Kristina Lizardy-Hajbi, Ph.D., is Associate Professor of Leadership and Formation and Director of the Office of Professional Formation at Iliff School of Theology. In addition, she is coordinator of the Certificate in Latinx Studies for the Iliff/University of Denver Joint PhD in the Study of Religion. Kristina’s current research interests lie at the intersection of congregational leadership, community formation, and decolonial praxis, exploring questions about why and how liberative change unfolds.

She is the author of Unraveling Religious Leadership: Power, Authority, and Decoloniality (Fortress, 2024) and co-editor of Explore: Vocational Discovery in Ministry (Rowman & Littlefield, 2022), as well as a regional advisor for the Exploring the Pandemic Impact on Congregations (EPIC) National Research Project. Kristina is an Ordained Minister in the United Church of Christ. Her most important work in the world, however, is being a tati (aunt) to two beautiful nephews and a partner to Ali. Kristina resides in Aurora, Colorado, on the unceded tribal lands of the Cheyenne and Ute peoples.