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Sister Norma Pimentel is a Sister with the Missionaries of Jesus. As Executive Director of Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley, she oversees the charitable arm of the Diocese of Brownsville, providing oversight of the different ministries and services in the areas of the Rio Grande Valley through emergency assistance, homelessness prevention, disaster relief, clinical counseling, pregnancy care, food programs, and the Humanitarian Respite Center.
In addition, Sister Norma leads efforts in the community that respond to emergency needs and provide relief in times of disaster and crisis in the Valley. She was instrumental in quickly organizing community resources to respond to the surge of Central Americans seeking asylum in the United States and setting up the Humanitarian Respite Center at the Sacred Heart Church in McAllen, Texas. These efforts captured the world’s attention, drawing news media from around the globe to the Rio Grande Valley to cover the plight of the countless and distressed refugee individuals and families.
In January 2015, Sister Norma received the Martin Luther King, Jr. “Keep the Dream Alive” Award from Catholic Charities USA and awards from the University of Texas–Pan American, the Texas Medical Association, and nomination for “Texan of the Year.” Also, that same month she testified before the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights on the “State of Civil Rights in Immigration Detention Facilities.” In March 2015, she spoke on “Women Upholding Human Dignity” at the United Nations. Most recently, Sister Norma was awarded the 2015 Rio Grande Valley’s “Citizen of the Year” for her work with immigrants and refugees.
Previously, Sister Norma was one of the leaders directing Casa Oscar Romero—a shelter for Central Americans fleeing their war-torn countries. The shelter provided emergency relief and temporary housing for a vast amount of refugees.
Sister Norma Pimentel earned her Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts from Pan American University, a Master’s degree in Theology from St. Mary’s University in San Antonio, Texas, and a Master’s degree in Counseling Psychology from Loyola University in Chicago, Illinois.
Mark R. Amstutz is a professor of political science at Wheaton College (Ill.) and is among the longest-serving faculty members in Wheaton College history. During his 44 years of service Dr. Amstutz has launched Wheaton’s political science department, developed study abroad programs, and pioneered research in international ethics.
Dr. Amstutz’s major academic interests are in international affairs and, more specifically, the role of ethics in the conduct of foreign relations. His book International Ethics is used widely in American colleges and universities. In 2005 he wrote The Healing of Nations: the Promise and Limits of Political Forgiveness, which addresses the challenges of confronting and overcoming regime human rights abuses through political reconciliation. His book Evangelicals and American Foreign Policy, published in 2014, describes and assesses the role of Evangelicals in global affairs. In recent years he has carried out research on the political ethics of U.S. immigration policy, resulting in the publication of Just Immigration: U.S. Policy in Christian Perspective, published in 2017.
Prof. Amstutz grew up in Latin America and has traveled widely as a teacher and scholar. He has directed programs in Europe and Cuba and led a two-week program in Argentina and Chile in 2011. For more than a decade he served as a reserve naval attaché, retiring as a Commander from the U.S. Naval Reserve in 1993.
He and his wife Donna, a clinical psychologist, have two married daughters and are the proud grandparents of five.