Rate My Professor Kristina Lizardy-Hajbi

Rev. Dr. Kristina Lizardy-Hajbi serves as Associate Professor of Leadership and Formation and Director of the Vocational Formation Office at Iliff School of Theology, positions she has held since joining the faculty in 2018. In 2024, she was promoted to associate professor with tenure, becoming the first Latina tenured faculty member at the institution and the first on a 12-month contract. She oversees contextual education and previously co-directed the Doctor of Ministry in Prophetic Leadership. An ordained minister in the United Church of Christ, her professional experience includes Director of the Center for Analytics, Research, and Data at the United Church of Christ (2017–2018), Director of Minority Student Life Specialist for International Students at Colorado College (2014–2018), Associate Pastor at Sun Valley Community Church (2007–2011), and adjunct faculty at Iliff School of Theology (2010–2012) and University of Colorado Colorado Springs (2010–2011). She holds a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership, Research and Policy from the University of Colorado Colorado Springs (2011), Master of Divinity with Distinction from Iliff School of Theology (2006), and Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies from the University of Colorado Boulder (2001).

Dr. Lizardy-Hajbi's research specializations encompass organizational leadership, liberative theological and postcolonial approaches to ministry, church vitality and growth, young adult spirituality, and intersectional pedagogical practices. Her key publications include the monograph Unraveling Religious Leadership: Power, Authority, and Decoloniality (Fortress Press, 2024); edited volumes Emerging Trends in Congregational Engagement and Leadership (MDPI Books, 2025) and Explore: Vocational Discovery in Ministry (Rowman & Littlefield, 2022, co-edited with Matthew Floding); and the report Latino Congregations: Trends from the Faith Communities Today (FACT) and Exploring the Pandemic Impact on Congregations (EPIC) Studies (Hartford Institute for Religion Research, 2023). She has authored numerous articles in journals such as Journal of Religious Leadership, Religions, and Reflective Practice: Formation and Supervision in Ministry. Lizardy-Hajbi influences the field as co-president of the Academy of Religious Leadership, regional advisor for the EPIC project, member of the Board of Commissioners for the Association of Theological Schools, and the Committee on Teaching and Learning for the American Academy of Religion. Her honors include the Faculty Award for Excellence in Scholarship (Iliff School of Theology, 2025) and Alumni Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Academy (2015).