Dr. Jennifer Kryszak is the Director of Strategic Planning for the Franciscan Peace Center, a ministry of the Sisters of St. Francis, Clinton, Iowa. In her position, Jennifer promotes peacemaking and active nonviolence through education and advocacy for social and ecological justice. She serves on the steering committee for Nuns Against Gun Violence, a coalition of Catholic Sisters and their allies that affirms the value of human life through prayer, education, and advocacy for common sense, evidence-based gun violence prevention.

Dr. Kryszak earned an A.B. in religion and English from Augustana College (Rock Island, IL) and a M.A. in theology from the Graduate Theological Union. She holds a Ph.D. in religion from Duke University, where her ethnographic research focused on the intersection of visual practices and ecclesiology in a women religious congregation’s mission for social and ecological justice.

Prior to joining the Franciscan Peace Center, Jennifer served as assistant professor of theological & ministerial studies at St. Thomas University in Miami Gardens, Florida. Before beginning doctoral work, she taught high school outside of Chicago.

Jennifer lives in Illinois with her husband and daughter.