Meet Our Team
We’d love to meet you in person – Come by!
Fr. James J. Miracky, S.J., Ph.D. (he/him)
Vice President for Mission Integration & Ministry
jmiracky@saintpeters.edu
(201) 761-6018
Fr. Miracky was born in Milwaukee, WI, and entered the Society of Jesus from Canisius High School in Buffalo, NY. His academic training includes a B.A. in English and Philosophy from Fordham University, an M.Div. and S.T.M. from the Jesuit School of Theology in Berkeley, and an M.A. and Ph.D. in English (in 20th Century British Fiction and Gender Studies) from Rutgers University.
Most of his priestly ministry has been in Jesuit higher education, first as an English Professor (primarily teaching courses in fiction and drama), and eventually as English
Department Chair and Associate Dean for Faculty Development, at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, MA. During that time, he published articles on modern and postmodern British fiction, as well as the book, Regenerating the Novel: Gender and Genre in Woolf, Forster, Sinclair, and Lawrence (Routledge, 2003).
Fr. Miracky also served as Dean of Loyola College of Arts and Sciences at Loyola University Maryland, and he was the Provincial Assistant for Higher Education in the
USA East Province of the Society, serving as liaison between the Jesuits and the eleven Jesuit colleges and universities on the East Coast, particularly attending to issues of
Jesuit mission and identity. Most recently he was Associate Pastor at St. Francis Xavier Parish in New York.
Devin A. Heyward, Ph.D. (she/her)
Faculty Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice
esekel@saintpeters.edu
(201) 761-7395
Devin is an Associate Professor in the department of Sociology, Urban Studies, and Anthropology, the Faculty Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice, and the Director of the Gender and Sexuality Studies program at Saint Peter’s University in Jersey City, NJ. She is a graduate of the Critical Social-Personality Psychology doctoral program at The Graduate Center of the City University of New York. Dr. Heyward has taught a number of interdisciplinary courses including Global Feminism, Women in a Changing Urban World, Urban Anthropology, and the Sociology of Intimacy.
Her research focuses on racial identity development over the lifespan and how it is influenced by chosen experiences, such as course enrollment and genetic ancestry testing. Dr. Heyward’s most recent project uses a Youth Participatory Action Research (Y-PAR) framework to develop a well-being survey and toolkit for and by Black youth and young adults. She currently serves as the Vice Chair for the Bronx Community Research Review Board (BxCRRB), an organization dedicated to the ethical inclusion of Bronx residents in medical and social research throughout the borough.
Joseph Hill (he/him)
University Director of Music,
jhill3@saintpeters.edu
(201) 761-7389
Mr. Hill graduated with the Master of Music degree (MM) from the Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University in 2008. A native of Arkansas, he earned the Bachelor of Music (BM) degree in vocal performance from Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina in 2005, where he also held the post as campus organist at the Daniel Memorial Chapel, presiding over its newly installed C. B. Fisk, Opus 121 pipe organ. Mr. Hill has appeared as vocal soloist with the Bach Choir of Bethlehem, Amherst Early Music, the Choral Arts Society of New Jersey, and has performed operatic roles with the Vertical Player Repertory, Metropolitan Opera Guild, Operamission, and Light Opera of New Jersey. He was selected as a finalist for the National Orpheus Vocal Competition, where he won the Orpheus Handel Award. He has performed with period ensembles La Fiocco (Bucks County, PA) and Vox Fidelis.
He has taught as a member of the faculty of Class Act Performing Arts Studio, where he conducted ensembles, taught private voice and piano, group theory classes, and served as Music Director for the studio’s staged revues and musicals. Mr. Hill served as the Director of Music and Organist at the Community Presbyterian Church of Mountainside, NJ for sixteen years and as the Director of Music Ministries and Organist for the historic First Presbyterian Church of New Vernon, NJ for one program year before accepting the positions of University Director of Music at Saint Peter’s University and St. Aedan’s Catholic Church in Jersey City. He currently serves as Director of Music Ministries and Organist for the Trinity Presbyterian Church in East Brunswick, NJ in addition to his responsibilities at Saint Peter’s. He has maintained an active piano and voice studio for nineteen years. Joseph lives with his husband, Reid and their Chihuahua, Nugget in South Orange.
Trevor Kelly, SJ (he/him)
Jesuit Scholastic
tkelly2@saintpeters.edu
Trevor Kelly, SJ is a Jesuit Scholastic – on his way to priesthood, God willing! – serving as the Director of Campus Ministry at Saint Peter’s University in Jersey City, New Jersey. A Connecticut native, Trevor has been working directly with and alongside young people for the past decade as a high school theology teacher, a youth and peer minister, and a liturgical musician (you can read more about his journey here). Trevor entered the United States East Province of the Society of Jesus in 2018, and his six years as a Jesuit have also been his happiest!
Erich Sekel (he/him)
Director of Community Service
esekel@saintpeters.edu
(201) 761-7395
A lifelong resident of Jersey City, NJ, Erich Sekel is committed to the residents of Hudson County through his work and service. He began his professional ascent working with seventh and eighth- grade students as a social studies teacher at Sacred Heart School in Jersey City. After four years, he moved into a ministry role as the Assistant Director of Campus Ministry at his high-school alma mater Saint Peter’s Prep, before assuming the position of Director of Community Service at Saint Peter’s University in 2009. In 2015, Erich received the New Jersey State Governor Jefferson Award for Volunteer Leadership. In 2021, He was recognized as the National Volunteer of the Year by Rebuilding Together. He serves as president of Rebuilding Together Jersey City, and on the Strategy Team of Jersey City Together.
Erich coordinates all domestic community service programs at Saint Peter’s, including the Campus Kitchen and the Saint Peter’s University Food Pantry and Clothes Closet. Erich holds a M.A. in Secondary Education from Seton Hall University and a B.A. in Classical Civilizations from Boston University.
Fr. Luis Tampe, S.J., Ph.D. (he/him)
University Jesuit Associate
ltampe@saintpeters.edu
(201) 761-7391
Although Fr. Luis Tampe, SJ was born, and lived briefly, in Chile, he and his three brothers grew up with their parents in the United States, Paraguay, and throughout Central America. Before joining the Society of Jesus, he studied mechanical engineering for six years. Fr. Luis completed a doctorate in systematic theology and teaches theology and physics at Saint Peter’s University. He enjoys going out for walks, teaching, ministering, and watching science-fiction movies. He is grateful to be in Jersey City and is excited to participate in the mission of Saint Peter’s University to educate “a diverse community of learners . . . to excel intellectually, lead ethically, serve compassionately and promote justice..”
Jennifer Thorndike-Gonzales, Ph.D. (she/ella)
Chief Diversity Office
Executive Director of DEIJ
Program Director – Title V Bienestar Grant
jthorndike@saintpeters.edu
(201) 761-7394
Jennifer Thorndike-Gonzales, Ph.D. is an educator, scholar, and writer. Born and raised in Perú, Jennifer is devoted to working on diversity, equity, and inclusion in her writing, interventions, and teaching. She received her Ph.D. in Hispanic Studies at the University of Pennsylvania. Her research is focused on health equity from the biopolitics and cultural perspective. She taught Latin American and Latino Studies and them decided to transition to DEI administrative roles. She comes from Drexel University, where she was appointed the Associate Director for the student Center for Diversity and Inclusion.
She has published six books. Because of her work, she won the prestigious Hatch Award for Scholarly and Creative Work and the Team Player´s Award for DEI. The FIL-Guadalajara-México selected her as one of the 20 most outstanding Latin American authors born in the last two decades of the 20thcentury.