Veronica Cruz Burchard and Mike Gutzwiller

By Veronica Cruz Burchard and Mike Gutzwiller

Veronica Cruz Burchard is the COO and founder of Sophia Institute for Teachers. For the last decade, she has played a key role in the shaping of Sophia's professional development Workshops for teachers and catechists, as well as the production of Sophia's religion series including Spirit of Truth, A Family of Faith, and Walking with Jesus. Prior to joining Sophia, Veronica spent seven years as a High School English teacher in Florida and Northern Virginia, and in leadership roles at an educational non-profit in Washington, D.C. She holds an MA and BA in English. Mike Gutzwiller is the Director of Curriculum Development at Sophia Institute for Teachers. Since 2015, he has been the primary author and editor of the Spirit of Truth K–12 textbook series and has contributed to numerous other publications from Sophia. He also regularly leads professional development workshops for Catholic school teachers throughout the United States. Prior to joining Sophia, Mike was the theology department chair at St. Thomas More High School in Milwaukee, WI. He earned his BA from Franciscan University of Steubenville, where he majored in Theology and Catechetics, and he earned an MA in School Counseling from Marquette University. Mike lives with his wife, Sarah, and daughter, Addison, in Waukesha, WI.