Reverend Efrain Avila, Jr., EdD, LCPC
Campus Pastor/Executive Director

Pastor Efrain is an alumnus of NIU, having graduated in August 2005 with a doctorate in counseling. You can read more on facebook.com about his interests and likes.

A native of Puerto Rico, he has been a United Methodist pastor since 2000 and a campus minister since 2006. Pastor Efrain also serves part-time as the pastor of the Kingston United Methodist Church, just north of DeKalb.

Pastor Efrain has been married since 2001 to his wife Laura (aka Dr. Avila), a clinical psychologist with a private practice in DeKalb. They are the proud parents of two little girls, Mikayla and Mischa. Their pets include two dogs, Moe & Ginger, and a calico cat, Maggie. A baseball fan, his favorite teams include the Baltimore Orioles and the Chicago White Sox.

His worldview calls attention to the theology of Martin Luther, the evangelical passion of John Wesley, the spirituality of Francis of Assisi, and the philosophy of life of Alfred Adler.