Mr. Nicholas Stein

Chair

Nicholas Stein is a founder and the Director of Bon Secours Young Adults, a ministry of the Congregation of Sisters of Bon Secours of Paris. Since its founding in 2014 in Marriottsville, Maryland the ministry has reached hundreds of young adults across the United States, Ireland, England, France and Peru through retreats, programming, and relationship-building in order to deepen their Christian call to compassion, healing, and liberation.

Nicholas is also the founding chair of the Board of Directors of the National Institute for Ministry with Young Adults. He has served on several national and international initiatives in the field of ministry with young adults and has been a sought-after speaker and consultant in the field. He currently serves as a Consultant to the USCCB Working Group on Youth and Young Adults. He was the founding chairperson of the USCCB National Advisory Team on Young Adult Ministry and in that role helped to lead the efforts of the National Dialogue on Catholic Pastoral Ministry with Youth and Young Adults.

Originally from Seattle, he currently lives in Catonsville, Maryland with his wife and 3 children. He is an active parishioner at St. Ignatius Church in Baltimore, Maryland. He holds an MA in Theology from Boston College and a BA in Print Journalism/Political Science from the University of Southern California.

Bishop Arturo Cepeda

Vice-Chair

In April 2011, Pope Benedict XVI named the Most Reverend Arturo Cepeda, a priest from San Antonio, as Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Detroit. One month later he was ordained by Archbishop Allen Vigneron, becoming the youngest Bishop in the United States at age 41. Bishop Cepeda served as a Bishop member on the USCCB (United States Conference of Catholic Bishops) Committee on Catholic Education and also as the Chair for the Sub-Committee on Hispanic Affairs. Currently he serves as the Chair for the USCCB standing Committee of Cultural Diversity in the Church.

Bishop Cepeda had most-recently served as Rector of Assumption Seminary in San Antonio. He was born in Mexico and immigrated to the U.S. with his family at age 19. Bishop Cepeda continued his seminary studies at Our Lady of the Lake University, and obtained a degree in Religious Studies with a specialty in Psychology from the College Seminary of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Returning to San Antonio’s Assumption Seminary he received the degree of Master in Divinity from Oblate School of Theology and was ordained to the priesthood by Archbishop Patricio Flores on June 1, 1996. In 2001, after obtaining the degree of Master in Biblical Theology from St. Mary’s University, and while he was assigned as parochial vicar in the Cathedral of San Fernando, Bishop Cepeda traveled to Rome to study at the Pontifical University "St. Thomas Aquinas, Angelicum,” where he successfully obtained a Licentiate and Doctorate degree in Sacred Theology (STL, STD).

Bishop Cepeda also serves as Episcopal Vicar and Regional Moderator for the Northwest Region Families of Parishes and served as Director of Evangelization, Catechesis, and Catholic Schools for the Archdiocese of Detroit. Bishop Cepeda is an international speaker and published author. Most recently he has become a board member of many committees including the National Institute for Ministry with Young Adults, USCCB Religious Liberty Committee, USCCB Ad Hoc Committee Against Racism, The Eucharistic Revival Bishop Advisory Committee, Social Responsibility Committee for the Michigan Catholic Conference, and the Leadership Roundtable Bishop Advisory Committee. Bishop Cepeda is also participating in the leadership of the proceedings and conclusions of the 5th National Encuentro of Hispanic-Latino Ministry and in addition he is leading the Journeying Together National Catholic Intercultural Encounter for Ministries with Youth and Young Adults.

Ms. Kelli Reagan Hickey

Secretary

Kelli Reagan Hickey is a research associate in the Catholic Social Tradition at the University of Notre Dame's Center for Social Concerns. Her research interests include Christian ethics, economics, and character development. Hickey is also an alum of Leadership Roundtable's ESTEEM program, which prepares college students for leadership in their parish communities. She lives with her husband, Brian, in Columbus, Ohio.

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Mr. Armando Cervantes

Armando M. Cervantes currently serves as Director of Youth & Young Adults and Director de Ministerio Hispano for the Diocese of Orange in California. He has over 20 years of professional experiences in various ministries serving all age groups in both Catholic Dioceses and Non-Profits. He loves the Lord and serving His Church – and enjoys smiling, dancing, eating, travelling and spending time with his family. Armando serves nationally and internationally as a coach, consultant, advocate, trainer and speaker and has two Master’s Degrees in Business Administration and Pastoral Theology.

Ms. Kara Dixon

Kara Dixon is the Deputy Director of Video Production for the Senate Democratic Media Center for the US Senate in Washington, D.C.

She grew up in Winchester, Virginia and is a graduate of the University of Maryland’s Philip Merrill College of Journalism. At UMD, she participated in the CBC-UNC Diversity Fellowship Program led by UNC and WRAL. During college, Kara was a member of Capital News Service and ViewFinder presented by the University of Maryland. Both programs won numerous regional and national awards. She spent two years as a multimedia journalist at KFDM/KBTV in Beaumont, Texas, where she covered everything from historic flooding to crime. Her station was awarded the Texas Associated Press Jordan Flaherty Award in 2016. After her time in Texas, Kara worked for WAVY News 10 for six years reporting on a number of stories and hosting the political digital series "Candid With Kara..."

In June 2019, Kara was one of 120 young women chosen to participate in the Given Forum, a Catholic leadership forum held in Washington, D.C. In 2020, she completed the Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership’s Emerging Leaders Program at the University of Virginia’s Weldon Cooper Center for Public Leadership. In her free time, Kara volunteers in the community.

Fr. Jonathan Kalisch, OP

A native of Woodbridge, New Jersey, Fr. Jonathan Kalisch, O.P. experienced God’s merciful love through mentorship and discipleship  as an undergraduate student at Georgetown University. While working for Price Waterhouse in Warsaw, Poland, Kalisch went on pilgrimage to the Holy Land to pray about his own future and felt called to the priesthood on the Sea of Galilee where the Gospel of John Chapter 21 occurred. He then met the Dominicans in Krakow and began to discern a religious vocation. Encountering the writings of St. Faustina and the message of Divine Mercy with its words “Jesus, I trust in you,” gave him the courage to follow God’s call.  

Ordained a priest in 2003, Fr. Jon spent nine years serving in campus ministry at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, CT and Dartmouth College in Hanover, NH. In 2013, he began serving at the Supreme Council of the Knights of Columbus in New Haven, CT as the Director of Chaplains and Spiritual Development for the two million member organization. Fr. Jon has led young adults to participate in six World Youth Days, included serving as Co-Executive Producer of the World Youth Day 2016 Mercy Centre at the Tauron Arena, the international English-language catechesis and youth festival site that drew over 100,000 pilgrims during the WYD Krakow. Fr. Jon regularly speaks on college campuses, to gatherings of Knights of Columbus, and preaches retreats. Along with his work with the Knights, he serves as a member of the USCCB National Advisory Team for Young Adult Ministry.

Tracey Lamont, Ph.D.

Tracey Lamont, Ph.D., is Director of the Loyola Institute for Ministry and is Assistant Professor of Religious Education and young adult ministry at Loyola University New Orleans, Loyola Institute for Ministry. She received her M.A. and Ph.D. in Religion and Religious Education from Fordham University and specializes in curriculum development, youth and young adult ministry, and religious education. Her research examines how constructive-developmental theory can help religious educators explore new ways to think about young adult moral development in a complex global society. She was as a committee member for the National Dialogue on Young People, the Faith, and Vocational Discernment from 2017-2019, and has been a member of the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops National Young Adult Advisory Team (NATYAM) since 2017. From 2017-2021, Tracey served as the Vice Chair of resources for NATYAM and is currently a member of the Board of Directors for the National Institute for Ministry with Young Adults (NIMYA). In her spare time, Tracey enjoys hosting and facilitating synodal listening sessions with young adults locally and nationally. Click here to watch Tracey present an OSV talk on how to create a more welcoming church for young people.

Deacon Andrew Orosco

Deacon Andy Orosco, ordained in 2014 in the Diocese of San Bernardino, California, is assigned to the Native American Ministry serving six Mission Churches on Indian Reservations in the diocese. Deacon Andy has been a life-long youth and young adult advocate. He currently serves on the National Institute for Ministry with Young Adults, as a committee member for the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops National Advisory Team on Young Adult Ministry to the Committee on Laity, Marriage Family Life and Youth, is a current committee member of the California Catholics Conference of Bishops Native American Peoples Committee and participated in the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops National Dialogue Leadership Network focused on forming and engaging young missionary disciples for the Twenty-First Century.

Fr. Kyle Shinseki, SJ

Fr. Kyle Shinseki, SJ currently serves as a Pastor at Saint Mary Student Parish, which provides Catholic Campus Ministry for the University of Michigan. He was born and raised in Hawai‘i and entered the Society of Jesus in 2009. Prior to joining the Jesuits, he received a bachelor’s in urban studies from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he became Catholic, and later earned a master’s in urban planning from the University of California Los Angeles. He then worked for six years at UnidosUS, formerly the National Council of La Raza, in community development and fundraising.

He next completed an MBA at Northwestern University, which led to his work at Procter & Gamble in marketing. As a Jesuit, he has ministered in high schools and universities, served in multiethnic parishes, and provided spiritual direction and retreats. Ordained to the priesthood in June 2018, he completed a Licentiate in Sacred Theology in May 2019, with a focus on small-group communities of ethnic Catholic college students. Prior to arriving in Ann Arbor, he served as Campus Minister for Faith Formation and Intercultural Ministry at Santa Clara University. He serves on the Boards of Directors of the National Institute for Ministry with Young Adults and the Catholic Campus Ministry Association. He enjoys preparing diverse ethnic dishes, hiking, and listening to Latin American, country, and Hawaiian music.

Mr. Darius Villalobos

Ex officio

Darius A. Villalobos serves as the Director of Strategic Partnerships and Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion for the National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry (NFCYM). He previously served in the Archdiocese of Chicago in a variety of ministry roles, including youth ministry, young adult ministry, evangelization, and catechesis. He currently serves on the National Advisory Team for Young Adult Ministry of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) and as a founding board member of the National Institute for Ministry with Young Adults. He was born and raised in Chicago and is a graduate of DePaul University where he received his bachelor’s degree in English and Catholic Studies. Darius is a Bernardin Scholar at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago in the Master of Arts in Intercultural Ministry program. He has served as a parish RCIA director, liturgical music minister, retreat director, catechist, and youth minister.

Mr. Paul Jarzembowski

Ex officio

Paul Jarzembowski is the Associate Director for the Laity at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) within the Secretariat of Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth. In this role, he is also the national coordinator for World Youth Day for the United States, staff liaison for the National Advisory Team on Young Adult Ministry (NATYAM), and was the lead USCCB staff to the 2018 Vatican Synod of Bishops on Young People, the Faith, and Vocational Discernment, which led up to Pope Francis’ Christus Vivit (2019). Paul is the author of Hope from the Ashes: Insights and Resources for Welcoming Lenten Visitors (2022) and has been a writer, consultant, trainer, and speaker both nationally and internationally.  In addition to his work with the Institute, Paul serves on the board of directors for the National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry (NFYCM) and the National Catholic Network de Pastoral Juvenil Hispana (LaRED) and serves on the advisory boards for the National Association for Lay Ministry (NALM) and the National Catholic Committee on Scouting (NCCS). Originally from Northwest Indiana and the Greater Chicagoland Area, where he received his degrees from Valparaiso University and Loyola University Chicago, Paul now lives in the Maryland suburbs of Washington DC with his wife and ministry colleague Sarah.