New Horizons co founder Jim Alphen is the principal of JHA Consulting, an interdisciplinary consulting practice in support of churches and other faith-based nonprofit organizations. Jim serves as treasurer on the New Horizons Board of Directors.
A native of Boston, Massachusetts, Jim received a BS in Languages from Georgetown University and, from Boston University, an MBA in Public and Not-for-Profit Management and a Master’s in Theological Studies. After beginning his career as a VISTA Volunteer, Jim served as liturgy director in Roman Catholic parishes in York, Pennsylvania and Marblehead, Massachusetts and was a contributing editor and consultant for the Center for Pastoral Liturgy at The Catholic University of America. He has directed workplace learning and professional development in higher education and financial services.
Jim managed ministry formation for the National Association of Pastoral Musicians and was for 10 years executive director of the National Organization for Continuing Education of Roman Catholic Clergy (NOCERCC). Jim now lives in Salem, New Hampshire.
Andrea Stapleton is the co-founder, president, and chief executive officer of New Horizons. She earned her Ph.D. in theology at Loyola University Chicago in 2013. She received her master’s degree in theology at Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa and bachelor’s degrees in psychology and education at the University of Iowa.
Andrea teaches theology at Loyola University Chicago and Lewis University. She served as director of operations at the National Organization for Continuing Education of Roman Catholic Clergy and has taught theology courses and served as assistant academic dean at St. Joseph College Seminary in Chicago. At Saint Xavier University, she was director of mission integration and director of the Center for Religion and Public Discourse.
Andrea is a frequent speaker on religion and spirituality, and offers workshops and retreats for churches and other groups. She has coordinated and led local, national, and international service and immersion opportunities. Her research and writing interests include religious pluralism, contextual theology, feminist theology, sacramental theology, ecclesiology, environmental theology, Lonergan Studies, and social justice. She has been recognized for her work intersecting contextual theology and Lonergan Studies by the Lonergan Institute at Marquette University.
Andrea has taught in public and private schools and was education director and then director for the Sylvan Learning Center in Iowa City, Iowa. She has also worked in the educational publishing field as an editor for math and science. Andrea was director of faith formation at St. Bernadette Catholic Church in Evergreen Park, IL, directed religious education programming in Iowa parishes, and served as the Archdiocese of Dubuque’s president for the Diocesan Council of Religious Educators. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Brother David Darst Center in Chicago.
Andrea possesses a lifelong passion for serving those in need and creating a just world. As a teenager, she assisted her mother, who worked and lived in a Catholic Worker House, a shelter for the homeless, where Andrea learned about systemic injustices and developed her desire to serve the poor. Her education and professional decisions have led her to integrate religious principles, spirituality, and social transformation. This is her inspiration for founding New Horizons.