Anselm House is pleased to welcome three new staff members in key roles for our organization: Dr. Phil Letizia, Dr. Chris Armstrong, and Joe Kimbell. Dr. Letizia and Dr. Armstrong are joining Anselm House's Center for Faith & Learning (CFL), led by Dr. AJ Poelarends. In their roles as Healthcare Initiative Leader and Senior Fellow respectively, Dr. Letizia and Dr. Armstrong will strengthen CFL and help Anselm House serve University of Minnesota faculty, staff, and graduate students. Joe Kimbell is serving on Anselm House's Advancement Team as our Senior Gifts Officer, helping steward key relationships and build resilient partnerships.

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Dr. Phil Letizia

Dr. Phil Letizia is a theologian, pastor, and writer, who holds a PhD degree in Practical Theology from the University of Aberdeen. Phil was born and raised in South Florida. He is married to Jenny, and they have two children, Oliver (13) and Jane (11), who was born with Down syndrome and also lives with profound autism. After 20 years of pastoring and church planting, Phil has joined the staff of Anselm House and the Center for Faith and Learning to spearhead a new Healthcare Initiative focused on leveraging the significant number of committed Christians serving as faculty of the University of Minnesota’s healthcare fields, and healthcare students who are seeking faith support in their studies. The Healthcare Initiative aims to provide intellectual and relational support across the vast Christian healthcare communities in the Twin Cities and the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Phil also serves as an Adjunct Professor at Knox Theological Seminary in Ft. Lauderdale, FL and in 2024 he became the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Disability and Religion. Last fall, his book Held in the Love of God: Discipleship and Disability was published by Baylor University Press.

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Dr. Chris Armstrong

Dr. Chris R. Armstrong is serving at Anselm House as Senior Fellow of the Center for Faith & Learning. His role involves research on Christian humanism, faculty development, speaking, strategy and grant writing. He received his training as a church historian from Duke University and Gordon-Conwell Seminary. He is a professor (Bethel Seminary, 2005-2013) and son of a professor. He has founded and led granted initiatives in higher education; spoken on various topics at study centers, universities, and churches; and worked as a book and magazine editor. He is the author of Medieval Wisdom for Modern Christians: Finding Authentic Faith in a Forgotten Age with C.S. Lewis, serves as an editor at Faith & Flourishing and Christian History, and blogs at Humanism as a Way of Life. Chris became a church historian to learn how Christians have lived out their faith, which has led him to his current work on the tradition of Christian humanism. This research will become his new book: Fully Human.

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Joe Kimbell

Joe Kimbell is joining Anselm House as a part of the Advancement Team, helping steward donor relationships while increasing awareness of the God-sized vision Anselm House is pursing on the U of M campus. He and his wife, Holly, were first introduced to Anselm House in 2001 and have been strong advocates ever since, attending and volunteering in numerous capacities. Joe received a Management and Finance Business degree from Bethel University and has worked in the travel industry for 30 years, helping organize short-term mission airfare for churches, colleges and organizations. Joe and Holly live in St Paul and have three high-school and college aged children.