Associate Staff - Spring/Summer 2012
We are pleased to involve 11 associate professional staff to lead and facilitate our diverse menu of workshops, classes, and events during our March - August 2012 semester.
Vickie Agresta is a licensed Mental Health Counselor with a private practice in the Glens Falls area. She earned a BA from Siena College and an MS in Counseling from The College of St. Rose. Vickie has worked in both hospital and school settings and has always been active in her faith community. In addition to her professional experience, Vickie draws on learnings gleaned from faith, marriage, and raising a family.
Eileen Davenport serves as adjunct faculty for the OECFL, & Formation for Ministry, is currently the Assistant for Special Programs at St. Bernard’s School of Theology & Ministry in Albany. She holds a Masters in Theology from St. Bernard’s.
Bruce Gardiner is the local contact person for Contemplative Outreach in the Albany and upper Hudson Valley area. He is a graduate Formation for Ministry Program (Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany) and has served as an FMP retreat leader and staff member. Bruce has been commissioned by Contemplative Outreach and Fr. Thomas Keating to teach Centering Prayer and Lectio Divina. With over thirty years of management and church consulting experience, Bruce is currently affiliated with the Princeton-based consultancy Kepner-Tregoe, Inc.
Paul Gibaldi has been a licensed New York Wilderness Guide, author, and photographer for over 20 years. He hosted “Adirondack Journey” a televised series about the outdoors, and is a widely recognized inspirational and motivational speaker. He lives in Queensbury, NY, with his wife, Laura, and their 4 children.
Mary Glazer is a Quaker who lives in Ticonderoga. She is a spiritual director who was trained at Shalem Institute in Washington, D.C. Mary, with no artistic talent whatsoever, has found that coloring and doodling can indeed be a way to engage with God.
Joanne St. Hilaire, CSJ, is a Sister of St. Joseph and a spiritual director. She offers retreats and spiritual programs in retreat centers and parishes. Sister has two degrees in literature and graduate study in theology and spirituality.
Pat Joyce retired in 2006 as executive director of the Lower Adirondack Regional Arts Council in Glens Falls, NY, after 23 years of service to the region’s cultural community. Pat has extensive experience in grant writing, has developed and taught grant writing workshops, and has served as a panelist for several grant-making agencies, including the NYS Council on the Arts. Pat has a BA in secondary education, a Masters in German Language and Literature, and a Masters in Administration and Leadership. Pat is an adjunct faculty member at SUNY/Adirondack.
Bro. Michael Laratonda is a Marist Brother who initially ministered as an educator of adolescents and adults for many years. He has also been a chaplain for elders prior to being a Co-Director (with Sr. Margaret Picha) of Wellsprings, a sabbatical/renewal program in Glens Falls. He is presently involved in retreat work, facilitating of religious communities, spiritual direction, and workshops on various topics about spirituality.
Pat Mousaw is a spiritual director, retreat leader and a member of the Albany Diocesan Diaconate Formation team. She has a master’s degree in Theology from St. Bernard’s and holds certificates in Spiritual Guidance and in Contemplative Group Leadership from the Shalem Institute in Washington, D.C. Pat served for two and one half years as Co-Director of the Priory.
Joan Palmer’s successful Human Resource Consulting practice of over 25 years shifted to career and life planning where the focus is on” movement” and “change.” Her personal work took her to the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health in Lenox, MA. She has assisted with workshops where personal insight, growth, and change have been the core of the training. Joan is a trained Soul Collage Facilitator, a Kripalu Yoga Dance Instructor, and a certified Myers/Briggs Instructor.
Donna Peabody is a retired educator of thirty-six years, who values the importance of a spiritual and balanced life. She is a Soul Collage enthusiast, lover of poetry, the arts, writer, and yoga practitioner. Her joy is deeply felt surrounded by her family, friends, and working in her contemplative garden.