Institute Fellows

ICT Fellow Nicole Delaney, JCL

Nicole Delaney, JCL, is a native of Minnesota and attended the University of St. Thomas, receiving her Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration and Catholic Studies, with a minor in Theology. She spent two years working in the corporate sector before returning to school to study Theology at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum) in Rome. After completing her studies in Theology, she continued her education in Canon Law at the Catholic University of America, in Washington, D.C. Upon graduation with her Licentiate, Nicole moved to Arizona to begin working for the Tribunal of the Diocese of Phoenix. Nicole is currently the Sr. Director of the Office of Canonical Services. Nicole deals with any matter of Canon Law, most especially Sacramental Law, Religious Law, Eastern Canon Law, and General Norms. She also manages the day-to-day operations of the Tribunal and assists in the training of clergy and parish ministers. Nicole lives in Phoenix with her husband and children.

ICT Fellow Ryan Hanning, PhD

Ryan Hanning PhD is a Professor of Theology and Catholic Studies and teaches for the University of Mary as well as serves as an instructor and mentor for the Franciscan University of Steubenville’s Catechetical Institute. He is a Fellow at the Institute of Catholic Theology, the Havard Virtuous Leadership Institute, and founding Fellow of the San Juan Diego Institute which assists several Universities, non-profits and religious apostolates. He is also a board member and officer for Fraternus US. In addition to teaching and consulting, Ryan also serves as Asst. Editor at Hearth & Field a Christian Agrarian Journal and writes and speaks internationally on education, theology, ecological ethics and virtuous leadership. He earned a PhD in Theology from Maryvale Institute Liverpool Hope University in England, a Masters in Educational Leadership from Northern Arizona University, a Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies at ASU and has studied at University of Dallas, Cambridge, and the Jagiellonian. He is a member of the Royal Historic Society, American Catholic Historical Association and Fellowship of Catholic Scholars. Ryan currently homesteads in Tennessee with his beautiful wife Rebecca, and their ten well socialized homeschooled children.

ICT Fellow Monsignor James Shea

Monsignor James Patrick Shea is the President of the University of Mary. Monsignor has served as the sixth president of the university since 2009. He is a Catholic priest of the Diocese of Bismarck, North Dakota.

ICT Fellow Simone Rizkallah, MA

Simone Rizkallah helped launch the Coalition of Catholics Against Antisemitism (CCAA) in October 2023, which now advances its mission at the Institute of Religion and Democracy. The Coalition is committed to rejecting antisemitism, strengthening Catholic–Jewish solidarity, and building bridges of solidarity with persecuted communities everywhere.A first-generation American of Egyptian-Armenian descent, she is a Catholic educator, speaker, writer, and host of the Beyond Rome podcast. She holds a graduate degree in Theological Studies with an emphasis in Systematic Theology from Christendom College.

ICT Fellow Will Wright, Th.D.

Will Wright lives in Phoenix with his wife and children and serves as a History and Religion teacher at St. John Paul II Catholic High School. He is an adjunct instructor and Institute Fellow with the Institute of Catholic Theology in Phoenix and an instructor at the Kino Catechetical Institute. He is a regular author whose work has appeared in Adoremus Bulletin, SpiritualDirection.com, and Catholic-Link English. Will earned a Bachelor of Arts in History from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He also holds a dual-course Master of Arts degree in Catechetics and Evangelization and in Theology and Christian Ministry from Franciscan University of Steubenville. He earned a Doctor of Theology (Th.D.) from Pontifex University, with his dissertation being on participatio actuosa and the Paschal Mystery.