Meet Michelle

My work supports projects related to emerging forms of spirituality, spiritual community, and chaplaincy; network building among retreat centers; creating diverse opportunities for spiritual practice and individual spiritual growth; and connecting spiritual seekers with wisdom from the religious traditions. My research interests include spiritual formation, LGBTQ spirituality, and spirituality among people who identify as spiritual-but-not-religious.

Before coming to Fetzer, I served as a nonprofit administrator in Chicago, managing community-based programming with Metropolitan Family Services and the Claretian Missionaries. My background includes program development, strategic planning, nonprofit boards, and group facilitation. I've worked as a pastoral minister and have experience in pastoral counseling, leadership of worship, facilitating retreats, hospital chaplaincy, and facilitating conflict resolution. I have a Doctorate in Ministry from Chicago Theological Seminary; a Master of Arts in Pastoral Studies/ Intercultural Studies from Catholic Theological Union in Chicago; and a Bachelor of Arts in English from Marian University in Indianapolis. I am bilingual in Spanish and English and have worked in multicultural settings in the U.S. and Latin America.

I love the Great Lakes and the outdoors. Some of my favorite things to do include bicycle rides in the country, cooking locally grown foods, visiting national parks around the world, hiking, swimming, and sailing on Lake Michigan. I live in the woods near Kalamazoo with my spouse Barbara Crock.