Endow (Educating on the Nature and Dignity of Women) seeks to educate women toward a more profound understanding of their God-given dignity through study in small group communities of faith and friendship. Rooted in the teachings of Pope St. John Paul II, Endow affirms the genius of women – the feminine genius – and empowers them to fulfill our culture’s desperate need for an authentic feminine presence in every aspect of life and society.
Endow attracts women of all ages, races, nationalities, and vocations and brings them together to read and discuss papal and magisterial documents as well as the lives and writings of the saints. Endow group members encounter the Catholic intellectual tradition together, sometimes for the very first time, and learn how to recognize, cultivate and live the fullness of their feminine genius in their families, workplaces, and communities.
THE STORY
Endow was founded in 2003 when three women – Betsy Considine, Marilyn Coors, and Terry Polakovic – encountered the writings of Pope St. John Paul II on the new feminism. They quickly realized the impact of these life-changing truths and wanted all women to learn them. With the aid of Archbishop Charles Chaput, Archbishop Jose Gomez, and renowned Catholic scholar Sr. Prudence Allen R.S.M., they began writing study guides for small groups. These study guides have enabled our participants – wives, mothers, single, and consecrated women – to encounter the beauty and depth of the Church’s teachings on womanhood. From its humble beginnings as a lunchtime conversation in Denver, Endow has grown into an international apostolate in over 130 dioceses, reaching over 40,000 women all over the world. Endow was granted juridic personhood in Canon Law.
MEET THE TEAM
MARILYN COORS
CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD
Marilyn Coors is Associate Professor of Bioethics at the Center for Bioethics and Humanities at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. She received her bachelor’s degree from Cornell University and two master’s degrees and a Ph.D. from the University of Denver. The foci of her research, teaching and professional service are the ethical issues in clinical genetics and genomics research. These interests, in conjunction with her Catholic faith, led her to co-found ENDOW in 2003, where she serves as the chair of the Board of Directors. She also sits on the Board of Directors for the St. John Vianney Seminary, the National Catholic Bioethics Center, and the Augustine Institute. She and her husband Peter are the parents of six young adults and the grandparents of fourteen lively grandchildren.
Annette Bergeon
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
Annette is a cradle Catholic who was born and raised in Ohio. She earned engineering degrees from Purdue University and the University of Michigan, and an MBA in Finance and Operations Management from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania.
She previously held management positions at Chrysler Motors and BASF Corporation. Blessed by the birth of twin sons and a daughter, Annette took a professional sabbatical and moved to Colorado with her husband, Chris to raise their young family. During those years, she volunteered at her parish teaching Baptism Preparation classes and at her children’s school as a math enrichment teacher.
SIMONE RIZKALLAH
DIRECTOR OF PROGRAM GROWTH
Simone has spent the last two decades in service of the New Evangelization. Before discovering her passion for the Faith and the call to evangelize, she worked in marketing, communications, media, radio and her first love, theatre. She has worked at the parish level, for both youth and adult formation at St. Ambrose parish in Annandale, Virginia and taught high school seniors moral theology and Church History and chaired the Theology Department at St. Mary’s Catholic High School in Phoenix, Arizona. Currently, as the Director of Program Growth, she mentors women through the educational initiatives at Endow Groups which is dedicated to cultivating a New Feminism in the Church and the world according to the vision of Pope St. John Paul II. As the daughter of immigrants from the Armenian Diaspora in Cairo, Egypt, she has a particular interest in matters of religious freedom and culture.
You can find her talks and publications on her blog at culturalgypsy.com. She is also the host of the Endow Podcast.
LAURA ZAMBRANA
DIRECTOR OF CONTENT
Laura Zambrana, MDiv, is the Director of Content for Endow. As Director of Content, Laura brings our new studies to life through editing and overseeing the design and printing process. Laura also manages our website content.
She has been an Endow host since 2010 and has led several Endow groups in Pasadena and Hollywood, CA. Laura graduated from Thomas Aquinas College and studied Theology at the University of Notre Dame, then worked with Venerable Patrick Peyton’s ministry at Family Theater Productions in Hollywood, where she met her husband, James.
Laura and James have four children, Peter, Helen, Jane, and Brigid.
JANETH CHAVEZ
DIRECTOR OF
MAGNIFICA
Janeth Chavez is the Director of Magnifica, an apostolate of Endow for the Hispanic Community. In her role, Janeth serves and accompanies Hispanic women around the world, bringing them Endow’s women’s formation program in Spanish and helping them get groups started.
Janeth was born in Mexico, was raised and resides in Denver, Colorado. Since 2014, Janeth has served the Hispanic community in various apostolates. She has accompanied various Carmelite Women’s Religious Orders; by assisting in bringing a new order to the United States and has served as an advisor on revisioning and outreach efforts. She also helped establish The Spiritual Mothers Apostolate of the Archdiocese of Denver and continues to serve on its leadership committee. She is actively involved with several Catholic apostolates and serves as a mentor.
Janeth has a degree in Marketing and Management, has received Catholic Spiritual Formation through In Ipso Institute, as well as Theology Formation from the University of Notre Dame. She holds an International Diploma from La Academia Latinoamericana de Líderes Católicos. Prior to us, she worked for the bishops of the Archdiocese of Denver.
Her passion is to help women grow in relationship with the Lord and learn to live out their true identity as a beloved daughter of God. It is her joy and blessing to accompany women on their journey of faith and has entrusted her mission to Our Lady of Guadalupe and San Juan Diego.
TERESA HODGINS
ENDOW HOST & WRITER
Teresa Hodgins calls Indianapolis, Indiana home base for many adventures with her husband and four young children. In her spare time, she serves as a host, writer and project consultant for Endow.
Teresa attended Thomas Aquinas College for her B.A., and the University of Notre Dame for a Masters of Theological Studies in Moral Theology. She has served as both youth minister and high school Theology teacher prior to raising children and joining Endow.
She loves that Endow helps women to take on the rich intellectual tradition of the Church in a way that aids them to form authentic friendships.