Women, Work, and Calling 2019

Michaela O’Donnell Long is the senior director of the De Pree Center and an adjunct instructor of practical theology and leadership at Fuller Seminary. She holds an M.Div. and Ph.D. from Fuller Seminary. In addition to her academic work, Michaela is the owner and managing director of Long Winter Media, a vibrant creative agency that helps brands make social impact through multi-media content. Long Winter Media’s roster of clients includes Google, YouTube, NBC Universal, University of Southern California, Presbyterian Church (USA), Fuller Seminary, and many more. Notably, the Oprah Winfrey Network picked up a short film she produced for Oprah’s show, Super Soul Sundays. In her various roles, Michaela has coached many women and men in their leadership and entrepreneurial development. She is the mother of two preschool aged children.

Nancy is a spiritual director, an experienced teacher, and conference/retreat speaker. Committed to helping others grow in Christ Jesus, Nancy companions others in the faith journey through creative teaching, prayerful listening, and Spirit-guided discernment. She believes in the power of prayer to bring redemptive healing to our lives. Nancy received an M.A. from Denver Seminary in 2002 and served as a mentoring director/associated faculty at Denver Seminary from 2008–2016. In addition to her work as a mentoring director, Nancy has mentored many men and women individually and has a breadth of experience and understanding of the lives and challenges of professionals. Denver Seminary awarded Nancy the “Excellence in Mentoring Medallion” in 2004.

Jeanne has spent the past 14 years shaping the lives of professional men and women at Cherry Creek Presbyterian Church, a large, multi-generational congregation in southeast Denver. Her passion for prayer fuels everything she does and will anchor the learning and community that forms throughout our day together. Known for her strong organizational leadership, Jeanne combines spiritual depth with professional excellence.

Shawn has lived, worked and served in Colorado for over 25 years; preaching, teaching, learning and living the Gospel of Christ. Shawn has served and collaborated in social and political issues concerning the overall well being of our most vulnerable citizens for both the cities of Denver and Aurora. She serves as Mayor Michael Hancock’s Director of Community Affairs for the City & County of Denver. Shawn served as Diversity Councilwoman for Kaiser Permanente, as well as Community Leader and Facilitator for the Annual Especially Me Conference for African American girls. She serves on the Board of Directors for Tumaini Ministries, (an Orphanage in Kenya), while also serving on the board for the Commission on Homelessness (an appointed position by Mayor John Hickenlooper).

Author and journalist Alexandra Kuykendall juggles life as a busy professional with raising four daughters and all the soccer practices, school reports, and carpool runs that entails. Her books Loving My Actual Neighbor: 7 Practices to Treasure the People Right in Front of You, Loving My Actual Life: An Experiment in Relishing What's Right in Front of Me and The Artist's Daughter: A Memoir invite readers to embody God's call to invest in the people and places that form our daily lives. She also c0-hosts the Open Door Sisterhood podcast, a national conversation on faith, leadership, and motherhood. She has contributed to Good Morning America and Fox News.

Joanna serves as Denver Institute’s Director of Public Engagement, hosts the Faith & Work Podcast, and founded Women, Work, & Calling, a national initiative that disciples women for godly influence in public life. Prior to coming to the Institute, Joanna worked in global telecom, nonprofit consulting, and campus ministry with Cru. She served as associate faculty at Denver Seminary and as a sewing instructor at Fancy Tiger Crafts. A third-generation Coloradan, Joanna appreciates both the state’s innovative culture and its cowboy roots. She has an MA in Social Entrepreneurship from Bakke Graduate University and graduated magna cum laude from the University of Colorado, Boulder. She also completed a certificate of Women in Leadership through Cornell University. She is the author of Women, Work, & Calling: Step Into Your Place in God's World (IVP, Fall 2023) and is a contributor to the multi-author book, Women & Work: Bearing God’s Image and Joining in His Mission through our Work (B&H Publishing, Spring 2023).

Halee Gray Scott, PhD, is an author and independent social researcher who focuses on issues related to leadership and spiritual formation. She teaches seminary courses in spiritual formation, theology, and leadership in seminaries across the country. Her writing has appeared in Christianity Today, The Washington Post, Christian Education Journal, Real Clear Religion, Relevant, Books and Culture, Outcomes, and Intervarsity’s The Well. Her book, Dare Mighty Things: Mapping the Challenges of Leadership for Christian Women explores roadblocks that keep female leaders from fully exercising their influence. She also directs the Kaleo Project, Denver Seminary's arm of the Lilly Endowment's Young Adult Initiative.