Dee Bernhardt joined St. Tom’s staff in August 2012. She works with students, faculty, staff and residents to establish leadership teams of authentic disciples for campus ministry at Purdue. She believes in the empowerment of communities of disciples who can facilitate encounters with Christ in higher education through creative programming.
Prior to St. Tom’s, Dee coordinated campus ministry in many settings, including an urban, commuter cluster, several mid-sized state colleges with Newman Centers, a residential Catholic college, an ecumenical center, and a university parish. Dee holds master’s degrees in religious education from Marywood College and Christian spirituality from Creighton University. She also holds a certification in campus ministry from the USCCB/CCMA and in spiritual direction/directed retreats from Creighton University. Dee is a recipient of the CCMA Forsyth Award, the highest award given for campus ministry leadership in the United States. In 2013, Hallahan High School in Philadelphia, PA, inducted her into the Hall of Fame for excellence in the Humanities.