Faculty

Dr. Vince Bantu is the Ohene of the Meachum School of Haymanot and Assistant Professor of Church History and Black Church Studies at Fuller Seminary. He holds an MA and PhD in Semitic and Egyptian languages from the Catholic University of America. His interests include theological contextualization, racial reconciliation, early Christianity in Africa and Asia, and theological education in under-resourced communities. He is the author of A Multitude of All Peoples: Engaging Ancient Christianity's Global Identity and Gospel Haymanot and founder of the Society of Gospel Haymanot. Dr. Bantu, his wife, Diana, and their two daughters enjoy traveling, parks,

Casey is a Pokagon Band Potawatomi member of southwest Michigan. His Potawatomi name is Ankwawango, which means, “Hole in the Cloud”. His wife Lora, their five children and he live in Albuquerque, New Mexico where they have lived for the past fifteen years. Casey and his wife Lora have pastored a Native church plant in Grand Rapids, Michigan from 1996 to 2000 which would become one of the first contextualized worship services in the country.

Damian Costello received his PhD in theological studies from the University of Dayton and specializes in the intersection of Christian theology, Indigenous spiritual traditions, and colonial history. He is an expert on the life and legacy of Nicholas Black Elk and the author of Black Elk: Colonialism and Lakota Catholicism. Costello's work is informed by five years of ethnographic work on the Navajo Nation. He served as an academic advisor, associate producer, and appeared in the documentary "Walking the Good Red Road: Nicholas Black Elk's Journey to Sainthood." Costello is a founding member and the American co-chair of the Indigenous Catholic Research Fellowship.

Aunty Rev. Patricia is and belongs to the Gurang Gurang (Owl – Bundaberg, Qld) and Birri (Emu – Collinsville, Qld) Yunger (Mother) & Googue (Grandmother), and has English, Irish and French ancestry. She has over 30 years of professional experiences in the human services in community, government, education and religious organisations. In 2008 Patricia was ordained as a priest within the Anglican Diocese of North Queensland. Patricia is currently completig her PhD thesis: "Aboriginal Spirituality in a Christian Context."

Alana Johnson was born to K’eets’uu Nee (Star House) of Kyaanuusalii (Codfish People) of Kayxal, the Raven matrilineages of Haida Gwaii. Her roots are also British-Canadian, and her British family settled in Lək̓ʷəŋən, WSANEC, and Musqueam territory in the last three generations. She is also intimately connected through her husband and daughter to the nuučaan̓uł (Nuu-chah-nulth) nation on the west coast of Vancouver Island. She is privileged to be mother to an ʔiiḥatisʔaqsup (Ehattesaht) daughter and aunty to many nieces and nephews. She is currently the Indigenous Drumming Teacher Consultant for Greater Victoria School District, an Indigenous Role Model in the Sooke School District, and an instructor for Indigenous Studies at Camosun College. She studies both nuučaan̓uł (Nuu-chah-nulth) and Xaayda kil (Haida) languages and is passionate about language revitalization work.

In 2019, Alana completed her Masters in Theological Studies – Indigenous through NAIITS: An Indigenous Learning Community. With the help of many co-learners, elders, and cultural experiences, she continues to decolonize and Indigenize her theology and teaching practices. She is passionate about educating Christian organizations about the Calls to Action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada and the articles in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. She challenges individuals within church and education communities to be people of reconciliation.

She is grateful to her many Indigenous and Jesus-following mentors over the years and for the strength of her Haida kuuniisii (ancestors) that got her to this place and time. She is excited to see theology schools acknowledging vital Indigenous perspectives by centring the voices of Indigenous knowledge-keepers, scholars, and theologians.

Dr. T. Christopher Hoklotubbe (Choctaw) teaches courses on the intersection of race, gender, and sexuality in the Christian Tradition, the New Testament, Roman Religion, Native American Spiritualities, World Religions, and Religion and American Politics at Cornell College. Chris researches and writes on Native American Interepretations of the Bible and Early Christian studies. Originally from Southern Caifornia, Chris now lives in Mount Vernon, Iowa with his wife Stephanie and two daughters Claire and Emily.

Biliganna nishłį,́ Tł’ááshchi’i báshíshchíín, Biliganna dashicheii, Bit’ahnii dashinálí. (I’m white, born for the Red Bottom clan, my maternal grandfather is white, and my paternal grandfather is Under His Arm clan).

Kelsey completed her PhD in the Cultural Foundations of Education program at Syracuse University. She is a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow. Kelsey holds a Certificate of Advanced Study in Women’s and Gender Studies from Syracuse University. Kelsey’s research interests include Indigenous and decolonizing methodologies, Tribal Colleges and Universities, settler colonial studies, livestock, land, and epistemology. In her free time, she rides horses, runs, and is learning Diné Bizaad.

John, a run-of-the-mill Caucasian Canadian (Scots, Irish, German, Norwegian and some suspected Métis roots) is the husband of Christel, born in Saxony, then East Germany. Their 47 year-long marriage has produced 4 adult daughters and 11 grandchildren. John studied across the spectrum of pure sciences, psychology, theology and pedagogy before landing in the realm of anthropology (with a PhD from TIU in Chicago, 1995). He and Christel have worked and taught in a variety of missionary and some semi- communal settings across North America and Central and Eastern Europe, including in many regions of the Former Soviet Union.

Kimberlee teaches English Composition at Kent State University Geauga Campus. She brings Native American history to the classroom as a hidden layer in American history to open a discussion between Native and white cultures. She uses rhetorical writing strategies to help students understand the complexities of intercultural intersections. She serves as the Writing Consultant for the Writing Lab at both the Burton and Regional Academic Center in Twinsburg, Ohio and teaches for Ashland University’s Prison Outreach Program. Kimberlee’s poetry and essays appear both in print and as online publications.

Susangeline has earned her PhD in Intercultural Studies (Historical-Theology concentration) from Asbury Theological Seminary. She has spent twelve years working with university students and youth in Central Asia and the United States from 2003- 2015. She currently teaches History of Christianity I, II, as well as North American Church History from an Indigenous Perspective. For her dissertation research, she has traveled extensively in Europe, Asia, and North America. Her teaching and research focus on the Indigenous and global aspects of Christian mission history, highlighting Indigenous Christian movements, contextual theology, and women in mission history.

Julene Pommert, Ph.D., MACP, LMHC is an adjunct professor with NAIITS: An Indigenous Learning Community, and teaches a class on culture and change there. Julene is also a part-time counselor trained in relational psychotherapy, as well as Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), other trauma-sensitive therapies, and domestic violence counseling.

Julene holds a Masters degree in counseling psychology from The Seattle School of Theology and Psychology (2014), and is licensed with the state of Washington as a mental health counselor (LMHC). She also received three years training in counseling through a local lay counseling program, Small Beginnings (2003). She holds a doctorate in Speech Communication, focusing on intercultural communication and conflict from the University of Washington (1998), and received her first masters and undergraduate degree in these same interests from the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana (1991). Julene is currently working on a master's degree in theology, with a focus on Old Testament, from Acadia Divinity College, Nova Scotia.

Her research and training interests are in trauma, dissociation, intercultural interactions, and how the Old Testament stories interact with Indigenous peoples' experiences of the world.

Julene loves being outdoors! But when indoors and not studying, she enjoys writing, painting watercolors, baking, and being with her family. Her relationship with Christ is pivotal to her existence, but she is respectful of others’ belief backgrounds. She is also a person of color (mixed Native and White), a joyful mother of two young adults, an identical twin, and a wife of more than three decades with a good man.

Andy Reimer is a biblical studies specialist with a lifelong interest in how gospel and culture go hand in hand. Growing up on the Canadian prairies, Andy spent part of his childhood living beside the Peguis First Nation. Andy's PhD studies and subsequent academic research have explored themes of Christianity and culture. Following his PhD studies, in addition to working as a full time biblical studies professor, Andy spent seven years working in an urban First Nations church context. Today, Andy splits his time between teaching/researching in biblical studies, and working on initiatives to make the Canadian oil industry safer.

Dave Skene is Métis of Scottish, French, Menominee and Cree descent. Dave is married to Liz Becker and right now they make their home in Kitchener, Ontario. Dave is the founding director of Global Youth Volunteer Network (GYVN), an international organization working to educate and then mobilize young people towards making a positive impact in their world. Dave has taught on justice and community development across Canada as well as internationally. Dave's focus in GYVN is on issues of Urban Indigenous food security, Indigenous agricultural practices and land based education.

Marcelo Vargas lives in La Paz, Bolivia where he directs a Missionary Training Centre with his Brazilian wife Silvana Vargas. They have two grown chiilden: Priscila and Elías. Marcelo was born in Cochabamba in the Quechua Andean valley. His doctoral thesis dealt with Pentecostalism among the Indigenous Aimara people. He has worked with students and established campus ministries in Bolivia and now serves as executive secretary of the Latin American Theological Fraternity as well as pastoring the Iglesia Cristiana Antioquia in La Paz.

Dr. Kenneth Wallace, Aboha ‘a Chihowa, is an Afro-metis from the United States with heritage from the Choctaw and Pawnee Nations as well as being African-American. He completed his doctorate in Worship Studies with a focus on Christian contextualization of Indigenous worship. He teaches with his organization Kingdom Reflections Multi- Ethnic Worship Ministries and is a certfied ethnoarts specialist. He has been hoop dancing in the Way of Jesus across Canada at powwows. He is married to Achlaï, an esteemed leader in her own right and has a growing worship leader named Hadassa.

Naomi is a trawlwoolway Aboriginal woman with Jewish German, and Irish heritage who lives and works on Wurundjeri country (Melbourne, Australia). She is an Academic at Australian Catholic University where she teaches Indigenous and Ancient histories. She was previously the Academic Co-ordinator of Jim-baa-yer Indigenous Higher Education Unit. Naomi is the Indigenous Theologies Project officer at the University of Divinity and has the privilege of being Academic Dean for NAIITS Australia. She has a love of history of all types and will take any opportunity to bore people silly with discussions of history. Luckily, she now has her nephew living with her to distract her from such pursuits.

Beth has worked in inner city and community transformation contexts in Canada, Brazil and Africa. Her work is captured in her co-authored book “O Reino Entre Nós" (The Kingdom Among Us) originally published in Brazil and currently being applied in Portuguese, French and Spanish-speaking majority-world countries. Beth has served in a variety of roles within NAIITS.

Danny grew up in Winnipeg (Treaty 1 territory), with his maternal ancestors (Cree/Anishinaabe) inhabiting the areas of Treaty 1 and Treaty 5 territory for many generations. After completing his Bachelor of Arts at Providence College, he and his wife Maria moved to Mi’kma’ki (Nova Scotia) to complete his Master of Divinity and Master of Arts at Acadia Divinity College. While working part-time at ADC, Danny completed his PhD in New Testament studies through Highland Theological College (University of Aberdeen). During his time serving at ADC, Danny also completed the process of ordination with the Canadian Baptists of Atlantic Canada and serves regularly in his local church. Danny also carries administrative responsibilities relating to the Master of Arts (Theology) program and the Hayward lectures. In July 2022, he began serving as Associate Dean responsible for curriculum. In addition to his role at ADC, Danny is a faculty member of NAIITS: An Indigenous Learning Community. More than any of these achievements, Danny is most proud to call Maria his wife, Lex, Jack, and Hudson his sons, and Ella-Rose his daughter.

Danny teaches in the area of New Testament and Advanced Greek.

Cheryl Bear is well known as an important and respected voice on behalf of Canada's Indigenous peoples, a speaker and teacher who has travelled to over 600 Indigenous communities in Canada and the United States sharing her songs and stories. Cheryl is a Founding Board Member of NAIITS. Cheryl served two terms as a band councillor for her community and is now the Indigenous Relations Specialist with Canadian Baptist Ministries.

Sherelle Cotecson hails from Mindanao, an island in southern Philippines. She joined Tribal Mission Foundation Int'l Inc after obtaining her Bachelors in Theology - Major in Missions degree. Sherelle has more than two decades of experience in grass roots community work, holds a Masters in Intercultural Studies and is involved in training and mentoring community members in transformational development work.

Andy Mitchell is a non-Indigenous New Zealander, living and working on Boonwurrung country. He is Associate Pastor at Beaumaris-Mordialloc Baptist Church. Andy has both studied and taught with NAIITS Down Under. He is passionate about the vision of Christ as the foundation for healing in the Australian nation and networks with others pursuing this outcome.

Born into the Saulteaux First Nation, Shari Russell and her siblings were forced to leave home on their reserve during the Sixties Scoop. Shari has been involved in Indigenous ministry since reuniting with her family in 2002 and has played a key role in the Truth and Reconcilation Commission. She is now the Salvation Army's Territorial Aboriginal Ministries consultant and serves as Chair of the Board of Indigenous Pathways.

Professor Mark Brett teaches Hebrew Bible and Ethics. He was raised in Papua New Guinea, which has yielded a lifelong interest in the cultural contexts of education and biblical studies. His PhD on hermeneutical philosophy was published as Biblical Criticism in Crisis? (Cambridge University Press, 1991), and his subsequent research has focused on ethnicity and postcolonial studies. During 2005–2008, he also worked for an Aboriginal organization in developing new frameworks for the negotiation of native title claims within the state of Victoria. He is a member of Brunswick Baptist Church.

I am the son of a Cherokee father (4/4) and a first-generation European immigrant mother. I was raised by my mother from age seven in Miami, Florida. I lived estranged from my culture until 2005. I served with an international Christian mission organization for 30 years. I’ve been married for 40 years, and raised my nieces for ten years.

Ganosono of the Turtle Clan, Cayuga Nation of the Six Nations Haudenosaunee Confederacy at Grand River Territory, ON. Adrian is the father of five and grandfather of two. He lives as guest on Anishinaabe Treaty One territory as Keeper of the Circle of Sandy-Saulteaux Spiritual Centre. He holds a MAIS, teaches in the areas of Indigenous history, culture and contemporary issues and is a Founding Board Member of NAIITS.

John had a miraculous birth in 1937 and believes he was called to ministry before his birth. His paternal and maternal families were Christian. His maternal family was of Cherokee, Choctaw, Chickasaw and Irish descent. John began by knowing Father-God in the natural creation and later came into a more personal relationship. John has ministered on several reservations and in an Indian Boarding School and is thankful for the contextual approach to ministry. Gerri is a citizen of the Yankton Sioux Tribe, is Canadian French on her maternal side and on her paternal side she is Wailaki, Wintu and Nomelaki California tribes and Scottish. Her parents were both sent to the Sherman Institute. Her Dakotah grandmother who followed Jesus influenced her life as a little girl. John and Gerri continue to serve on a reservation and participate as salt and light in cultural traditional gatherings.

Sam & Thelma Chapman have lived their life together helping gangs, youths and at risk communities, those who have lost hope or been rejected by society, through Awhi Community Development. Awhi means to nurture and care for ones you love with their future wellbeing in mind. Their central “strategy” for this has been enlarging and opening their home. The hills, rivers and lakes of Turangi were the landscape of Sam’s upbringing where Maori values were strong while Thelma was a lively Irish lass. They now make their home in Turangi where they continue to embrace community. Thelma also established the Awhi Wanuau Early Childhood Centre in Otara and is today the National Co-ordinator of the Christian Early Childhood Association of Aotearoa.

Ray and Sharon pastor Scarred Tree Indigenous Ministires with St. John's Anglican Church, Glebe, NSW, Australia. Ray is a Board member with several Indigenous Ministries and organizations. He is Founder of the Coloured Digger Project and Consultant to both the Kinchela Boys Home Aboriginal Corporation and the Children of the Bomaderry Aboriginal Children's Home where many Aboriginal children were taken and placed under the Native Welfare Act of NSW. Ray and Sharon are Vision Keeprs for the World Christian Gathering of Indigenous Peoples.

Cecilia Titizano is a native of Bolivia of Quechua-Aymara descent. She is a Catholic theologian, currently directing the Latina/o Theology and Ministry Leadership Network of the Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University. Cecilia is passionate about Teología Indígena, Pastoral Indígena, and teaching at NAITTS. Her research areas include indigenous philosophies and ethics and Indigenous and feminist decolonial thought. Cecilia currently serves in Memoria Indígena as an Advisory Board Member and is part of the Comunidad de Sabias y Teólogas Indígenas del Abya Yala (COSTIAY).

Dr. Stephanie Goins has worked in program development, management, teaching and research for over 30 years, focusing on issues concerning vulnerable children, well-being, and culture. Having begun her career in psychology, Stephanie is currently serving as faculty with NAIITS and as an adjunct professor in the Anti-Human Trafficking Certification Program at Vanguard University. Prior to this, she was the program director for an international human rights organization focusing on prevention and aftercare for trafficked and exploited children. Stephanie has lived and worked in Africa, Europe and the United States alongside her husband J. She earned her doctorate through Oxford Centre for Mission Studies / University of Wales in Cardiff, where she focused on processes of forgiveness as they related to reintegration for former child soldiers in Sierra Leone.