Dr. Ivelisse Valentín is the Associate Director of the ThD Program and Associate Professor of Theology at Northwest Nazarene University, seamlessly bridging academic leadership with active ministry as the Senior Pastor of the Church of the Nazarene in Toa Baja, Puerto Rico. With a diverse background in higher education and pastoral care, she previously served as the Preaching Initiative Director and Assistant Professor of Preaching and Practical Theology at Palm Beach Atlantic University, and spent nine years as the Director of Chaplaincy and theology instructor at Interamerican University's Metropolitan Campus.

An active scholar, Dr. Valentín is currently a PhD candidate in Practical Theology at Palm Beach Atlantic University, where her research focuses on prayer as a decolonizing spiritual practice of social holiness. She completed her initial doctoral studies at Drew University Theological School, researching ministry and communication languages in the digital age. She also holds a Master of Divinity from the Seminario Evangélico de Puerto Rico and a Master’s in Communications from the Universidad del Sagrado Corazón.

In addition to her primary roles, Dr. Valentín is a certified Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) Supervisor and serves on the adjunct faculty for several global universities and seminaries. Her teaching and scholarship center on the intersections of preaching, spirituality, biblical studies, Christian education, and the evolution of the Church in the digital era.