MEET THE THOMISTIC INSTITUTE TEAM
Fr. Dominic Legge, O.P., Director
Fr. Dominic Legge is the Director of the Thomistic Institute and Associate Professor in Systematic Theology at the Pontifical Faculty of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. He is an Ordinary Member of the Pontifical Academy of St. Thomas Aquinas, and holds a J.D. from Yale Law School, a Ph.L. from the School of Philosophy of the Catholic University of America, and a doctorate in Sacred Theology from the University of Fribourg in Switzerland. He entered the Order of Preachers in 2001, after having practiced constitutional law for several years as a trial attorney for the U.S. Department of Justice. He has also taught at The Catholic University of America Law School and at Providence College. He is the author of The Trinitarian Christology of St. Thomas Aquinas (Oxford University Press, 2016).
Fr. Ambrose Little, O.P., Assistant Director
Fr. Ambrose Little offers counsel and advice to the director and assists in the supervision of TI staff and projects. He is originally from Connecticut and entered the Dominican Order in 2007 and was ordained a priest in 2013. Before entering the Dominican Order, he graduated from The Catholic University of America with a BA in philosophy. After ordination, he completed a Licentiate in Philosophy at The Catholic University of America and then taught for two years at Providence College. In the academic year of 2013-2014 he was a visiting scholar at Boston College and in the fall of 2014 he started a Ph.D. program in philosophy at the University of Virginia. After completing his Ph.D. in the summer of 2021, he was appointed a Lecturer in Philosophy at the Pontifical Faculty of the Immaculate Conception.
Fr. Gregory Pine, O.P., Assistant Director
Fr. Gregory Pine is an instructor of dogmatic and moral theology at the Dominican House of Studies and an Assistant Director of the Thomistic Institute. He holds a doctorate from the University of Fribourg (Switzerland). He is the co-author of Credo: An RCIA Program and Marian Consecration with Aquinas as well as the author of Prudence: Choose Confidently, Live Boldly. His writing also appears in Aleteia, Magnificat, and Ascension’s Catholic Classics series. He is a regular contributor to the podcasts Pints with Aquinas, Catholic Classics, The Thomistic Institute, and Godsplaining.
Catherine Wilshusen, Producer—Aquinas 101
Catherine Wilshusen is the producer of the popular Aquinas 101 video series and takes care of the Thomistic Institute’s tech needs. She grew up on Long Island and attended Johns Hopkins University’s Whiting School of Engineering, where she studied applied mathematics, computer science, and music, graduating Phi Beta Kappa. Prior to joining the Thomistic Institute, she worked in the education technology field at Scholastic, Inc. and PBS LearningMedia while continuing her music composition studies in the evening division of the Juilliard School. She made her final profession as a Lay Dominican in 2021 and is an alumna of the Thomistic Institute’s Civitas Dei summer fellowship.
Heather Thompson, Business Manager
Heather Thompson is the Thomistic Institute’s Business Manager and coordinates and oversees the temporal aspects of the apostolate. She graduated from Yale University with a B.A. in Economics and worked for four years as an economic consultant. She then received an MBA from the Yale School of Management and a Diplôme de Cuisine from Le Cordon Bleu Paris. Prior to joining the TI, Heather was the Associate Director of Measurement, Planning, and Analysis at Share Our Strength, a national nonprofit focused on ending childhood hunger.
Fr. John Mark Solitario, O.P., Coordinator for Campus Outreach
Fr. John Mark is a coordinator for campus outreach at the Thomistic Institute. He met the nuns and friars of the Order of Preachers at the Dominican Monastery of the Mother of God in his hometown of West Springfield, MA. Their lives of Christian totality, marked by sacrifice, prayer, and preaching but above all, a supernatural goodness and joy, made a huge impact on him. After studying the liberal arts and philosophy at Christendom College and teaching high school theology as a member of Providence College’s PACT program, Father entered the Dominican novitiate in Cincinnati, OH, and went on for theological studies at the Dominican House of Studies. Following the solemn profession of religious vows, he was ordained a priest of Jesus Christ in 2019. Focusing on the Universal Call to Holiness in the theology of the Spanish Dominican Juan Arintero, Fr John Mark earned his licentiate in sacred theology in 2020. He is delighted to be working with students and professors as they seek to know better the truth about God and his creation through the patronage of St. Thomas Aquinas.
Fr. Irenaeus Dunlevy, O.P., Coordinator for Campus Outreach
As Coordinator for Campus Outreach, Fr. Irenaeus acts as a chaplain for the intellectual retreats and travels across the country to support our campus chapter leaders. He is an Ohio native who studied architecture at Virginia Tech and practiced for several years in a religious architecture firm before entering the Dominican Order in 2013. He was ordained a priest during the quarantine of 2020, and after completing his STL in 2021 and joining the TI in June of 2023, Fr. Irenaeus served as an assistant chaplain and adjunct faculty member at Providence College. His courses covered the Dominican intellectual tradition, ancient philosophy, and the intersection of theology and architecture
Callie Shinkle, Appeals and Grants Coordinator
Callie leads TI's appeals and grants efforts. She graduated with a B.A. in Philosophy and Religion from Hillsdale College in 2021. Before joining the TI, Callie worked on the development team at Parents Defending Education in Washington, DC.
Alain Latour, Computer Systems Analyst
Alain develops and deploys strategies to coordinate and integrate the activity of our computer platforms and systems, as well as our digital outreach. With a double major in Communications, Culture and Information Technology and Professional Writing and Communications from the University of Toronto, as well as a minor in psychology and a certificate in digital communications from Sheridan College, Alain is an award-winning professional with 12 years of experience in social media, advertising, and higher education.
Joseph F. Murray, Lead Campus Programs Coordinator
Joseph Murray works on the Thomistic Institute's Campus Chapters team to coordinate events at chapters across the nation. He graduated in 2021 from the Virginia Military Institute with a B.A. in English and triple concentrations in philosophy, literature, and rhetoric. His undergraduate thesis focused on the unity of the virtues in Thomistic and Aristotelian virtue ethics, and he continues to study and write on classical and medieval ethics independently.
Ben Miller, Campus Programs Coordinator
Ben Miller works on the Thomistic Institute's campus chapters team. He holds an M.A. in Eastern Philosophy from Yonsei University in Seoul, South Korea. His thesis, "Mencius and the Natural Law Tradition," explores similarities between Confucian ethics and Thomistic natural law theory.
Klarissa Blank, Conferences and Events Coordinator
Klarissa is responsible for registrations, scheduling and logistics for the Thomistic Institute's conferences and other events. She grew up in a Navy family and has lived in many places, but considers Virginia her home state. Holding an MA in Evangelization and Catechesis from the Christendom College Graduate School of Theology, she worked as a Director of Religious Education and Youth Ministry prior to joining the Thomistic Institute.
Rebecca Marisseau, Ph.D., Study Abroad Program Administrator
Rebecca earned her B.A. in History from Providence College and her doctorate in History from Brown University. While attending PC, she studied for a semester in Rome and held an internship in the archaeological study collection at the American Academy in Rome. She is enthusiastic about helping students discover the treasures of the Eternal City through the TI study abroad program in Rome!
Leo Billman, Junior Fellow
Leo Billman is a Junior Fellow for the 2023-2024 academic year, working in the campus chapters program. A lifelong resident of the state of Oregon, he received a Bachelor’s in History and Classics from the University of Oregon, graduating Phi Beta Kappa. He was received into the Catholic Church on Easter Sunday 2021 and afterwards volunteered as a student minister and assistant RCIA teacher, as well as serving as the third President of the Thomistic Institute Chapter at the University of Oregon.