ABOUT BEAUTY FIRST

Timothy was raised in Kent, Ohio. Inspired by an early viewing of Star Wars, he chose to attend the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service principally so that he could compete for the School's internship at NASA's Office of International Affairs. This dream came true and so began a life of adventure. Today Timothy is the Interim Dean of Hellenic College, and teaches Ethics at Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Seminary, in Brookline, Massachusetts. When not in class, like his fictional colleague Dr. Indiana Jones, Timothy escapes to far-flung corners of the world to find treasure—in his case, meeting holy people in holy places and finding time to work on a second book. His first book, The Ethics of Beauty, is available from St. Nicholas Press.

Thomaida grew up in small town Oregon, the youngest in a family of service-minded adventurers. Her heroes include Fred Rogers, Mother Theresa, Jane Jacobs, humanitarian aid workers, and missionaries. Thomaida creatively incorporated spiritual pilgrimage to Greece, Romania, and Russia into her college education. After eight years working as a parish administrator, she volunteered at orphanage schools in India and Israel-Palestine, engaging a community of armchair travelers via a regular newsletter. Thomaida's interests include non-profit fundraising, place-loving, architecture, fiber arts, chanting, and cinema. She was blessed to work for the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of San Francisco, supporting clergy and parishes in evangelism ministry. Now Thomaida works for a conservation non-profit in Portland, Oregon, while also offering her talents as a writer, designer, and parish ministry consultant.