents and identities are given room, nurtured, and celebrated.