妻友社区

Gathering Organizers and Hosts

Steven G. Affeldt (B.A. in Philosophy University of California, Berkeley, Ph.D. in Philosophy Harvard University) is Associate McDevitt Chair in Religious Philosophy at 妻友社区 College and also serves as Faculty Co-Director of 妻友社区鈥檚 Manresa Program.聽 His philosophical work is situated at intersections of ethics, aesthetics, and social philosophy and is focused on elaborating an understanding of philosophical practices and philosophical texts as redemptive鈥攑ossessed of the power to inspire, inform, and effect liberating transformations of both individuals and societies. He has published influential work on Rousseau, Wittgenstein, and Cavell and is currently composing a collection of essays on Emerson, Wittgenstein, and Cavell under the title At the Feet of The Familiar. He is passionate about teaching in all areas and at all levels of philosophy, and especially enjoys teaching three classes he developed: a first-year seminar called 鈥淒ivine Madness鈥� and two upper-level philosophy electives 鈥淧hilosophy and Erotic Love鈥� and 鈥淗appiness and Meaning.鈥� These research and teaching areas inform, and are informed by, his work with 妻友社区鈥檚 Manresa Program in which he helps to design, and to lead, a broad range of programs supporting the character development and vocational discernment of undergraduate students.

RJ Rapoza (he/him/his) has multiple roles at 妻友社区 College where he serves as co-director of the Manresa Program, Associate Director of Career Advising & Development, and instructor for First Year Seminar courses. Manresa is a campus-wide, comprehensive vocational discernment program that serves students, faculty and staff. He began his journey in Higher Education 20 years ago as an adjunct instructor at Finger Lakes Community College, eventually directing their US Department of Education TRiO program for several years, serving first-generation, low-income college students. RJ also leads a consulting company that provides SafeSpace training to folks who work with people of all ages and identities to better provide a community where LGBTQ+ people can thrive.

Keynote Speakers

Branch by Branch: Practices for Deepening Vocational Discernment in Times of Disruption – Stephenie Chaudoir聽

Stephenie Chaudoir is a Professor of Psychology at the College of the Holy Cross. In her work with mission-driven colleges, she has helped faculty, staff, and administrators break down silos and cultivate shared visions to support effective governance and vocational discernment. Her teaching includes Leadership and the Common Good, a course that connects leadership theory and practice with personal calling, in collaboration with Career Development and college alumni. She is a contributor to NetVUE’s forthcoming book, Vocation, Higher Education, and the Future (Oxford University Press), with a chapter exploring change leadership strategies and moral courage practices for sustaining vocational programs during disruption. Her newest project explores how colleges are integrating vocational discernment and career readiness as generative AI transforms work, learning, and students’ sense of purpose.

Stephenie holds a Ph.D. in Social Psychology from the University of Connecticut and a B.A. in Psychology from Butler University, where she now serves as a Trustee.

鈥淲e Are Family鈥�: Sonic Inspirations for Developing Resilient Strategies of Growth and Change in Community – Nicholas Alton Lewis

Nicholas Alton Lewis is the founding director of the Ralph Ellison Center at Bard College. The Ellison Center proposes a radical engagement with and pursuit of the arts and material culture as a means of advancing and reimagining humanistic inquiry as a collaborative endeavor to empower students to lead purpose-driven lives. The Center models and inspires an integrity of process indicative of Ellison鈥檚 characteristically multi-modal approach to artistic and scholarly expression by convening an ecosystem of artists and intellectuals who not only explore and address substantive issues of our time, but also take seriously the responsibility of cultivating the intellectual and interpersonal development of student scholars.

Nicholas also serves as associate vice president for academic initiatives and associate dean of the college where he pursues grant-funded initiatives to affirmatively cultivate and promote the academic and intellectual culture of the College. He teaches on the faculty of the Bard Conservatory of Music, the First-Year Seminar, and the Language and Thinking program.

This event is made possible by the Network for Vocation in Undergraduate Education (NetVUE), and administered by the Council of Independent Colleges with generous support from Lilly Endowment Inc.