Ashe Van Steenwyk
Executive Director, InstructorM. Ashe (she/they) is the co-founder of the Center for Prophetic Imagination. She is a writer, teacher, organizer, and spiritual director. For nearly 15 years, she has sown seeds of subversive spirituality throughout North America. Ashe is the author of That Holy Anarchist, unKingdom, and A Wolf at the Gate. You can find out more about Ashe here.
Kalie May
Director of Digital OutreachKalie May (she/her) is a writer, theologian, and ordained minister. She lives in the greater-Atlanta area with her wife and two kids. Kalie has been part of LGBTQ+ activism bringing awareness of the legalized discrimination queer and trans students face at religious universities. She is currently finishing her Master of Divinity emphasizing in Biblical Studies from United Theological Seminary of Twin Cities.
Dr. Debra Bell
Board MemberDebra G. Bell, M.D. (she/her) is a board certified family physician and a diplomate of the American Board of Integrative Holistic Medicine. She currently practices as a consultative Integrative Medicine physician at the Penny George Institute of Health and Healing in Minneapolis. Debra is cofounder of the Minnesota Institute of Contemplation and Healing.
Caspian Jensen
Board MemberCaspian (they/them) is a co-founder of the Center for Prophetic Imagination. Caspian has been a part of radical Christian community in California, Australia, and Minnesota. They are passionate about the use of art in every social movement towards liberation, queer/trans rights, redefining what Christianity looks like in the USA and most importantly: playing dress up with friends and family.
Ellen Morey (Elm)
Board MemberElm (she/they) is passionate about the stories we tell, inspiring an imagination which nurtures communities where the vulnerable can flourish. They live in the Elkhart River watershed on Pottawattami land. Elm brings wide life experience having worked in the legal field, the farm field, as a pastor, and educator. Enjoying vegan cooking, making puns in Spanish, and creating lace as a contemplative practice, Elm is committed to education, formation, renewed ecology, and subverting empire.
Dr. Kat Parent
Board ChairDr. Kat Parent (they/them) is a queer multidisciplinary artist and historian. They studied at St. Olaf College, spent years studying global Christianity in Norway, and got their PhD at Luther Seminary with a focus on racial justice. She writes songs, paints, and hosts community art workshops that emphasize play as a spiritual practice. In their free time, Kat likes to sew clothes, spend time in the woods, and watch spooky movies with their partner and cats.
Daniel Wolpert
Board Treasurer / InstructorDaniel Wolpert (he/him), a student of the spiritual life, has taught in the fields of psychology and spiritual formation for the past 30 years. Co-founder and Executive Director of the Minnesota Institute of Contemplation and Healing, he’s the author of Leading a Life with God, Creating a Life with God, Meeting God in Virtual Reality, and The Collapse of the Three Story Universe.
Rev. Dr. Don Matthews
Formation Committee / InstructorRev. Dr. Don Matthews (he/him) received his Ph.D. from The Divinity School at The University of Chicago. He is an ordained Methodist minister, Chaplain, ACPE, and Speech and Language Pathologist (Northwestern University). He has written numerous books, articles, and papers, and has taught at several universities and seminaries, including Central Michigan University, Temple University, Chicago Theological Seminary,The University of California at Santa Cruz, Colgate-Rochester-Crozier Divinity School, and St. Louis University. He was The Director of the Black Studies Program at The University of Missouri Kansas City and Coordinator of The Master of Divinity Program at Naropa University. He was recently cited as one of the 25 most influential Black Theologians by “Christianity Today.”