Distance Education Staff
Meet the Distance Education Staff
Mark Giszczak
Mark Giszczak was born and raised in Ann Arbor, MI. He studied philosophy and theology at Ave Maria College in Ypsilanti, MI and Sacred Scripture at the Augustine Institute of Denver, CO. He is currently a Ph. D. candidate in biblical studies at the Catholic University of America. Mr. Giszczak has participated in many evangelization projects and is the author of the CatholicBibleStudent.com blog. He has written introductions to every book of the Bible for eCatholicHub.net, and he developed the site’s online database of Catholic saints. Mark and his wife Colleen live in Colorado, and their hobbies include music, hiking, and roasting their own coffee. .
As an undergraduate, I attended Ave Maria University in Florida, graduating in 2008 with a B.A. in Literature. I then moved to Washington, DC and continued to indulge my love of English literature in graduate school at Georgetown University. After earning a M.A. in May 2010, I was blessed in July with the opportunity to begin working at the Augustine Institute. I’m excited to take part in the Institute’s answer to Pope John Paul II’s call for a New Evangelization. I also enjoy getting to know our distance education students who hail from all over the United States and the world! Having grown up in Wyoming, I’m also thrilled to be able to look out the window from our offices here in Denver and see the Rocky Mountains. In addition to my work at the Augustine Institute, I spend a few hours each week teaching Latin and literature to a group of middle and high school students.
Heather Akers Heather Akers received her undergraduate degree in Philosophy from Christendom College in Front Royal, VA. She attained a Masters in Theology from the same institution. While in graduate school, she was taught by Dr. Tim Gray and developed a deep love for Sacred Scripture. Heather acted as the Assistant Director of the Christendom College Rome Program for four years before moving to Denver last year with her husband Ben. She is currently an auditor at the Denver Metropolitan Tribunal. This is her third semester as a Teaching Assistant for the AI Distance Education program.
After completing my undergraduate degree in Psychology and International Studies with minors in Spanish and German at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln (go Huskers!) I moved to Denver to pursue my M.A. at the Augustine Institute. It was unlike any previous academic experience! Not only was I being challenged at a new level academically, I was learning from professors who cared about me as a person and wanted to challenge me spiritually as well. After two amazing years of studies, I completed my thesis on Christ as the new Temple in the gospels and graduated in May 2010 with my concentration in Sacred Scripture. I started my first semester as a TA in August 2010. My husband, Alex, and I live in Castle Rock, CO. In addition to working as a TA for the Augustine Institute I work part-time as a project assistant for a pharmaceutical company. Alex and I are expecting our first baby, Michael Alexander, in January. God is so good, and I am thrilled to have the opportunity to share my love for Him and His Word with students in the Distance Education program!
Kristin Towle, Ph.D. Kristin Towle grew up in Owatonna, Minnesota. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Catholic Studies and in Spanish, with a minor in philosophy, from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota. While in her first semester at college, Kristin became very interested in theology, and eventually she decided to pursue a higher degree in this lofty science. She had always wanted to teach, and she hoped that she could serve the Church by teaching others the doctrines of the Church and thereby helping to foster their love for God. Kristin spent a year pursuing a master’s degree in theology at Boston College. Before she completed this degree, she was accepted into the newly formed Ph.D. in theology program at Ave Maria University in Naples, Florida. After five years, Kristin earned her Ph.D. in theology (in 2009), writing her dissertation on mystical contemplation in the Summa theologiae of St. Thomas Aquinas. Kristin met her husband, Mike, at Ave Maria, and they now have two boys, with another baby due in June.
Christina Pal
Christina Pal is a consecrated virgin. She is currently a doctoral candidate at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum) in Rome, Italy. Christina was raised in a non-practicing Hindu household. Prior to her conversion, she studied physiology at the University of Southern California, earning a Bachelor of Science degree. Her conversion to the Catholic Faith happened in the midst of a very Evangelical Protestant environment. Having almost no experience of the Catholic Church prior to her conversion, she had to learn everything as an adult. After her conversion, Christina was a retreat leader and a catechist in a Catholic parish, teaching high school confirmation classes, RCIA, and adult education. She also worked for St. Joseph Communications, a Catholic apostolate dedicated to apologetics and evangelization. She continued her philosophical and theological education at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas, where she earned an S.T.B, an M.A. in Theology with a specialization in Thomistic Studies, and an S.T.L. with a specialization in Dogma. Her Licence thesis is entitled The Humanity of Christ as the Instrumental Efficient Cause of Grace and Salvation in the Theology of St. Thomas Aquinas. |
Rachel Dunleavy
Ashley Crane
