Our Team

Elisabeth Sullivan

Executive Director

A former journalist, Elisabeth developed her passion for Catholic liberal education while exploring authentic formation in faith and reason for her own children. She joined the Institute in 2010 to advance this vision and train educators in its philosophy and practice. As Executive Director, she develops ICLE’s program content and publications, designs our annual conference, and promotes our mission through speaking engagements across the country. Elisabeth is a CiRCE-Certified Classical Teacher who has taught middle school writing and literature, served on Catholic school boards, and served as director of communications for a liberal arts school in the Catholic tradition. She holds a B.S. in Humanities from the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service, and an M.S. from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. She and her husband live in North Carolina and have three sons.

Colleen Richards

Director of School Services

crichards@catholicliberaleducation.org
Colleen Richards is ICLE’s Director of School Services, leading our teacher training and school advising efforts around the country. After 17 years of classroom teaching in a variety of Catholic elementary and high schools, she spent eight years as the second headmaster of St. John Bosco Schools in East Rochester, New York. Colleen led the school’s adoption of the St. Jerome Academy Educational Plan, training teachers and growing in the school to double its size. In 2014, she led the opening of Chesterton Academy of Rochester as part of the new Chesterton Schools Network, making the institution an option for a complete Catholic education for students from Pre-K through twelfth grade. She earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Education from Canisius College, a Master’s Degree from the University of Phoenix in Curriculum and Instruction, and holds New York State Teacher Certification.

Patrick Boduch

Director of Strategy

pboduch@catholicliberaleducation.org

Patrick Boduch is ICLE’s Director of Strategy & Analytics. Originally from the suburbs of Chicago, Patrick attended the University of Notre Dame where he studied finance and economics. After college, he worked for Deloitte Consulting for three years before completing a year-long volunteer program with Mercy Volunteer Corps in Cincinnati. Most recently, Patrick attended Princeton University where he earned a Master in Public Affairs degree. 

Erick Allen

Faculty

eallen@catholicliberaleducation.org
Erick discovered the rich tradition of a liberal arts education while in graduate school. Soon after, Erick entered the Church as an adult convert and spent six years assisting his public charter school in their transition to a more classical and humanizing model of education. Erick has more than 20 years of teaching experience in a variety of settings, including public and private schools, higher education, grades 7-12 and even in law enforcement. He has taught Latin, Medieval Literature, ESL and other subjects. He and his wife Kathy live in the mountains of western North Carolina where they raise chickens and rabbits.

John Paul Thurau

Faculty

jpthurau@catholicliberaleducation.org
Prior to joining ICLE, JP worked as a teacher at Catholic and public charter schools in Arizona. Most recently, he served at Great Hearts Lincoln Preparatory Academy as Dean of Students, teacher, and varsity baseball coach. JP has taught a wide variety of subjects over the years, including geometry, government & economics, history, literature, Latin, music theory, physics, and rhetoric. He received a B.A. in classical Liberal Arts from Thomas Aquinas College and an M.A. in Humanities/Classical Education from the University of Dallas. Now living in Hillsdale, Michigan, JP and his wife, Gabriela, have four children at home, and one in Heaven.

Elisabeth Seeley

Administrative Assistant

eseeley@catholicliberaleducation.org
Elisabeth has been steeped in Catholic liberal education her whole life. She graduated high school from St. Augustine Academy in Ventura, CA and received her B.A. in classical Liberal Arts from Thomas Aquinas College in Santa Paula, CA. She worked in the Human Resources department at the college for almost a year after graduating. The daughter of our Director of Advanced Formation, Dr. Andrew T. Seeley, she has long been inspired by the dedication of the Institute’s team members and the fruit their work has born. After several years of volunteering with the Institute, she was delighted to join the team in September of 2020.