Summer Week Seven

Dan Castillo

Daniel Castillo is Associate Professor of Theology at Loyola University Maryland, where he also contributes the Environmental Studies and Peace & Justice Studies programs. He earned his PhD at the University of Notre Dame in 2014. While at Notre Dame, Dan’s research was funded through the National Science Foundation, allowing him to explore aspects of the planetary eco-social emergency from a multidisciplinary perspective. Dan’s teaching and research focuses on the intersection of liberation theology, environmental ethics, and the theological interpretation of scripture. He has published essays in these areas in journals such at Theological Studies, Political Theology, and Scriptura. Dan recently published his first book entitled An Ecological Theology of Liberation: Salvation and Political Ecology (Orbis Books), which explores the relationship between salvation, liberation, and care for creation.  He lives in Baltimore with his wife Erika and their two children Frances and Martin.

Paul Griffith

Paul Griffith is a lifelong religious educator with a particular focus on social & ecological justice. Paul is a Colombian-American who was raised in the Roman Catholic tradition, and remains a practicing “Vatican II Catholic” with a commitment to interfaith and ecumenical dialogue. He has formulated and directed numerous retreats, workshops, and spiritual formation classes for both adolescents and adults, and his day-to-day ministry has been faith formation in the classroom for the last 25 years. He earned his M.A. in Systematic Theology from the University of Notre Dame, and currently teaches theology at Jesuit High School in Portland, Oregon. Paul is also a professional photographer, an avid mountaineer, skier, musician, and traveler. He lives in Vancouver, Washington with his wife, Kamala, and his kids, Landon (13) and Lily (10).

Paul Nelson

Poet/interviewer Paul E. Nelson is the son of a labor activist father and Cuban immigrant mother. He founded the Cascadia Poetics LAB and the Cascadia Poetry Festival. Since 1993, CPL has produced hundreds of poetry events and 700 hours of interview programming with legendary poets and whole systems activists. Paul has published four books of poetry, a book of transcribed interviews, a book of essays and co-edited five anthologies. He’s presented poetry/poetics in London, Brussels, Nanaimo, Los Angeles, Qinghai, and Beijing. His poetry has been translated into Spanish, Chinese, and Portuguese.

Dax Soule

Dax Soule is an Assistant Professor of Marine Geophysics in the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences at Queens College. Dr. Soule is a field-oriented geophysicist with a background in solid earth geophysics, oceanography, cloud computing, and STEM education. His research uses marine geophysical techniques coupled with modern computational methods to explore the structure of the ocean crust near mid-ocean ridge spreading centers. Dr. Soule serves on the Ocean Observatories Initiative Facilities Board and currently has NSF funded experiments in the Bransfield Strait Antarctica and at Axial Volcano in the Northeast Pacific Ocean. Dr. Soule is also interested in pedagogical science and is a Principal Investigator for an NSF-funded effort to develop and test active learning modules focused on high frequency environmental data. Dr. Soule received his B.S. in Geophysics from Texas A&M University and his PhD. from the University of Washington’s School of Oceanography.

Kelsey Beebe

Rev. Kelsey Beebe believes firmly in an all-loving God, embodied Christ, and ever-moving Holy Spirit that connects us all. She is an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ, with a Master of Divinity from Pacific School of Religion and a Master of Fine Arts in Dance, as well as several yoga teaching certificates. Kelsey is the Executive Minister and President of Dancing Pastor Ministries and host of the Lady Preacher Podcast. She has served as pastor at several United Church of Christ (UCC) congregations, and has performed, preached, and led retreats all around the United States and Costa Rica. Kelsey’s life’s work is based on 1 Corinthians 16:14: “Let all that you do be done in love.” She works with folks from all walks of life, helping them find safe, embodied ways to connect more deeply to God, themselves, and others. Her goal is to help people experience and share the transforming love of God that moves around, among, and within us all.

Elisabeth Cherland

Elisabeth Cherland is a fourth-generation choral conductor as well as professor, singer, song leader, violinist, and Lutheran church musician. As Director of Choral Activities at Minnesota State University, Mankato, she teaches courses in choral methods, conducting, private voice, and conducts the Concert Choir and Chamber Singers. Prior to her appointment at MSU she was a Visiting Assistant Professor of Music at Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minnesota. Dr. Cherland earned a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Choral Conducting at the University of Washington, a Master of Music Education with Certification degree from VanderCook College of Music, and a Bachelor of Arts in Music and English from Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota. From classical to folk to hymnody, Elisabeth is most at home singing and playing collaboratively. She lives with her partner Kent and their two sons, Elijah and Leif, in St. Peter, MN. She loves storytelling and story-hearing, doughnuts, bubble tea, laughing, knitting, running (when the temperature is perfect and the course is flat), and sunshine when it’s available.

Joel Bevington

Joel Bevington is the director of music at First Lutheran Richmond Beach in Shoreline, WA. His interest in participatory music and music’s ability to break through social barriers has led him to the love of cultivating community singing, driven by his continued study of participatory music in the Baltic States. He is passionate about making connections with others through music, teaching all ages how to enjoy singing and performing together. Along with conducting, he is a professional organist and singer, participating in many ensembles in the Seattle area. Joel studied organ performance at Wheaton College, IL and Emory University. He received his graduate degree in conducting at Louisiana State University and is now happy to call Seattle home while he finishes his doctoral studies at UW.