ISN Staff
Working for a faith that does justice.
Grace Adams
Catholic Ethical Purchasing Alliance Coordinator
216-200-4120
Grace joined the ISN staff in 2022. She grew up in Rochester, NY, where she currently resides. An alumni of Le Moyne College, Grace has a dual degree in political science and history. Following graduation, Grace spent a year as an AmeriCorps VISTA at the Rochester food bank where she assisted in the development of several community health programs. She worked on the distribution of children’s meals at the food bank following AmeriCorps and before joining the ISN staff. Grace is an avid coffee drinker, and lover of gardening, yoga, and the outdoors.
Clarissa Aljentera
Director of Education for Justice
caljentera@ignatiansolidarity.net
216-200-7166
Clarissa V. Aljentera joined Ignatian Solidarity Network staff in 2022. After graduating from Boston College School of Theology and Ministry with a masters in pastoral ministry, she went on to serve as campus minister with Sheil Catholic Center at Northwestern University where she worked primarily with medical and law students for three years. From there she worked in the Archdiocese of Chicago in faith formation working with programs engaging young people, engaged couples preparing for marriage and racial justice initiatives.
Before working in ministry, Clarissa spent 10 years working as a newspaper reporter covering sports, education and crime. She earned her B.S. in journalism from San Jose State University. Home for Clarissa is Chicago, Illinois where she lives with her husband and son. Clarissa is a published author, performing artist, freelance writer and educator. She is a certified Peace Circle facilitator and works to integrate restorative justice principles into her everyday life. Clarissa and her family are active in their parish community.
Erin Brown
Program Director
216-200-4359
Erin Brown joined the Ignatian Solidarity Network in 2019. Originally from the Milwaukee area, Erin received her B.A. in theology and Hispanic studies from the College of Saint Benedict in Minnesota. After graduation, she moved to the Peruvian Andes as a member of the Jesuit Volunteer Corps. As a volunteer, Erin worked in after school programming for elementary school students at Parroquia San Pedro Apóstol in Andahuaylillas. Most recently, she was a member of the admissions team at Marquette University High School in Milwaukee, WI. While in Milwaukee, she also served as a support person for the local Jesuit Volunteer community. Erin is an avid reader and outdoor enthusiast.
Kim Coleman
Director of Campaigns and Integrated Marketing
kcoleman@ignatiansolidarity.net
216-200-4201
Kim (Miller) Coleman joined the Ignatian Solidarity Network staff in August 2011. After graduating from Gonzaga University with her degree in marketing and broadcast studies, Kim spent two years serving in the Jesuit Volunteer Corps. During her first year, Kim worked with teens with developmental disabilities and provided programming and marketing services for STRIVE in South Portland, Maine. In her second year, Kim served as the outreach coordinator for Jesuit Refugee Service/USA in Washington, D.C. While at JRS/USA, Kim became very familiar with the Jesuit networks and created interactive refugee awareness programs, spoke to groups nationwide, and equipped students and parishioners to take action on issues affecting forcibly displaced persons. Kim is daily inspired by the Ignatian family members she meets, and she looks forward to continuing to empower students and parishioners to promote justice within their local and global communities.
Brenna Davis
Director of Integral Ecology
bdavis@ignatiansolidarity.net
216-200-4959
Brenna Davis joined the Ignatian Solidarity Network in February 2019, originally as director of Education for Justice and ecological initiatives. Originally from Tennessee, Brenna graduated from Boston College in 2010 with a B.A. in theology and Spanish. After graduation, she moved to Cleveland as a Jesuit Volunteer and served at The West Side Catholic Center, a multiservice center for people experiencing homelessness. In this role, she started holistic wellness classes such as yoga and creative writing for center patrons. At the end of her JV year, Brenna began working at Saint Martin de Porres, Cleveland’s Cristo Rey High School, as a theology teacher and cross country coach. After four of the most joyful and challenging years of her life as a social justice teacher, Brenna transitioned to the role of main office coordinator at the school and focused on not only administrative functions but also developed initiatives to promote joy and self-care for faculty and staff. More importantly, she was the self-proclaimed assistant to the director of facilities in all sustainability initiatives on campus. She is a certified spiritual director, Cuyahoga County Master Recycler, and is a member of NCR’s EarthBeat Advisory Panel. In her spare time, Brenna enjoys reading, running, bullet journaling, speaking Spanish, writing letters, and digging through trash cans to properly sort recycling.
Sharayle Hilliard
Assistant Director of Development
shilliard@ignatiansolidarity.net
(216) 200-5256
Sharayle Hilliard joined the Ignatian Solidarity Network staff in September of 2021. She is experienced in working for both the non-profit and for-profit sector. Sharayle attended Central State University where she obtained a bachelors of science degree in business administration. It was during her time in the for-profit world that Sharayle discovered her passion for outreach and humanity. In pursuit of a life of purpose, Sharayle took a leap of faith and walked away from 10 years of service in the for-profit sector to pursue a life of impact, service, and advocacy. She attended John Carroll University where she obtained a masters of science degree in non-profit administration. Sharayle loves sports, fashion, and anything in the color pink. She also enjoys music, crafts, and spending quality time with family and friends.
Maya Jain
Assistant Director of Communications
mjain@ignatiansolidarity.net
216-202-6627
Maya Jain (she/her) joined the ISN staff in 2023. She is a writer and educator who has taught in primary, secondary, and adult learning settings both in the U.S. and abroad. Maya holds a B.A. from the University of Notre Dame and an M.Ed from Creighton University.
Christopher Kerr
Executive Director
ckerr@ignatiansolidarity.net
216-200-4676
Twitter: @chris___kerr
Chris joined the Ignatian Solidarity Network (ISN) as executive director in 2011. He has nearly twenty years of experience in social justice advocacy and leadership in Catholic education and ministry. The Ignatian Solidarity Network is a lay-led, US-based national social justice education and advocacy organization grounded in Catholic Social Teaching and the spirituality of St. Ignatius of Loyola. Best known for convening the Ignatian Family Teach-In for Justice, the largest annual Catholic social justice gathering in the United States, ISN also engages hundreds of thousands of individuals each year through in-person and online programs, advocacy campaigns, and website content and resources.
Prior to ISN, Chris served in multiple roles at John Carroll University, a Jesuit university outside of Cleveland, Ohio, including coordinating short-term international immersion learning trips and social justice education as an inaugural co-director of John Carroll’s Arrupe Scholars Program for Social Action. Before his time at John Carroll, he served as a teacher and administrator at the elementary and secondary levels in the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland.
In December of 2020, Very Rev. Arturo Sosa, S.J., the Superior General of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits), appointed Kerr to serve as a member of a new six member Advisory Committee for the Social Justice and Ecology Secretariat (SJES) of the Society of Jesus Curia in Rome.
Chris speaks regularly at campuses and parishes across the U.S. about social justice education and advocacy, Jesuit mission, and a broad range of social justice issues. He completed his undergraduate and graduate studies at John Carroll University. Chris, his wife Jill, and their three boys reside in Northeast Ohio where they are actively engaged in their Catholic parish and community.
Jorge Palacios
Migration Coordinator for Youth Engagement
jpalacios@ignatiansolidarity.net
216-200-4761
Jorge Palacios Jr joined the Ignatian Solidarity Network in 2022. The child and grandchild of Mexican immigrants, he grew up on a cattle farm in northern Colorado. He entered Jesuit education by means of Boys Hope Girls Hope of Colorado’s residential program and a scholarship to Regis Jesuit High School. Jorge then attended Regis University in Denver, Colorado, briefly left, and later returned to finish a bachelor’s degree in religious studies. He served multiple seasons as a crew leader on chainsaw crews for Mile High Youth Corps. There, he led groups of young people in projects involving invasive species removal, forest fire fuel mitigation, and urban forestry projects with city, county, state, and federal land partners. He also worked as a paraprofessional for a kindergarten class in the Denver Public School system, and most recently served as the pastoral associate for liturgy and music at Annunciation Catholic Church in Denver. Jorge enjoys making and listening to music, hiking, and shooting film photography. He currently lives in Golden, Colorado.
AJ Rowe
Digital Communications Coordinator
arowe@ignatiansolidarity.net
216-499-4474
AJ Rowe joined the Ignatian Solidarity Network staff in 2021. They grew up in Detroit, Michigan, and received a Jesuit education through both high school and college, graduating from John Carroll University in 2021. Throughout their college education, they took part in various service opportunities and was a member of the Leadership Scholars program, while also serving on the executive board of several student organizations. They began to volunteer for non-profit charity organizations, including Direct Relief, The Wild Foundation, and more, and they were excited to take a position with the Ignatian Solidarity Network when they saw a chance to integrate their faith with their passion for social justice and change. AJ has a passion for video work and cooking, and lives just outside of University Heights, OH.
Ann Smrekar
Administrative Assistant
asmrekar@ignatiansolidarity.net
216-200-4572
Ann Smrekar joined the staff of the Ignatian Solidarity Network in October 2021. A native of Toledo, Ohio, she is a graduate of John Carroll University with a degree in English. After a few years out of college she joined the Jesuit Volunteer Corps as a member of Hartford, Connecticut’s first JV house. There, she worked with pregnant teens and teen moms. Ann returned to Cleveland having gained meaningful friendships, a passion for volunteerism, and a deeper understanding of the world around her.
Professionally she has held administrative, technical writing, and customer service positions for area businesses, and is excited to shift focus and work for an organization that encourages us to live out our faith and do good in the world.
Ann lives in Northeast Ohio with her husband, daughter, and son. In her free time, she is an avid knitter and crocheter, enjoys listening to music, is always on the hunt for great radio stations, and loves hiking with her family and friends.
Kelly Swan
Director of Advancement
kswan@ignatiansolidarity.net
216-200-4259
Kelly Swan joined the Ignatian Solidarity Network staff in 201 and is a graduate of Wheeling Jesuit University. Kelly began her career in northern New Jersey with children experiencing homelessness and in family ministry for an Episcopal parish. She then returned to her childhood mountains of West Virginia and coordinated a religious education and service immersion trip program at a parish in Charleston, WV, spent a year working and living in community at Nazareth Farm in Doddridge County, WV, and most recently spent six years in Wheeling, WV, engaged in projects related to holistic family life, community education, Appalachian advocacy, sustainable agriculture, and mothers’ spirituality. Kelly served as interim director of Wheeling Jesuit University’s Appalachian Institute in 2010, co-founded Black Swan Organics, a precursor to Grow Ohio Valley, a food justice non-profit in Wheeling, WV, served as interim director of the Children’s Museum of the Ohio Valley, and was a writer and the production editor for INWheeling and Metroburgh Magazines in Wheeling and Pittsburgh. Kelly lives in the Cleveland area with her family.
Interns
Selena Alamir
Intern
interns@ignatiansolidarity.net
Selena Alamir is a junior at John Carroll University on the pre-med track. She is majoring in Spanish and minoring in Peace, Justice, and Human Rights. Selena hopes to one day become a surgeon and volunteer in developing countries to combat the lack of health care accessibility in poverty-stricken communities. At school, she is a mentor for minority students through the Center for Student Diversity and Inclusion, a student liaison through the Center for Service and Social Action, and a Spanish tutor. In her free time, Selena loves to travel, volunteer, spend time on the Lake, and discover small businesses in Cleveland.
Brenda Nayeli Bravo-Villarruel
Intern
interns@ignatiansolidarity.net
Brenda Nayeli Bravo-Villarruel is a student at the University of Detroit Mercy persuing a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a concentration in marketing and a minor in leadership. She is a DACA recipient and lives in the beautiful city of Detroit but originates from Jalisco, Mexico. She is a first-generation college student and her hobbies include spending lots of time with her chihuahua Chucha, and she love caring for plants of all kinds.
Emily Girard
Intern
interns@ignatiansolidarity.net
Emily Girard is a student at John Carroll University and is from Cuyahoga Falls, OH. She is double majoring in psychology and peace, justice and human rights.
Nora McKee
Intern
interns@ignatiansolidarity.net
Nora McKee is a senior at John Carroll University studying communications with minors in leadership development, peace, justice, and human rights, and creative writing. At school, she serves as an orientation leader, a tour guide, and as a member of the leadership team for the Center for Service and Social Action.
Bridget O’Neil
Intern
interns@ignatiansolidarity.net
Bridget O’Neil is a passionate educator. She was a member of the Urban Catholic Teacher Corps and has earned her B.A. and M.Ed. from Boston College. Currently, Bridget is earning her J.D. at the University of Connecticut School of Law. She enjoys listening to podcasts and spending time with her friends and family.