Leonard S. Breton
Director of Religious & Spiritual Life (He/Him/His)
[email protected]
508-286-3373
Office location: Cole Memorial Chapel R015
Operating hours: Monday – Friday, 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Leonard (Lenny) Breton is the director for The Centers for Social Justice and Community Impact and Religious and Spiritual Life. He joins the Wheaton community from his hometown of Queens, NY where he served St. John’s University in a large variety of capacities. Earning his bachelor’s degree in literature and communications at Pace University, Lenny was intimately introduced to the professional side of higher education, serving as a residential life administrator while also working on his master’s degree in education at Monmouth University. Putting his degrees to work, Lenny spent the next 7 years teaching high school English and coaching football and basketball at the same level. His passion for administration and desire to make greater change in the field of education led him back to the collegiate level. His commitment to education and the empowerment of underrepresented and marginalized people guide him through his professional and academic work as he is currently pursuing his doctorate in education with an aim of being a prominent higher education administrator.
Personally, Lenny deeply enjoys quality family time, movies, powerlifting, college football, and spirited/engaging dialogue. He is a hip-hop music enthusiast and a long-time, and therefore long-suffering Knicks fan.
Amanda J.G. Napior
Assistant Director of Religious & Spiritual Life (She/Her/Hers)
[email protected]
508-286-3689
Office location: Cole Memorial Chapel R017
Operating hours: Monday – Friday, 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Amanda Napior supports religious literacy and social justice education, community dialogue, and myriad religious, spiritual, multicultural, and interfaith student groups at Wheaton College. She comes to Wheaton with an eclectic background as a religion scholar working in critical prison studies, as a teacher of writing and spiritual care, and if you go back far enough, as a hairstylist. As a scholar-practitioner, Amanda is passionate about creating inclusive and collaborative learning spaces through reflexivity, ritual, and play and leans on her training in ethnography, conflict mediation, and feminist, antiracist pedagogy to foster curiosity and connection. For inspiration, Amanda draws from the long history of religiously-motivated movements for collective liberation, led most often by directly-impacted people.
Amanda holds a doctorate in religious studies and a certificate in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies from Boston University, an MDiv from Harvard Divinity School, and a BA in religion from the University of California at Santa Barbara. She has published widely for scholarly and general audiences, for anthropologists and trauma-informed yoga teachers. In her “spare” time, Amanda can be found finishing her book manuscript, painting or tiling something, and trail running with her fearsome, 33-lb Corgi-Jack-Pit.
Winnie Collins
Administrative Associate (She/Her/Hers)
[email protected]
508-286-3370
Office location: Cole Memorial Chapel
Operating hours: Monday 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.; Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday, 11:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Winnie Collins works in the Centers for Social Justice & Community Impact and Religious & Spiritual Life. Winnie has worked at Wheaton for 36 years and is the ‘go-to’ gal for administrative help and projects. She’s in the office afternoons, Monday through Thursday. She’s usually available unless she’s at a zoo playing with the gorillas, her favorite primate.