Leadership and Spiritual Formation Team and Project Faculty

Faculty Leads

Kurtley Knight

Position: Assistant Professor of Spiritual Formation, Portland Seminary

Jeney Park-Hearn

Position: Assistant Professor of Practical Theology and Formation and Chair of Leadership and Praxis, Seminary Masters Programs

Learn more about Jeney

Special Teaching Guests

Rob Westervelt

Position: Founder and partner at TG THREE, a strategy company

Academic and Professional Background: BS in Communication, Minor in Business Administration at Weber State University; MA in Philosophy of Religion and Ethics, Talbot School of Theology; Professional Certificate in Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Stanford University

Expertise and Research Interests: Strategy, Innovation, Marketing, Branding, High-Performance Leadership

Email: rob@tgthree.com

Office: 636-949-4138

Web: tgthree.com

Chris Fillingham

Academic/Professional Background: BS in Music, Southwest Baptist University. MDiv in Global Christianity, Truett Seminary at Baylor University. DMin in Leadership and Spiritual Formation, Portland Seminary at GFU. Pastor for 15 years of churches in TX and MO.

Academic Interests and Research: Mystic and Contemplative Spirituality, Celtic Christianity, the Enneagram, and the role of the body, heart, and mind in spiritual formation.

Personal Life: Chris and his wife Jessi live with their four kids, two cats, and a dog in St. Louis, MO. Chris loves hearing people’s stories, being in beautiful nature, and playing board games.

Deborah Loyd

Vocational purpose Coach; Adjunct at Warner Pacific University, specializing in leadership development; Pastor Emeritis and Co-founder to The Bridge Church of PDX, Retrofit, and founder of Finding Forward Coaching. Author of Your Vocational Credo , and co-author of Dynamic Adventure: A Guide to Starting and Shaping Missional Churches.

Academic and Professional Background: BA in Biblical Studies and Business/Accounting, Excelsior College; MA in Exegetical Theology, Western Seminary; DMin in Transformational Leadership, Bakke Graduate University

Expertise and Research Interests: Emerging Church Culture and Spiritulaity, Leadership Development, Vocational Discernment.

Email: dloyd@georgefox.edu; deborahloyd@gmail.com

Office: 503-516-1415

Twitter: @deborahloyd

Project Faculty

Project Faculty work with advisees to provide individual & small group guidance for doctoral project development within the project portfolio research sequence.

Seminary faculty routinely serve as Project Faculty within the Doctor of Minstry program. See Portland Seminary faculty page for details.

Dominic Abaria

Position: Project Faculty, Portland Seminary; Pastor of Spiritual Care and Development, Portland Rescue Mission; Elder and Pastor, Roots Community Church; Founder & Spiritual Director, Fermata Ministries.

Academic and Professional Background: DMin, "Combating Ministry Burnout by Honoring Human Limitations," Portland Seminary; MDiv, Western Seminary; BA, Concordia University

Expertise and Research Interests: Ministerial and Clergy Burnout, Non-profit Organizational Leadership, Pastoral Leadership, Preaching, Teaching, Christian Spiritual Formation, and Spiritual Direction

Email: dabaria@georgefox.edu
Web: fermataministries.com

Mike Larson

Position: Project Faculty, DMin in Leadership and Spiritual Formation

Educational Background: DMin, Portland Seminary; MDiv, Andrews University; BS, Theology and Biblical Languages, Union College

Certification: Board-certified chaplain, spiritual director

Expertise and Research Interests: Hospital chaplaincy, palliative care, trauma-informed spiritual care, spiritual care and mental health, spiritual direction, storytelling and the book of Revelation

Email: mlarson@georgefox.edu
Web: rhemata.org

Mary Pandiani

Position: Project Faculty, Portland Seminary; Executive Director, Selah Center; Spiritual Director Trainer, Priory Spirituality Center; Spiritual Director, Grace Reimagined

Academic and Professional Background: DLd, "Aging Gracefully: The Art of Elegant Kenosis," Portland Seminary; MAGL, Fuller Seminary; BA, UCLA

Expertise and Research Interests: Aging and Second Half of Life; Generous Listening; Communal and Personal Discernment; Non-profit Organizational Leadership; and Spiritual Direction

Email: mpandiani@georgefox.edu

Robin Pyles

Position: Project Faculty, Portland Seminary; Director of Intergenerational Worship, KidZ at Heart International; Christian Educator (volunteer), Memorial Presbyterian Church.

Academic and Professional Background: BA, Psychology, Loyola University Maryland; MEd, Deaf Education, McDaniel College; MACFM, Bethel Seminary; DMin, Leadership and Spiritual Formation, Portland Seminary.

Expertise and Research Interests: Intergenerational ministry and spiritual formation, children's, youth and family ministry, leadership development, spiritual formation.

Email: robinepyles@gmail.com (Subject to change)

Susan Rose

Position: Project Faculty, Portland Seminary; Founder and Executive Director, Diakonos Solutions; Transitional Pastor, St. Giles Presbyterian Church; Spiritual Director.

Academic and Professional Background: BA, Political Science; Certificate in Latin American Studies, University of Florida; MDiv, Summa Cum Laude, Memphis Theological Seminary; DMin, Leadership and Spiritual Formation, Portland Seminary; Certified Spiritual Director, Companioning Center.

Expertise and Research Interests: Entrepreneurial ministry, women in ministry and leadership, leadership development, spiritual formation.

Email: srose@georgefox.edu
Web: diakonossolutions.com

Seminary Doctoral Team

The Seminary Doctoral Team manages the program online platforms, organizes the face-to-face events, and provides support to students and Project Faculty, in-person or online. In short, this team is the 'glue' that holds the various elements of the program together.