Rev.

Beverly Dale
Ordained as a clergy in the Disciples of Christ tradition, the Rev Dr. Beverly Dale has been a public
theologian and outspoken presence on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania since 1989. She has
been an advocate for creating a more compassionate and just world on such varied topics as worker rights,
race relations, and civil rights for the sexual minority communities, and gender equity. Believing that "God
always revises our boundaries outward," Dale leads interfaith discussions and works to promote
understanding across the boundaries of gender, race and sexual orientation even as she challenges the
Penn community to take seriously its responsibility to use its resources to create a more ethical institution
and humanistic environment. She has been introduced by one faculty member as "Rev Bev, the conscience
of the University."
Dale is also a teacher for change and, as such, has taken scores of students under her tutelage to help
them consider how best to contribute their unique skills and interests to the service of humanity, directing
and challenging their vocational choices to examine their underlying values. Her passion is to stimulate
people to think deeper and to live more fully. while her primary work is in small groups, facilitating and
leading discussions, she also provides spiritual direction, limited pastoral counseling and premarital
counseling.
Her theological enterprise is to explore the intersection of spirituality and sexuality and to create
opportunities where a sex positive and woman friendly message can be heard in a Christian context. Much
of her teaching, writing, and performance is in this context as she helps both spiritual people explore being
sexy and sexy secular people explore being spiritual. (Find out more about our sexuality ministry called
PassionWorks!)
She received her Doctor of Ministry degree from the Chicago Theological Seminary in 1988 specializing in
pastoral counseling. Her doctoral work focused on revitalizing small churches. Her undergraduate and
masters degrees in sociology, specializing in sexuality and family, were awarded by Illinois State University.
Dale was honored by the Center for Lesbian and Gay Civil Rights in 1998 for her work on the Domestic
Partnership Bill adopted by the City Council of Philadelphia. Besides being quoted in the Philadelphia
Inquirer on several occasions and writing for the Daily Pennsylvania as a guest columist, she has also
written for The Disciple, and Disciple World, The Other Side, and the Journal for Women and Religion.
Contact Rev. Dale at revbev.pobox.upenn (dot) edu .
Katherine Primus
Katherine began consulting with the Christian Association in June 2006 and became Executive Director in
May 2007. As a consultant she evaluated the current direction and focus of the organization, as well as the
application of its resources. Since becoming Executive Director she has built on the organization's proud
heritage as it moves in a new direction.
Katherine has spent her career in entrepreneurial organizations developing expertise in strategic planning,
program and leadership development, and marketing and operations implementation. She has worked with
a wide diversity of clients to drive growth and organization development using the propriety Explosive
Growth Technology^TM, , which she has studied since her graduation from the University of Michigan.
In addition, Katherine developed “Life After Loss", a unique seminar series for people who have experienced
loss, through her company SRG Publications. The series is offered in conjunction with the Christian
Association. Katherine, who lost her husband to cancer, developed this series to teach people how to “get
on with life.” For more information please visit www.srgservice.com.
Francesca de la Torre
Francesca is our Program Coordinator. She was previously the CA's Peacemaking Through the Arts
Coordinator. Fran completed her Masters degree at Penn's Graduate School of Education in December
2007. She received her BA in Classical Studies, also at Penn, in 2004. Between degrees, Fran worked with
AmeriCorps in Southwest Philadelphia and at New Foundations Charter School in Northeast
Philadelphia. Her other interests include watching "The Office," her cat, running, and teaching swimming.