Avi Penhollow - Educator, Bishop, Artist

Avi Penhollow has worn many hats professionally, and he is currently a doctoral student at the University of Missouri at Columbia.  An educator for over eighteen years, Avi has sought to realize the objectives of critical pedagogy and culturally sustainable education in schools across the United States, including Hawaii.  Resonance Literacy is a resource project that seeks to provide educators with resources in critical pedagogy and anti-racist education.

Avi is the Presiding Bishop of the Mar Thoma Orthodox Church, an independent Christian jurisdiction that derives its traditions from the ancient Near East.  He is an active participant in both ecumenical and interfaith dialogue.  He is a certified yoga instructor, massage therapist, and is a proponent of holistic health and spirituality.

As an artist, Avi has a wide range of expression in music.  He describes his work to be an eclectic mix from punk to monk.  After a long hiatus, Avi is now working on new material in his limited spare time.  Most of his written expression is in the area of literacy research, but he is also working on two books in spirituality. 

Avi lives in Columbia, Missouri with his wife Kathleen, and their two children.