Italy Team
Staff
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Ariana Damaske
Program Director
Ariana was born in California, but grew up in Milan, Italy. After high school, she attended Portantochas Bible School in Costa Rica. She has a BA in International Relations from Wheaton College (IL) and a master's in Student Affairs from LUMSA University in Rome. She now lives in Rome with her family, where she has been working in higher education for over 7 years. She has a passion for cross-cultural experiences and ministry, and loves to see how God works in these beautiful yet challenging spaces.
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Meg van Rijn
Assistant Program Director
Meg has been a part of Living & Learning since 2019 and loves partnering with the Lord in the work He is doing in the lives of students. Meg is originally from AZ and is an alumni of Azusa Pacific University where she graduated with her BA in Communication Studies. Meg also holds her masters in Organizational Leadership form Gonzaga University. Some other things that get her pumped on life are cheese, her family, card games (Dutch Blitz always), treats, Jesus, hanging with college students, music, her niece and nephews, & travel (obvi not in that order).
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Davide Ibrahim
Spiritual Life & Community Director
Davide was born and raised in Milan to Egyptian parents. He hold degrees in history, historical religious studies, and theology. He is currently pursuing a Phd in Theology. His interests lie at the intersection of theology, history, culture, and pastoral care. He lives in Rome with his family and is member of Breccia di Roma, an Evangelical church in down town Rome.
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Liberato Vitale
Logistics Manager
Born in Salerno and lives in Rome with his family. He earned his Master Degree in Labor Markets, Industrial Relations, and Welfare Systems from the Department of Economics at Roma Tre University. He currently works as a logistics manager at Living and Learning. He is the pastor of an evangelical church in Rome. He is a husband and the father of two chil
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Hailey Hensley
Resident Coordinator
Born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, Hailey is a city girl at heart and can't wait to explore the city of Rome! She earned her B.A. in Biblical Studies from Grace College in 2024 and her Master of Divinity in 2026. Before working with L&LI Rome, Hailey served as a Graduate Assistant in the Student Involvement department at her alma mater. She loves traveling, thrifting, playing card games, and watching movies to rate them with her friends! She's excited to see how the Lord moves in Rome this year!
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Jordyn MacCuish
Resident Coordinator
Jordyn is from the Central Coast of California and graduated from Jessup University with a degree in Business Marketing. She spent a semester abroad in Ecuador with LLI which sparked her passion for discipleship ministry and travel. She loves a crazy adventure, healthy competition, being in nature, and a good cup of coffee!
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Lizzy Rosenkranz
Resident Coordinator
Lizzy has always called Southern California home. She graduated with a bachelor's degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders from Biola University and had the joy of studying abroad with L&LI in Rome during the Fall of 2023. She loves exploring and being surprised by new places and people. This has led her to some pretty incredible experiences, but the constant through them all has been the Lord’s presence and guidance. Lizzy is so excited to chat and laugh with students over a cappuccino and spend time together marveling at God’s creativity!
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Reed Vaughan
Resident Coordinator
Reed is originally from Colorado Springs, CO, but has called many places around the U.S. “home” throughout her life. She attended Biola University for her bachelor’s in Bible & Theology and earned her master’s in Leadership through the Impact 360 Institute. Reed loves to travel (duh!), go hiking, eat Thai food, and read (yeah, Reed loves to read)! She also loves pursuing Jesus with her university-age friends and could talk all day about her love for training up young people in discipleship & evangelism.
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Faculty
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Davide Ibrahim
Professor & Spiritual Life & Community Director
Christian Spiritual Formation & Transformation• B.A. in History, Università degli studi di Milano
• Graduate Diploma in Theology, Union School of Theology
• M.A. in Historical-Religious Studies, Sapienza Università di Roma
• PhD in Evangelical Theology, Utrecht Theological University | 2024 - 2027 -

Dr. Corrado Primavera
Professor
Cultural Understanding• Master in Theological Studies, Dallas Theological Seminary (Dallas, TX)
• Master in Christian Education, Dallas Theological Seminary (Dallas, TX)
• Doctorate in Literature (Church History), Università degli Studi di Roma (Rome, Italy)Though he was born in the United Kingdom, Corrado Primavera grew up in Rome. In addition to planting the Evangelical Church in Rome, he has worked as a historical consultant for Day of Discovery Television Production and has written extensively for Italian and English publications. Professor Primavera teaches Ancient Roman Culture as part of the Cultural Understanding course.
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Clay Kannard
Professor
Faith and Food In Italy - A Theology of Food• B.S. Biblical Studies, Moody Bible Institute (Chicago, IL)
• Master of Theological Studies, Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (Kansas City, MO)
• Master of Theology (MTh), Union School of Theology – Bridgend/Oxford, UKCo-pastor of the church Breccia di Roma. Serving through discipleship, church planting, and leadership and theological formation. Primarily partnered with Italian evangelical leaders and the church Breccia di Roma for the advancement of the Gospel in the city of Rome, the training of new pastors and leaders, the planting of new churches in Italy, and the equipping of the saints.
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Andrea Fiori
Professor
Exploring the Art of Italy• BA in Art Education, Messiah College (Grantham, PA)
• M.Ed. in Art Education, Temple University, Tyler School of Art (Philadelphia, PA)Andrea Fiori has many years of teaching experience in the visual arts ranging from middle school through university, as well as community arts workshops, program development and being a docent at Grounds for Sculpture, NJ. She has led several university student and adult groups to Italy. She loves helping students engage with art and art history and connecting the visual arts to their Christian faith.
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Dr. Jeffrey Sherlock
Professor
International Business• Bachelor of Business Administration, Ohio University (Athens, Ohio)
• Master of Business Administration, Ohio University (Athens, Ohio)
• Ed.D. in Adult and Community Education, Ball State University, (Muncie, Indiana)Jeff Sherlock grew up in rural Ohio until in 1990 he and his family moved to Macau, East Asia to work in an English Language Program and to assist in a church plant. He has taught full time at Huntington University, Tri-State University, and Taylor University as well as part time at Indiana Wesleyan University, Xi’an International Studies University (during a sabbatical year in China), Hunan University of Technology and Business, and LCC International University. He and his wife Joan are empty-nesters with three grown sons, two daughters-in-law, and two grandchildren.
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Dr. Leonardo De Chirico
Professor
The History of the Christian Church
Ethics• Degree in History, University of Bologna (Bologna, Italy)
• Diploma of Higher Education in Theological Studies, University of Glamorgan (UK)
• PhD in Theology, King’s College (London, England)
• Post-doctoral diploma in Bioethics, University of Padova (Padua, Italy)Leonardo De Chirico is an Italian citizen and a resident of Rome, Italy. Currently Leonardo serves as the pastor of Breccia di Roma, a Reformed Baptist church, while also serving in a number of other roles in Italy. He is Adjunct Director of Istituto di Formazione Evangelica e Documentazione (an Italian evangelical research center), and editor of its theological journal Studi Diteologia.
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Dr. Joey Dodson
Professor
Western Thought• PhD in New Testament, University of Aberdeen (Scotland, UK)
Joseph R. Dodson holds the Craig L. Blomberg Endowed Chair of New Testament at Denver Seminary and serves as a visiting lecturer in Religious Studies at Purdue University. He completed his postgraduate studies at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland, followed by advanced research at the University of Tübingen in Germany.
Outside the classroom, Joey is an avid mountaineer who has climbed dozens of peaks across the globe, including two-thirds of the “14ers” in the continental U.S. and a “17er” in Peru. More importantly, he has been married for 30 years to his elementary school sweetheart, Sadie. Together they have five children, a son-in-law, a daughter-in-law, and what he insists are the greatest granddaughter and two grandsons in the entire multiverse.”
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Chiara Lamberti
Professor
Cultural Understanding
Introduction to Journalism• B.S. Communication Sciences at La Sapienza University (Rome, Italy)
• Masters in Information, Publishing and Journalism, Roma Tre University (Rome, Italy)Chiara is a freelance reporter for Christian magazines. She holds a Master’s degree in Communication Science from Roma Tre University and a theological formation from Italian Institute of Evangelical Formation and Documentation. Chiara lives in Rome with her family, where they are involved in a church planting project. She has a strong passion for teaching and engaging with young students.
