Meet the Staff

Annie Selak (she/her/hers) is an expert in feminist ecclesiology. She comes to the Women’s Center with a wealth of experience in student affairs, Jesuit higher education, and theology. Annie has over 15 years experience in Catholic higher education. She spent 4 years as a residence hall rector at the University of Notre Dame, where she also had dual appointments in the Career Center and the Center for Social Concerns. In this capacity, she was involved in student leadership and development, student advising, sexual assault prevention and response, vocational discernment, innovative curriculum development bringing together student life and academics, and preparing students for culturally-informed service-learning trips. 

Annie earned her doctorate in systematic theology at Boston College, specializing in the Roman Catholic Church in the United States. Her academic research includes ecclesiology, feminist and liberationist theologies, theology of ministry, rape culture on Catholic college campuses, identity formation in young women, multicultural and interfaith aspects of Catholicism, responding to the sex abuse crisis in the Catholic church, Ignatian spirituality and pedagogy, and racism and sexism in the Catholic church. Her research has appeared in Modern Theology, Journal for Catholic Social Thought, America Magazine, Washington Post, Commonweal, National Catholic Reporter, The Conversation and several edited volumes and collections. Her first book, The Wounded Church (Fordham University Press, 2024) examines racism, sexism, and the clergy sex abuse crisis in the church and proposes a way of viewing the church as wounded.

Annie has taught in diverse learning environments including the University of Notre Dame, Boston College, and Marymount University. At Georgetown, she serves as a Community Resource Professional for the Engelhard Project for Connecting Life and Learning and an adjunct instructor in the Department of Theology and Religious Studies. As a former Jesuit Volunteer (Detroit, 2005-06), Annie is committed to supporting Jesuit higher education and served on the board of directors for Alpha Sigma Nu, the Jesuit Honor Society. She is a graduate of Santa Clara University (BA Religious Studies, BS Political Science) and the Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley (MDiv). She is a native Californian and lives in Washington DC.

Annie Selak CV

Select Publications and Public Scholarship

“A feminist theologian says, ‘Our Father’ is not the only way of referring to God.” (new window) The Conversation (June 15, 2023)

“Pope Francis apologized for the harm done to First Nations peoples, but what does a pope’s apology mean?” (new window) The Conversation (April 8, 2022)

“How Catholic Colleges Can Address the Epidemic of Sexual Violence on Campuses.” (new window) National Catholic Reporter (October 5, 2021)

“What Can We Learn from WNBA Athletes Fighting for Freedom?” (new window) National Catholic Reporter (September 18, 2021)

“An Examination of Alternative Break Trips and Whiteness in Jesuit Higher Education,” co-authored with Susan Haarman. Jesuit Higher Education: A Journal 10, no. 2, 138-149. Accessible at https://epublications.regis.edu/jhe/vol10/iss2/14 (new window)

“The Lived Experience of the Faithful.” In Pope Francis: A Vision for Mercy, Justice, Love and Care for the Earth, ed. Massimo Faggioli and Barbara Wall. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2019, 218-237.

“Missing Voices in Amoris Laetitia: An Examination of Law, Narrative, and Possibilities for Inclusion in Roman Catholic Church Teaching.” Journal of Catholic Social Thought 16, no. 1 (Winter 2019), 83-102.

“Orthodoxy, Orthopraxis and Orthopathy: Evaluating the Feminist Kenosis Debate.” Modern Theology 33, no. 4 (October 2017), 529-548.

“The Power of Memory and Witnessing: A Trauma-Informed Analysis of Anamnesis in the Roman Catholic Mass,” in College Theology Society Annual Volume, Liturgy + Power, ed. Brian Flanagan and Johann Vento (Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2016), 22-33.

• Pronouns: she/her
• Hometown: Portland, OR
• School & Year: SFS ‘24
• Major: STIA (Science, Technology, and International Affairs)
• Hobbies: crocheting, running with my dog, and trying to learn k-pop dances

• Pronouns: she/her
• Hometown: Edmond, Oklahoma
• School & Year: SFS ‘24
• Majors/Minors: International Politics major, Psychology minor
• Hobbies: Cooking bruschetta for my roommates, binge watching Reba episodes, memorizing every Taylor Swift album, and constantly talking about my dog.