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It’s Women’s History Month, a time to celebrate the faithful work of women leaders everywhere. Take a look at how five women who are committed to lifelong learning are helping to build a world where all can flourish.
As a globally-minded faith leader doing the work of human-centered educational design, I strive to create learning experiences that are both inclusive and expansive. My work integrates diverse perspectives while remaining grounded in the lived realities of those most affected by global inequities. I am committed to dismantling barriers that prevent us from fully seeing and understanding one another. These barriers may arise from historical narratives that exclude marginalized voices, systems of power that privilege certain geographic regions or faith expressions, or internal hesitations that limit meaningful engagement across differences.
Through my work in global citizenship education and lifelong learning, I seek to cultivate spaces where faith leaders, social changemakers, and informed citizens can critically engage with complexity, challenge ingrained assumptions, and develop practices that foster collective flourishing. I strive to make my approach both transformative and ethically grounded, ensuring that learning not only expands knowledge but also fosters a deep sense of responsibility. Knowledge must inspire action, and action must contribute to a more just and interconnected world.
Rev. Dr. Lindsay Andreolli-Comstock is a global citizenship specialist, international entrepreneur/edupreneur, immersive learning guide, and educational design consultant. She has more than 18 years of executive nonprofit and B-corp spirited for-profit leadership experience around the world. To learn more about Lindsay’s work, visit www.lindsayandreollicomstock.com
As a Latina, I bring a unique perspective on the challenges many face in pursuing higher education, particularly within Hispanic communities. This Women’s History Month, I am reminded of the importance of celebrating the resilience, strength, and contributions of women from all ethnicities in every field. My background as an educator, pastor, and administrator allows me to identify key opportunities and bridge the gaps between the practical, ministerial, and educational worlds. I understand the complexities of navigating multiple cultural, academic, and professional spheres, and these experiences empower me to find points of intersection that enable me to advocate for greater access to education of excellence in Hispanic communities, where it is often limited.
What I bring to the table is a commitment to empowering others, especially women, to thrive. By blending theological education with the practical skills I’ve gained from my corporate and academic experience, I help Hispanic students recognize their leadership potential both inside and outside the church. My goal is to make theological knowledge more accessible, relevant, and connected to the lived realities of my community. Through this work, I aim to create opportunities for individuals to grow spiritually, intellectually, and professionally, while contributing to a world where all people—especially those in marginalized communities—can truly flourish.
Rev. Dr. Jessica Lugo Meléndez is an educator, pastor and administrator. She is an ordained minister of the American Baptist Churches and has over 25 years of experience in both ministry, higher education and financial corporate industry. As the Executive Director of the Asociación para la Educación Teológica Hispana (AETH), Dr. Lugo has expanded the organization’s efforts to support and strengthen theological education for Hispanics, overseeing its various programs, including the Justo and Catherine González Resource Center. To learn more about Jessica’s work visit aeth.org.
I’m from Missouri corn fields, European and Indigenous heritages, and a lived experience as White. My journeys across the U.S., England, and Canada have widened my faith and sharpened my passion for faithful transformations.
The questions that drive me are urgent: How do we shape communities where all truly flourish? How can churches better meet the physical, spiritual, social, and emotional needs of today? How do we help churches nourish the “sound of the genuine” (cf. Howard Thurman) God has planted in each of us? What role(s) must theological education play?
I’m a systems thinker who loves to facilitate conversations that spark brave creativity and real change. I believe the most faithful next steps emerge when we listen to each other and dream boldly – together. I’m learning that constructive innovation must be relational and decolonized. Before we change, we must (re)imagine: How do we live as the neighbors Jesus calls us to be? How do people of diverse backgrounds live well, together?
I aim to keep nurturing collaborative conversations that sow faithful ways forward for church and academy – because the flourishing of all, especially in communities shaped by histories of exclusion, depends on what we design and embody – together.
Jodi L. Porter, Ed.D., serves at Acadia Divinity College (ADC) as Director of Education for Ministry Innovation, project director for the ADC Futuring Lab, and Adjunct Faculty. She holds the EdD in Leadership and Learning in Organizations from Peabody College, Vanderbilt University; an MTh in Applied (Practical) Theology from Regent’s Park College, University of Oxford; and a BA in Oxbridge Honors Religious Studies from William Jewell College. Previously she served at the Forum for Theological Exploration, Baylor University, Duke University Divinity School, and Harvard Medical School. She considers herself a lifelong learner who’s passionate about eliciting synergies between the church and academy for ever-more-effective approaches in theological education. Find her on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/jodi-l-porter/
As a youngish and over-educated female clergy person that has been trained in organizing and practical theologies, I bring a gift for communicating complex ideas in accessible ways. The world sometimes feels like only some people can access theological education (because of economics or race or geography) and my work in lifelong learning is committed to creating opportunities. I work in collaboration with people around the world to learn from and create resources together. In doing so, I interrogate my whiteness and explore how to build relationships that allow for diverse experiences and expertise to emerge.
The rev. abby mohaupt, phd, is the Director of the Garrett Collective at Garrett and loves helping people connect and organize with others. She has spent the majority of her career in online theological education, particularly in climate justice and interfaith spaces, gaining experience in digital organizing, pedagogies of the oppressed, and practical/creative theologies. While curating the Collective is her fulltime day job, abby also enjoys long runs, good coffee, and drawing with her daughter. To learn more about abby, click HERE.
As a Black woman faith leader in her 30s, I’ve always been the type to make the moves up as I go. I blame my parents for never telling me I couldn’t do something. Even today, if I told them I wanted to build a rocket and fly to the moon, they’d either 1) ask how they can help, 2) ask me how it’s going (because they know I’m working on it) or 3) pray for me (they’re never not doing that).
When I think of how I’m helping to build a world where all can flourish, I think of someone who’s not afraid to break the old one. When something’s not working, we can either go along with it as if nothing’s wrong or we can turn it over (Matthew 21:12-13). I get to practice a bit of world-breaking through my gifts of creativity and innovation in the Center for Lifelong Learning. I’m not shaking the planet (yet😉) with my work in marketing, but I’d like to think I move the dirt around, helping the department shift as needed so we can plant new things and nourish what’s taken root. Storytelling is my favorite table turning method because it helps us see we’re often more connected than we realize, whether its interviewing grant recipients or curating posts like this one, it’s a way to celebrate, illustrate and respect God’s creation. If I am to build, let it be within a space that embodies these things.
Chassidy Goggins supports the needs of organizations and high performers, enhancing their effectiveness through digital marketing and media communications. She is currently the Media and Marketing Coordinator for the Center of Lifelong Learning and D.Ed.Min. student at Columbia Theological Seminary.
To learn more about the Center for Lifelong Learning, click HERE.
