BILL CREED, SJ | Founder and Chairman of the Board
Bill Creed entered the Jesuits in 1963 after completing a law degree. He has a D.Min, an M.Div, an MTh, an MEd in counseling (awfully dumb to have to go to school that long). As a Jesuit priest he has been involved in establishing three centers for spirituality and has conducted formation/training programs for spiritual directors where he is teacher, supervisor, administrator and colleague. Currently Bill teaches half time in the Institute of Pastoral Studies (a graduate program at Loyola University Chicago) offering “Hearts on Fire – The Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius Loyola,” “Spirituality and the Poor - a Challenge to Personal and Public Discernment,” and “Introduction to Spiritual Direction in the Ignatian Tradition.” He is chaplain for 45 members of the Ignatian Volunteer Corps (Chicago Region) who volunteer two days a week in hands on service of the poor. He assists with the Exercises in Daily Life, an eight-month retreat at Loyola University Chicago where each year 30-36 faculty, staff and grad students make the individual Exercises accompanied by one of 24 directors. He is a spiritual director and
supervisor of spiritual directors for an “Internship in the Spiritual Exercises.” And he is cheerful or despondent, depending on how well the White Sox baseball team is doing.
TOM DREXLER | Executive Director
Tom became the first, full-time director of the Ignatian Spirituality Project (ISP) in April of 2008. For over 20 years Tom has been involved in Catholic education and formation on the secondary level, in higher education, and in post-graduate full-time volunteers programs. In the past, the majority of his work in higher education has been centered on volunteerism and service-learning. For five years he lived and worked in the Dominican Republic creating and directing Creighton University’s service learning study abroad program. At DePaul University, Tom coordinated University Ministry’s community service efforts, helped established DePaul’s Office of Community-based Service Learning before and eventually joined the Mission and Identity Office. For two years Tom was the Executive Director of Jesuit Volunteers International, a two-year post graduate volunteers program with 70 young adults serving in 10 developing nations throughout the world.
Tom and his energetic Labradoodle, Sam, live on the north side of Chicago.
JORDAN SKARR| Associate Director
After graduating from Marquette University, Jordan spent a few years in Tacoma, WA as a Jesuit Volunteer at a daytime house of hospitality. Having successfully mastered the art of simultaneously cooking 30 gallons of soup while diffusing an argument and navigating concurrent ontological crises, Jordan moved back to Chicago to complete his Master of Divinity degree at Loyola University where he specialized in social justice, men’s spirituality, and the pastoral care of addiction. He is a graduate of the MAGIS fellowship and a trained Spiritual Director in the Ignatian tradition. Jordan has been with ISP since the national organization took new life in 2006. He works with emerging teams throughout the country to successfully deliver the retreat.
WAYNE RICHARD|
Consultant for Leadership Development and Social Transformation
Father Bill asked me if I wanted to go on a retreat with him as a team leader, how can you say no to that? Ever since that first retreat some years ago, Wayne has been apart of the Project, a valued resource in both Spiritual Formation of potential leaders, and as a vital link into the world of Social Advocacy as he also works with the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless. This dual role helps to keep ISP on the cutting edge of information about how to end the injustice of homelessness and model for retreatants about life after addiction. He lives in Chicago.
BECCA LITTLE | Communications Officer
Becca joins ISP as a JVC Magis volunteer. She will be working primarily on internal and external communications for ISP over the next two years. Becca is also studying Social Justice and Community Development at Loyola University and lives in an intentional community with other JVC Magis volunteers.
Becca recently completed two years of volunteering in Los Angeles, CA and in Durban, South Africa. Not having had enough of the volunteer lifestyle, she is exciting to continue it as a member of the ISP team.
RENATE REICHS | National Program Officer
Renate is a founding member of the Chicago women’s retreat team and will be part-time with ISP focusing on the ISP National retreat program. She will work closely with Jordan. Renate has visited many of the ISP National Network cities helping train new teams and attends the ISP National Gatherings.
JOYCE SHANABARGER | National Program Officer
Joyce Shanabarger, OSF comes to ISP with ministry experience in education, parish work, adult faith formation, and leadership. She has a Masters in Christian Spirituality from Creighton University and a Masters in Administration from Purdue University. As a member of the Franciscan Sisters of the Sacred Heart, she has served in congregational leadership and formation. There are many interests in Joyce’s life covering a wide spectrum. She enjoys everything from basketball to opera, from reading to travel and from cooking to being with friends. She has a passion for tapping into the spiritual characteristic of everyday life. Joyce serves as a spiritual director. She also volunteers with ISP on the Chicago Women’s Team.
