Patt Moser, MFA JD 

Board Chair

Patt is a spiritual director, teacher, and retreat leader grounded in contemplative spirituality. She is a graduate of Shalem Institute's Transforming Community: Leading Contemplative Prayer Groups & Retreats program, and holds a certificate in spiritual direction from The Claret Center.  Patt is the founder of Sacred Ground Chicago.

Vikram Bhave

Treasurer

Vikram is a banking and regulatory compliance professional with experience in finance, risk management and data management. He holds a bachelor's degree in engineering from Pune University in India. He is a recent practitioner of meditation and believes in a higher force that governs our daily life. He also believes that spirituality can be achieved by maintaining a positive state of mind and seeking a deeper meaning for life.  Vikram’s passions include travel and exploring different cuisines. He is a strong proponent of financial discipline and helps mentor people on financial literacy.

Brian Hastings

Director of Mission

Brian serves as both a spiritual director and a retreat leader throughout the United States and Canada. A former Benedictine monk, Brian is now lead pastor of Church of Our Saviour, a thriving Episcopal Church in Chicago. Since arriving in Chicago from his native Ontario, Canada in 1985, Brian has been involved in community-based programs including the Aids Pastoral Care Network and Demico Youth Services in Cabrini Green. Brain holds an M.Div. from Huron University in London, Ontario. 

Jason Williams

Director of Technology

Jason is a data architecture and enterprise data management professional with experience in the healthcare, survey research, travel, advertising and financial technology industries. He has a master's in Library Science from the University of Michigan and is currently completing a master's in Computer Science on a part-time basis. A parishioner of St. Chrysostom's Episcopal Church in Chicago, his activities there include singing in the Parish Choir, helping with the Kitchen Ministry, and working with the Flower Guild. Jason believes that many different paths lead us to what is sacred, and that everyone’s spiritual path is an individual journey that we take collectively with one another. Jason's passions include singing and piano, baking and cooking, contemplative reading and poetry, travel, and any experience that includes gardens or being in nature.

Menachem Cohen, MFA

Director At Large

Menachem is a role-playing game designer, spiritual director, and founding rabbi of the Mitziut Jewish Community and the Black Rock JCC. He earned a graduate certificate in Spiritual Direction from Loyola University and Rabbinic ordination from Hebrew Seminary. He has extensive training in trauma-informed care, LGBTQ competency, harm reduction, and youth work, on which he has presented numerous times. He also presents on gaming and spirituality, including at the Spiritual Directors International 2020 conference. From 2014-2019 he served on the board of Urban CPE Consortium. Menachem was recognized as one of America’s 36 most inspiring rabbis by the Forward newspaper in 2016.  Most important, he’s a dad.

Dean Neidenthal

Director At Large

Dean Niedenthal taught elementary school on the far south side of Chicago for 25 years. Dean holds both a Masters in Theatre from Northwestern University and a Masters in Education from Roosevelt University. He is currently completing the first part of a dual degree, Master in Christian Spirituality (Spiritual Direction) while working towards his Master of Divinity at Loyola University Chicago. Dean currently works as a chaplain at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital (Park Ridge), and is part of the Youth Ministry Team at Saint James Episcopal Cathedral in Chicago.

Katie Spero 

Director at Large

Katie Spero is the Parish Life Director at Church of Saviour, an Episcopal church in Chicago. Prior to that she spent time serving and and living at the Satchidananda Ashram in Buckingham, Virginia which was founded on the principle, “truth is one, paths are many.” This statement echoes the unique spiritual path that Katie was led down from being raised by musicians in a loving Jewish household, to then experiencing Christ whom she has followed since her teenage years, and from there being exposed to many wisdom traditions both Eastern and Western.  Katie is a member of Church of Our Saviour’s College of Preachers, and is a trained teacher of Hatha Yoga, Raja Yoga, and Stress Management. Calling on her degree in Poetry from Columbia College Chicago, it is Katie’s joy to try to put into words that which cannot be spoken to spiritually connect and serve her communities.