Center for Christogenesis Team

Ilia Delio

CEO & Founder

Ilia Delio, OSF, PhD, Founder of the Center for Christogenesis, is a Franciscan Sister of Washington, DC and American theologian specializing in the area of science and religion, with interests in evolution, physics and neuroscience and the import of these for theology.

Ilia currently holds the Josephine C. Connelly Endowed Chair in Theology at Villanova University, and is the author of twenty books. Ilia holds PhDs in Pharmacology from Rutgers University and in Theology from Fordham University, as well as two honorary doctorates, one from St. Francis University in 2015, and one from Sacred Heart University in 2020.

Learn more about Ilia by clicking here.

Jillian Langford

Director of Operations and Programs

Jillian earned a BA in Theology and Philosophy from Aquinas College in Grand Rapids, MI and her MTS in Systematic Theology and Spirituality from Villanova University. She is currently a PhD Candidate at Villanova University where she is writing a dissertation on Teilhardian Pedagogy for youth and adolescent students. She researches and publishes on the process theology of Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, theological pedagogy, pedagogies of friendship, spirituality of care, religion and psychology, and environmental ethics.

Jillian is originally from Grand Rapids, MI where she worked as the Director of Youth and Young Adult Ministry at St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church. She has also served as a youth ministry advisor to rural Catholic parishes in Saskatchewan and Alberta, Canada. Jillian currently lives in Philadelphia, PA with her spouse, Bryant.

Lisa Drover

Director of Finance

Lisa Marie Drover is a member of the Franciscan Sisters of Washington, DC. While currently serving as the Finance Officer for the Center of Christogenesis she also is the executive assistant to the Archbishop for the Military Services, USA. Prior to her current positions she worked in Development and was assistant to the President of Washington Theological Union. Lisa is also a retired nurse, having spent time in ambulatory and emergency nursing and several years in nursing administration in acute care and independent and assisted living for the elderly.

Kate Kristiansen

Social Media and Marketing Manager

Kate Kristiansen has more than twenty years of experience in digital marketing, publicity, and brand sponsorship development. She has managed marketing for arts and community organizations, institutional banking, major live entertainment touring shows across North America for Cirque du Soleil, and Dreamworks Live. Kate is also a part-time Professor of Marketing at St. Lawrence College located in Ontario, Canada. She is the owner and operator of Hummingbird Studios, an artists’ residency and retreat venue located in the Ontario countryside.

An avid traveler, Kate has traveled around the world, living for several years in New Zealand, and has backpacked in Australia, France, Italy, Spain, and parts of the United States. Kate completed the Camino de Santiago and St. Francis’ Way (Via di Francesco, from Assisi to Rome) as both walking meditation and spiritual retreat.A writer, life-long seeker, and pilgrim, Kate is forever curious and open toward all things, but especially in relation to neuroplasticity, culture, science, and religion.

Emily DeMoor

Christophany Group Coordinator

Dr. Emily DeMoor serves as Director of the Caritas Center at Brescia University in Owensboro, Kentucky. With a Master of Arts in Musicology from Tulane University, a Master of Pastoral Studies with a focus in Religion and Ecology from the Loyola Institute for Ministry, and a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis on ecologically-sensitive curriculum from Louisiana State University, Emily brings a multidisciplinary approach to all she does. Through her teaching, retreats, publications and presentations she has reached national and international audiences. Her research interests include process theology, ecotheology, intersubjectivity, and the role of hope and love in shaping attitudes and actions toward the natural world in the midst of climate change.

Robert Nicastro

Website Contributor and Course Facilitator

Robert Nicastro is a Ph.D. student in the Theology and Religious Studies program at Villanova University. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy and Psychology from Gannon University in Erie, Pennsylvania, and a Master of Arts in Theology from Saint Mary’s Seminary and University in Baltimore, Maryland. Robert’s research interests lie at the intersection of theology and artificial intelligence, neuroscience, and quantum physics.

Volunteer with Us

If you want to join our team as a passionate person ready to jump in, move fast, and make things happen, please email us a cover letter indicating background, experience, and your fit with our volunteer opportunities.

We are excited to meet you and work together to spread the Center for Christogenesis’s mission around the globe!