The Roles and Missions of Church-Related Institutions in the Era of AI: Humanistic Approaches

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THE LILLY NETWORK OF CHURCH-RELATED COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES

in partnership with
 THE SCHOOL OF EDUCATION

 Presents 
“The Roles and Missions of
Church-Related Institutions in the Era of AI:
Humanistic Approaches” 
***

Saturday, October 24 
10:00 a.m.–4 p.m. 
St. John’s University
D’Angelo Center Ballroom 
Queens, NY 11439 
 

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

Edmondson, Ph.D., is Associate Provost for Continued Learning and Founding Director of the Learning and Development Initiative (LDI) at the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT). As NJIT’s hub for professional education and workforce development, LDI advances digital opportunity, AI literacy, and workforce capability through FutureWork™, a proprietary learning and development ecosystem designed for the age of artificial intelligence.

Under his leadership, LDI delivers noncredit education and customized workforce solutions through partnerships with businesses, educational institutions, government agencies, and community organizations. Its work focuses on helping individuals and organizations develop the capabilities needed to navigate technological change and the future of work.

A regular keynote speaker, Dr. Edmondson has delivered more than 100 presentations throughout his career on topics spanning artificial intelligence, leadership, higher education, workforce transformation, and organizational change. He earned a B.A. in History from Cabrini College, an M.A. in History from Villanova University, and a Ph.D. in History from Temple University.

Dr. Edmondson is also a Forbes contributor and has published a series of articles in University World News exploring AI and the future of higher education. He serves as coeditor of the Human Resource Management and Organizational Behavior Collection for Business Expert Press and has authored 10 books, including his latest, Remaining Human in the Age of AI, published in 2026.

Elmoudden, Ph.D., is a professor in the Department of Communication Studies at St. John’s University.  Dr. Elmoudden earned her B.A. from Rutgers University, and her M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Colorado, Boulder. She studies the intersections between globalization, technology, and communication; her emphasis is on the implications of communication technologies on organizational communication and interpersonal communication.

Her research intersects AI, humanity, education, and communication. Her writing focuses on AI’s biases—particularly in relation to culture, minoritized religion, and disability. One of her coedited books, The Role of Generative AI in the Communication Classroom, examines the use of generative AI in the classroom.

Dr. Elmoudden has presented at national and international conferences, and published in numerous journals. She and coauthor Jason S. Wrench, Ed.D., a professor in the Department of  ommunication at SUNY New Paltz, recently published The Future is Now: Empowering Society Through AI Literacy. This textbook presents a clear, accessible roadmap for understanding how artificial intelligence is shaping today’s world and how humans can actively engage. It demystifies core AI concepts—such as machine learning and large language models—making them accessible to students across disciplines while explaining how AI actually works. Distinctively human-centered, it emphasizes that true AI literacy necessitates ethical awareness, critical thinking, and societal insight, in addition to technical knowledge. Through practical examples and forward-looking discussions, the book prepares readers to navigate the impact of AI on daily life, the workforce, and the future of human–machine collaboration.

Dr. Elmoudden and Dr. Wrench appeared in the “AI with Dr. Craig Hansen” YouTube video. Dr. Elmoudden discussed generative AI and mental health and Dr. Wrench discussed AI in general.

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