Faculty & Staff
Brad Berky, Director & Faculty Internship Coordinator
With over twenty years with Westmont in San Francisco, Brad is the Director and Professor of Urban Practicum and the Faith, Ethics and Vocational Formation seminar. He was a student the program and has been a faculty member since 1990, thus providing him with a unique depth of insight and experience around what makes a semester in San Francisco so transformative. Brad holds a B.A. in Political Studies from Gordon College; an M.Div. in Intercultural Studies from Fuller Theological Seminary and has completed four years of a Ph.D. in Social Ethics at the Graduate Theological Union. Prior to joining the program, he lived and worked with intentional Christian community located in a low-income neighborhood of Oakland, CA where he served as a youth worker and later as program director of its Central American mission-development agency. He lived in El Salvador and Guatemala during these years following earlier stints as a prison chaplain, campus minister and coffee shop barista.
Brad enjoys the arts, the outdoors, cross-cultural encounters and most of all working with college age young adults. He also spends a fair bit of time these days keeping up with his 14-year-old son who is a sports nut to the core as well as connecting with close, long-time friends. His other passions include the integration of faith and social justice, racial/ethnic reconciliation and holistic spiritual formation. Good food, good music and a good laugh likewise sustain him. In working with the program, Brad thrives on seeing how students discover themselves, the world and God in renewed ways and the privilege of journeying with them in this process. Brad recently led a Mayterm Course in SF, Thailand, and Cambodia regarding Human Trafficking and served as Faculty Director of Westmont in Mexico in Fall 2010.
Karen Andrews, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Urban Studies and English
Karen has taught Urban Studies, English electives and Independent Studies tutorials on Westmont in San Francisco since Fall 1997. A native of Southern California and alumna of Westmont College (’83), Karen previously taught in the English department at Westmont, and on England Semester 1994 with Professor Steve Cook. Prior to returning to her alma mater in the mid-1990s, Karen taught at various institutions such as Azusa Pacific University, Harvey Mudd College, and Kobe College—a women’s college in Kobe, Japan.
Together with her young son, Karen lives in the Bernal Heights neighborhood here in San Francisco. She is devoted to parenting, teaching, and pursuing God's truth and beauty through literature and the arts. In her teaching and writing, she highlights the voices of those who are silenced and marginalized. She treasures relationships with family and friends, especially sharing meaningful conversation over meals. Karen typically spends her leisure time reading, walking, playing with her son, watching movies, listening to music, thinking, praying, writing, conversing with friends and enjoying the simple pleasures—like a good cup of tea.
Kelsey Palmer, Assistant Director of Operations
A graduate of Gordon College, Kelsey majored in Social Work and Sociology and completed her college career at Westmont in San Francisco. Interning at San Francisco General Hospital was a transformative experience as she connected with some of the city's leading professionals and the most marginalized residents. Her experience catapulted her professional career; after graduation Kelsey managed operations for a social enterprise focused on youth workforce development in high-risk communities. Prior to her current position as Assistant Director of Operations, Kelsey served as the Resident Director, sharing the Clunie House with over 200 people in two years. It is an honor for her to journey with students as they make vocational choices in the context of community. She is passionate about social justice, innovative thinking, and investing in San Francisco. In her free time, Kelsey can be found playing (or purchasing) music, perusing Green Apple Books, or running in Golden Gate Park.
Maddie Deegan, Resident Director & Staff Assistant
Maddie joins the Westmont in San Francisco staff in August of 2011. A graduate of Westmont College, Maddie earned a degree in History with a Spanish minor. During her time in the classroom she developed a passion for social justice, intercultural studies, and community development. After graduating, Maddie spent a year working in Westmont's Student Life Office where her interests broadened into the field of student development. Her position on the Westmont in San Francisco staff provides her with the opportunity to combine all of these passions working to cultivate a transformational community in the Clunie House. Hailing from the suburbs of Chicago Maddie's roots are in the Midwest, but she has grown to appreciate the West Coast and especially loves the city of San Francisco and all of its peculiarities.