staff
CHRISTINE CURRAN | Executive Director
ccurran@ispretreats.org
Christine Curran became Executive Director in January 2021, after serving for 5 years as ISP‘s Director of Programs and Mission Effectiveness. Christine has a professional background in non-profit leadership, program administration and volunteer management. Immediately prior to joining ISP, she was Regional Director of the Ignatian Volunteer Corps in Chicago. Christine is a graduate of St. John’s College, Yale University, and recently earned an executive certificate in nonprofit management from Northwestern’s Kellogg School. Originally from Connecticut, she now resides in Chicago’s Morgan Park neighborhood with her husband and stepdaughter.
CATHERINE RUFFING DROTLEFF | Director of Advancement and Communications
cruffingdrotleff@ispretreats.org
Catherine Ruffing Drotleff shepherded the fundraising and communication activities of ISP as Director of Development from 2013 until 2021, when she began her role as Director of Advancement and Communications. Catherine has spent her career in nonprofit advancement; immediately prior to joining ISP, she spent over 7 years at The Resurrection Project, a community development nonprofit located in Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood. Catherine received her Masters in Pastoral Counseling from Loyola University Chicago, which informed her particular interest in the role of ritual and retreat work as a means of growth, healing, and transformation. She lives in Cleveland with her husband and children.
MATTHEW MEYERS | Director of Programs
mmeyers @ispretreats.org
Matthew Meyers joined ISP as a Regional Coordinator in 2016 started his new role as Director of Programs in 2021. He is devoted to working with nonprofits that build communities of hope and provide transformative experiences. Prior to joining ISP, Matthew worked with undergraduate students in Campus Ministry and as a live-in residential counselor at Boys Hope Girls Hope Cincinnati. Matthew received dual Masters degrees in Public Administration for Nonprofit Management and Theology from Villanova University, which complement and deepen his commitment to ISP’s mission and ministry. He lives in Chicago and enjoys playing volleyball, attending theatre, and hiking out West.
NIKKI BJORGO | Communications Associate
nbjorgo@ispretreats.org
Nikki Bjorgo joined ISP as Communications Associate in May 2024. Her love for ISP began while she was working on her Masters degree in Spiritual Direction at Loyola University Chicago, nad her first role with ISP was as a volunteer leading spiritual reflections. As a woman in recovery herself for the past 8 years, Nikki longed to play a role in bringing others to experience the healing power of God’s love. Prior to joining the ISP team, Nikki was the Marketing & Communications Coordinator at Bellarmine Jesuit Retreat House in Barrington, IL. While at Bellarmine, she completed the Spiritual Direction Internship Program in May 2023 to become a certified spiritual director in the Ignatian tradition. She lives in Palatine, IL and enjoys long walks in nature, giving spiritual direction, volunteering as a third grade Catechist, and exploring the ins and outs of Ignatian spirituality.
JIM BRODERICK-KING | Regional Director, South
jbroderickking@ispretreats.org
Jim Broderick-King joins ISP after many years working in Jesuit education. He served most recently as a teacher, administrator, and Director of Ignatian Spirituality & Formation at Regis Jesuit High School in Colorado, supporting the spiritual formation of colleagues, students and parents through retreats and spiritual direction, along with program development in leadership, pedagogy, and social justice. Since 2007, Jim has also worked with the Ignatian Spirituality Program of Denver, where he trained as a spiritual director, and now focuses on retreats, spiritual director formation, and direction in the tradition of the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. Jim is a graduate of Colorado College and the University of Colorado, Boulder. He lives in Denver with his wife and has two young adult daughters.
CLAIRE DESHOTELS | Regional Director, Upper Midwest
cdeshotels@ispretreats.org
Claire DesHotels comes to ISP with a background in social justice ministry and shelter work, rooted in a desire to cultivate communities where all feel seen, known, and beloved. She was first introduced to Ignatian spirituality as a Jesuit Volunteer serving at a women’s day shelter in Boston. Her experience there led her to continue similar social services work in the Twin Cities as a housing case manager at a family shelter. She eventually moved to Chicago for graduate school and received her Masters of Divinity degree from Loyola University Chicago. Claire has most recently worked at a social justice retreat center facilitating immersion retreats as well as organizing justice ministry at a local parish. She was born and raised in Minnesota and received her undergraduate degree from the College of St. Benedict there. She enjoys coffee, lakes, dogs, and time with loved ones. She lives in Chicago with her partner and their Bernese mountain dog.
ALLISON LOECKE | Regional Director, Midwest
aloecke@ispretreats.org
A native of the Chicagoland area, Allison Loecke has also called Minnesota, Ohio, Colorado and West Virginia home. Prior to joining ISP, Allison served as a Campus Minister at both the high school and college levels, as Executive Director of Nazareth Farm in WV, and was a proud member of the Trader Joe’s Crew #691 in Chicago. A dedicated super aunt, she is also an aspiring tap dancer and loves to celebrate holidays big and small. Allison received her undergraduate degree from St. Mary’s University in Minnesota and a graduate degree in Pastoral Ministry from the University of Dayton. She loves going on walks and bike rides, playing at her art desk, planning parties and playing euchre with the Chicago Euchre Club on Sunday nights.
SYDNEY SMITH | Grants and Development Manager
ssmith@ispretreats.org
Sydney Smith joined ISP as the Marketing and Development Manager in 2021. She has worked in the Chicagoland philanthropic community since 2015; prior to ISP, Sydney spent four years as Director of Development at the Center for Tax and Budget Accountability. Sydney has a Bachelors in English Literature from the University of Iowa, and is grateful to find a career where her love of writing can actively support others. Sydney lives in Chicago with her husband and their two dogs, and enjoy doing whatever the dogs want to do.