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About the Panelists and Moderator
Stephen Okey, Ph.D. | Panelist
Dr. Stephen Okey is Assistant Professor of Philosophy, Theology, and Religion at Saint Leo University in Florida, where he teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in systematic theology and ethics. He holds a Ph.D. in Systematic Theology from Boston College, with a dissertation on David Tracy’s theological anthropology. His research explores theology’s intersection with media, technology, and public life, as well as Christian approaches to war and ethics. A graduate of Georgetown and the University of Chicago, Dr. Okey is also the author of A Theology of Conversation: An Introduction to David Tracy (Liturgical Press Academic, 2018).
Heather Miller Rubens, Ph.D. | Moderator
Heather Miller Rubens, Ph.D. is the Executive Director and Roman Catholic Scholar at the Institute for Islamic, Christian, and Jewish Studies (ICJS).
Heather is an experienced teacher, public speaker, facilitator, and scholar-practitioner of interreligious learning and dialogue. She develops educational initiatives that foster interreligious learning and conversation for the public in the Baltimore-Washington corridor and online. In her research and writing Heather creatively focuses on the theoretical, theological, ethical, and political implications of affirming religious diversity and building an interreligious society.
Annie Selak, Ph.D. | Panelist
Dr. Annie Selak is a feminist theologian and expert in ecclesiology, focusing on how the Catholic Church responds to its own wounds, including racism, sexism, and the clergy sex abuse crisis. She integrates women’s lived experiences with a hopeful, critical vision for the Church, guided by a feminist methodology. Selak is Director of the Georgetown University Women’s Center and holds a Ph.D. in systematic theology from Boston College and an M.Div. from the Jesuit School of Theology. With over 15 years in Catholic ministry, her writing appears widely. Her book The Wounded Church is forthcoming from Fordham University Press (2025).