The KI Team — The Kaleidoscope Institute

Meet the Team

The Rev. Julie Boleyn is an ELCA Lutheran Pastor. She served at Unity Lutheran Church in Berwyn, Illinois from 2011 to 2021. During her ministry she accompanied the development of Unidad, a Spanish language ministry with a special focus on serving the LGBTQ community. She also co-founded two non-profit organizations, Awake and Project 88 Music Academy.
Julie has worked in software development, fundraising, and community organizing. She earned her Bachelor of Arts from The Evergreen State College in 2002 and her Master of Divinity at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago in 2010. Julie is a Qualified Administrator of the Intercultural Development Inventory®.
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Sarah Skinner is an accredited dialogue facilitator and rising associate with the Kaleidoscope Institute. Though not ordained, Sarah is actively involved in the ministry of the Presbyterian Church (USA) and brings a decade of faith-based event-planning experience to Kaleidoscope. Sarah serves in ministry as a Director of Programs at the Montreat Conference Center, a PC(USA) affiliate, bringing a deep commitment to social justice, inclusivity, and community-building to her work. Sarah believes in the power of storytelling and creative expression as tools for bridging cultural divides and fostering social change.
Sarah empowers faith communities to embrace inclusivity and understanding. With a degree in Anthropology from the University of South Carolina, she is passionate about intercultural engagement and committed to fostering cross-cultural understanding within diverse faith communities. Her formative experiences living in Guangzhou, China, and Cork, Ireland, have significantly shaped her passion for bridging cultural boundaries. As a poet-activist, Sarah's work has been featured at events such as March for Our Lives and the Wear Orange marches in Columbia, South Carolina. She regularly presents at the Wild Goose Festival, where she explores the intersection of art and social justice, particularly in amplifying marginalized narratives. In her free time, she enjoys hiking in the Blue Ridge Mountains, writing, and gardening, which keeps her grounded and connected to her community.

Eric has been a consultant and trainer since 1990 working with the Roman Catholic, Episcopal, United Methodist, Presbyterian, American Baptist, United Church of Christ and Lutheran Churches in the United States, Canada, Asia, Australia and Europe. He served as the Congregation Development Officer for the Diocese of New Westminster, Vancouver, B.C. and Diocese of Los Angeles. He is the author of 10 books. He is an Episcopal priest, a composer of church music, a photographer and a playwright.
Click here to schedule an appointment with Eric. The scheduling app will adjust times for your time zone.

The Rev. William (Bill) Cruse was ordained to the priesthood by the bishop and people of the Episcopal Church of New Hampshire. Bill earned a Master of Divinity at Episcopal Divinity School, Cambridge MA, and a Certificate in International Ecumenism and Mission from the Boston Theological Institute in May 2015. Bill works with The Kaleidoscope Institute (KI) in congregational vitality, multiculturalism, visioning and strategic planning, and sustainable missional ministry. He started as a workshop participant in 1997, then Facilitator, and as Associate in 2006. In addition, Bill is a Qualified Administrator of the Intercultural Development Inventory® and an intercultural competency coach.

Denise Trevino-Gomez has served as an Associate for the Kaleidoscope Institute for over 15 years. She also served 15 years as the Missioner for Intercultural Development for the Episcopal Diocese of Texas working with over 200 faith communities in various areas of multicultural ministries and conflict resolution. She graduated from Randolph-Macon Women’s College with a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations with a minor in Communications. In addition to growing up in a bicultural and bilingual family, Denise has worked and lived alongside various cultures throughout the United States, Africa, China, Japan, Turkey, and various parts of Europe, Central and South America. Denise brings forth a unique perspective and understanding of the challenges at hand when blending cultures. She is bilingual in English and Spanish.
Denise is trained in “Non-Violent Communication,” a program to help people resolve issues in times of conflict, and is a certified Licensed Administrator of the “Intercultural Development Inventory” which helps assess intercultural competency in communities and individuals. In addition, she holds certifications in Emotional Intelligence for Teams, Implicit and Explicit Biases, Creating Multicultural Workplaces That Work, The Culture of Poverty and Bridges Out of Poverty, Cultural Intelligence and Unconscious Bias, Fierce Conversations and International Coaching Federation. Trained at Duke Divinity’s Center for Reconciliation, Denise’s passion and an area of expertise is to work towards peace and reconciliation throughout our faith communities.

Jenna Leazott brings almost a decade of experience in program administration and intercultural aptitude to Kaleidoscope. She graduated from Carthage College with degrees in Sociology, Political Science, and Gender Studies, and draws deeply on her experience studying intercultural conflict resolution and communication in Cuba, Peru, Palestine, Colombia, and more. Her time living and working in intentional community with migrants in Mexico City solidified her commitment to liberation theology, global solidarity, and facilitating hard conversations with grace. She previously worked at the national offices of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America in young adult ministry, and believes deeply in the prophetic power of young adult voices in both secular and religious spaces. She currently works to reduce financial barriers to organ donors, and is passionate about building intersectional solidarity, community belonging, and alternative faith communities.

Liliana was born in Argentina, and at the age of 19, she married Horacio R. Da Valle. In 1982, they immigrated to the United States.
Liliana worked at a Domestic Violence agency in Northern California and later in Illinois. Upon graduating together with a Master of Divinity from Northern Baptist Theological Seminary, Lombard, IL, in 1990, they were called as co-pastors to the First Baptist Church of South Gate. During her years at this church, Liliana also served as a hospice chaplain.
Years later, in Boston, Liliana became an Area Minister with The American Baptist Churches of Massachusetts and obtained a Doctor of Ministry degree. Her project was “Multicultural Churches.” In 2007, she was called to be the Executive Minister of the American Baptist Churches of Rhode Island. In 2008, Liliana and Horacio became American Citizens.
Upon returning to the West Coast, she pastored Grace Baptist Church in San Jose, CA, and Urban Grace in Tacoma, WA. Liliana also worked toward a Doctorate of Business Administration.
Dr. Da Valle is a well-known international speaker. She has preached in Bulgaria, Bolivia, Brazil, Argentina, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Honduras, Costa Rica, and Puerto Rico, as well as at the ABC Biennial of 1999.
Liliana has taught Practical Theology at Andover Newton Theological School and Gordon Conwell Seminary, both in MA. Currently, she teaches in the Latino Initiative at the Berkeley School of Theology and is a new Associate of the Kaleidoscope Institute.
Her passions are intercultural communication and integration, leadership, traveling, and art. Liliana and Horacio have four children, 10 grandchildren, and one great-granddaughter.