Maria Sophia Aguirre serves as president of Catholic International University Graduate School of Theology. Formerly a tenured professor of economics at The Catholic University of America, she has 30 years of teaching, research, and leadership experience. At Catholic University, she established two successful master’s degree programs in the Department of Economics, served as academic chair and director of economic programs, and from 2018 to 2023 served as undergraduate director of the Department of Economics. She was a Fulbright scholar in 2012–13.

Aguirre worked in accounting and commodities, trading in Chicago for several years before earning an MA and then a PhD in economics from the University of Notre Dame with concentrations in monetary and fiscal policies and international financial markets. She has represented countries, including the Holy See, in international organizations, and served the US president and secretary of state as a presidential appointee confirmed by Congress in the capacity of commissioner and adviser for two presidential terms. Aguirre has testified before Congress in the US and in several other countries and has lectured and published extensively both domestically and internationally.

Since leaving government, Aguirre has worked to develop and implement Integral Economic Development (IED), an interdisciplinary approach to economic analysis that recognizes the role of social relationships—first manifested by the family—as key drivers of economic activity.

Her research has led to successful collaboration with a variety of business leaders, academicians, technologists, and policy makers on six continents. Before assuming her current role, she was on leave at the University of St. Thomas in Houston conducting research on the application of IED to artificial intelligence and virtual reality.

Charisse L. Gillett became the 17th president of Lexington Theological Seminary in 2011. She is the first woman and first African American to lead the seminary as president, a historic appointment in the school’s 157-year history. In her 12th year, Gillett has led the seminary through a period of transformation in its academic programs, enrollment, finances, and strategic vision. Central to this transformation was the introduction of technology into the classroom, a strategic plan to help guide the institution, and a fully engaged board of trustees.

Ronald P. Mahurin has more than 30 years in executive coaching, board development, strategic planning, research, and advancement in higher education. He has served on senior executive teams as a vice president for professional development at the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities and vice president for academic affairs at Houghton College. He most recently served as a vice president for strategy and planning for the national higher education market research and consulting group, Stamats.

Mahurin’s role at Design Group International (DGI) includes working with presidents, boards, C-level leaders, deans, department chairs, and other faculty leaders. He has a PhD in political science (International Relations) from Miami University and a BA from Gordon College. He is passionate about higher education and has served more than 100 colleges, universities, and seminaries helping leaders and their institutions thrive.

He has been a featured speaker and has worked with higher education association groups including the American Council on Education, the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities, The Council for Independent Colleges & Universities, The Association of Theological Schools, In Trust Center for Theological Schools, and the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, among others.

Ruth McGillivray is executive vice president at Northwest Seminary in Langley, BC, where she brings 30 years of experience in competency-based learning and program design, along with deep expertise in systems design and team leadership. She has held several previous roles since starting at Northwest in 2017, most recently as interim president and chief operations officer. Prior to Northwest, she spent 25+ years designing, developing, and leading competency-based learning and assessment programs in technology and trades. Her recent publications include Hallmark Practices in CBE Assessment, Competency-Based Education Network (2021) and Competency-Based Theological Education: Origins of the Immerse MDiv at Northwest Baptist Seminary (2020). She served in Canada’s trades training system, providing direction to provincial certification and contributing to national Red Seal programs, and has also developed competency-based programs for a variety of technology, health care, and HR organizations. McGillivray holds an MA in learning and technology from Royal Roads University.