Meet Our Board of Directors

The Congar Institute has always been blessed with an incredibly committed and generous Board. Over its 15 years of existence, the Board has gone through 3 major restructurings that reflect different stages of growth of the Institute. First, the board was made up of representatives from the collaborating religious communities that agreed to work with the Southern Dominican Province in getting the project off the ground. Over several years, they hammered out structures and details that turned an idea into a reality.

Once that work was complete, this “Task Force” laid out the bylaws for a formal Board of Directors. It would be composed of a majority of representatives from the Southern Dominican Province along with several representatives of the collaborating congregations. In time, the group determined that some of those seats should go to representatives of those who are served by the Institute. This brought our first two lay leaders on board.

Over the last couple of years, in keeping with the growth of the Institute, and the need to have broader representation on the Board, it was decided that a restructuring was needed, marking the beginning of our new 2-tiered structure. While the Provincial Council of the Southern Dominican Province retains primary oversight, the Board of Directors shares an intermediate level of oversight responsibility and represents even better the people we serve. I am proud to present to you the current members of our Board of Directors:

Dr. Jennie Block, OP, DMin.
(Emerita)
Jennie, a lay Dominican, has an MBA and a DMin. She has been a long-time consultant to nonprofits specializing in organizational development and project management, advocacy, strategic planning, policy development, board governance, and grant writing. She has served as chief of staff and chief advisor to Dr. Paul Farmer since 2009. In 2012, she established Dr. Farmer's Aid Delivery Support Initiative focused on improving life for the billion poorest people in the world. She assisted Dr. Farmer’s response to Haiti’s cholera crisis and West Africa’s Ebola epidemic, and relief and recovery efforts after the Haiti earthquake. There, she founded Zanmi Beni, a residential home for displaced and orphaned children. She is author and editor of several books. She also serves on the Board of Trustees of the Aquinas Institute of Theology, St. Louis, MO. Jennie recently finished a third term on the board and continues in a supporting and consulting role as a Director Emerita.

Mrs. Susan Northway

Susan is the Diocesan Director for Lay Ecclesial Ministry Formation, among many other responsibilities including directing the Diocesan Offices of Faith Formation and Pastoral Planning, for the Diocese of Salt Lake City, UT. She is a long-time diocesan partner of Congar Institute. Susan is an experienced fundraiser and founded the Friends of the Congar Institute in Utah, a group that assists the Congar Institute with local fundraising. Susan is serving her second term as vice president of the Congar Board.






Sr. Walter Maher, CCVI

Sr. Walter serves as Vice President for Mission & Ministry at the University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio, TX. Prior to that role, she served on the leadership team for her congregation, the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word, San Antonio, for 12 years. She has extensive experience serving on the Board of Directors of the Christus Health System which was founded by her congregation. She is a successful fundraiser and is deeply connected in the San Antonio community








Dr. Paul Vance, DMin

Paul works as the Director of Faith Formation for St. Mark the Evangelist Parish in San Antonio, TX. After twenty years in business, Paul pursued graduate theology studies at Oblate School of Theology, graduating with honors. He has been very active in the San Antonio community as a businessman and a lay minister: In 2015, he founded and is Director of The Tobit Ministry and currently serves on the Boards of Directors for Bill Miller Barbeque, Oblate School of Theology, and Housing First Communitas. He has served on many nonprofit Boards. He has been active as an ACTS Retreats Team leader since 2001. Paul was elected President of the Congar Institute Board.

fr. Marcos Ramos, OP, PhD.
Friar Marcos currently serves as Coordinator of Spiritual Formation at Assumption Seminary, San Antonio, TX. He also is Assistant Director of Liturgy, Director of Music, Formation Adviser, and Spiritual Director there. In addition, he teaches as an adjunct Professor at Oblate School of Theology in patristics and homiletics. Marcos has been a Resource Person for the Congar Institute for a number of years. He is Regent of Studies for the Southern Dominican Province and a member of the Provincial Council.