During the opening residency as well as the final residency, we feature guest speakers who are known practitioners in the field of spiritual companioning. This is meant to expose our cohorts each year to topics related to companioning in general and spiritual direction in particular given by experts in these areas. We invite one guest speaker from our assembled pool of Guest Residency Speakers for each of the two residencies in every training cycle.
Meet Our Guest Speakers
Jeannette A. Bakke, Ph.D., D.Min.
Spiritual director and author of Holy Invitations: Exploring Spiritual Direction. Faculty associate at Bethel Seminary and facilitator at Christos Center for Spiritual Formation in Minnesota.
FR. FRANCIS BENEDICT, O.S..B., M.A.
Elected the first abbot of St. Andrew’s Abbey in Valyermo, California in 1992. Spiritual director, retreat presenter, and Director of Oblates (Lay Benedictines) at the Abbey.
Fr. Stephen Coffey, O.S.B., D.Min. (Cand.)
Spiritual director and Benedictine monk at the Monastery of the Risen Christ in San Luis Obispo, California.
Joseph Driskill, Ph.D.
Professor emeritus of spirituality at the Pacific School of Religion and author of Protestant Spiritual Exercises: Theology, History, and Practice.
Alan Fadling, M.Div.
Executive director of the Journey, a retreat ministry of The Leadership Institute, and author of An Unhurried Life: Following Jesus’ Rhythms of Work and Rest.
Terry Hershey, M.A.T.
Writer, inspirational speaker, and advocate for spirituality. Author of The Power of Pause: Becoming More by Doing Less.
David Hoover, M.T.S.
Spiritual director, retreat leader, and presenter on prayer and spirituality at the Center for Spiritual Development in Orange, California. Co-director of Inscape Ministries.
Evan B. Howard, Ph.D.
Founder and director of Spirituality Shoppe, an evangelical center for the study of Christian spirituality. Author of The Brazos Introduction to Christian Spirituality.
Joann Nesser, D.Min.
Founder and retired director of Christos Center for Spiritual Formation in Minnesota. Author and spiritual director with the Henri Nouwen Society.
Fr. Bernie Owens, S.J., Ph.D.
Teacher and director at Manresa Jesuit Retreat House in Bloomfield, Michigan, from 1994-2013. Presently ministering at Mwangaza Jesuit Retreat Center in Nairobi, Kenya.
Juanita Rasmus
Spiritual director, co-pastor at St. John’s United Methodist Church in Houston, Texas, and founder of the Art Project Houston for the city’s homeless and transitioning community.
Tom Schwanda, Ph.D.
Spiritual director and associate professor of Christian formation and ministry at Wheaton College in Illinois.
Stephen Smith, M.Div.
Spiritual director and president/CEO of Potter’s Inn, a retreat center for soul care and spiritual direction in Colorado.
Ekman Pui Chuen Tam, Ph.D., Psy.D.
President of Christian Contemplative Spirituality Institute. Family therapist, counseling psychologist, writer, teacher, and spiritual director.
Christine Valters Paintner, Ph.D.
Abbess of the virtual monastery Abbey of the Arts and author of several books, including The Artist’s Rule: Nurturing Your Creative Soul With Monastic Wisdom.
Norvene Vest, Ph.D., Obl. O.S.B.
Spiritual director and author of several books on Benedictine spirituality and other subjects, including Re-Visioning Theology: A Mythic Approach to Religion. Editor of Still Listening: New Horizons in Spiritual Direction.
Wendy Wright, Ph.D.
Professor of theology and director of the Center for the Study of Catholicism at Creighton University in Nebraska. Author of numerous books in Christian spirituality, including Francis de Sales, Jane de Chantal: Letters of Spiritual Direction.