Paul Covino joined the TATENDA Board in 2019.  He is the Director of Campus Ministry at Assumption University in Worcester, Massachusetts.  After 36 years in lay ministry, Paul was ordained a deacon for the Catholic Diocese of Worcester in 2017.  He and his wife Anne have four grown sons and two grandchildren.  Paul has served the Church’s life of worship as a teacher, workshop leader, and director of liturgy at two parishes, a college, and a graduate pastoral ministry program.  His publications include A Deacon’s Guide to Baptizing Children and Celebrating Marriage: Preparing the Roman Catholic Wedding Liturgy, articles in various journals, and chapters in books and encyclopedias.

Paul is a member of the advisory board of the Catholic Common Ground Initiative Committee which seeks to continue Cardinal Joseph Bernardin’s work of promoting dialogue and overcoming polarization in the Catholic Church in the United States.

Nancy Y. Sheridan SASV, is a member of the Congregation of the Sisters of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin. She has been a financial supporter of Tatenda International since its inception. Her full-time ministries include spiritual direction, supervision and retreat work and formation of spiritual guides and directors in the USA, Canada, and Europe. She engages in contemplative facilitation with various leadership groups and boards of various denominations.

Her loves are poetry, ritual, the sea and the countryside of North Wales where she is presently residing for two months.

With degrees in Theology, Pastoral Ministry, and Spirituality, I have spent the last 30 years in parish ministry, religious education, campus ministry, and directing retreats around the Pacific Northwest.  In addition to ministry, I spent the last 16 years in social services which included home healthcare, trauma-informed care, education, and supported employment - 10 years working with adults with developmental diversities (L’Arche Spokane) and 6 years with women experiencing poverty, homelessness, domestic violence, and human trafficking.

Norman Khumalo, a Zimbabwean, is Town Manager of the municipality of Hopkinton, Massachusetts. He brings experience from years of working with Oxfam in Africa. His organizational skills and wisdom will greatly benefit our Board.

Dr. Nicki Verploegen, Co-Founder of TATENDA International, served as Director of Spiritual and Ministerial Development and Visiting Professor at Weston Jesuit School of Theology in Cambridge, Massachusetts for 8 years. Presently she teaches courses in spirituality in graduate schools around the US, including the Archdiocese of Boston’s Diaconate Program. Her academic degrees include: Ph.D. and M.A. Formative Spirituality from Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, M.. A. and an M.A. from Gonzaga University, Spokane, Washington.

Originally from Montana, Dr. Verploegen has traveled throughout the US, Asia and Africa, offering support for caregivers, as well as serving as a lay missioner in Liberia for two years. She has been conducting retreats and giving spiritual direction for over 30 years and is the author of four books, including From Monks to Missionaries; Planning and Implementing Retreats: A Parish Handbook; Organic Spirituality: A Sixfold Path for Contemplative Living; and Meditations With Merton. Her books can be obtained by contacting Wipf and Stock, Eugene, OR at 541-344-1528 or via email at orders@wipfandstock.com. 

Susan W. Hassinger is a retired bishop of the United Methodist Church. Ordained as an elder in 1968 in eastern Pennsylvania, she has served local churches as pastor, been a district superintendent – supervising pastors and congregations, and been a consultant working with congregations and organizations on visioning and conflict transformation. Elected as bishop in 1996, she served the Boston Episcopal Area from 1996-2004, retired in 2004, and was brought back as interim bishop in the Albany (NY) Area from 2006-2010. In retirement now, she serves as bishop-in-residence and lecturer at Boston University School of Theology.

Her areas of teaching include spirituality, leadership, and conflict transformation. She also is available for spiritual direction with some students. Susan has two daughters and 3 grandchildren. She became part of the Tatenda International Board in August 2016.

Wilson Villamar is from Ecuador and serves as a Chaplain in Rhode Island. His experience as a bilingual translator in Spanish will allow us to consider service to the Hispanic populations.

Sr. Mary Ann is a Religious of the Assumption currently living and serving with five other Assumption Sisters in the colonia of Chaparral, New Mexico near the US-Mexico Border.  Together they minister to migrants, refugees, and asylum-seekers in a variety of ways, networking with many other committed groups in the area for the care of our newly-arrived sisters and brothers. 

Originally from the Philippines, Sr. Mary Ann served as a teacher and school administrator in her native country.  She was missioned to the U.S. Province in 1996 and for many years served in parish ministry, religious education, after-school programs, and teaching English as a Second Language in a multi-cultural parish in Worcester, MA.  While in Worcester she served on the Diocesan Board of the Catholic Campaign for Human Development and was instrumental in establishing the Assumption Center in the city's Main South neighborhood.  Sr. Mary Ann has also been responsible for formation work with young adults (Assumption Mission Associates) and with newer members of her congregation.  For a number of years, she served her Province on its leadership team. 

Marty Dermody is a Sister of Charity of Cincinnati. I have taught elementary school for twenty-five years, working with students from grade 1 to grade 8. I stepped down from teaching in 1999 and have been working within my Congregation for the last several years. I served in our Communication Office as the Community Photographer from 2000 to 2015. 

I am presently the director of our Spirituality Center for the Sisters of Charity. I work with inviting and creating space for others to come and pray and just take some time for themselves as they develop and grow in their spirituality. I look forward to serving Tatenda International in whatever capacity I can to help those in need of some downtime and an opportunity to gain some refreshment for their soul and spirit.