Philip Towner, Dean

Phil Towner, PhD, is Dean of the Nida Institute. He is both a biblical and translation scholar with extensive translation experience as a translation consultant in SE Asia and the Americas. He holds several visiting lecture positions in Europe, including the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome. Prior to assuming the leadership of Nida Institute, he was the Director of Translation Services for United Bible Societies, managing a team of professionals with oversight of hundreds of translation projects worldwide. Dr. Towner has authored and edited numerous scholarly articles and is the author of the NICNT commentary The Letters to Timothy and Titus (2006).

Dulce Alvarado, Program Manager, Dean’s office

Dulce serves as the operations and project logistics manager of the Nida Institute where she oversees and directs all of the Institute's operational and financial matters. Special duties include managing the registration process for the Nida School of Translation Studies convened each summer in Misano Adriatico, Italy.

Parbatee Kooblall, Senior Administrative Assistant, Dean’s Office

Parbatee provides general office support for the Dean and the Nida Institute. This support includes administration and responsibility for the day-to-day office processes and procedures.

James Maxey, Translations and Biblical Scholar, Dean’s office

James Maxey, PhD, serves as Translations and Biblical Scholar at Nida Institute. He provides liaison between the Dean of the Nida Institute and the Institute’s various institutional partners. He is the Dean of Admissions for the Nida School of Translation Studies and managing editor for the new journal, translation. James worked as a translation consultant in Africa for more than twenty years. His research interests include performance and translation. Besides numerous journal articles, he is the author of From Orality to Orality: A New Paradigm for Contextual Translation of the Bible (2009).

Rev. Joseph V. Crockett, Ed. D. Director of Scholarly Projects, Dean’s Office

Joseph V. Crockett earned his doctorate degree in Counseling and Human Development from the University of Rochester, Rochester, NY. Celebrating his 29th year of ordination in the United Methodist Church, he has worked as a youth minister, pastor, curriculum and reference book editor, and seminary professor. Dr. Crockett currently works as a director of scholarly projects in the Nida Institute at American Bible Society, New York, NY. Dr. Crockett’s research, product development, and publications have focused on individuals’ and congregations’ use of Scripture in everyday situations.

Kuo-Wei Peng, Translations Officer, Translations Unit

Kuo-Wei Peng, PhD, manages and supervises UBS Bible translation projects in carrying out the mandates of the Nida Institute for translation work; works collaboratively with American Bible Society and United Bible Societies translation colleagues in the ongoing maintenance, revision, and adaptation of ABS proprietary translations. Kuo-Wei also serves the Nida Institute by creating and reviewing scholarly resources, as well as projects in service to various ABS mission objectives. He has authored numerous scholarly articles both in English and in Chinese and he is the author of Hate the Evil, Hold Fast to the Good: Structuring Romans 12:1-15:13 (2006).

Kristin Miller-Hellman, Library Services Manager, Library and Archives

Kristin manages ABS's archives and records and is responsible for guiding the day-to-day operations and long-range development of the Library and Archives department. Her responsibilities include overseeing the preservation and digitization of key resources and assisting staff and external researchers with their research needs.

The Rev. Thom May, Quality Assurance Director

The Rev. Thom May oversees the Quality Assurance Unit of the Nida Institute and works collaboratively with the Dean's office and other units within Global Scripture Ministries to implement strategies that will advance the Society's mission objectives while maintaining a high degree of scholarly integrity.

Davina McDonald, Senior Editorial Specialist

Davina supports the Quality Assurance Director by assuring the integrity of both Scripture use and English usage in all ABS print and web-based products. She plans and develops Bible educational content for home, church and community outreach programs.

Charles Houser, Editorial and Publications Manager, Scholarly Publishing and Editing

Charles directs the development of new scholarly publications on behalf of the Nida Institute in service of the ABS mission. In addition, he assists with content development and manages the electronic databases the Bible Society’s intellectual properties, assuring that the intentions of the translators, authors, and creators are accurately reflected in both archived and published forms.

Liana Lupas, Curator of the Scripture Collection, Library

Liana Lupas, PhD, oversees the American Bible Society’s Scripture Collection and serves as curator of the Library's Rare Book Collection in partnership with MOBIA. In addition to maintaining the collection, Liana provides a variety of services, including access, research, exhibiting, and education.