Father Frank Sevola, OFM has been a Franciscan Friar for 40 years and a priest for 35 years, working mostly in urban ministry. He currently serves as the Guardian (religious superior) at St. Anthony Shrine in Downtown Boston.

Grace Pugh Hubbard is Climate Care Coordinator for the New England UM Annual Conference. In this role Grace works with the Creation Care Circle to resource local churches in the areas of Eco-spirituality, Education, Energy Efficiency, and Legislative Advocacy across our six states and seven districts. She is a commissioned EarthKeeper and an Artist Advocate. Grace and her husband Joel live in Essex, Vermont and have four children and two grandchildren.

Rabbi Howard Mandell attended and was ordained by The Jewish Theological Seminary in New York City. Prior to his having attended rabbinical school, he lived in Montgomery, AL, where he practiced constitutional and civil rights law for several decades. He has served as a board member and chair of the board of the Southern Poverty Law Center and has taught “social justice” as an adjunct professor at Merrimack College.  Rabbi Mandell is completing his 13th year as the rabbi at Congregation Beth Israel in Andover, MA. He has made social justice, interfaith work, and spirituality important parts of his rabbinate. He is currently a member of the Institute for Jewish Spirituality and has successfully completed a year-long hospital residency program at Yale University Hospital in New Haven, CT.  He has previously taught and led several programs here at Rolling Ridge.

Father Bill Sheehan is a member of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate.  He is an experienced retreat director who has led many workshops throughout the United States and internationally.  Fr. Bill has a rich background as a pastor, director of ministry to priests, spiritual director, provincial, and the director of the Oblate House of Theology.  He is also a 30-year faculty member of National Contemplative Outreach.

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Connie Burianek was introduced to the Enneagram in 1990 by a Dominican Friar at college, and worked with it personally for many years. She began Enneagram teaching certification with Russ Hudson in 2018. Following a year-long Program in Conscious Living with Russ Hudson and Jessica Dibbs in 2022, she discerned a calling to Spiritual Direction, which led her to Merrimack College’s Master’s in Spiritual Direction. In 2023, she spent three weeks in Egypt with Russ Hudson exploring the Egyptian roots of the Enneagram and the three Abrahamic faiths. She simultaneously pursued and completed her Enneagram teaching certification in March 2024 and her Master of Arts in Spiritual Direction from Merrimack in May 2025. Her Master’s Degree focused on the Enneagram and Spiritual Direction, specifically in relation to raising awareness of Spiritual Abuse. She completed a Master’s Thesis on: “How Can the Enneagram Shed Light on Sin and Spiritual Abuse to Bring Healing to the Catholic Church?”  In addition to Enneagram studies, she is a US Navy Veteran certified as a Master Training Specialist, loves doing photography and graphic design, and is an avid knitter.

Sunjae Lee is an ordained elder in the New England Conference. He is passionate about reintroducing Jesus Christ for a post-Christendom age and reading scripture with fresh eyes. Sunjae currently lives in Maine with his wife, daughter, and dog, and leads a daily morning devotion on Zoom, inviting people to remember the call they are commanded to live out each day as the light and the salt of the world.

Christine Thibodeau has been facilitating community Christian dance for five years at workshops, on zoom, and at an assisted living. She loves to connect with God through dance, walking in nature, prayer, and journaling.  She lives with her husband and dog in Western Mass.  She also enjoys cooking and crafts, visiting with friends, hiking, and hanging out with her husband, sister, and son.  A CPA accountant by trade, she can attest that EVERYONE can enjoy dance!

The staff at Rolling Ridge embody the spirit of hospitality, presence, and care. Each member brings a unique blend of heart, skill, and intention to create a space where guests can slow down, breathe deeply, and reconnect with what truly matters.

Guided by the rhythms of nature and the wisdom of Celtic spirituality, the team tends both the land and the community with gentleness and grace. Whether welcoming retreat groups, preparing nourishing meals, or maintaining the sacred grounds, the staff work together to ensure Rolling Ridge remains a safe, hidden haven—a place of connection, renewal, and peace.

As a child, Stephanie watched her Mom make compost from food scraps and saw her replenish their garden beds. Stephanie lives in  Andover where she has been composting in her backyard for 30 years . She  and her husband use the compost to reinvigorate the soil in their rose, vegetable and herb garden. She also taught middle/ elementary school science in Lawrence where she included hands on learning  whenever possible. In her quieter moments she practices meditation with the Great Pond Sangha and is the Education Coordinator at The Giving Garden.

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Kay Milligan has been teaching children's outdoor nature classes for over five years. With a passion for teaching, Kay helps kids and their adults learn more about ourselves and the natural world through the joy of play.  Kay is a trained and certified Tinkergarten teacher who has many years experience working with children of all ages and abilities.  Before founding Nature Play with Kay, she taught recreational and therapeutic horseback riding to children and adults with a wide range of special needs, and was the Director of Volunteers at a local non-profit.  She loves spending time outdoors, exploring nature, cooking, and reading. Kay is an avid homeschooler and she and her son can often be found outside exploring on an adventure day. Kay loves God and loves people, and she strives to show that love in everything she does.  Kay can be reached at NaturePlayWithKay@gmail.com.

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Rev. Bernie Cook is an ordained interfaith minister.  He served in church settings, taught spiritual concepts, facilitated groups, spoke at conferences, and journeyed with fellow spiritual travelers.  He enjoyed supporting people in discovering their authentic selves.

Bernie has been with his husband for thirty-nine years.  Twelve of which have been recognized as legally married.  Both have been on a spiritual journey, separately and together.  They have learnt and grown from each other’s experiences of that journey which continues to this day.  

He also had a forty-two-year career in information technology, with his final positions including systems engineering, consulting for HR, executive and IT security personnel, technical trainer and reviewer of technical material for the company training center, lastly but not least, a team leader.  He was selected to be a liaison between the information technology department and the chief information officer.  He participated in the company LGBTQ+ employee group and company sponsored public service programs.

He is honored and grateful to be involved in the work of Rolling Ridge’s mission.

As the Executive Director of Rolling Ridge, Rev. Dr. Lawrence Jay works in partnership with the staff to ensure that the guest experience at the Ridge is top quality.  He also partners with retreat leaders to provide excellent programming at the Ridge, and is available to speak about the ongoing ministry and historic mission of Rolling Ridge as a place of rest, retreat, and transformation.  A trained spiritual director and ordained American Baptist pastor, Larry (as he is known by friends) is a graduate of UCLA, Golden Gate Seminary, Franciscan School of Theology, American Baptist Seminary of the West, and the Gateways to God Missional Spiritual Direction Program.  He is also Adjunct Faculty at Merrimack College in the Masters of Spirituality and Spiritual Direction programs.  Eco-spirituality is his passion (and was his doctoral dissertation), encouraging everyone to live into the fullness of our connection with our True Self, nature, God, and all people.

Rev. Renee Elaine Manning has lived near Boston her entire life. After retiring from a 38-year career as a CAD illustrator for Raytheon, where she worked on the PATRIOT Missile Project, she received her Master of Divinity from Andover Newton Theological School in 2018. Called by West Parish Church UCC in Andover, MA, she was ordained in 2023 as a “Minister in the Community”. Rev. Renee is also a facilitator for the Merrimack Valley PFLAG and a Transgender advocate through which she has presented her own “Transgender 101” educational series throughout New England. She lives in Andover, MA with her wife Serena. Their combined family includes two sons and two daughters. Her hobbies are astronomy, NASA spaceflight and aviation, model building, model rocketry, and studying history.

Rev. Adam Randazzo is a United Methodist ordained elder in the New England Annual Conference.  He currently serves as the Pastor of Living Faith UMC in Ipswich, is Director of Rolling Ridge's upcoming Trans Support Summit and Retreat happening July 11-13, and is himself the parent of a trans child.

Lawrence Kessenich won the 2010 Strokestown International Poetry Prize in Ireland and has had three poems nominated for Pushcart Prizes. His poetry has been featured in The Sewanee Review, Atlanta Review, Poetry Ireland Review, and many other magazines. Click here for his published books.

He has published five books of poetry and had an essay featured on NPR’s This I Believe series, as well as in their anthology, This I Believe: On Love.

As a playwright, his works have been produced in New York, Boston, and Colorado, where he won an award in a national drama competition.

His first novel, Cinnamon Girl, was published in 2016. His second novel, The Further Adventures of Daisy Miller, will be released in April 2025. Learn more here.

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As a retired United Methodist Deacon and elementary school counselor, Reverend Mehida A. Gonzalez's call is to connect the people of God with the needs of the world. Working outside of the walls of the church enables her to bring the church out into the world. Her most recent journey was completing the Gateways to God program at Rolling RIdge, as a commitment to spiritual direction, deep listening, and discernment. She is an active member and supports Centralville United Methodist Church in Lowell, MA by preaching and assisting in worship, and serves on the Board of Ordained Ministry in the United Methodist Church. A proud mother and grandmother, she enjoys reading, traveling and cooking. Rev. Gonzalez holds a Master's degree in Counselor Education and Theological Studies, a Bachelor's in Sociology, and certificates in Expressive Therapy/Play Therapy, Mental Health, Trauma, and Spiritual Direction.

Walter Francisco Mena is native of El Salvador. He also lived in Colombia, South America, for 7 years, where he pursued undergraduate studies in philosophy and literature and was a missionary. He is a Lay Ecclesial minister and leadership trainer in the United States and Latin America. Walter Francisco holds a Master's degree in Pastoral Theology with a concentration on Latinos in the US and Youth and Young Adult Ministry and a Post master's Certificate in spiritual formation from Boston College's School of Theology and Ministry (STM). He is on a new staff team member with the Catholic Climate Covenant.

Kate is a spiritual director, author, artist, poet, and lover of nature and God.  She and her husband live at the edge of a large pond in Moultonborough, NH, surrounded by tall pines and the occasional bear or fox. They regularly spend time in Grand Rapids, MI to be with family and friends there. She experiences great joy in enriching her experiences with the Holy Spirit through prayer, art, poetry, and books. She is, perhaps, most truly herself when discussing the questions and mysteries of this life. To further share those conversations, Kate has a private practice for those seeking spiritual direction as part of their own faith journey.

Deb Kennedy is an artist and coach, who takes delight each day in the new things she learns about herself and others.  As a lifelong Christian, she has been a part of many Christian denominations and faith practices and has come to appreciate each for the richness they bring to life. Deb likes to integrate her art practices with her spiritual practices.  She lives on Cape Cod, MA, with her husband, Frank, and they also spend time each year in Southern Florida. She loves to share the contemplative, creative and meditative practices that have bring her joy and peace.

Mary Anne is married to her husband of 32 years with 2 adult children and has been an active participant in her Catholic parish in North Andover for over 25 years. She has a deep Contemplative prayer life and has offered individual and group spiritual direction since 2015. She has extensive knowledge of the Spiritual Journey Series by Fr Thomas Keating and has Co-Directed the Spiritual Exercises of St Ignatius, 19th Annotation Retreat several times. She feels humbled and very grateful when given the opportunity to accompany others who seek to nurture a stronger relationship with God, themselves and others.

Steve Garnaas-Holmes is a poet, songwriter and retired pastor. He writes daily reflections at unfoldinglight.net. From 1973 to 2012 he wrote and performed with the Montana Logging and Ballet Company, a quartet that performed music and comedy around the country and occasionally on NPR’s Weekend Edition.

Wanda Winnicki attended Symmetry Yoga Vinyasa Flow 200+ hour teacher training, so she can teach yoga safely. She came to yoga to relieve some health issues many years ago. She continues yoga to maintain a healthy life style. The spiritual element of yoga is a powerful part of her life both on and off the mat. She hopes to bring the joy of both God and Yoga to anyone who’s willing. God called Wanda to teach “God in Yoga” many years ago. She was asked to teach yoga at a women’s retreat and was well received in all cases. She used some of the breath prayers and one of the scripture with poses. She began teaching “God in Yoga” classes after completing yoga teacher. She is a Registered Yoga Teacher with the Yoga Alliance.

Jan Whitten (Deaconess– APRN, MS, HTCP, HTSM-CP/I), also known as Jana Marie, is a holistic nurse with over 50 years of experience working with adults in  acute care, home care, nursing education, and mental health. She is retired from a private practice as a psychiatric nurse practitioner where she integrated Healing Touch and other holistic modalities.  As a Deaconess in the United Methodist Church, she follows her calling as congregational health minister/ leader of healing ministry, providing spiritual direction, and leading retreats. Jana Marie feels deeply called to healing ministry and to helping others to be themselves fully. She has a Master’s Degree in Community Health Nursing, graduate certificate in Psychiatric/Mental Health Nursing, certificate in Congregational Health Ministry, and certificate in Spiritual Direction. She is discerning a transformation of her practice to provide Healing Touch and Aromatherapy.

Emily Strong is the Farm Manager at The Giving Garden and has been involved since she helped to start the garden in 2015. She loves to question why things work they way they do and still thinks that a seed sprouting is a small miracle. She has degrees in chemistry and public health and also serves on the Board of Directors of Neighbors In Need.

Danny is a musician, pianist, singer, actor, director, performer from Seacoast New Hampshire, and is Music Minister at Main Street UCC in Amesbury, MA. Danny is a part time voice and piano teacher, executive director of "Voices of Distinction", and Director of Operations here at Rolling Ridge.

Judy Smith is a rostered Minister of Word & Service (Deacon) in the ELCA and a trained labyrinth facilitator through Veriditas, an educational labyrinth organization. Although retired, Judy is still busy leading camp retreats (she is a retired Camp Director and Program Director) and labyrinth walks as well as studying Contemplative Spiritual Formation at Columbia Theological Seminary. Judy loves to travel and recently returned from Sweden where she participated in an amazing labyrinth and Soul Collage retreat on the island of Gotland.

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Henry Schoenfield is a trained spiritual director, ordained minister, and certified professional coach. A lifelong spiritual seeker, he has been teaching and offering spiritual companionship to people of many faith backgrounds and beliefs for over twenty years. Henry is deeply rooted in the Christian contemplative path – drawing from Ignatius Loyola, Karl Rahner, and many others. He is a student of the Christian Wisdom path in the lineage of Rev. Dr. Cynthia Bourgeault. He works with individuals and groups who seek to deepen their lives of faith and service.
 

Rev. Dr. Hyuk Seonwoo, an ordained elder of the United Methodist Church, is a big fan of Tai Chi, and his practice reflects a deep commitment to embodied spirituality. Along with leading Tai Chi classes and workshops, he has written numerous Tai Chi-related articles. As a Ph.D. holder in Liturgical Studies, Hyuk currently serves the St. James UMC in Merrimack, NH. He is also a teacher-in-training at the Tree of Life Tai Chi Center, founded by Dr. Peter Wayne, Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. Hyuk is a certified spiritual director through Rolling Ridge’s Gateways to God program.

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Hailed by Pete Seeger as "one of America's best songwriters," Fred Small sings songs of conscience in the tradition of Pete Seeger, Tom Paxton, and Holly Near. Powerful, affecting, and inviting, Fred's songs illuminate the goodness and courage of all kinds of people and have been interpreted by many singers around the world. With 8 albums, the National Organization of Men against Sexism (NOMAS) honored Fred for his contributions to gender justice in 2010, and in 2017, UU Mass Action presented him with the Ruth Rowan Award for his musical contributions to social justice movements. After graduating Phi Beta Kappa from Yale, Fred earned a law degree and a masters in natural resources policy at the University of Michigan. He wrote his first song in 1974 on the morning of his first law school examination. In 1980 Fred left his position as staff attorney at the Conservation Law Foundation to pursue his career in music full time. A graduate of Yale Divinity School, Fred Small now currently serves as Minister for Climate Justice at Arlington Street Church, Boston.

Rev. Dr. Stephanie Rutt was founding Minister of the Tree of Life Interfaith Temple in Milford, NH, director of the Tree of Life School for Sacred Living and creator of the Tree of Life Interfaith Seminary. Through the School for Sacred Living she has offered numerous sacred studies courses, classes and workshops locally as well as to national conferences sponsored by World AWAKE (formally The World Alliance of Interfaith Clergy) and the Haden Institute. She has appeared on the TEDx stage and is the author of five books including, Living the Prayer of Jesus: A Study of the Lord’s Prayer in Aramaic released by Wipf and Stock Publishers. All of her work seeks to embody unity within diversity, reveal how the great spiritual truths show up everywhere in daily experience, and to awaken an unchecked ecstatic cry for the One called by many names.

To learn more, please visit the following.
https://www.stephanierutt.com/
https://www.tolinterfaithtemple.org/

Marie has been studying, practicing and living mindfully for over 10 years. She has helped many people with MS, and runs mindfulness programs at Lake Quanapowitt in Wakefield, MA and surrounding areas. As a retreat facilitator, Marie will guide the group providing wisdom, experience and compassionate support.

She is also qualified to teach the MBSR (Mind, Body Stress Reduction) program and trained with the UMass Center for Mindfulness Medical School.

Jennifer Revill created her company, The Mobile Mystic, with the mission of bringing people together to explore and celebrate the spirituality of their lives. She is a spiritual director with a one-on-one spiritual companioning practice, and is a member of the lead team of The Listening Collective at Rolling Ridge. Jennifer also serves her Unitarian Universalist parish as a lay leader and small group ministry facilitator.

Steve is an out and proud Queer who loves Jesus!  He practices ministry in a host of ways as a Home Missioner in The United Methodist Church.  His particular ministry as a spiritual director has evolved over the years into a focus on accompanying folks in the LGBTQIA+ community and 12-step programs, and individuals and organizations desiring discernment.  He holds a Bachelor’s degree from what is now Salem State University and a Master’s from Boston College.  He was trained in spiritual accompanying at St. Anthony’s Center in Boston.   He lives in Fitchburg, MA, with his cat, Miss Bessie, and he has found great pleasure in joining his neighbors as they wrestle with jigsaw puzzles. 

With more than 20 years in academic and non-profit settings, Heidi A Miller, Ph.D., serves as Associate Professor of Spirituality and Christian Ministry at Mercer University in Atlanta. Her areas of teaching, research, and writing focus on transformative leadership, spirituality, transition and trauma, justice, and worship. Heidi designs and facilitates curriculum in spiritual direction and soul tending in one-on-one, small group, community, congregational, and organizational contexts.

Nadine Mazzola (she/her) is an artist, educator, certified forest therapy guide, and author of the multi-award-winning book, "Forest Bathing with Your Dog". She has shared her signature, holistic, heart-centered style of teaching with hundreds of students, from those with no art experience to professional artists. She is known for creating a supportive environment within each class for learning, exploring, creating, playing, and nurturing joy. Nadine's favorite color is yellow. A cancer survivor herself, Nadine often works with groups affected by cancer. A senior trainer for the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy since 2016, and the Virginia Thurston Healing Garden since 2017, Nadine brings a depth of life experience bridging Nature, expressive arts, and somatics.

Dr. Debra LeClair is a psychologist and group facilitator who practices as a life/executive coach. She is the constant student of where psychology intersects with conscious creation. This approach helps people to discover their strengths and soul-level aspirations while bolstering inner and outer support systems, including those that are trauma-informed and body-centered. Holding Master degrees in both Clinical and Applied Psychology, Debra later earned her doctorate in Applied psychology at Rutgers University.  She has also been a student of indigenous wisdom practices for several decades and is a Certified Celtic Shamanism Practitioner. In 2002, Debra co-founded Full Spectrum Wellness to promote healthy mind, body and spirit and in 2024, re-aligned and rebranded the organization as re-Sourced (re-sourcedwell.com) to empower evolving leaders and conscious creators, especially in integrating their spirituality into all aspects of their lives. She is also an author of spiritual fiction. Her debut novel, The Common Hours (PortalStar Publishing 2024) explores themes of trauma, grief, and healing through ancestral connection. As a writer, Debra is impassioned by the connection between psychology and spirituality and what that brings to a hero/heroine’s journey.  The next book in the trilogy, tentatively entitled, The Shattered Hours, will be released on February 1st, 2027.

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Rev. Cindy Maybeck (she/her) provides spiritual direction to individuals and groups giving space for deep listening and connecting to God. She served as pastor in two churches in Central Massachusetts, both became Open and Affirming during her tenure. An inspiring preacher and engaging speaker, Rev. Maybeck launched her entrepreneurial Spirit Story ministry to tell biblical and personal stories in church and community settings. She studied spiritual guidance at Shalem Institute, leads retreats, and teaches spiritual practices. Cindy loves to sing, lives with her wife Elaine in Worcester, and enjoys time at their cottage in Ocean Park, Maine.

Brian Bayer-Larson is a Massachusetts-based musician who has led Taize-style worship services for nearly 20 years. Brian first visited the Taize community in the spring of 2003 where he worked in the kitchen, helped lead his small group Bible study, and was lucky enough to be invited to dine with the brothers of the community. Brian even got to meet Brother Roger, Taize’s founder, before he tragically died in 2005. In addition to leading worship services Brian is an active songwriter and performer who regularly plays music at cafes and events around Boston’s north shore. In 2017 he released his first album of original music, Time to Go Home, which can be found on all streaming services. He is also an 8th grade social studies teacher, a happily married husband, and father to 3 active and beautiful children.

Sandra LaPerche is retired from a career in health care. She has been a volunteer with the American Red Cross and Girl Scouts and currently is a tutor and conversation group leader for English at Large. She has taught tai chi at Melrose and Stoneham Senior Centers, has served as a Stephen Minister, and has led small groups, book studies, Bible Studies, and prayer groups for twenty plus years. A Gateways to God grad (the missional spiritual direction program at Rolling Ridge), Sandra has a life-long drive to seek Divine grace through personal study, prayer, and practice.

Cris received her training in spiritual direction through Tending the Soul and Advanced Gateways to God. Her current work as a spiritual director takes place primarily in nontraditional settings including grocery stores and parking lots, hospital rooms, spiritual formation gatherings, and the online classroom. After a first career as a high school chemistry teacher, Cris earned an MDiv from Northeastern Seminary and completed three units of CPE. She currently enjoys serving as an adjunct professor in spiritual direction at NES, a peer group supervisor for Gateways to God, and a per diem hospital chaplain.

Gayle Kerr has been involved in Spiritual Direction and Retreat Ministry since 1990. She is a graduate of Trenton (NJ) State College and Chestnut Hill College (PA) and holds degrees in education and Holistic Spirituality and Certificates in Spiritual Direction and the Supervision of Spiritual Directors. She has worked as a teacher, a Director of Christian Education and as a Spiritual Director at the Middleton Center for Pastoral Care and Counseling at the Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church in Bryn Mawr, PA. From 2000-2007 she worked at Princeton Theological Seminary in Princeton, NJ with a team of Spiritual Directors who were invited to help create a program for Spiritual Formation at the Seminary. Gayle and her husband moved to Cape Cod, MA in 2007 where she continues to provide individual and group Spiritual Direction as well as Retreat Leadership from her home on the Cape. She also serves as a small group supervisor in the Gateways to God Program for training Spiritual Directors at Rolling Ridge.

Janet Kessenich, M.M. leads thoughtful, interactive, experiential workshops and retreats that connect participants with what brings meaning, purpose, satisfaction and empowerment into their lives. A holistic sound and energy healer, Janet uses the essence of music – calibrated vibration – with clients and workshop participants to in a sense, tune them to their most aligned way of being. Her Tune Up Your Spirit workshops are based on her book, Music Lessons for the Spirit, a collection of essays drawn from the spiritual/life lessons she learned as a pianist. www.spiralenergies.com

Amy Hunter is an Episcopal layperson, religious educator, spiritual director, and supervisor of directors who seeks out practices that help her and others move from their heads into their hearts. Amy received her spiritual direction training at the former San Damiano House of Prayer with Sr. Linda Greenwood. She has been practicing BioSpiritual Focusing for several years and finds it a tremendous resource for healing, inner peace, and deepening connection with self, others, and God.

Kris Girrell is an author, speaker and leadership coach who has presented a TEDx talk and has written two books on the dark night experience (Wrestling the Angel and Stations in the Night). He holds a Master’s degree in Theological Research from Andover Newton and advanced degrees in Psychology and Counselling from Penn State University. He and his wife Sarah founded and operate a charity, Operation ELF, for the past 22 years, where he still serves as the event manager and as a member of the Board of Directors. Kris has been a program presenter at Rolling Ridge and is a member of the Ridge’s Board of Directors, co-chair of the Program Subcommittee and the Faculty Liaison for the outside presenters of the Ridge’s Day Apart series.

Sister Linda Greenwood is retired and has been on a private renewal in this time of transition from full time ministries. She was the director of the San Damiano House of Prayer in Lowell, MA for 20 years from 1999 – 2019 while at the same time working one day a week at St. Anthony Shrine in Boston, MA in their Franciscan Center for Spiritual Direction. She has also taught elementary school and religious education in middle school. She was Director of Religious Education (Faith Formation) for 26 years in several different parishes. She served as a retreat staff member at St. Francis Retreat Center in Burlington, Wisconsin for ten summers and served as director of a regional adult education center, Nashua Deanery Christian Life Center for five years.

Eliza Goodell, Ph.D. is a clinical psychologist who has also studied art. In 2018 she completed her SoulCollage® facilitator training. Since that time she has shared SoulCollage® in the Boston area at retreat centers and churches, adult education programs, and for HOPE yoga, a program for individuals with cancer. Eliza’s background also includes training in Internal Family Systems, a non-pathologizing approach to therapy which complements SoulCollage®. She currently works as a therapist and co-leads a grief support group at a Unitarian church in Haverhill, MA.

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Beth Garnaas-Holmes is an ordained Elder in the United Methodist Church.  She has served  congregations in Montana, New Hampshire and Massachusetts, with a focus on deepening people's connection to God, themselves and the world through spiritual practice, small group ministry and outreach into communities.  She has also offered spiritual direction to individuals for 30 years, and was trained through the Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formation in Bethesda, Maryland.  She has worked in program ministry at Rolling Ridge for 20 years, and is the former program director and a small group supervisor with the Gateways to God program.  She lives in Wells, Maine with her husband and the many trees and animals that surround their home.  Together they have a wonderful family of sons and daughters by marriage, grandchildren and grand-pets.  

Ingrid Cyros is a workshop and retreat facilitator, whose passion is exploring the relationship between creativity and spirituality. As a spiritual director, she leads groups and individuals to introduce the practice of integrating photographic image and journal keeping, to listen deeply and to connect with what is sacred.

Ingrid earned a Master of Divinity Degree and Cert. in Spiritual and Pastoral Care, at Andover Newton Theological School, and Spiritual Direction training at Gateways to God. She lives with her husband, Michael, in Newburyport, MA and frequently travels to Nova Scotia and Vermont, to spend time with her children, and family.

Judy Bousquin, a life-long learner and seeker, teaches the spiritual practices of Reiki, yoga and meditation individually and in groups. The benefits of personally finding internal calm, equilibrium and the knowing of our deep interconnection with all things, inspired Judy to share these time-honored traditions through her private practice, Healing and Renewal, and through Yoga Moves yoga studio, both in Stoneham, MA. Through her offerings of classes, workshops and mentoring, Judy nurtures students to discover their inner essence and wisdom. Judy’s philosophy is that life as a spiritual journey is where we both acknowledge and honor the light within us and also embrace our humanness with its many layers of complexity.

Rev. Deadra Bachorik Ashton, M.Div., RBCis the director of the Gateways to God program. She received her spiritual direction training in the Gateways program and joined the Gateways staff in 2016 as a small group supervisor. Over the last 30 years she has served as a Presbyterian pastor, board certified healthcare chaplain, seminary administrator, and retreat leader. She currently offers spiritual direction and supervision.

Kent Harrop is an avid outdoorsman and an ordained American Baptist minister. He was introduced to contemplative paddling on a Zen meditation kayak trip to the Tongass Wilderness in Alaska in 2002. Since then, Kent has enjoyed guiding both novice and experienced kayakers and canoeists in the practice of "listening on the water."

A favorite verse of his is:

"Listen, and your soul will live." — Isaiah 55:3

Kent is a graduate of Andover Newton Theological School, the Shalem Institute for Contemplative Leadership, and the Franciscan Spiritual Direction Program. For 40 years, he pastored congregations. Currently, he leads Pray and Paddle events for Rolling Ridge, coordinates North Shore: SING (Spirituality in Nature Group), and serves as a Spiritual Director.

Kent can be reached at kentdharrop@gmail.com

John Kiemele, PhD, is a wellbeing educator and spiritual director who companions individuals, teaches seminars and classes on spirituality, lifestyle change and deep listening/spiritual direction, leads contemplative retreats, and serves as director of The Listening Collective at Rolling Ridge. John walks alongside individuals and groups assisting them with life-giving connections, wellbeing practices, and contemplative soul care. He is Director Emeritus of a dispersed community of contemplative companions in the greater Seattle area called Selah Center, former Executive Director of SoulStream Initiatives in western Canada, and is an ordained clergy having served congregations across the US and Canada. John received his PhD in education/spirituality with post-doctoral emphases in Spiritual Direction, Mindful Self-Compassion, the Enneagram Spectrum, and Wellness Coaching.

As Executive Director, Rev. Dr. Lawrence Jay guides the vision and direction of Rolling Ridge. As well as working with our staff to ensure the best possible guest experience, he partners with retreat leaders to provide excellent programming at the Ridge. A trained spiritual director and ordained American Baptist pastor, Larry (as he is known by friends) is a graduate of UCLA, Golden Gate Seminary, Franciscan School of Theology, American Baptist Seminary of the West, and the Gateways to God Missional Spiritual Direction Program. He is also Adjunct Faculty at Merrimack College in the Masters of Spirituality and Spiritual Direction programs. Eco-spirituality is his passion (and was the subject of his doctoral dissertation), encouraging everyone to live into the fullness of our connection with nature, God, and all people.

Lisa Haupt,a Veriditas CertifiedLabyrinth Facilitator,stewardsInner Connection Labyrinth Ministry, offering labyrinth walks, workshops, and retreats.Upon completion of a two-year journey with The Living School at the Center for Action and Contemplation in 2021, Lisa purchased a twenty-two-foot portable canvas rainbow-printed classical design labyrinth for Inner Connection Labyrinth Ministry. In 2022, she traveled to Chartres, France for training with global labyrinth movement leader, Lauren Artress.Holding a Master of Arts in Practical Theology from Pfeiffer University, Lisa is currently pursuing a Doctor of Ministry in Christian Spirituality at McAfee School of Theology at Mercer University. For her D. Min. project,Labyrinth Retreat: Following the Path of Love; a Sacred Pilgrimage to the Heart, a Portal for Illuminating and Empowering Creative Vision.Lisa will study how the practice of labyrinth walking as an inward journey to the heart, engages us in deeper connection with God, self, others, and creation, and the receptivity to creative possibilities to engage with the world differently. The goal is to explore how God’s healing, hope, and justice is at work in circuitous labyrinth spiritual pilgrimages.