Sourcebook

The following is a list of biographies of staff of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, along with their areas of expertise to be used as a reference by members of the media.

Alejandro Aguilera-Titus

Assistant Director
Secretariat of Cultural Diversity in the Church

Hispanic Ministry
Native American Catholics
Intercultural Relations
Eccelsial Integration in Culturally Diverse Parishes
Ministry with Young People and Families
Issues and Trends among Hispanics/Latinos

Alejandro Aguilera-Titus is a nationally known speaker and writer on the practical application of theological thought to pastoral ministry and formation. He is an adjunct faculty member at Mount Saint Mary's Seminary in Emmitsburg, Maryland. He holds a master of arts degree in theology from the University of Portland and a bachelor of arts degree in communications from the Universidad Iberoamericana, in Mexico City. He is co-author of the series Prophets of Hope, St. Mary's Press, and contributing editor to Liturgia y Canción, Oregon Catholic Press. He is a board member of the National Catholic Council for Hispanic Ministry and the National Catholic Association of Diocesan Directors for Hispanic Ministry.

LANGUAGES: Spanish

 

J. Kevin Appleby

Director, Office of Migration and Refugee Policy
Department of Migration and Refugee Services

Immigration
Refugees
Catholic Social Teaching and Immigration
Undocumented Persons: Long-Term Solutions

J. Kevin Appleby holds a law degree from the University of Maryland and a master's degree in international affairs from George Washington University. He has spoken immigration issues to local and national groups.

 

Sister Janice Bader , CPPS

Executive Director
National Religious Retirement Office

Financial Management in Religious Institutes

Sister Janice Bader is a member of the Sisters of Most Previous Blood of O'Fallon, Missouri, and holds a master of business administration degree from Southern Illinois University. She has delivered speeches on topics related to religious orders and retirement, the vow of poverty, ministry subsidies and common goods.

 

Sister Suzanne Bellenoit

Associate Director for Public Policy
Secretariat of Catholic Education

No Child Left Behind and K-12 Catholic Schools
Catholic School Participation in Federally Funded Programs


Sister Suzanne Bellenoit is a Sister of St. Joseph of Philadelphia. She is an experienced Catholic school administrator and served as Assistant Superintendent for Government Programs in the Archdiocese of Newark for ten years. She was also the National Director of Private and Religious School Partnerships for Catapult Learning, a private provider of Title I services in the schools. On the local administrative level, Sister Bellenoit was the Principal at Sacred Heart High School in Vineland and Our Lady of the Valley High School in Orange as well as Associate Principal at Queen of Peace High School in North Arlington-all in New Jersey. She holds a bachelor of arts degree in French from Chestnut Hill College, a master of arts degree in English from Montclair State University, and a master of science degree in administration from the University of Notre Dame.

 

Msgr. J. Brian Bransfield

Associate General Secretary
USCCB

Marriage and Family
The Theology of the Body
Christian Anthropology
Human Sexuality
The Virtues
Sacraments
Evangelization and Catechesis

Msgr.J. Brian Bransfield is a priest of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and was ordained in 1994. He began graduate studies in moral theology with a specialty in marriage and family at the Pontifical John Paul II Institute in Rome. He continued studies at the Washington campus, where he received his licentiate degree in sacred theology in 2003 and doctorate in sacred theology in moral theology with a specialization in the theology of marriage and family in 2005. Father Bransfield served on the faculty of Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania from 2005-2007. He taught in both the college and theologiate divisions of the seminary as well as the religious studies division, The Catechetical Institute, and The Theological Institute for Priests.

 

Anastasia Brown

Director of Refugee Programs
Department of Migration and Refugee Services

Refugee Resettlement
Human Trafficking
Unaccompanied Refugee and Migrant Children

Anastasia Brown has over 16 years of experience with refugee resettlement and is familiar with both overseas and domestic resettlement issues. Her responsibilities include supervision of all services to refugees, victims of trafficking, and unaccompanied alien minors resettled through the Catholic network in the United States. She holds a bachelor of arts from Sarah Lawrence College.

 

Hillary Byrnes

Staff Attorney to the Ad Hoc Committee on Religious Liberty
Office of General Counsel

Religious Liberty
Church and State Issues

Hillary Byrnes graduated from Notre Dame Law School, where she served on the Notre Dame Journal of Law, Ethics and Public Policy. She earned her bachelor's degree in international politics from Georgetown University's School of of Foreign Service. Before joining USCCB, she worked at the law firm of Hunton and WIlliams for four years and at the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division for a year and a half. She is a member of the bars of New York and the District of Columbia and has been admitted to practice before several federal trial and appellate courts.

 

Cecilia Calvo

Project Coordinator of the Environmental Justice Program
Department of Justice, Peace, and Human Development

Global Climate Change
Children's Environmental Health
Environmental Policy

Cecilia Calvo received her bachelor's degree in Environmental Science and Spanish from Wellesley College and her master's degree in International Environmental Policy and International Trade and Commercial Policy from The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. She coordinates the Climate Change Health and Justice Initiative and the Children's Health and the Environment Initiative and tracks environmental policy issues affecting vulnerable populations.

 

Mary Mencarini Campbell

Director of Catholic Home Missions
Office of National Collections

National Collections
Promotional Campaigns

Mary Mencarini Campbell has nearly two decades of experience at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, the last ten years in fundraising and development with an emphasis on national collections. She has presented workshops and keynote addresses on fundraising at diocesan and national conferences and was a contributing author to Living Justice, Proclaiming Peace, published by the National Federation of Catholic Youth Ministry. She serves on development committees for local Catholic schools and was a member of the Accountability Task Force for the National Catholic Development Conference. She holds a bachelor of arts degree in English from the University of Maryland, College Park.

 

Beverly A. Carroll

Assistant Director
Secretariat of Cultural Diversity in the Church

Black Catholics
Ethnic and Racial Diversity
Evangelization
HIV/AIDS
Lay Leadership Development

Beverly Carroll holds a master's degree in organization development from Towson State University and is a member of the Advisory Committee for the Xavier Institute for Black Catholic Studies, the National Black Catholic Congress Board of Trustees, the National Association of Black Catholic Administrators and the Provincial African American Committee of the Holy Name Province of Franciscans. She is author of The Cypress Will Grow, a video and resource book for evangelization, and producer of several videos, including If Rivers Could Speak and Unraveling the Evangelical Cord. She has received numerous awards, including an honorary doctorate from Siena College, the Archdiocese of Baltimore's Martin Luther King Award for work in civil rights, and the Zeta Phi Beta Sorority's Woman of the Year Award for Community Service. She was the Archdiocese of Baltimore's Ambassador to the Eucharistic Congress in Nairobi, Kenya and led a delegation of African American women to an international conference in South Africa. She is the mother of two children.

 

Anthony Cirelli

Associate Director
Secretariat of Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs

Thought/Policy of Benedict XVI
Catholic Theology and History
Ecumenical and Interreligious Dialogue
Catholic-Muslim Dialogue
Early Church and Patristic Thought

Anthony Cirelli holds a Ph.D. from The Catholic University of America in historical and systematic theology. He taught at St. John's University in New York City from 2008-2011. He has published articles on Pope Benedict XVI and Hans Urs von Balthasar. He is currently on the board of the American Academy of Religion, Mid-Atlantic Region (AAR-MAR). 

 

Don Clemmer

Assistant Director of Media Relations
Department of Communications

Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs

Justice and Peace

Papal Succession
Vatican II

 

Stephen M. Colecchi

Director, Office of International Justice and Peace
Department of Justice, Peace and Human Development

Arms Control and Security
Ethics of War and Peace
Middle East
Nuclear Weapons

Stephen Colecchi holds a bachelor's degree in philosophy and religious studies from Holy Cross College, a master of arts in religion from Yale University, and a doctor of ministry degree from St. Mary's Seminary and University. Mr. Colecchi has chaired the boards of Refugee and Immigration Services, the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy, and Social Services of the City of Richmond. Among other honors, he has received the Bene Merenti Medal from Pope John Paul II. Colecchi has written numerous articles on Catholic Social Teaching, social justice, political responsibility, and the infusion of Catholic Social Teaching into Christian education programs. He authored a Leader's Guide to Sharing Catholic Social Teaching and In the Footsteps of Jesus: Parish Resource Manual.

 

Richard Coll

Foreign Policy Advisor for Latin America and Global Trade, Office of International Justice and Peace

Department of Justice, Peace and Human Development

Latin America

Emerging Markets

Global Trade

International Finance

Extractive Industries

Cuba

Richard Coll is a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School and a member of the New York and Washington DC bars. He is an expert on international finance and global trade issues and concentrates in the areas of Latin American economies as well as on regulatory and foreign sanctions compliance. Prior to his work at USCCB, he served as managing director and counsel to a major multi-national bank in New York, responsible for international banking and corporate finance topics, as wel as the establishment of banking vehicles and investment funds in Latin America. He has also practiced with a number of global law firms in New York and Washington.

LANGUAGES: French, Spanish

 

Rev. John Crossin

Executive Director
Secretariat for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs

Ecumenism
Science and Religion

Father John Crossin is a priest of the Oblates of St. Francis De Sales. He was ordained in 1976 and holds a Ph.D. in moral theology, a master's degrees in psychology and theology from The Catholic University of America. He is past president of the North American Academy of Ecumenists and the Thomas More Society of Washington. He has taught at several theological schools including CUA, Wesley Theological Seminary, Virginia Theological Seminary, Gettysburg Lutheran Theological Seminary and De Sales School of Theology. He is widely published in theological journals and is author of Everyday Virtues, Walking in Virtue: Moral Decisions and Spiritual Growth in Daily Life, Friendship: The Key to Spiritual Growth and What Are They Saying About Virtue. He served most recently as executive director of the Washington Theological Consortium (1998-2011).

 

Deirdre Dessingue

Associate General Counsel
Office of General Counsel

Restrictions on Church Political Activity
Tax Exempt Status of Churches
Tax Status of Priests and Members of Religious Institutes

Deirdre Dessingue received both her undergraduate and law degrees from the Catholic University of America. From 2001-2005, she served as a member of the IRS Advisory Committee on Tax Exempt and Government Entities (ACT). For ten years, she served as co-chair of the Religious Organizations Subcommittee of the American Bar Association's Tax Section's Exempt Organizations Committee. Ms. Dessingue is a frequent speaker and writer on topics relating to the tax exemption of churches and religious organizations. She is the author of Politics and the Pulpit: A Guide to the Internal Revenue Code Restrictions on the Political Activity of Religious Organizations, Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life (2004). In recent speeches she has addressed such issues as religious organizations and fundraising, federal tax code restrictions on church political activity, and federal tax developments for religious organizations.

 

Richard M. Doerflinger

Associate Director
Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities

Assisted Suicide
Bioethics
Euthanasia
Human Cloning
Pro-Life Legislation
Stem Cell Research
Withdrawal of Life-Sustaining Treatment

Richard Doerflinger holds a master of arts in divinity degree from the University of Chicago and has pursued doctoral studies at the University of Chicago and The Catholic University of America. He is an adjunct fellow in bioethics and public policy at the National Catholic Bioethics Center. He frequently writes and speaks on euthanasia, assisted suicide, embryo experimentation and reproductive technologies. He has been published in such periodicals as National Catholic Bioethics Quarterly, Kennedy Institute of Ethics Journal, Hastings Center Report, Linacre Quarterly, and Duquesne Law Review. He is married and the father of four children.

 

Mary Jane Doerr

Associate Director
Office of Child and Youth Protection

Safe Environment Programs
Victim Assistance
Clergy Sexual Abuse Response

Mary Jane Doerr holds a bachelor's in behavioral science from Nazareth College, Kalamazoo, Michigan, and a master's in educational leadership from Western Michigan University. She has more than 20 years of experience as an educator in roles including classroom teacher, elementary school principal and college instructor. She joined the Diocese of Kalamazoo in 1994, where she worked in stewardship and development. In 2003, she was appointed safe environment coordinator for the diocese and in 2006 was promoted to director of the safe environment office, overseeing all compliance issues related to the implementation of the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People. She came to USCCB in 2008.

 

Beth Englander

Director, Special Programs (Children's Services, BRYCS, Anti-Trafficking Services)
Department of Migration and Refugee Services

Child Abuse/ Neglect, Protection and Treatment
Permanent planning
Adoption
Transnational migration of children
Trafficking
State governance

Beth Englander has more than 30 years of local, state and national child welfare experience. She held positions including state administrator of Florida's child welfare program; state program and policy manager for Oregon's child protection, Systems of Care, guardianship, and adoption programs; and multi-county administrator for child welfare and juvenile corrections programs. Her past work also includes national project management of a program monitoring state child welfare programs for HHS-ACF. Englander has cross-program experience with migrant, trafficked, refugee, and unaccompanied children in public foster care and recently received national recognition for her work to implement the Hague Convention on transnational adoption of children in Oregon foster care. She has numerous commendations and has served on local, state and national boards. Raised primarily in other countries, Englander holds a B.S. from the University of Maryland School of Journalism and completed graduate studies in organizational policy and management at the University of Oregon.  Englander is the mother of two adult sons.

 

Virginia L. Farris

Foreign Policy Advisor for Eurasia and Human Rights, Office of International Justice and Peace
Department of Justice, Peace, and Human Development

East and Southeast Asia
South Asia, particularly Pakistan
Kosovo
Water for the Poor
Religious Liberty
Torture

Virginia Loo Farris worked in public affairs throughout her extended foreign service career at the U.S. State Department and the U.S. Information Agency, focusing primarily on East and Southeast Asia. She also had tours in Africa and Washington. She served as a Congressional Fellow and as USIA Advisor to the Commander of the U.S. Pacific Command. She has a master of science degree in national security studies from the National Defense University, a master of arts degree in Chinese studies from the University of Michigan, and a bachelor of arts degree in social sciences from Michigan State University.

LANGUAGES: French, Thai

 

David Felber

Director of Creative Services
Department of Communications

Project Management
Writing and Editing
Graphic Design and Print Purchasing
Publishing Software
Promotional Campaigns

David Felber holds a master's degree in English from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a bachelor's degree in English from Trinity College (Hartford, Connecticut). He has twenty years of publishing experience, including twelve years at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. He is a member of the Catholic Book Publishers Association and the Chesapeake Bay Organization Development Network. He is married and has two children.

 

Sister John Mary Fleming, OP

 

John Galotta

Executive Director
Office of Information Technology

Networking Computers

John Galotta holds a degree from Control Data Institute Computer Systems. He has over 20 years of experience and extensive knowledge on setting up and networking information systems. He is married and the father of three children.

 

Sheila Garcia

Associate Director
Secretariat of Laity, Marriage, Family Life, and Youth

National Pastoral Initiative for Marriage
Collaborative Ministry-Clergy and Laity Working Together
Domestic Violence
Women's Roles in the Church

Sheila Garcia holds a bachelor's degree from Ohio University and a master's degree in theology from the DeSales School of Theology. She has written and spoken on topics related to marriage, domestic violence, and women, and has written for such publications as Ligourian, Spiritual Life, and Catholic Woman. She is married and the mother of two adult sons.

 

Matthew G. Gorman

Senior Systems Analyst
Office of Information Technology

Data Architecture
Database Applications
Software Development

Matthew Gorman holds a master's of science in Information Systems from University of Maryland, Baltimore County with an undergraduate degree from St. Bonaventure University. He has experience developing database software applications for both government and private industry.

 

 

Thomas Grenchik

Executive Director
Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities

General Pro-Life Issues

Thomas Grenchik was the founding director of the Pro-Life Office for the Archdiocese of Washington, where he served for sixteen years. He was trained as an architect and builder and graduated from the University of Maryland where he majored in architecture. He has also studied at the National Catholic Bioethics Center and is currently pursuing a certification program in Health Care Ethics.

 

Katherine Grincewich

Associate General Counsel
Office of General Counsel

Entertainment Law
Telecommunications
Intellectual Property
Broadcast Law

Katherine Grincewich holds a law degree from The Catholic University of America and is a member of the bar of the District of Columbia and the Federal Communications Bar Association. She has written and spoken on legal and policy issues regarding telecommunications and intellectual property.

 

Regina Grunert

Manager
Office of Human Resources

Employee Assistance Programs
Employee Compensation
Employee Group Benefits
Health Benefits

Regina Grunert holds a master of science degree in Employee Assistance Counseling from Trinity College, Washington. She is a member of the National Association of Church Personnel Administrators and the Society for Human Resource Management.

 

Paul K. Henderson

Director of Operations and Project Management
Department of Communications

Event Planning
General Parish Ministry
Group Facilitation
Marketing and Promotional Campaigns
Strategic and Pastoral Planning, Organizational Development
Publishing of Church Resources

Paul Henderson holds master of theology and master of liturgy degrees from The Catholic University of America, a master of science degree in management from the University of Maryland, and has been honored for his work in youth ministry. He has been published in the Catholic press and is a member of the Catholic Book Publishing Association of America and the National Catholic Young Adult Ministry Association.

 

Stephen R. Hilbert

Foreign Policy Advisor for Africa and Global Development
Office for International Justice and Peace
Department of Justice, Peace, and Human Development

African Politics
Challenges, Problems and Successes of Development
Conflict
Economics
Peacebuilding in Africa
Rising Importance of Africa to the United States

Stephen Hilbert holds a bachelor's degree in Russian studies from Haverford College and a master's degree in International Affairs-Development Studies from Columbia University. From 1977-1980, he was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Gabon, Central Africa. From 1983-2007 he worked with Catholic Relief Services, with nineteen years in Africa, two years in India and three years at CRS Headquarters.

LANGUAGES: French

 

Msgr. Richard B. Hilgartner

Executive Director
Secretariat of Divine Worship

General Instruction of the Roman Missal
Norms for Distributing Holy Communion
American Adaptations
Missale Romanum and the Process of Liturgical Translation
Sacramental Theology
Initiation (RCIA, Infant Baptism, Adolescent Confirmation)
Eucharist
Preaching/Homiletics
Liturgical Music

 Msgr. Richard Hilgartner holds a bachelor of science degree (business and finance) from Mount St. Mary's College (now University) in Emmitsburg, Maryland; a master of divinity degree and bachelor of sacred theology degree from St. Mary's Seminary and University, Baltimore; and a licentiate degree in Sacred Theology from the Pontificio Ateneo Sant'Anselmo, Rome, Italy. Father Hilgartner has served in parish ministry and campus ministry, and has taught theology and homiletics.

LANGUAGES: Italian

 

Linda Hunt

Associate General Secretary
USCCB

Employee Benefits and Compensation
Employee Relations
Policies and Procedures
Recruitment/Retention

Linda Hunt holds a master's degree in business from Johns Hopkins University and is a member of the Society for Human Resource Management and the National Association of Church Personnel Administrators (NACPA). She is a former NACPA board member and a former member of the Prince George's County (Maryland) Human Relations Commission. She is married and has two children.

 

Msgr. Ronny E. Jenkins

General Secretary
USCCB

Canon Law
Planning

Msgr. Ronny E. Jenkins holds a bachelor's degree in psychology and a master's degree in philosophy from the University of Dallas. He earned his baccalaureate and licentiate in sacred theology at Rome's Pontifical Gregorian University, and was awarded a licentiate and doctorate of canon law at The Catholic University of America. Msgr. Jenkins has served as a judicial vicar in the Diocese of Austin, as a lecturer in canon law at Oblate School of Theology in San Antonio, and as an assistant professor of canon law at The Catholic University of America. He was a consultant to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' Committee on Canonical Affairs and currently consults on the Committee on the Protection of Children and Young People. He is currently an adjunct professor of canon law at The Catholic University of America as well as a member of several canon law societies. His work has been published in numerous periodicals, including The Jurist and Periodica, and he is co-editor of the Canon Law Society of America's Advisory Opinions.

LANGUAGES: French, German

 

Jim Lackey

General News Editor
Catholic News Service

Catholic Press
The Church & the Internet

Jim Lackey holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from Marquette University and has worked in the Catholic press for 34 years, including 29 years at Catholic News Service. He is a member of the Catholic Press Association. He is married and the father of one child.

 

Andrew Lichtenwalner

Executive Director
Secretariat of Laity, Marriage, Family Life, and Youth

Defense of Marriage (doctrine and catechesis)
Ecclesial Bridal Imagery
Evangelization and Catechesis

Andrew W. Lichtenwalner is a married layman and Ph.D. candidate in Systematic Theology at The Catholic University of America. His dissertation is on ecclesial bridal imagery in 20th century magisterial teaching. He received his M.A. in theology from the University of Dallas and his A.B. in both religion and philosophy from the University of Georgia. Andrew has taught theology at the university level and has served as a catechist at the parish level. Previous to serving as staff to the Ad Hoc Committee for the Defense of Marriage, Andrew was Catechism Specialist for three years.

Nathalie Lummert

Associate Director of Children’s Services
Department of Migration and Refugee Services

Unaccompanied Refugee and Migrant Children
Refugee Resettlement
Child Abuse/ Neglect, Protection and Treatment
Transnational migration of children

Nathalie Lummert has over 15 years of experience with forced migration issues, including program development and oversight.  Her responsibilities include supervision of services for unaccompanied minors (refugees, victims of trafficking, undocumented) at USCCB.  She has written and spoken about the intersection of migration and child welfare.  She holds a master’s degree in Social Work from the Catholic University of America.

Jeannine Marino

Program Specialist
Secretariat of Evangelization and Catechesis

Canon Law
Causes of Canonization
RCIA

Jeannine Marino holds a bachelor's degree from the Catholic University of American in religion and history and a master's degree from Boston College in Theology. She also possesses a licentiate in canon law from the Catholic University of America. She has served as a vice-postulator for a cause of canonization, as a director of religious education for a large urban parish, a high school campus minister, and has several years' experience as a parish leader of RCIA.

 

Patrick Markey

Executive Director
Office of National Collections

Promotional and Marketing Campaigns
Leadership Formation
Event Organization and Planning
Book Publishing

Patrick Markey holds an executive master of business administration degree from Loyola College in Baltimore and a bachelor's degree in business administration from Pace University in New York City. He also has done other graduate studies in theology at Fordham University in the Bronx. He served as a regional director of the Focolare Movement and has also been involved in leadership development and youth and adult faith formation. He worked seventeen years in Catholic publishing, including five years as publisher of New City Press and four years as Associate Director of Sales and Marketing for USCCB Publishing.

LANGUAGES: Italian

 

Ralph McCloud

Director, Catholic Campaign for Human Development
Department of Justice, Peace, and Human Development

Catholic Social Teaching
Peace
Community Organizing
Rehabilitation and Restoration
Capital Punishment
Poverty and Its Effects
Homelessness
Race and Its Effects on Poverty

Ralph McCloud attended Paul Quinn College and did summer studies in Catholic Social Thought at the University of Notre Dame. He directed the Office of Justice and Peace, African American Ministry, and Catholic Relief Services in the Diocese of Ft. Worth, Texas, where he was the city's former Vice Mayor and a city council member.

 

Mary McClusky

Special Projects Coordinator
Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities

National Prayer Vigil for Life
March for Life
People of Life pro-life action campaign of the USCCB
Abortion and Youth
Abortion in the Black Community

Mary McClusky holds a bachelor of arts in communications (radio/TV) and a human life studies minor from the Franciscan University of Steubenville, Ohio. She has worked at several pro-life and public interest groups in grassroots development, media, public education campaigns, and fundraising.

 

Barbara Humphrey McCrabb

Assistant Director for Higher Education
Secretariat of Catholic Education

Barbara Humphrey McCrabb holds a master of divinity degree from Washington Theological Union and a Master of Arts degree in Pastoral Ministry from St. Thomas University in Miami, Florida. She graduated cum laude from Kent State University with a bachelor of fine and professional arts degree. She has served in campus ministry for more than twenty years. Service and spirituality are her passions. She worked to engage campus communities in service, reflection and prayer. In 2000 she received the Charles Forsythe Award from the Catholic Campus Ministry Association for contributions to Campus Ministry. She and her husband Don, have three sons: Andrew, Jacob and Martin.

 

Rev. W. Shawn McKnight

Executive Director
Secretariat of Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations

Priestly Life and Ministry
Permanent Diaconate
Seminary Formation
Ongoing Formation of the Clergy
Homiletics
Liturgy
Consecrated Life
Vocations

Father Shawn McKnight is a priest of the Diocese of Wichita, Kansas. He earned a doctorate in sacred theology, with a specialization in sacraments, from the Pontifical Athenaeum of St. Anselm in Rome, writing on the sacramental character of the diaconate. He has served as a faculty member of the Pontifical College Josephinum Seminary in Columbus, Ohio, the director of the office of worship and as pastor in the Diocese of Wichita. He speaks to clergy and laity on the sacraments and has given numerous retreats to deacons and their wives. He has published an essay in The Deacon Reader, 2006, edited by James Keeting.

 

Deirdre McQuade

Assistant Director of Policy and Communications
Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities

Abortion
Post-Abortion Healing
Effective Pro-Life Messaging
Scriptural Roots of the Gospel of Life
The New Feminism
The Second Look Project

Deirdre McQuade is the primary spokesperson on abortion and related life issues for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. She also directs the Second Look Project and its multi-city ad campaigns. She holds a bachelor of arts degree from Bryn Mawr College, as well as a master of arts degree in philosophy and a master of divinity degree in theology from the University of Notre Dame. She counseled at a pregnancy care center in South Bend and, in 2003, served as National Program Director at Feminists for Life. She has appeared on television, on radio, in online debates and in national print media. Recent speeches include Empathy, Dignity & Speaking Truth to Power; Seeds of Justice: Defending Life from Womb to Tomb; Roe Reality Check: Taking a Second Look at Abortion; and Imitating Jesus in Pro-Life Conversations.

 

Rev. Daniel J. Merz

Associate Director
Secretariat of Divine Worship

Roman Missal
Process of Liturgical Translation
Eucharist and the Sacraments
Liturgical Catechesis
Lectionary
History and Theology of Celibacy

Father Daniel Merz holds a bachelor's degree (philosophy) from Conception Seminary College in Conception, Missouri, an S.T.B. from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome and a licentiate and doctorate in Sacred Liturgy from the Pontifical Institute of Liturgy, in Rome. Father Merz has served in parish ministry and has taught liturgy, theology and Latin while working in human formation with seminarians at Conception Seminary College.

LANGUAGES: Italian, Latin (can read French and Spanish)

 

 

Jeffrey Hunter Moon

Solicitor
Office of General Counsel

Constitutional Questions
First Amendment
Litigation

Jeffrey Moon graduated from Middlebury College in Middlebury, Vermont, holds a law degree from Case Western Reserve University School of Law, is a member of the bars of Ohio and the District of Columbia, and has been admitted to practice before numerous federal trial and appellate courts and the U.S. Supreme Court. He is a former Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Columbia, and has held a broad range of governmental and corporate legal positions. He has written for the Catholic Lawyer and his speeches include, "How to Deal with Internal Investigations: The Insiders' Perspective." He is married and father of two children.

 

Michael F. Moses

Associate General Counsel
Office of General Counsel

Assisted Suicide
Pro-life Issues

Michael F. Moses holds a law degree from the University of Missouri at Kansas City School of Law. He is a member of the bar of the District of Columbia and has been admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court. He writes on legal issues such as abortion and assisted suicide. He is married and the father of two children.

 

Cecile Motus

Assistant Director
Secretariat of Cultural Diversity in the Church

Migration
Cross-cultural Education
Pastoral Outreach to Immigrants and Refugees

Cecile Motus spent more than twenty five years in Asia as the Asia Regional Liaison Officer for the International Catholic Migration Commission and as Director of Adult Language and Culture Program for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees at the Vietnamese First Asylum Camp in the Philippines. In the United States, she served as the Interim Director and as Ethnic Ministries Coordinator for the MRS Office for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Refugees. Ms. Motus holds a bachelor of arts in education from the San Carlos University in Cebu, Philippines, and a master of arts degree in teaching English as a second language from the University of Hawaii and the East-West International Center in Honolulu. She authored a set of Hiligaynon language books published by the University of Hawaii for use in training Peace Corps volunteers. She has also written articles published in such magazines as Preach. She is a board member of the Philippine Medical Mission Project of St. Charles Borromeo, an advisor to the Filipino Family Fund, and an advisor for the National Asian and Pacific Catholic Organization.

 

Thomas Mulloy

Tom Mulloy holds a bachelor's degree in English and Spanish from John Carroll University in Cleveland, Ohio. He also holds a master's degree in social administration from the Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. He has over six years of public and private nonprofit experience in federal policymaking. He has also worked with Catholic Charities in the Diocese of Cleveland.

LANGUAGES: Spanish

 

Mar Munoz-Visoso

Executive Director
Secretariat for Cultural Diversity in the Church

Department of Communications
English and Spanish Media
Evangelization and Catechesis
Hispanic/Latino Issues
Hispanics & Liturgy
Immigration and Refugee Issues
Women, Marriage, and Family Life Issues

Maria del Mar Munoz-Visoso holds a bachelor of arts in communications with a major in journalism from Centro Escuela Universitaria San Pablo in Valencia, Spain, and a master of theological studies degree from the Madonna University in Livonia, Michigan. She has sixteen years of experience as an editor and journalist and twelve years of experience in Hispanic ministry, with emphasis on leadership development, training, and organizing. She has worked in radio and the written press and was the founding editor of El Pueblo Católico, a Catholic Spanish-language diocesan newspaper. She co-founded and was executive director of Centro San Juan Diego, a pastoral institute and adult education center for Hispanics in Denver. She and her husband Rafael have three children.

LANGUAGES: Spanish

 

Deacon Bernard Nojadera

Executive Director
Office of Child and Youth Protection

Safe Environment Programs and Training
Clergy Sexual Abuse Response
Background Checks and Screening

Deacon Bernard Nojadera holds a master's of social work degree specializing in health and mental health services from San Jose State University and a master's of theology from St. Patrick's Seminary and University in Menlo Park, California. He was ordained a permanent deacon in 2008. He has been a member of the Diocese of San Jose Safe Environment Task Force, the San Jose Police Department's Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, the YWCA Rape Crisis Center and their Child Assault Prevention Program, and the County of Santa Clara Interfaith Clergy project for Elder Abuse Prevention. Deacon Nojadera headed the Diocese of San Jose's children protection office from 2002-2001. He is married and has a son and a daughter.

 

Carlos Ortiz Miranda

Associate General Counsel
Office of General Counsel

Immigration Law

Carlos Ortiz Miranda holds a bachelor of arts degree from the University of Puerto Rico, a juris doctor degree from the Antioch School of Law, and a master's degree in international and comparative law from Georgetown University. He is a distinguished lecturer at the Catholic University of America's Columbus School of Law. He specializes in and has written extensively on immigration law, especially for religious workers. He is currently Chair of the Committee on Religious Workers of the American Immigration Lawyers Association. Ortiz is a member of the District of Columbia and New York State Bar Associations.

LANGUAGES: Spanish

 

Helen Osman

Secretary of Communications
Department of Communications

Use of 'New Media'
Catholic Publications
Media Literacy
Marriage and Family Life
Young Adults

Helen Osman holds a degree in communications from Drury College in Springfield, Missouri, and has served in church communications for more than 25 years, beginning at the Catholic Spirit, the newspaper of the Diocese of Austin, Texas. She was named Catholic Spirit editor in 1990 and added responsibilities as diocesan communications director in 1995. She was named secretary of communications for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in August 2007. Mrs. Osman served three terms on the board of directors of the Catholic Press Association (CPA) of the United States and Canada, and held CPA positions as secretary and president. She is married and has four children.

 

Kristyn Peck

Kristyn Peck oversees a national program that provides family reunification services to children and youth who migrated to the United States alone, and who were reunified by the U.S. government with their family members. She has eight years of combined experience in national programs serving unaccompanied, undocumented children and foreign-born victims of human trafficking in the United States. She has a master's in social work from the University of Maryland, Baltimore, and a bachelor's in journalism from the University of Maryland, College Park.

 

Anthony R. Picarello, Jr.

Associate General Secretary and General Counsel
General Secretariat

Church Legal Affairs
Religious Freedom

Anthony Picarello is a graduate of the University of Virginia Law School, where he served on the Law Review. He earned his master's degree in religious studies from the University of Chicago, and his bachelor's degree, magna cum laude, in social anthropology and comparative religion from Harvard University. Before joining the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, he worked at The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty for seven years, at the law firm of Covington & Burling for three-and-a-half years, and as a federal district court clerk for one year. Picarello specializes in the First Amendment and other laws that protect religious freedom.

 

Jill Rauh

Outreach Coordinator
Department of Justice, Peace, and Human Development

Youth and Social Justice
Youth Ministry
Young Adult Ministry
Catholic Social Teaching

Jill Rauh holds and a master of arts degree in theology with an emphasis on moral theology/social ethics from Washington Theological Union, a master of arts degree in international affairs with an emphasis on U.S. foreign policy from the George Washington University, and a bachelor of arts degree in theology and communication from Marquette University. Her professional and volunteer work has focused on social justice and the intersection of Catholic social teaching and youth and young adult ministry. Jill previously staffed the Education for Justice project at Center of Concern and also worked with Latino youth and served as an international volunteer in Ecuador, South America.

 

Theresa Ridderhoff

Executive Director
Office of Human Resources

Human Resources

Theresa Ridderhoff holds a bachelor's degree in marketing from Stonehill College and a master's in instructional technology from George Mason University. She holds a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) certification, is an active member of the Society for Human Resources Management and is a Myers-Briggs Type Indicator qualified facilitator. A native of Boston, Ridderhoff is married and has two sons.

 

Rev. Ronald G. Roberson , CSP

Associate Director
Secretariat of Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs

The Assyrian Church of the East
Catholic-Orthodox Dialogue
Christian Churches Together in the USA
Christian Unity
Churches in Eastern Europe
Eastern Orthodox Churches
Healing the Histories of East and West
The Oriental Orthodox Churches
Polish National Catholic Church
The Episcopal Church

Father Ronald Roberson is a Paulist Father and holds a bachelor of arts degree in political science from the University of Kansas, a master's degree in theology from The Catholic University of America, and a doctorate in Oriental Ecclesiastical Sciences from the Pontifical Oriental Institute, Rome. He was a member of the staff of the Vatican's Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity from 1988 to 1992. He has written extensively on ecumenism and Catholic-Orthodox relations in scholarly journals and frequently speaks on related topics. He speaks Italian fluently and reads French and Romanian. Fr Roberson is also a member of the international dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Oriental Orthodox Churches.

 

Kathy A. Saile

Director, Office of Domestic Social Development
Department of Justice, Peace, and Human Development

Health Care
Death Penalty
Domestic Poverty
Faith and Community Based Health and Human Services

Kathy A. Saile holds a bachelor's degree in organizational communications from Ohio University and a master's degree in social work from Arizona State University. Previously, Ms. Saile directed the Office of Peace and Justice in the Diocese of Phoenix, served as a Loaned Executive to the social policy office at Catholic Charities USA, coordinated social justice and outreach ministries for the Franciscan Renewal Center in Scottsdale, and was associate director of public policy for Lutheran Services in America. She is the author of a book on public policy and grassroots advocacy.

 

Brother Henry M. Sammon , FMS

Associate Director
National Religious Retirement Office

Basic, Supplemental, and Special Assistance Grant Applications
Financial Management in Religious Institutes
Canonical Issues in the Areas of Consecrated Life and Temporal Goods

Brother Henry M. Sammon, FMS is a member of the United States Province of the Marist Brothers of the Schools, Bayonne, New Jersey, and holds a licentiate in canon law from The Catholic University of America as well as a master's degree in administration, with a concentration in financial analysis, from the University of Notre Dame. He is a consultant for the National Association for Treasurers of Religious Institutes (NATRI) in the area of financial forecasting (TRENDS) and does consulting work in the areas of financial management and canonical affairs for the National Religious Retirement Office (NRRO).

 

Todd Scribner

Education Outreach Coordinator
Department of Migration and Refugee Services

Catholic Social Teaching
Immigration
Refugees
Human Trafficking

Todd Scribner holds a master's degree in religious studies from The Catholic University of America and is currently pursuing a doctorate at the same institution. The focus of his studies concentrates on the intersection of Catholic Social Teaching and U.S. political life.

 

Tony Spence

Director and Editor-in-Chief
Catholic News Service

Catholic News and Current Events
Catholic Press in the United States and Canada
Religious Newspaper and Magazine Publishing

Tony Spence attended Vanderbilt University and holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Tennessee. He has worked in the Catholic press and media in various capacities in Tennessee and Washington, D.C. He also was a communication and development executive at Vanderbilt University. He is a past president of the Catholic Press Association, past member of the Catholic Communication Campaign advisory board, and a former consultant to the Committee for Communications of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. He has received numerous awards and honors for his writing, publishing, and community leadership. He is a member of the Catholic Press Association, the finance commission of the International Catholic Union of the Press, and Sigma Delta Chi. He serves on a number of boards dealing with health care, the arts and charitable services.

 

Mary Elizabeth Sperry

Associate Director, Permissions and Bible Utilization
Department of Communications

Department of Communications
Permissions/Copyright
New American Bible Promotion
Pastoral Usage of USCCB Publications

Mary Elizabeth Sperry holds a master of arts degree in liturgical studies from The Catholic University of America, and a master of arts in political science from the University of California, Los Angeles. She is an associate member of the Catholic Biblical Association and of the Society of Biblical Literature.

 

Michael Steier

Assistant Director
Secretariat of Evangelization and Catechesis

Adult Faith Formation
Leadership Formation for Parish Catechetical Leaders
Parish Ministry Formation

Michael Steier holds a doctor of ministry degree from St. Mary's Seminary in Baltimore and a master of divinity degree and master of arts degree in theology from St. John Provincial Seminary in Plymouth, Michigan. He is a member of the National Conference for Catechetical Leadership, the National Catholic Educational Association, the American Association for Adult and Continuing Education, and the Religious Education Association. He is married and has four children.

 

Susan Stevenot Sullivan

Associate Director for Education and Outreach
Department of Justice, Peace, and Human Development

Catholic Social Teaching
Poverty and Justice
Parish Social Ministry
Faith and Advocacy at Home and Abroad
Spirituality of Justice

Susan Stevenot Sullivan holds a Bachelor of Science from Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio, and master's in Theological Studies from Spring Hill College in Mobile, Alabama. Before joining the USCCB in 2010, Sullivan served the Archdiocese of Atlanta as archdiocesan director of the Catholic Campaign for Human Development, Justice for Immigrants, Catholic Relief Services and other initiatives, including a significant role in interfaith/ecumenical work. She is a former chair of the Parish Social Ministry Section of Catholic Charities USA.

Sullivan previously did regional justice and communications work for the Glenmary Home Missioners family of organizations and supported the formation and ministry of more than 2,000 members/volunteers of the Atlanta Council of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. She also served on the editorial staff of the weekly newspapers of the Archdioceses of Cincinnati and Atlanta. Sullivan's work has appeared in several national Catholic publications and has been recognized by the Catholic Press Association.

 

Carlos Taja

Carlos Taja is a doctoral student in systematic theology at The Catholic University of America. He holds a bachelor's degree in philosophy from St. John Vianney College Seminary in Miami, Florida and a master's degree in theology from St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary in Boynton Beach, Florida. He has done graduate studies at the Institute for Priestly Formation at Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska.  Carlos was a high school moral theology instructor and campus minister for three years. He also has experience working with university campus ministry and parish ministries. He serves as a teaching fellow at The Catholic University of America and has also taught theology at Marymount University, in Virginia.

 

Sister Doris Mary Turek , SSND

Staff Advisor
Secretariat of Divine Worship

Liturgy and Culture
Multicultural Liturgical Celebrations
Hispanic Devotional Practices
Developing Liturgical Leadership in Underrepresented Groups
Introduction to the Roman Missal
American Adaptations
Norms for Distributing Communion

Sister Doris Mary Turek is a School Sister of Notre Dame. She holds a master's degree in education from Arcadia University and a juris doctor degree from the Beasley School of Law of Temple University. She is Adjunct Professor at The Catholic University of America and the Washington Theological Union. She is a member of the Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Philadelphia Bar Associations, the National Hispanic Institute for Liturgy, and the American Bar Association.

LANGUAGES: Spanish

 

Sister Mary Ann Walsh , RSM

Director of Media Relations
Department of Communications

The Church and the Media
Media Relations
The Media and Rome
The Papacy of John Paul II
Religious Life
Vocations

Sister Mary Ann Walsh is a member of the Northeast Community of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas. She holds a master's degree in English from the College of St. Rose and a master's degree in pastoral counseling from Loyola College of Maryland. She has prepared media relations programs, spoken on media topics, and written for numerous publications including America, Editor & Publisher, The Washington Post, and USA Today. She also was producer of the award-winning video, Five Extraordinary Days, and editor of books that include the award-winning John Paul II: A Light for the World and From John Paul II to Benedict XVI: An Inside Look at the End of an Era, the Beginning of a New One, and the Future of the Church. She has been honored for her work by several groups, including the New York State Bar Association, the New York Press Association, the Colorado Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America, the Catholic Press Association, and the Catholic Academy for Communications Arts Professionals. She is a member of the Society for Professional Journalists, the American Counseling Association, the Catholic Press Association, the Catholic Academy for Communications Arts Professionals, and the International Association of Business Communicators.

 

Rev. Thomas Weinandy, OFM, Cap.

Executive Director
Secretariat of Doctrine

History of Christology
History of Trinitarian Theology
Patristics, Medieval and Contemporary
Philosophical Notions of God

Father Thomas G. Weinandy is a member of the Capuchin order. He holds a bachelor of arts degree in philosophy from St. Fidelis College in Herman, Pennsylvania, a master's degree in systematic theology from Washington Theological Union, and a doctorate in historical theology from King's College, University of London. Father Weinandy is a member of the Catholic Theological Society of America, the Fellowship of Catholic Scholars, the Catholic Theological Society of Great Britain, the North American Patristics Society, and the Association Internationale D'ˆtudes Patristiques. He is the author of Does God Suffer?; Jesus the Christ; Cyril of Alexandria: A Critical Appreciation; The Father's Spirit of Sonship: Reconceiving the Trinity; and Be Reconciled to God: A Family Guide to Confession. Father Weinandy has also published scholarly articles in such journals as The Thomist, New Blackfriars, Communio, A Journal of Catholic Thought and Culture, and the International Journal of Systematic Theology. His popular articles include those written for New Covenant, National Catholic Register, Pastoral Life, Canadian Catholic Review, and New Oxford Review.

 

Susan E. Wills

Assistant Director for Education and Outreach
Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities

Respect Life Program
Abortion
Abortion Aftermath and Post-Abortion Ministry
RU-486
Contraception
Emergency Contraception

Susan E. Wills is an attorney with a juris doctor cum laude from the University of Miami School of Law and a master's degree in international and comparative law from Georgetown University Law Center in Washington D.C., where she was awarded the Thomas Bradbury Chetwood, S.J. Prize for the highest academic average in the Master of Laws Program. At the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, she has since overseen the annual Respect Life Program materials, the newsletter Life Insight, and the monthly Word of Life series-a liturgical resource. Ms. Wills has written for Catholic periodicals (The Priest, America, The National Catholic Register, and the diocesan press) as well as for secular publications such as National Review and The Washington Times. She also has been published in the Journal of Contemporary Health Law and Policy of The Catholic University of America's Columbus School of Law. She has been a guest on Catholic, Christian, and secular TV and radio programs. Susan and her husband have six children.

 

Nancy Wisdo

Associate General Secretary
USCCB

Advocacy
Public Policy
Catholic Social Teaching
Strategic planning

Nancy Wisdo is a graduate of Bloomsburg State University, where she majored in sociology and social work. She completed the course requirements for a graduate degree in community psychology at Pennsylvania State University and has a Licentiate in Canon Law from the Catholic University of America. She is a past member of Catholic Charities USA Social Policy Committee and the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace at the Vatican.

 

Johnny Young

Executive Director
Department of Migration and Refugee Services

Immigration
Migrants
Trafficked Persons
Undocumented Minor and Refugee Children in U.S. Custody
International Relations

Ambassador Young holds a bachelor of science, cum laude, from Temple University. He was a four-time American Ambassador and holds the rank of Career Ambassador. His Foreign Service duty included service in eleven countries: five in Africa, three in the Middle East, two in Europe, and one in the Caribbean.

LANGUAGES: French