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Faculty biographies
The Church's Response to the Immigration Crisis
Rev. Dr. Alexia Salvatierra
Alexia Salvatierra is Academic Dean of Centro Latino and Community and Assistant Professor of Integral Mission and Global Transformation. She is the author along with Peter Hetzel of “Faith-Rooted Organizing: Mobilizing the Church in Service to the World” (IVP Press) and founder of “Faith-Rooted Organizing UnNetwork.” She was the Director for Justice for the California Southwest Lutheran Synod under Bishop Nelson’s leadership. She also is Adjunct Faculty at Eastern University, Asuza Pacific Seminary, Biola University, and Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington DC. She is known as the “madrina” and part of the board of Matthew 25 SoCal, an evangelical movement for the immigrant community rights.
Dr. Oscar Garcia-Johnson
Oscar García-Johnson is Chief of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and Associate Professor of Theology and Latino/a studies, and academic dean for the Center for the Study of Hispanic Church and Community (Centro Latino). He is the author of several books, including his most recent publication Spirit Outside the Gate: Decolonial Pneumatologies of the American Global South (IVP Academic, 2019). Prior to joining the Fuller faculty in 2008, he taught for ten years as an adjunct faculty member at Fuller. He also served as a regional minister with the American Baptist Churches of Los Angeles for 11 years and planted four new churches in Southern California. In addition to teaching courses at Fuller, García-Johnson is a social activist involved in faith-rooted holistic justice with Matthew 25 of Southern California, LA RED, and CCDA.
Dr. Lisseth Rojas-Flores
Psychology at Fuller Theological Seminary. Rojas-Flores’ research centers on immigrant children’s well-being with a particular focus on how trauma, community violence, and socio-structural adversity impact the child and family unit. With funding from the Foundation for Child Development Young Scholars Program, Rojas-Flores examined the impact of immigration enforcement on Latino citizen—children’s psychological and academic well-being in the U.S. In an international context, she conducts collaborative research to examine the impact of community violence and trauma on adolescents, parents, and teachers living in El Salvador. In Colombia, as part of a multidisciplinary research team, she examines the challenges caused by forced migration and works to mobilize local religious communities to support people in situations of internal displacement (IDPs) to recover and flourish.
Dr. Robert Chao Romero
Dr. Robert Chao Romero is Asian-Latino, President and CEO of the Brown Church Institute. He has been a professor of Chicana/o Studies and Asian American Studies at UCLA since 2005. Chao Romero received his Ph.D. from UCLA in Latin American History and his Juris Doctor from U.C. Berkeley, and is also an attorney. Romero has published 15 academic books and articles on issues of race, immigration, history, education, and religion, and received the Latina/o Studies book award from the international Latin American Studies Association. He is a former Ford Foundation and U.C. President’s Postdoctoral Fellow, as well as a recipient of the Louisville Institute’s Sabbatical Grant for Researchers. Robert is also an ordained pastor. Together with his wife Erica, he is the co-founder of Jesus 4 Revolutionaries, a Christian ministry to activists, as well as the co-chair of the Matthew 25 Movement in Southern California.
Rev. M. Ava Steaffens, JD.
Rev. Ava Steaffens is Strategic Partnerships Director for California with World Relief. Previously, she served as the CEO of Christian Community Development Association (CCDA) over 3 years. Building Dreams Campaign Director with KidWorks after serving 14 years as the CEO. KidWorks is a community development organization in Santa Ana which is restoring at-risk neighborhoods, one life at a time. She is also an attorney. Her law practice was largely focused on immigration representation, asylum advocacy, international adoptions, and deportation defense.
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