Senior Advisor for Formation Programs
Rev. Kevin O’Brien, S.J. serves AJCU as a senior advisor for formation programs. He is the Vice Provost and Executive Director of the Bellarmine campus at Fairfield University: an innovative initiative to expand access and affordability to Jesuit higher education by establishing a two-year Associates’ Degree program, as well as a community engagement hub in nearby Bridgeport, CT. While at Fairfield, he teaches in the Department of Religious Studies in the areas of Catholic theology, Catholic Social Teaching, and Ignatian Spirituality.
Fr. O’Brien has taught and served in the administrations of Saint Joseph’s University, Georgetown University, and Santa Clara University. He has served on the boards of Marquette University, Seattle University, and Fordham University, and is currently assisting the Jesuits East Province in their apostolic discernment process, as they plan for the future of Jesuit ministries on the East Coast.
Fr. O’Brien is the author of the award-winning book, The Ignatian Adventure: Experiencing the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius in Daily Life (Loyola Press, 2011). The book has sold over 60,000 copies and has been translated into three languages. His next book on Ignatian spirituality was published by Loyola Press in January 2023: Seeing with the Heart: a Guide to Navigating Life’s Adventures.
Born in Canada and raised in South Florida, Fr. O’Brien practiced law and taught high school before joining the Jesuits in 1996. As a Jesuit, he has taught business law, philosophy, ethics and theology on a variety of campuses. While at Georgetown, he was awarded the Dorothy Brown Award for Excellence in Teaching. Fr. O’Brien also has a long association with Jesuit Refugee Service, which assists and advocates for migrants and refugees across the world.
Fr. O’Brien earned a Bachelor’s degree in government from Georgetown University, a law degree from the University of Florida, a Master’s degree in philosophy from Fordham University, and two advanced theology degrees from the Weston Jesuit School of Theology (now part of Boston College) in Cambridge, MA.