Graduate & Faculty Ministries Staff at Northwestern
Mickey Sanchez | Campus staff minister
Mickey Sanchez has been working with grad students and faculty for over a decade, seven years at Northwestern and four at Harvard. In addition, Mickey is the Director of the Faculty Roundtable on Science & Religion at Northwestern and a University Engagement Associate for the Veritas Forum. Born and raised in NYC, Mickey came to faith through doubt, attended Redeemer Presbyterian Church, and loves engaging doubt in learning communities as a way of learning from and helping others, as well as checking that his beliefs track with reality. If they don’t, Mickey would love to know sooner than later so he can adjust accordingly or move on with his life if need be (the Apostle Paul makes a similar point in 1 Corinthians 15:12-32). Case in point, he started a relationship with the Atheist Club at NYU while he was president of Cru and the Christian Inter-Fellowship Council. After graduating with a degree in Political Science, Mickey worked for the New York City Council for several years. However, it was Mickey’s deepening relationship with the Atheist Club after college that lead him to sense a call to full-time ministry. Mickey went on to earn an M.Div. and Th.M. from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and intern with Cru at Harvard and the Harvard Pluralism Project. After seminary, Mickey joined the staff at Highrock Church where he co-launched a spiritual formation ministry and created dedicated spaces to explore Christian faith and process doubt. When InterVarsity noticed that Mickey was working with a number of skeptical but curious Harvard grad students, he was invited to join staff. He currently lives in Chicagoland area with his wife Michelle, who serves as Executive Minister of Make & Deepen Disciples for the Evangelical Covenant Church denomination based out of Chicago, and their two kids. Michelle is also an author and recently published three books: 1) Color-Courageous Discipleship, 2) Color Courageous Discipleship student edition, and God’s Beloved Community: A Picture Book for kids.
Lance Higginbotham | Campus Staff Minister
Lance Higginbotham has a Ph.D. in Old Testament from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and has been teaching Old Testament to students at Wheaton College and Trinity International University. He loves helping people dive into the Old Testament and mine the riches therein. He recently wrote a paper titled “Reading the Imprecatory Psalms within the Messianic Trajectory of the Psalter,” which he presented at the 2022 annual meeting of The Evangelical Theological Society. Lance comes to us from Amarillo, Texas, and is a huge sports fan. He is the husband of one wife, Amanda, who works as a counselor, the father of two kids, and a disciple of Jesus.
Aubrey Leaman | Campus Staff Minister
Dr. Aubrey Leaman received her Ph.D. in Music Theory and Cognition from Northwestern University in 2022, where her research helped bridged the gap between art and science by studying the psychology behind empathy and its effects on listeners’ interpretations of music. Now, she continues to have a passion for connecting the arts and sciences by helping graduate students in both areas spiritually connect and grow from one another’s diverse ways of getting to know God. While in graduate school, she served as a student leader with both the Graduate Christian Fellowship and InterVarsity Arts ministries, and she continues to focus her work on students facing doubts, apologetics, and empathy ministries for those suffering from various types of loss. In her spare time, you can find her exploring the unique creative performances Chicago has to offer or playing volleyball in the summer.
AngelA Herberg | Campus Staff Minister
Angela works primarily with international students at Northwestern and the Illinois Institute of Technology. At Northwestern, Angela has worked on launching Peace Feast dinners with one of the Muslim groups on campus. These dinners are opportunities for our grad Christian and Muslim communities to get to know each other while sharing about our different faiths. Angela was part of InterVarsity when she was in college. After college she spent time in Korea as an international herself, so she knows what it’s like to be in a different culture.
Anna Jackson | Field Operations director
Moy Mendez | Area Director, Chicago GFM
Dick Ryan | senior arts ministry specialist
G. Richard Ryan (Dick to his friends) worked professionally for more than 30 years as an orchestral conductor and a music theatre producer/artistic director. Shortly after graduating from the Northwestern University School of Music, he was hired as the production stage manager for the Ravinia Festival—the summer home of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Among the artists Dick personally worked with at Ravinia were Igor Stravinsky, Aaron Copland, Seiji Ozawa, André Previn, Louie Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Tony Bennett, Thelonius Monk, and Bob Dylan. Being with famous performers continued as Dick then spent seven years on the production staff at Lyric Opera of Chicago, bringing him into contact with many of the greatest singers, dancers, conductors and directors of the international opera and ballet world.
Dick’s wife, professional ballerina and choreographer Donna Ehrler Ryan, was his constant creative partner as they worked in Europe and numerous places across North America. They produced hundreds of staged performances, including four major world premiere commissions and a large summer festival, featuring hundreds of nationally known artists and ensembles. They also produced two wonderful children.
In 1990, Dick left the music theatre business to focus on healing issues for artists. Working for InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, he founded IV Arts, serving as the first National Director of Arts. He travels to universities across the country to meet with students and faculty, talking practically and passionately about how to connect their art, their lives, and their faith.
Dick considers his greatest achievement to be his friendships, his family, and his relationships. His greatest passion is watching God transform lives.
Nader Sahyouni | spiritual formation volunteer
Nader Sahyouni is a licensed clinical professional counselor and spiritual director. Nader works with individuals and groups. He has experience helping individuals who are going through a variety of challenges, including anxiety, depression, trauma, career issues, and adult children from immigrant families as well as Third Culture Kids. Nader has a Doctor of Ministry in Spiritual Formation from Tyndale University College and Seminary, and he also holds a certificate in Spiritual Direction from North Park Theological Seminary and a M.A. in Counseling from Northeastern Illinois University. He is known for his ability to balance insight into clients’ issues with sensitivity to their pain.
In spiritual direction, Nader helps people who want to discern God’s movement in their lives and deepen their relationship with Him, as well as those who are stalled spiritually or feel distant from God. He leads groups and retreats on Prayer and Anxiety, How Our Wounds Can Interfere in Our Relationship With God, and Building Life Giving Rhythms in Christian Life. Nader is the author of Anxiety Transformed: Prayer that Brings Enduring Change.
Nader has also had a 25-year career in management in the medical industry, and he has a B.S. and M.S. in Biomedical Engineering from Northwestern University. Married with four adult children, he enjoys spending time with family and friends, writing, and being in nature.
