The LC Team
We strive to function in the way we desire to see the world - collaborative and interdependent. Through our varied backgrounds, we bring a wealth of experience and knowledge to help foster programs relevant for the transformational leadership needed today and into the future.
​
We are passionate about helping you access your leadership capacity through personal growth, understanding and growing in consciousness about the systems in which we live, and dreaming for what is possible and boldly moving into an emergent, yet unknown future of religious life.
​
Read more about us and let us know how we can assist you continue to develop your leadership capacity.
Elia Cardenas, D.Min
Elia is an Associate Director with the major areas of responsibility being CLDP (Collaborative Leadership Development Program) and outreach to Latin America. Elia has a Doctorate in Theology and Ministry, a Master's Degree in Pastoral Studies, a Certification in Hispanic Ministry, and an ICF-accredited Ministerial/Life coaching certification from the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago. As a deacon's wife, she completed the diaconate formation program in the Diocese of El Paso, TX. Because she firmly believes that we are God's instruments to bring about inclusion, solidarity, and peace to the marginalized, she does ministry for migrants in a border shelter and leads preventive efforts in the highlands of Chiapas, supporting the indigenous people's formation and promoting community development, so that they can exercise their right to stay at their lands. Elia is a Dominican associate of the Santa Catalina de Siena province.
Emma Brown
Emma is the Program Coordinator for the Leadership Collective, where she assists the team with logistics and communications within their multi-lingual, global network. Emma grew up in a small town in Pennsylvania, USA, but now lives in El Paso, Texas, where she's passionate about volunteering with Annunciation House, an organization that offers emergency hospitality to refugees seeking shelter at the US-Mexico border. Emma holds a Bachelor of Arts from Kenyon College of Ohio, and loves developing artistic and photographic work.
Jennifer Melke-Marks
Jennifer serves as the Administrative Coordinator. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Studio Art and a Master of Arts in Pastoral Ministry. She is also a graduate of the Leadership Collaborative’s Collaborative Leadership Development Program (CLDP). Her professional background includes parish ministry, teaching K–8 art, and high school theology. Jennifer is an Associate of the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati and has been active in social justice ministry for more than 20 years. She currently volunteers with the Marianist Social Justice Collaborative and the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati Earth Justice Circle. She lives with her husband and three dogs and enjoys creating art in her spare time.
.png)
Kate Branch
Kate is an Associate of the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati who recently completed the Collaborative Leadership Development Program (CLDP) with Cohort 10. She is eagerly embracing her new role at the Leadership Collaborative as Initiatives and Special Projects Coordinator. Kate has a J.D. from Duke Law School and a B.A. cum laude from Barnard College, Columbia University. She has authored influential work on employment inequities and gender. She has advocated for domestic violence victims and mental health patients in court and has taught undergraduate courses on women and the law.  Kate is deeply committed to community involvement and lifelong learning. She recently relocated from North Carolina to Iowa, where she lives with her husband and mother-in-law, and loves to read and spend time with her rescue dogs and family, including her beloved grandson.
Linda Buck, CSJ
Linda is a Sister of St. Joseph of Orange (California). She is the Executive Director of the Leadership Collaborative, which focuses on leadership formation and fostering emergent systems. Linda is a licensed psychotherapist and spiritual director and has an academic background in clinical psychology, theological studies, and transformative leadership. She has a D.Min in Leadership and is currently pursuing doctoral studies in Transformative Social Change. She works with congregations and groups to foster change within their hearts and systems. Linda is passionate about the ability of individuals and systems to grow toward their fullest potential and uses her background to foster culture change within current and emergent systems.
Romina Sapinoso, SC
Romina has been an educator for many years before and after becoming a Sister of Charity of Cincinnati. She is passionate about education as a tool to effect change in our world. Her position at the Leadership Collaborative is an evolution of this passion and ministry. Romina's hope is to be of service and hold space for what is unfolding in religious life and in the life of charism carriers who work closely with us. She has taught in K-12 settings in public and Catholic schools, higher education and adult education in different countries and different states, most recently on the US-Mexico border of El Paso and Juarez and in Cincinnati, Ohio. She has a propensity to seek truth and spirituality, and is drawn towards issues of diversity, race, and justice. Her background in international and multicultural education keeps her seeking connections that cross boundaries and cultures to find what is a common desire in people to live the Gospel message of solidarity and love with one another, especially with those on the margins.
Tammy Townsend Denny
Tammy joined the Leadership Collaborative staff as an associate director after serving as the executive director of Theresians International, a Catholic-founded organization whose mission is to foster communities of spiritual growth for women. Prior to her ministry with Theresians, she worked with the U.S. province of the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth as their national communications director. She also has served on the board of directors for Communicators for Women Religious, an international organization committed to advancing the mission of Catholic sisters. She holds a bachelor’s degree in English and a master’s degree in liberal studies. She is currently pursuing a Master of Divinity degree at Loyola University in Chicago. In her evolving work in Catholic organizations, she continues to develop her ministry of listening to and connecting with Spirit, self, and others in ways that build relationships and cultivate communities. She believes that transformation is possible when we listen to one another with open hearts and open minds. Tammy is a life-long seeker who is always exploring new ways to better understand God’s call in her life. She is passionate about the care of creation and living lovingly in our world. Tammy and her husband live in suburban Chicago and have a blended family of four adult children and one ever-demanding cat.