2026 Amazing Speakers
Sr Nancy Usselman
Sr Nancy Usselmann, FSP is the Director of Pauline Media Studies, a ministry of the Daughters
of St Paul that promotes media mindfulness catechesis for lived discipleship. She is a Media
Literacy Educator, theologian, writer, international speaker, and film/TV reviewer. Sr Nancy is
the author of Media Fasting: Six Weeks to Recharge in Christ (Pauline Books & Media) and
A Sacred Look: Becoming Cultural Mystics (Wipf & Stock), a theology of popular culture.
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She holds a Doctorate in Ministry from The Catholic University of America, as well as an MA in Theology and certificates in Catechetics and Media Literacy Education. Sr Nancy gives presentations and retreats to young adults, teachers, catechists, ministers and seminarians, teaching them how to live well with their media and on how faith supports good storytelling through a developed sacramental imagination.
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When not sharing life with her Sisters in community, she can be found interviewing at red carpet premieres or appearing on film panels around Hollywood.
Rabbi Julia Knobloch
Rabbi Julia Knobloch is the the spiritual leader of Temple Beth El in San Pedro. She is also a
published poet, writer, and National Geographic filmmaker.
Born and raised in Germany, Rabbi Knobloch was ordained at Hebrew Union College in
Los Angeles. During her rabbinical training, Rabbi Knobloch served as a student rabbi at
Beth Knesset Bamidbar in Lancaster, and held internships at Temple Beth Hillel in Valley Village,
Temple Beth Am in Los Angeles, and with the congregation on Kibbutz Ketura in Israel. She
previously served in managerial and program executive roles at the Union forReform Judaism
and UJA-Federation of New York.
In addition to her work as a spiritual leader, Rabbi Knobloch is a former staff member of the Explorers Club in New York City and author of two published poetry collections, Do Not Return, and Book of Failed Salvation, as well as a third book, Liner Notes, slated for release in 2026. She has led creative writing retreats in Jerusalem, New York and Los Angeles, helping participants explore the sacred through language and story. Her poetry has appeared in various literary journals, and she previously served as poetry editor for Ben Yehuda Press.
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She has a unique blend of artistic talent, Jewish scholarship and spiritual leadership. She seeks to shape the community's journey through words, ritual, and relationship, drawing on her experience as a poet, filmmaker, and spiritual leader who believes in the power of storytelling to connect, heal, and inspire.”
