Faculty

Meet Our Faculty

At its core, a Catholic university is a community of believers who share life together and pass it on to others. The faculty and staff of Mary College at ASU play an active role in the life of the community, accompanying students through the various stages of their time at Arizona State University. From exploring the great questions of human life to participating in student life events and excursions, our faculty and staff strive to offer students the support and encouragement they need as they prepare for their careers and vocations.

Scott Lefor, PhL, MBA, Program Director

I was born and raised in Dickinson, ND, and spent time in seminary formation for the Diocese of Bismarck. After receiving a PhB and PhL from the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC, I spent several semesters studying theology at the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas in Rome. Since moving to Arizona in 2017, I have been certified in health care ethics with distinction from the National Catholic Bioethics Center, studied political economy at the University of Arizona, and earned an MBA with a concentration on Business Operations from the University of Mary. After two years of teaching philosophy and theology at Notre Dame Preparatory High School in Scottsdale, I became the Academic Coordinator of Mary College at ASU and the Online Community Coordinator for the University of Mary. I became the Program Director of Mary College at ASU in 2023.

Ryan Ayala, MEd

I have been fortunate to serve in various capacities within the Catholic Church. Currently, I hold the position of director of campus ministry at the ASU Catholic Newman Center. Additionally, I serve as the publisher for Clairvaux Community Life Magazine in Scottsdale. In the past, I had the opportunity to work as the director of campus evangelization and Theology teacher at Saint Mary's Catholic High School. My passion for education extends beyond traditional classroom settings. I have had the honor of delivering academic presentations on topics like the theological and historical significance of Ad Orientem and the impact of discussion-based learning on students' comprehension of theological principles. I am involved in instructing courses such as Introduction to the Old Testament and Catholic Moral Responsibility through the Kino Institute at the Diocesan Pastoral Center. Before relocating to Phoenix, I served as a campus minister at the University of Notre Dame. I hold a Bachelor of Arts in Theology from Holy Cross College and a Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Mary. I have been happily married for nine years, and I am immensely grateful for my three wonderful children.

Larry Fraher, PhD

I hold my PhD in art and religion from the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, CA. My research focuses on the imagination and human formation in faith. I also hold a Master of Arts in Systematic Theology and a Bachelor of Arts in Theological Studies, both from Saint John’s University in Collegeville, MN. Since 1989, I have served in a variety of teaching and ministry roles in the Diocese of Phoenix, including diocesan director of youth and young adult ministries, instructor and program coordinator at the Kino Institute, parish coordinator of youth ministry, high school theology teacher, and volleyball and track coach. I am married and have three daughters. Currently serving as director of faith formation and education at Blessed Sacrament Parish in Scottsdale.

Rev. Nathaniel Glenn, PhL

I was born and raised in Phoenix, AZ, and attended St. Mary's High School. In seminary, I studied philosophy for five years and received a PhB and PhL from the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC. Following that, I was sent to the North American College in Rome for my theology studies, where I received an STB from the Pontifical Gregorian University. I was ordained a priest of the Diocese of Phoenix in 2020, and I currently serve as the Parochial Vicar at St. Mary's Basilica in downtown Phoenix. I am drawn to the thought of St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas, but I also enjoy engaging with secularism, modern philosophy, and the impact of the arts on human flourishing.

Rev. Matthew Henry, PhD (ABD), MDiv

I was ordained a priest of the Diocese of Phoenix in 2010, and have served as parochial vicar at Saints Simon and Jude Cathedral, chaplain at Bourgade Catholic High School, pastor of Christ the King Parish in Mesa, Arizona, and now as rector of Saints Simon and Jude Cathedral. I received my MDiv and STB from Saint John Vianney Seminary in Denver, Colorado. I am also “all but dissertation” in the PhD program at the University of Dallas’s Institute of Philosophic Studies, focusing on English Literature, and I have taught at the junior high, high school, and college levels. I am interested in the intersection of philosophy, theology, and literature, writing my dissertation on “Life-affirming Drama in the Poetry of Gerard Manley Hopkins,” which places Hopkins’s poetry in dialogue with the philosophical and theological concerns of the late 19th century. I teach both Catholic Studies and philosophy courses for the University of Mary in Tempe.

Aaron Kushner, PhD

I hold a PhD in political science from the University of Missouri in Columbia, MO. In addition to serving on the Catholic Studies faculty of Mary College at ASU, I am a teaching assistant professor in the School of Civic and Economic Thought & Leadership at ASU, where I also serve as co-director of the Arizona Constitution Project. My teaching and research interests include Catholic political thought, constitutional law, indigenous politics, political development, and the politics of film. I also hold an MA in Political Science from Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, IL, and a BA in Politics from Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, PA. Beginning in the Fall of 2023, I will be the faculty advisor for the Thomistic Institute at ASU. My wife, daughter, and I are parishioners at St. Thomas the Apostle Parish, where we sing in the choir.

Eric Westby, PhD

Originally from Canada, I live with my wife in Phoenix, Arizona. We have five daughters, a son-in-law, and a beautiful granddaughter. I hold a PhD in theology from Liverpool Hope University and an MA in Theology and Christian Ministry from the Franciscan University of Steubenville. In addition to serving as a visiting associate professor of theology at the University of Mary, I head the Institute for Catholic Theology at St. Thomas the Apostle Parish in Phoenix. My teaching and writing focus on evangelization and catechesis, and so Monsignor James Shea’s From Christendom to Apostolic Mission had and continues to have a profound impact on my thinking. I am excited to help establish the first-ever graduate seminary in the Diocese of Phoenix and play a part in the formation of a new generation of priests equipped to serve the Church and transform the culture in this new apostolic age.

Lita Martinez, MA

I am a cradle Catholic from the Los Angeles area, but grew up in the East Valley, where I now live with my husband and two young children. In addition to living my primary vocation as wife and mother, I am also passionate about teaching, speaking, reading, and writing in various areas in Theology. I received a dual Bachelor of Arts degree in Theology and Catholic Studies from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, MN, and a Master of Arts in Theology and Christian Ministry from the Franciscan University at Steubenville in Ohio. I served on the Theology faculty at Seton Catholic Preparatory High School for six years, then spent eleven years on staff at St. Mary Magdalene parish in Gilbert, serving first as the Director of Youth Evangelization, then as the Director of Adult Faith Formation. I am currently a Tutor for Regina Caeli Academy and am a catechist for Kino Institute at the Diocesan Pastoral Center.

Sr. Mary Katerina Masek, RSM, PhD

I am a Religious Sister of Mercy of Alma, MI, and received a doctorate in Philosophy from the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome in 2015. The focus of my studies was the role of natural divine illumination in our knowledge of natural law. Prior to that, I received a Licentiate in Philosophy from the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC, in 2004. I taught at St. John Vianney Seminary in Denver, CO, before I was assigned to Phoenix in 2016, where I have taught philosophy at Benedictine University in Mesa before joining the philosophy faculty of Mary College at ASU in 2024 to teach Ancient and Medieval Philosophy.

Rev. Aaron Qureshi, STL, MA

I was born in Tucson and spent my adolescent years in Phoenix. After graduating from Brophy College Preparatory, I took an extended sojourn to the East Coast to study and work, earning a BA in Classics and Mathematics from the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, MA, and an MA in Mathematics from the University of Maryland in College Park. After working for several years in the finance and tech sectors, I entered seminary in Washington, DC, studying first at the Catholic University of America and then in Rome, where I completed an STB and STL in Biblical Theology from the Gregorian University. I was ordained to the priesthood at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington in 2014 and served in various parish assignments around the Archdiocese of Washington before returning to Phoenix in 2022. I am thrilled to be home in Phoenix and to be serving (Tucson roots notwithstanding) as the associate director of the ASU Newman Center and as a member of the faculty at Mary College!

Aaron Thurow, PhD

I hold a PhD in Literature from the University of Dallas’ Institute of Philosophic Studies. My dissertation addresses Shakespeare’s treatment of the thought of Saint Paul, Plato, and Petrarch in his Sonnets, particularly with regard to the Bard’s concern over the idealization of love. I am a combat veteran and served under the U.S. Special Operations Command in Afghanistan and elsewhere in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks. More recently, I have helped redesign the great books core curriculum at Saint Mary’s Catholic High School in downtown Phoenix and am currently running the humanities department there. I have worked as a faculty member of the University of Dallas and the University of Texas in Austin. I am an Eastern Catholic, in full union with Rome, but celebrating the divine liturgy. I am proud to have a brilliant wife and three wonderful children.

Rev. Will Schmid, MDiv, MA, MA

I was ordained to the priesthood for the Diocese of Phoenix in 2009 after graduating from the Pontifical College Josephinum in Columbus, Ohio, with an MDiv and MA in Theology. I received an MA in Educational Administration from the University of Notre Dame in 2012. In addition to serving as the Director of the Spirituality Year for Nazareth Seminary, I am the homiletics professor for the Diocese of Phoenix’s permanent diaconate program. I am enrolled as a doctoral student at the Ukrainian Catholic University. My previous assignments include serving as the pastor of San Francisco de Asis Catholic Church in Flagstaff, pastor of St. Mary Magdalene Catholic Church in Gilbert, Coordinator of Ongoing Formation of Priests, chaplain and theology teacher at Seton Catholic Preparatory High School in Chandler, volunteer chaplain for the Chandler Police Department, and adjunct professor of theology at Benedictine University in Mesa.