Sr. Peg Bishop, OSF, M.R.E., has served as associate director of the Parish Evaluation Project (PEP) since 1997. In prior times, she worked for three years with Honeywell Micro Switch, for seven years as the director of religious education for the Diocese of Davenport, Iowa, and for five years as a regional DRE in the Diocese of Toledo, Ohio. Before that she was a middle school teacher in Ohio. Sr. Bishop received her B.A. in sociology from St. Francis College, in Joliet, Illinois, a Master of Religious Education degree from Boston College, and a Master of Science in organizational development from Loyola University in Chicago. She is a native of Ohio and a member of the Sisters of St. Francis from Tiffin, Ohio.

Sr. Rose Bowen, O.P., Ph.D., is part-time instructor of Old Testament Literature and New Testament Literature at City College Loyola University New Orleans. She holds a Ph.D. in Humanities from Florida State University, an M.A. in English from Catholic University of America, an M.A. in Theology from the University of Notre Dame, and an M.P.S. from Loyola University New Orleans. She is certified as a spiritual director and directs individual retreats and home retreats for groups. She has been Project Director for National Endowment for the Humanities pilot grants to develop upper division synthesis courses and has published articles on Christology in Horizons and The Flannery O'Connor Bulletin.

Bernard Cooke, Th.D., is one of the world’s leading sacramental theologians. In recent years, before he moved to New Orleans, he worked in lay ministry formation and small community development in San Antonio, Texas and taught university courses in San Diego, California.  He is the author of numerous books, including his classic texts Sacraments and Sacramentality and Reconciled Sinner. Dr. Cooke teaches regularly as an adjunct professor at the Loyola Institute for Ministry (LIM) and is the recipient of an honorary doctorate from Loyola University New Orleans.

Michael Cowan, Ph.D., is the executive director of the Lindy Boggs National Literacy Center and an associate professor of pastoral theology at Loyola University New Orleans.  He holds an M.A. and Ph.D. in psychology from the Ohio State University, and an M.A. in systematic theology from the Divinity School of St. John’s University, in Collegeville, Minnesota.  He is the co-author of People in Systems (with Gerard Egan), Roots for Radicals (with Edward T. Chambers), and has co-authored, with Rev. Bernard Lee, the books Gathered and Sent: The Mission of Small Church Communities Today, Dangerous Memories, and Conversation, Risk, and Conversion.  Dr. Cowan’s other writing credits include many articles on psychology, cultural analysis, and practical theology.

Sr. Eva M. Lumas, S.S.S., D.Min., is a Sister of Social Service and an assistant professor of Religious Education and Culture at the Franciscan School of Theology in Berkeley, California. She also serves frequently as a religious education consultant and instructor for religious education courses across the country. Sr. Eva holds a Master of Theology degree from the Institute for Black Catholic Studies, at Xavier University of Louisiana, and a Doctor of Ministry degree from Howard University School of Divinity, in Washington, D.C. She is a much sought-after lecturer and workshop presenter, on topics pertaining to culture, catechesis, and ritual.

James H. O’Neill, Ed.D., is a pastoral psychotherapist in private practice. He has over 25 years experience in the care of souls. Dr. O’Neill works with individuals, couples, families, and organizations. He holds an Ed.D. from the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, a Master of Divinity degree from Notre Dame Seminary, in New Orleans, and an S.T.B. from the Gregorian University in Rome.

Brian B. Reynolds, Ed.D., serves as the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) and Chancellor for Archbishop Thomas Kelly and the Archdiocese of Louisville, coordinating the planning, personnel, and administration of twenty-one agencies serving 128 parishes. He holds a B.A. from Fairfield University, a Master of Religious Education (MRE) degree from Fordham University, and a Doctorate in Leadership Education from Spalding University, in Louisville. Brian has been a consultant, trainer, and author for more than twenty-five years, working in more than 100 Catholic dioceses in the U.S., Canada, and Ireland, and also has served on the adjunct faculties of several major colleges and universities. Brian’s writing credits include five books and more than 40 articles on ministry, adolescence, and religious education topics. He lives in the Louisville area with his wife, Catherine, and their two children.

Rev. Roy Shelly, S.D.B., Ph.D., is the director of the Office of Faith Formation for the Catholic Diocese of Monterey, California. He was ordained in 1978 as a Salesian of Don Bosco. He has served as an adjunct professor of youth ministry at the Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology, at the Graduate Theological Union, in Berkeley, California, and has ministered to adolescents and youth ministers in numerous Catholic high school settings, in retreat centers, and, as associate director, in the Office of Youth Ministry in the Diocese of Columbus, Ohio. During recent times, Shelly has also served as an adjunct faculty member for youth ministry courses via the Loyola Institute for Ministry extension program (LIMEX) and in LIM’s regular, online (internet-based) youth ministry course offerings.

Rev. Thomas Sweetser, S.J., Ph.D., is the founder and director of the Parish Evaluation Project (PEP). He has taught at the Institute of Pastoral Studies, a department of Loyola University Chicago, at the University of Dayton, and at the Institute for Ministry of Loyola University New Orleans. He is the author of Successful Parishes: How They Meet the Challenges of Change, and is the co-author of Leadership in a Successful Parish, Transforming the Parish, Recreating the Parish, and Changing Pastors.  His latest book is called The Parish As Covenant: A Call To Pastoral Partnership. His articles have appeared in America, National Catholic Reporter, Commonweal, Chicago Studies, Today's Parish, Human Development, and Church. Fr. Sweetser was educated in both sociology and theology.  He received his M.A. in sociology from the University of Minnesota, and an M.A. in theology from Loyola University in Chicago. He received his Ph.D. from Chicago Theological Seminary in a program of study combining sociology, theology and group process.  Fr. Sweetser is a Jesuit priest of the Wisconsin province.