Chaplain's Office Staff
 |
Sharon Kugler University Chaplain 432-1128 |
Sharon M.K. Kugler became the seventh University Chaplain to Yale in July of 2007. She came to New Haven from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore where she had served as the University Chaplain since 1993. Sharon has over two decades of experience in ministry in higher education, interfaith collaboration, pastoral and social ministry. Her main focus at Yale is to further cultivate a chaplaincy for students, faculty and staff which defines itself by serving the needs of the richly diverse religious and spiritual traditions on campus allowing for deeper dialogue, increased accessibility, personal growth, creative educational opportunities and pastoral leadership. Together with the Associate Chaplains, the Chaplain’s Office staff and the members of Yale Religious Ministry she is cultivating an inclusive sense of community within a religiously plural population.
Sharon is the past president of both the National Association of College and University Chaplains (NACUC) and the Association of College and University Religious Affairs (ACURA). Sharon received her Masters degree from Georgetown University and is a member of the Theta Alpha Kappa National Honor Society for Religious Studies and Theology. Her masters thesis, "The Limits and Possibilities of Building a Religiously Plural Community" was used by the United States Department of Defense Office of the Chief of Chaplains as a training tool for new chaplains in the military.
Sharon is Roman Catholic and originates from northern California. She is married and has two daughters.
The Reverend Martha C. Highsmith
Pastor of The University Church in Yale and Deputy Secretary of the University
martha.highsmith@yale.edu
The Reverend Martha C. Highsmith is Deputy Secretary of the University and a minister in the Presbyterian Church (USA). She oversees police and security matters, is involved with commencement and similar events, and assists with policy and other governance issues. She University Pastor of the University Church in Yale. She has undergraduate and master's degrees from the University of North Carolina and a doctorate from Harvard. In 1995, she graduated summa cum laude from the Yale Divinity School. Prior to her work at The University Church in Yale, she served churches in West Hartford, Connecticut, and Springfield, Massachusetts. Prior to coming to Yale in 1994, she held positions in state government, including chief of staff for the Connecticut Department of Economic Development and assistant commissioner for the Connecticut Department of Higher Education.
The Reverend Callista Isabelle
Associate University Chaplain
callista.isabelle@yale.edu
432-1869
Callista Isabelle is a pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in American (ELCA) and is a 2005 graduate of Yale Divinity School and the Yale Institute of Sacred Music. She was raised on a farm in Iowa, spent time living in the mountains of Washington State at Holden Village retreat center, and returns to New Haven after an internship in college chaplaincy at Gustavus Adolphus College (Saint Peter, Minnesota). In her work as Associate University Chaplain, Callista helps with worship in the University Church, including the development of a student-led evening prayer service on Sunday nights. Her work focuses on undergraduate students and the Protestant Christian community at Yale. She loves collaborating with students to plan evening prayer services and other programs of the Chaplain’s Office. Listening to students’ needs and ideas is central to this work. She also provides pastoral care to the Yale community through individual conversations with students, faculty and staff, and by helping students connect with others in the Yale community. She loves singing in early music ensembles and leading global music in congregations. In her free time, you’ll find Callista camping with her spouse Geoff or singing any time she gets the chance.
Shamshad Sheikh
Associate University Chaplain
shamshad.sheikh@yale.edu
432-1131
Shamshad Sheikh received her Bachelor’s Degree from Karachi University and Islamic Law Degree from S.M. Law College, Karachi Pakistan. She completed her Masters Degree at the American International College in Springfield, Massachusetts. Ms Sheikh is an educator and human rights advocate. She traveled in December 2001 to a refugee camp on the border of Afghanistan and Pakistan to “bear witness” to the suffering of Afghani woman and has been lecturing widely on that experience. She has been an invited speaker at Harvard Divinity School, the Woman’s Bar Association of New York City, and has spoken at the Leadership Conference of the AMC in Washington, DC. Articles about her have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Union News, The Sunday Republican, and The Hampshire Gazette. She has also appeared on CNN and Massachusetts television stations WGGB and WWLP.
“My spiritual practice encompasses all aspects of Islam. I observe a daily practice of prayer as well as keep Halal. These traditional practices are essential models for traditional Yale students. I also believe in the regular observance of performing acts of love and compassion to those in need. I love Urdu poetry and classical music. For me Islam is a form of cultural identity with spirituality at its center. This broad understanding of Islam is conducive to connections with the diverse student body at Yale. I love learning together. I especially enjoy moments of connections when students discover an aspect of Islam to which they can really relate. I enjoy Pakistani food and music. I have a wonderful daughter.”
The Reverend Susan Olson
Assistant Chaplain, Adjunct
susan.olson@yale.edu
432-9485
Susan Olson, DIV '93, serves as the Coordinator of Student Ministries. An ordained Minister of Word and Sacrament in the Presbyterian Church (USA), the Reverend Olson's pastoral experience includes 10 years of full time college chaplaincy at Wilson (PA) and Wesley (DE) Colleges, as well as part time experience as Protestant Chaplain to Connecticut College. A former music teacher and camp director, she holds the Master of Divinity, a Master of Arts in counseling and psychology, and a Bachelor of Science in music education. Her full time job is at Yale Divinity School where she serves as the Director of Career Services and Lecturer in Practical Theology. Susan enjoys music of all kinds, the out-of-doors and children. She is an active volunteer for the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp and Boggy Creek Gang Camp, which provide free summer camp experiences for children with life threatening illnesses.
 |
Nathaniel DeLuca Chaplaincy Intern 432-8751 |
Nat DeLuca is the Special Assistant to the Chaplain/Chaplaincy Intern. He is a graduate of Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, MA Archaeology, '06, and NYU, BA Anthropoogy, '02. Having learned all there is to know about human origins, he now feels prepared to work for the benefit of the species. While not in school, Nat worked at Camp Calumet Lutheran in Freedom, NH for ten years specializing in leadership training and program development, honing his skills in campfire lighting and discovering a preference for living in a tent. He has also worked in two white-shoe law firms in corporate litigation and would rather not talk about it.
Nat is very excited to be working with persons from all relgious and spiritual traditions and warmly welcomes those seeking their own path. He is particularly eager to help faith groups collaborate towards common goals of service and understanding.
A son of the salt marshes and mountains of New England, Nat is happiest within smelling distance of salt water or in subalpine zones where he's taller than the trees.
Debra Rohr
Building Operations Coordinator
debra.rohr@yale.edu
432-1133
Gale Iannone
Administrative Assistant
gale.iannone@yale.edu
Gale Iannone is a native of Connecticut and began working for Yale University 28 years ago. She has held positions in all three of Yale's areas—Medical, Science, and Central, and is now in the Chaplain's Office on Old Campus. Before coming to Yale, she graduated from Central Connecticut State College and began her career as a psychiatric assistant at the newly built Connecticut Mental Health Center in New Haven, in the Emergency Treatment Unit. She then married and took an extended family leave when her son, Jonathan, was born. During that leave Gale also became very involved in establishing and training her own champion bloodline of German Shorthaired Pointers and developed a nationally respected kennel known as Nutmeg Kennel. She bred, raised, and trained her dogs for field, obedience, and breed shows, and was also an invited judge at breed specialty shows. Gale finally returned to work at Yale in 1979. Besides working at Yale, she is now content to spoil her 7-year-old granddaughter, Sophie, and enjoys water gardening and tending her prize Japanese koi fish. She lives in North Haven with master carpenter husband, Gary Takach. Along with Gary, she has done volunteer work for the Westchester Children's Hospital building campaign, AmeriCare and Habitat for Humanity, and is currently an active member of The North Haven Sons & Daughters of Italy.
Elaine Cooper
Administrative Assistant
elaine.cooper@yale.edu
432-1129
Battell Chapel Sacred Music Staff
Kevin Zakresky, MM '08
Director, Chapel Choir
Ryan Jackson, Mus '07
Battell Chapel Organist
