Team

Albert Faraj

Board Chair

Albert brings more than 30 years of experience in senior leadership and board participation in both entrepreneurial and corporate settings. His expertise includes developing leadership teams, vision and strategy, and operationalizing transformation. His work has spanned multiple continents. A husband, father, and grandfather, Albert has been active in parish life throughout his entire adult life. He is a graduate of Eastern Michigan University and the University of Michigan.

Lisa Brenninkmeyer

Founder

After hearing story after story of women looking for a safe place to ask questions about faith and needing ways to refuel, Lisa decided to do something to bring change. The result of her holy discontent is Walking with Purpose. Lisa is crazy about women, loves Christ passionately, and thinks the most exciting thing in the world is to connect the former with the latter. Lisa holds a bachelor's in psychology from St. Olaf College and is pursuing her master's in theology from Franciscan University. She and her husband Leo have seven children and five grandchildren and reside in St. Augustine, Florida.

JoAnn Crouse

Member at Large

Having a deep passion for working with women in their faith journeys, JoAnn has been leading women's Bible studies and prayer teams for 25 years. She attended College of Notre Dame and received degrees in elementary education and special education. She has coached girls from elementary school through high school in various sports while teaching at the elementary level. Currently, JoAnn is studying to earn her masters in counseling. She lives in Annapolis, MD, with her six children.

Maria Dutmer

Member at Large

Maria helped open the first WWP parish in Denver, CO, and has been connecting women and girls to Bible study ever since. She joined the WWP board in 2014, serving as treasurer and member at large. After graduating from the Boston College School of Management with a BS in finance, Maria spent 13 years at Gartner in consulting and sales roles, chasing quotas and leading teams. Inspired by Mother Teresa's challenge, "If you want to change the world, go home and love your family," her greatest joy is loving her husband Rick and two kids in Denver, CO.

Most Reverend Erik Pohlmeier

Member at Large

Most Reverend Erik Pohlmeier was appointed Bishop of the Diocese of St. Augustine by Pope Francis on May 15, 2022, and was ordained and installed on July 22, 2022. He was raised in a profoundly faith-filled family in Paris, Arkansas, along with his sister and three brothers. He was ordained to the transitional diaconate in 1997 at St. Peter’s Basilica, Vatican City, and entered the priesthood at Subiaco Abbey in Subiaco, Arkansas, in 1998. After studying mechanical engineering, Bishop Pohlmeier earned bachelor’s degrees in philosophy and sacred theology. He received a master’s degree in spiritual theology from the University of St. Thomas Aquinas, Rome. Bishop Pohlmeier served on the Couple to Couple League National Board of Directors from 2007-2016 and was the Catholic Rural Life Priest Retreat Presenter from 2019-2022. Outside of ministry, he loves to travel (he visited 48 states in the US) and enjoys the arts, theater, hiking, and kayaking.

Kathleen Swanson

Secretary

Kathleen began her professional life with Gartner Group, an IT consulting and advisory firm, where she spent 11 years managing sales territories and later focused on sales training and methodologies. She has spent the last 15 years as a corporate event planner, designing and managing events for Fortune 500 companies. Kathleen has been working with Walking with Purpose since 2016 producing events throughout the country. She earned her B.A. in psychology from St. Mary's College. She lives with her husband Ben and their three children in Milton, GA.

Fr. Dave Sizemore

Fr. David Sizemore has been a Catholic priest in the Diocese of Columbus, OH, since 1996. The pastor at St. Francis de Sales parish in Newark since 2017, he was previously pastor of St. John Neumann Parish in Sunbury for eleven years. Fr. Dave as also an associate chaplain at Ohio Dominican University, and the Catholic chaplain at Ohio Wesleyan University. He currently serves on a variety of diocesan boards, ministries, and programs, and holds four college degrees in philosophy, systematic theology, spiritual theology, and business administration.

Fr. Dave Pivonka, TOR

Fr. Dave Pivonka, TOR, is a nationally known author and speaker whose books include Spiritual Freedom: God's Life Changing Gift, Hiking the Camino: 500 Miles with Jesus, Encounter Jesus: From Discovery to Discipleship, and his most recent release, Breath of God - Living a life led by the Holy Spirit. Fr. Dave is a member of the Sacred Heart Province of Franciscan Friars of the Third Order Regular and president of Franciscan University of Steubenville in Steubenville, Ohio.

Fr. John Hopkins, LC

Fr. John was ordained a priest by Saint John Paul II in 1991. He served for 18 years in the Washington, DC, area and helped in the founding of Our Lady of Bethesda Retreat Center and Center for Family Development. He is president emeritus of Divine Mercy University. He also spent 7 years in Atlanta Georgia working to develop marriage preparation and renewal programs. He has degrees in humanities, philosophy, psychology and moral theology. He has been a spiritual director for the past 28 years and has taught the art of spiritual direction to priests, consecrated, and lay people for the past 15 years.

Fr. John Riccardo

Fr. John Riccardo is a priest of the Archdiocese of Detroit, ordained in 1996. He is currently serving as the Executive Director of ACTS XXIX, a new non-profit apostolate that exists for the purpose of priestly and Church renewal. Fr. John served most recently as pastor of Our Lady of Good Counsel in Plymouth, MI. There, he was witness to the transforming power of the Holy Spirit in a way that caught the attention of pastors across the country. ACTS XXIX works with bishops, priests, and leaders throughout the country to respond to the urgent call of the past four Popes for a new Pentecost and a new evangelization, equipping pastors for the apostolic age in which we live. He is the host of a new podcast, “You Were Born for This with Fr. John Riccardo” and the radio program “Christ is the Answer,” both of which can be heard on various outlets. He and the ACTS XXIX Team speak at diocesan events across the country and are passionate about the power of the Gospel to transform people’s lives. He is a graduate of the University of Michigan, The Gregorian University in Rome, and The Pope John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and the Family. To learn more about ACTS XXIX, please visit www.actsxxix.org.