Board of Directors
Michael Zink
Chair
Michael Zink has served as board chair of America Media since Jan. 2024. Michael was previously a Citigroup Managing Director who spent his 28-year career overseas. Starting as a corporate banker in West Africa, Michael held roles in corporate and investment banking and in-country management. He worked for Citigroup in nine countries - Cote d'Ivoire, Gabon, Tunisia, Russia, Australia, Indonesia, South Korea, China and Singapore. His last role was chief executive of Citi’s eight-country Southeast Asia business, the largest Citigroup business in Asia. In May 2016, Michael retired from Citi and now resides in Boulder, Colorado. Since retiring, he has focused on education, Catholic causes and community service.
Originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, Michael was raised in a family of six sons. He met his wife Betsy, a New Englander, while they were both serving as Peace Corps volunteers in Kenya in the 1980s. Betsy is a doula and a CNA, currently working with hospice patients and elderly homebound patients. Michael and Betsy raised their four children while on their overseas odyssey. Emily and Katherine now live and work in Colorado, Alexandra lives and works in Boston, and Gabriel is in graduate school in Chicago.
Michael earned a bachelor of science degree in chemical engineering from Case Western Reserve University and spent his junior year abroad at the University of Edinburgh. After returning from the Peace Corps he earned an MBA from The Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.
Grace Cotter Regan
Vice Chair
Grace Cotter Regan, a lifelong learner and leader committed to Jesuit and Catholic Education, serves as vice chair of America Media. In 2017 she was named the first female president of Boston College High School, an all-boys Jesuit school . Grace was missioned as the 28th president of the high school in 2018.
Grace is mission-driven and results-oriented. She brings a lifetime of knowledge and a commitment to social justice, diversity, equity and inclusion to BC High. Prior to her appointment at BC High, Grace served as Head of School at St. Mary’s High School in Lynn, Mass. During her six years at St. Mary’s, she focused on academic quality and operational vitality, creating an operational business model focused on enrollment, fundraising and long-ranging sustainability. Grace completed a $20 Million fundraising campaign at St. Mary’s before she concluded her tenure there in Dec. 2018.
From 2005-12 Grace served as the Executive Director and Provincial Assistant for Advancement for the New England Province of Jesuits. From 2000-2005, she served as the Executive Director of the Boston College Alumni Association. The lion-share of her career has been in the non-profit board, communications, philanthropy and stewardship with the Boston Public Library Foundation, the College of the Holy Cross, Simmons University, Mount Alvernia Academy and Notre Dame Academy. She also served as a volunteer with the International Jesuit Volunteer Corps in Belize, Central America and has traveled extensively through that area.
Grace is a graduate of the Emmaus Principal’s Cohort of the Roche Center for Catholic Leadership at Boston College. She earned a certificate in Catholic Leadership from the Mendoza School of Business at the University of Notre Dame. Grace has a master’s degree in pastoral ministry from the Boston College School of Ministry and Theology and a master’s degree in education in student affairs and higher education administration from the University of Vermont. Grace graduated cum laude from Boston College in 1982 with a B.A. in theology and sociology.
Grace lives in West Roxbury, Mass. with her husband Bernie, a retired produce broker and Boston College alumnus, and their wheaten terrier named Seamus. They have two incredible sons. Bartley is a 2012 graduate of BC High and a 2016 graduate of Stonehill College, where he played quarterback on the football team. He currently works in partnership development at Shields Healthcare Solutions. Luke graduated from St. Sebastian’s School in 2009 and Bowdoin College in 2013 where he was captain of the baseball team. Luke is a safety manager with Suffolk Construction and is working on the Montage Spanish Peaks Development in Big Sky, Mont.
Traug Keller
President, COO
Traug Keller is the president and chief operating officer of America Media. Prior to joining America in March 2020, Mr. Keller served as senior vice president of ESPN.
As ESPN’s senior vice president, Mr. Keller led ESPN Audio and the ESPN Talent Office. In his work for ESPN Audio, Mr. Keller oversaw all aspects of the business including talent, staffing, national programming content, scheduling and event production. ESPN Audio is comprised of ESPN Radio, the country’s largest sports radio network, ESPN Deportes Radio, ESPNRadio.com, and ESPN Audio On Demand. ESPN Radio offers more than 9,000 hours of talk and event content annually, reaching nearly 24 million listeners per week on more than 500 stations, including ESPN-owned and operated stations in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago and more than 375 full-time affiliates. Under Mr. Keller’s leadership, ESPNRadio.com became the most listened-to live stream of any terrestrial broadcaster in the world.
Before joining ESPN, Mr. Keller served as president of ABC Radio Networks, leading all aspects of network programming, affiliate relations, engineering, finance, research, IT, international programming, and marketing. Prior to ABC, Mr. Keller was the New York sales manager of the CBS Radio Networks and held marketing and sales positions with the New York Times Company. Mr. Keller is a graduate of Fairfield Prep in Fairfield, Conn and Boston College. Traug and his wife, Connie, live in Connecticut and have three grown children.
Samuel Sawyer, S.J.
Editor in Chief
Sam Sawyer, S.J., is the editor in chief of America magazine. Prior to his appointment as editor in chief, he served on the editorial staff with responsibility for America Media's digital platforms. He has written frequently on issues such as polarization, how the church communicates in a secular world and abortion.
Before working at America Media, Father Sawyer served as an associate pastor at Holy Trinity Church in Washington, D.C., after being ordained a priest in 2014. During his theology studies, he helped to found The Jesuit Post and served as one of its first editors.
During his Jesuit formation, Father Sawyer studied philosophy at Loyola University Chicago and theology at Boston College; he also taught philosophy for two years at Loyola University Maryland. Before entering the Society of Jesus, he worked as a software engineer after graduating from Boston College.
Susan S. Braddock
Chair emerita
Susan Braddock is board chair emerita of America Media and most recently served as board chair for Cristo Rey New York High School. She was the tenth president of the Metropolitan Opera Guild, Inc., for eleven years and currently serves as the Managing Director for the Metropolitan Opera and is chairman of major gifts. Some of her other former board commitments include the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, The New York Historical Society, The Aspen Music Festival and School, The American Beethoven Society at Hunter College, and the Council of I Tatti-Fiesole in Italy.
Susan earned a B.A. from Manhattanville College in 1972. She also studied at the Department of Music at Hunter College from 1991 to 1993 as well as at the School of Decorative Arts at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London in 1979.
Susan is married to Richard S. Braddock. He currently serves on the board of The Aspen Institute, and several private companies and has served on the board of the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts and the Cristo Rey Network. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
Together, the Braddock family has six children and thirteen grandchildren.
C. Bonnie Brennan
Bonnie Brennan is president of Christie’s, Americas. In this role, Bonnie oversees Christie’s strategic business opportunities and client engagement efforts in the United States. She leads their team in the Americas and is focused on driving new growth and building on Christie’s innovations while always maintaining the firm’s steadfast commitment to serving clients and meeting their needs in a fast-paced and evolving art world.
Bonnie has 24 plus years of experience in the auction business—the past eleven at Christie’s, most recently serving as chairman of business development in the Americas. She brings a history of success in client development and enjoys strong relationships with both clients and their advisors. Bonnie has played a critical role in securing and managing the highly successful sales of The Barney A. Ebsworth Collection, The Jayne Wrightsman Collection, and Property from Cleveland Clinic, among many others. Prior to her career at Christie’s, Bonnie worked in business development roles at Sotheby’s, New York for 15 years. Bonnie is a graduate of Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill. where she was a double-major in art history and communications. She speaks frequently on the art market nationwide and serves as a board member for various non-profits throughout the Tri-State area.
Binta Niambi Brown
An entertainment partner in Manatt, Phelps & Phillips New York office, Binta Niambi Brown has extensive experience working across talent management and development, as well as leading a variety of complex high-value transactions and counseling on special situations. She leverages her background as a record executive, talent manager and artist advocate to advise global icon clients across sports, media, music, film and television on how to build, innovate, expand and protect their businesses and brands. Ms. Brown’s practice focuses on representing industry moguls through the gamut of entertainment transactions, deal structuring and other strategic planning, providing both legal and strategic consulting guidance to her clients across sports, music, media, television and film. Drawing on her deep background in managing and supporting global talent, she offers valuable insight and practical guidance to help creators pursue innovative business opportunities.
Earlier in her career, Ms. Brown founded Omalilly Projects, a talent management, development and production company and consultancy working with multiplatinum-selling, Grammy Award-winning musical artists and record producers, award-winning New York Times bestselling authors, comedians, screenwriters and creative entrepreneurs. She was also a founding co-chairman and co-founder of the Black Music Action Coalition, an organization advocating on behalf of Black artists, songwriters, producers and other passionate industry professionals. Additionally, Ms. Brown served as head of operations and strategy at a Los Angeles-based record label as well as a partner at a global law firm where she advised entertainment and media companies in high-value M&A deals, public and private debt and equity offerings, and secured debt financings. As a corporate lawyer, she has structured, negotiated and closed well over $100 billion in transactions.
Ms. Brown has been recognized for her work by Billboard, Fortune Magazine, the Financial Times, the Root 100 Most Influential Black Americans and many other media outlets.
Ms. Brown received a B.A. with honors from Barnard College in 1995 and a J.D. in 1998 from Columbia Law School. In 2012, she attended the Jackson Institute for Global Affairs at Yale University and received a “Foundations for Leadership in the 21st Century” certificate. In 2013, she attended The Harvard Kennedy School at Harvard University and received the “Global Leadership and Public Policy for the 21st Century” certificate. From 201315, she was a Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government Senior Fellow at The Harvard Kennedy School. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and a former executive in residence for the New Orleans Startup Fund. She also sits on the boards of the American Theatre Wing, the Chicago Shakespeare Theatre and is a former trustee of Barnard College, Columbia University. An adjunct professor at NYU Tisch School of the Arts, Ms. Brown is an active liturgical minister and joined the Board of Directors of America Media in June of 2022.
Benjamin Denihan
Benjamin “Patrick” Denihan, chief executive officer of Denihan Hospitality, leads the real estate and investment arm of his family’s 60-year-old hospitality business. With a lifetime of experience in the business, he has led many of Denihan’s key milestone initiatives including several acquisitions and recapitalizations and the profitable conversion of numerous assets.
Today, Patrick focuses on financial investments for Denihan in collaboration with other partners and secures new management contracts for Denihan Hospitality that fit within the Company’s overall business growth strategy. Patrick is a sought-after industry leader, often sourced for quotes, profiles, and opinions in key forums such as National Real Estate Investor, Real Estate Investor and FOX Business.
He was an advisory board member of the Cornell University Center for Hospitality Research and is a former board member of the Hotel Association of New York City. He also served as an advisory board member of the Convent of the Sacred Heart School in New York City, and on the board of a highly respected educational institution, The Benedictine School for Exceptional Children, where he has served in various positions including president of the Benedictine Board of Directors.
Michael Scott Feeley
Michael practiced environmental law for thirty-three years as a partner in the Los Angeles office of Latham & Watkins. Since retiring in 2021, Michael and his wife, Janet, a psychotherapist, reside primarily in Deer Valley, Utah. A graduate of Dartmouth College, Harvard Law School and Oxford University, Michael currently serves as president and chairman of both the Carrie Estelle Doheny Foundation, and the Grand Magisterium of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem. He also serves as the director of the Patrons of the Arts in the Vatican Museums. Michael and Janet are active members of the Order of Malta and the Order of St. Gregory the Great. They have two married sons: Declan and Carly live in New York City and Brogan and Maria live in Oklahoma City.
Peter M. Folan, S.J.
Peter M. Folan, S.J., is a native of Massapequa Park on Long Island, N.Y. A 1996 graduate of Chaminade High School in Mineola, N.Y., Father Folan attended the University of Notre Dame and earned a bachelor’s degree in the Program of Liberal Studies and German in 2000. Following graduation, Notre Dame nominated Father Folan for a job with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in Washington, D.C., where he served for one year as a research associate in education and public policy.
Although Father Folan had considered a vocation to the priesthood earlier in his life, he began actively discerning again during his time in Washington, where he came to know and work with Jesuit priests. His discernment led him next to a teaching position at Bishop McNamara High School in Forestville, Md., and in 2003 he entered the Society of Jesus. Following two years at the Jesuit novitiate, Father Folan was missioned to Fordham University in New York, where he earned a master’s degree in philosophy in 2008.
For his regency assignment, Father Folan taught philosophy for two years at the University of Scranton in Pennsylvania. In 2010, he was missioned to the Boston College School of Theology and Ministry, where he earned a master’s of divinity degree as well as a licentiate in Sacred Theology. During his years of formation, Father Folan spent a summer in India, helped run the “Six Weeks a Jesuit” program for men considering a vocation, and served as a liaison to Jesuit Volunteer Corps communities in New York City and Boston.
Following his ordination to the priesthood in 2013, Father Folan served as an associate pastor at Holy Trinity Church in Washington, D.C. for one year, after which he began doctoral studies in systematic theology at Boston College’s Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences. Father Folan earned his Ph.D. in 2019.
Currently, Father Folan is a faculty member in the Department of Theology and Religious Studies at Georgetown University.
Robert Gittings
Rob retired as a partner and vice chairman of PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP. While at PwC, Rob specialized in the technology, entertainment and media and telecom industries and led PwC’s Silicon Valley business.
Since retiring, Rob has been active in supporting Catholic education, especially in New York City. He is a member of the board of trustees of the Inner City Scholarship Fund of New York which provides scholarships for students to attend urban Catholic schools in New York. He volunteered to help the Archdiocese of New York update its strategic plan for elementary schools. Rob serves as a member of the Board of Directors of the Center for Action and Contemplation, founded by Richard Rohr, O.F.M. and is active in his local parish.
Born in Washington, D.C., Rob attended Gonzaga College High School and the College of the Holy Cross before receiving a master’s degree from Northeastern University. Rob’s wife Wendy teaches at St. Ignatius Nativity school in Bronx, N.Y. Rob and Wendy have three sons and live near New York City.
Jack Griffin
Jack Griffin is a media/marketing executive and public company board director whose 40-year career has spanned magazines, newspapers, television and digital media.
Currently, Jack is the operating chairman, magazines, for Dotdash Meredith, a subsidiary of IAC (NASDAQ). Dotdash is the largest digital and print publisher in the United States and owns major brands including People, Better Homes & Gardens, Travel & Leisure and many more. Jack consulted with IAC on its 2021 acquisition of Meredith Corporation, where he spent 12 years as a senior executive in magazine publishing, marketing services and television broadcasting.
Prior to joining Dotdash Meredith, Jack was Chairman of Dennis Publishing, a London-based publisher of popular magazines in the U.K. and the U.S. including The Week and Kiplinger. In this capacity, from 2018-21, Jack worked for Exponent Private Equity (London) and led the successful sale process of Dennis to Future PLC, the largest publisher in the United Kingdom.
Since 2018, Jack has been on the board of directors of Harte Hanks, Inc. (HHS: NASDAQ). He currently serves as Chairman. He has also served as acting C.E.O., head of the audit committee and Vice Chairman.
Before joining Dennis, from 2014-16 Jack was C.E.O. and a Director of Tribune Publishing Company (NYSE), parent of major newspapers including the Los Angeles Times and the Chicago Tribune. Prior to that, he founded and owned a successful media consultancy. He also served as Chief Executive Officer of Time Inc. from 2010-11, when it was the largest magazine publisher in the world. He was also a director of and senior advisor to Newsweek/Daily Beast from 2012-13 when it was owned by IAC. Jack was also the president and publisher of Parade magazine from 1999-2003.
Jack lends his expertise to non-profit organizations, particularly in publishing. He is currently a board director for 41 North Media L.L.C., the non-profit owner of The Nantucket Inquirer Mirror, a 200-year-old community newspaper on an island 30 miles out into the Atlantic. He is also a director of America Media, publisher of America Magazine: The Jesuit Review.
For 20 years, Jack has been a director at Mustard Seed Communities, a Catholic charity based in Kingston, Jamaica, including 10 years as chairman of the board. He also spent eight years as a director of Catholic Relief Services, one of the world’s largest humanitarian relief organizations.
Jack graduated from Boston College, cum laude, in 1982 with a B.A. in philosophy. Additionally, in 1988 he earned a master’s degree from the Yale University School of Management.
Jack and his wife, Pamela, live on Nantucket and in Boston. Jack has completed several marathons and triathlons and continues to play competitive ice hockey. He is an avid fisherman, a U.S Coast Guard licensed boat captain and an amateur guitarist.
John Hanwell, S.J.
John Hanwell, S.J. was appointed by Father Arturo Sosa, S.J. to serve as the first Socius to the Provincial of the East Coast Province of Society of Jesus, which formed when the Northeast Province and the Maryland Province united on July 31, 2020. He was the former Socius to the Provincial of the Northeast Province of the Society of Jesus from September 2015 to July 2020.
Father Hanwell is a native of Milton, Mass. He graduated from Boston College High School in 1974 and then graduated from Boston College with a degree in marketing in 1978. Following graduation, he worked for one year in the Mutual Funds department of the New England Merchant Bank in Boston..
He entered the New England Province of the Society of Jesus on August 28, 1979. His formation as a Jesuit included philosophy studies at Loyola University in Chicago; a master’s degree in French from Middlebury College in Paris, France; taught French at Cheverus High School in Portland, Maine for his regency assignment; theology studies at Weston Jesuit School of Theology in Cambridge, Mass. where he obtained a master’s of divinity as well as a master’s degree in theology.
Following his June 15, 1991 priestly ordination, he returned to Cheverus High School where he taught both French and Spanish and served as the Chair of the Classical and Modern Languages department for six years. In 1997, he was missioned to his alma mater, Boston College High School, to teach French. In 1998, he was named Rector of the Boston College High Jesuit Community and served six years in addition to teaching French. Upon completing a sabbatical in 2005, he joined the New England Provincial staff as Associate Director of Advancement. In 2006, he served as President of Fairfield College Preparatory School in Fairfield, Conn. for nine years.
He is a member of The Loyola School Board (N.Y.C.). In past years he has served on the boards at Boston College High School, Boston College Alumni, Nativity Prep Boston, Regis High School (N.Y.C.), Fairfield Prep and Fairfield University. He is currently a member of the America House Jesuit Community.
Mary Beth Ostendorf Harvey
A native Ohioan, Mary Beth began her career as a first-grade teacher at The Brearley School in New York City.
She graduated cum laude from Wheaton College and holds a master’s of science in education and early child development from Bank Street College of Education. She has worked with and on behalf of hundreds of children in private and public settings.
Her passion for understanding how young children learn and for inspiring lifelong learning led her to the Families and Work Institute, where, as a founding staff member, she worked on various national, state and local childcare and education reforms and initiatives, in addition to advising several Fortune 100 companies. She has consulted to the National Center of Children in Poverty at Columbia University’s School of Public Health.
Most recently she worked on Mind in the Making, a national initiative that brings the science of early learning to parents, educators and the public through an engaged learning experience for educators and programs for parents.
In addition to her work in education, Mary Beth has served on the New York Women’s Agenda; The Children’s Defense Fund; The Harlem Day Charter School; as an Advisory Board Member of Hearts of Gold and as Vice President for Strategic Planning of The Junior League of New York. She is also a past president of N.Y.C. Parents-in-Action, and currently serves on the Campaign Executive Committee of Davidson College, as well as the International Advisory Committee for the Global Health Program at Columbia University and is a Trustee of the JED Foundation.
Peter W. Howe
Vice Chair emeritus
Peter W. Howe, C.P.A., is a retired partner of Ernst & Young and serves as the vice chair emeritus of America Media’s Board of Directors. In addition to his over 35 plus years of professional experience with Ernst & Young, Peter is a trustee fellow of Fordham University, where he served as a trustee for eight years, and serves on other commercial boards.
Peter holds a B.S. degree from Fordham University, an M.B.A. from Pace University, and was an Adjunct Professor at the Columbia University Business School. Outside of his professional life, Peter enjoys participating in marathons, having completed the New York Marathon (5 times), the Chicago Marathon (6 times) and the Marine Corps Marathon.
Peter Kellner
Peter Kellner is the founder and chief executive officer of Richmond Global L.L.C., a holding company composed of alternative investments. Mr. Kellner focuses on the convergence of sustainable investing, fintech, national security and data science. He has invested in and lived on five continents over three decades, building some of the largest platform technology companies from Brazil to China. As a Fulbright Scholar in Hungary, he founded the Environmental Management & Law Association (E.M.L.A.), one of Central Europe’s most influential N.G.O.s in environmental policy and originally backed by the Rockefeller Brothers Fund and the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation. In 1996, Mr. Kellner co-founded Endeavor Global. Endeavor’s mission is to build ecosystems of entrepreneurship throughout the 42-country network where the organization is operating. Mr. Kellner has served on the boards of Endeavor Chile, Endeavor Global, Endeavor Jordan, Endeavor Louisville and Endeavor Miami. Mr. Kellner served for thirteen years as a trustee of The Allen-Stevenson School in New York where he created and participated in the diversity, equity and inclusion committee, in addition to the finance, admissions, and development committees. He served for five years as a trustee of the International College in Beirut, Lebanon. Mr. Kellner is a trustee of America Media, where he co-chairs the investment committee. He is a 2009 Young Global Leader at the World Economic Forum and 2003 Crown Fellow at The Aspen Institute. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the Pacific Council on International Policy, and the International Institute for Strategic Studies. Mr. Kellner received his undergraduate degree from Princeton University, a J.D. from Yale Law School, and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School. He co-endowed Princeton’s first professorship in entrepreneurship with three members of the Class of 1963, provided the funding to create Princeton’s E-Lab for student entrepreneurship, and lectured in the Engineering Department for thirteen years. In 2023, he established in his parents’ names the first fund to advance entrepreneurship among the 200 members of the J.D. student body. In 2014, Mr. Kellner was invested by Cardinal Dolan in the Knights of Malta and has participated in the pilgrimage to Lourdes. He and his wife Meredith live in Chestnut Hill, Mass., with their children Morgan Catherine and Grayson Bicknell.
Anne Kelly
Anne Kelly is the vice president of studio management and services at Netflix. She previously held positions at the CBS Corporation where she was the executive vice president of finance for the entertainment division, and prior to that, spent over 15 years at The Walt Disney Company in a variety of media and entertainment finance roles.
Ms. Kelly received a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Notre Dame.
Ms. Kelly joined the board of directors of America Media in June of 2023 and serves on the finance/audit committee. She is also on the board of directors and treasurer of Mustard Seed Communities, U.S.A., a Massachusetts-based nonprofit that provides residential care to children and adults with developmental and physical disabilities in Jamaica, Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Zimbabwe and Malawi.
Ms. Kelly is an avid golfer and tennis player. She resides in Southern California.
Karl Kiser, S.J.
Karl Kiser, S.J. is a provincial of the USA Midwest Province of the Society of Jesus. Father Kiser has served a variety of leadership positions as a Jesuit, including extensive board member experience. He was a superior of the Jesuit novitiate in Berkley, Mich., then briefly taught at the University of Detroit Jesuit High School and Academy in Detroit, Mich., before being named its president in 2002, a position he held for 14 years. Since 2016, Father Kiser has been the pastor of Gesu Parish in University Heights, Ohio.
He studied Theology at Weston School of Theology in Cambridge, Mass. (1993-97), at Comillas University in Madrid, Spain, and also at the University of Saint Mary of the Lake in Mundelein, Ill. He was ordained to the priesthood on June 14, 1977, at Gesu Parish in University Heights, Ohio.
After ordination, Father Kiser was superior of Loyola House, the Jesuit novitiate in Berkley, Mich. (1998-2002), and served at the University of Detroit Jesuit High School and Academy. He worked in campus ministry for one year (2001-02) before becoming the president of the school (2002-16).
Father Kiser has extensive board experience including service at UDJHS, John Carroll University in Cleveland, Ohio, St. John’s Jesuit High School in Toledo, Ohio, and Loyola Academy in Wilmette, Ill. He has also served on the boards of St. Ignatius High School in Cleveland, Ohio, University of Detroit Mercy in Detroit, Mich, Marian High School in Bloomfield Hills, Mich, Boys Hope Girls Hope in Detroit, Mich and the Honduran Children Rescue Fund in University Heights, Ohio.
Robert McCarthy, Esq.
Bob McCarthy is a partner in the Capital Markets Practice Group of the global law firm Dentons where he advises large financial institutions in connection with the acquisition, sale and financing of assets. Bob is a member of the Policy & Planning Board at Dentons and previously served as Managing Partner of Dentons’ New York office and as a member of the Global Advisory Committee. Prior to joining Dentons, Bob was a partner in the law firm Thacher Proffitt & Wood, where he served on the firm’s executive committee.
Bob is the vice chair and a member of the board of trustees of The Africa-America Institute, a premiere U.S. international organization dedicated to increasing educational opportunities for young Africans and improving global understanding of Africa. He is also a member of the board of directors of The Bronx Community Foundation which supports and invests in community power to eradicate inequity and build sustainable futures for all Bronxites. Bob is a deacon in the Diocese of Rockville Centre, N.Y. and is currently honored to serve the people of the Church of Saint Anne in Garden City, N.Y. where his family members have been active parishioners over the last thirty years.
Bob received a B.A. in political and social thought from the University of Virginia, and a J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law. He earned an M.A. in pastoral studies from the Seminary of the Immaculate Conception.
Bob is married to Mary Jean McCarthy, a Clinical Associate Professor of Education at Adelphi University. They have four grown children, Ellen, Bridget, Katherine and Robert.
Tom McGinn, M.D., M.P.H.
Thomas McGinn, M.D., M.P.H. is executive vice president of physician enterprise at CommonSpirit Health, the largest nonprofit Catholic health system in the U.S. In his role, Tom oversees one of the nation's largest medical groups working closely with several medical schools.
He is a widely published and internationally recognized health care researcher and professor of medicine at both the Baylor and Creighton University Schools of Medicine. Tom previously served as professor of medicine at Hofstra University Zucker School of Medicine and deputy physician-in-chief at Northwell Health. Tom’s research, lectures, and work have focused on innovations in providing the highest quality, evidence-based health care with a special focus on caring for underserved communities. Tom attended Xavier High School in Manhattan, received a bachelor’s degree from Creighton University, served three years in the Jesuit Volunteer Corps, received his medical degree from SUNY Downstate College of Medicine; and a master’s degree in public health from Columbia University.
Joseph O’Keefe, S.J.
Joseph M. O’Keefe, S.J. was appointed by Father General Arturo Sosa, S.J. to serve as the first Provincial of the USA East Province, which was formed when the Northeast and Maryland provinces unified on July 31, 2020.
Born and raised in Salem, Mass., Father O’Keefe entered the New England Province at the Newbury Street novitiate in Boston, Mass. in 1976. He is a graduate of the College of the Holy Cross and received a master’s degree in French from Fordham University. He also earned a master of divinity and a licentiate of Sacred Theology from the Weston School of Theology, Cambridge, Mass. as well as both a master’s and doctorate in education from Harvard University.
He was ordained to the priesthood on June 14, 1986. Father O’Keefe spent 25 years teaching education at Boston College, including time serving as dean of the Lynch School of Education. He also taught briefly at Georgetown University.
Most recently, he served as rector at Ciszek Hall and Superior of Spellman Hall, both at Fordham University, overseeing and mentoring the Jesuit scholastics who live and study on campus. During that time, he also taught at Fordham’s Graduate School of Education.
Brian Paulson, S.J.
Brian Paulson, S.J., is president of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States. Father Paulson has served in a variety of leadership positions as a Jesuit. From 1993-98 he was the vocations director for the Chicago Province (now the USA Midwest Province). After 11 years as president of Saint Ignatius College Prep in Chicago (1999 to 2010), he was named rector of the Loyola University Jesuit Community in Chicago before becoming provincial of the Chicago-Detroit Province (now the USA Midwest Province) from 2014-21.
Father Paulson entered the Society of Jesus at Loyola House Jesuit Novitiate in Berkley, Mich., on September 12, 1981. He was ordained to the priesthood on June 13, 1992, and professed final vows on March 25, 2001. A native of Waukegan, Ill., he attended St. Anastasia Grade School and Campion Jesuit High School in Prairie du Chien, Wis. When the school closed in 1975, he finished his high school education at Loyola Academy in Wilmette, Ill., and went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in international economics from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service.
After graduating from Georgetown, he entered the Society. “Anything else I thought about doing in life would have felt like I was playing house or running away,” Father Paulson says of his vocation. “I feel like I’ve been blessed from a very young age with a lively sense of who God is. God’s presence has been very real and accessible to me, so if I could help share that gift with other people, I would love to be able to do that.”
Since joining the Jesuits he has earned a master’s degree in political philosophy from Loyola University Chicago, a bachelor of sacred theology degree (STB) from Centre Sèvres in Paris, a master’s degree in education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and a licentiate in sacred theology (STL) from the Weston Jesuit School of Theology. He has served on the board of trustees at Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School, Christ the King Jesuit College Preparatory School, the Lumen Christi Institute of Chicago and was a trustee associate at Boston College after 16 years of service on the board of trustees.
Luis Perez, Esq.
Luis J. Perez is consistently ranked among Florida’s premier corporate lawyers. His practice focuses primarily on mergers and acquisitions and corporate governance matters, including international transactions. His client base is a blend of domestic and international businesses operating in the United States and Latin America. Luis is a Partner at McDermott, Will & Emery, an international law firm. He is a member of The Florida Bar.
Throughout his professional career, Luis has been involved in multiple pro bono projects, including serving as guardian ad litem for abused or abandoned children. Luis has also led programs to improve conditions for economically disadvantaged communities in Haiti, Dominican Republic, Mexico, and Cuba. Luis is a life member of the Council on Foreign Relations and sits on its membership committee. He is also a member of the Cuban Association of the Knights of Malta. He is an Advanced Leadership Initiative Senior Fellow at Harvard University and Senior Editor for Climate and Environmental Solutions for the Harvard ALI Social Impact Review. Luis graduated from Rollins College and The Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law. He is married to his law school classmate, Linda Orth Perez. Their daughter, Elizabeth, is a graduate student at Boston College.
Robert F. Reklaitis
Robert F. Reklaitis retired in 2018 from the full-time practice of law, after 41 years as a trial attorney in Chicago, Ill., and Washington, D.C. During his time in practice, Reklaitis represented telecommunications carriers in antitrust litigation; defended federal banking agencies from multibillion-dollar lawsuits alleging that they exceeded their authority in addressing the three largest banking failures in U.S. history and represented reinsurers in arbitrations throughout the world. He also argued many cases in various United States Courts of Appeals on regulatory and competition issues. After retirement from full-time practice, he consulted with clients on trial strategy and ethics issues, and as resolution counsel and mediator for large, intractable disputes.
Reklaitis has taught trial practice at programs sponsored by the National Institute of Trial Advocacy and at trial programs at Notre Dame Law School. He has been recognized as one of the Best Lawyers in Washington, D.C. and Maryland in listings published by The New York Times and Wall Street Journal. He also served for ten years as chief judge of a hearing committee for the D.C. Board of Professional Responsibility.
In addition to his professional responsibilities, Reklaitis has been a tutor, a mentor and a member of the board of directors at the Washington Jesuit Academy, an all-scholarship middle school for underserved boys with an intense 11 hours per-day, 11 months per-year program centered on academics, life skills, resilience and spiritual development. He chaired the governance committee, developed reporting protocols and educational programs related to student safety and crafted a sustaining agreement between the academy and the Maryland Province of the Society of Jesus. He was also an early member of the Woodstock Business Conference, a Jesuit organization created to integrate Jesuit discernment into business decisions.
Reklaitis also served on Le Moyne College’s Board of Trustees since 2013 and served as chair of the board from 2019-22; vice chair from 2016-19; chair of the Governance and Succession Planning committees; and chair of the Ad Hoc Committee on Athletics, which led to Le Moyne reclassifying as a Division 1 institution. He also started serving on an Ad Hoc Committee concerning strategic alliances with other educational institutions. He graduated summa cum laude from Le Moyne College in 1975 and from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1978. Reklaitis and his wife Patricia Maher have two grown children and reside in Bethesda, Md.
Thomas A. Roberts
Tom Roberts is a strategic advisor and consultant to public and private companies, individuals and philanthropies. He also serves as the Lead Director and Chairman of the Audit Committee of MGM Growth Properties, a REIT listed on the NYSE, and as an advisory director of M. Klein and Company, a leading global strategic advisory firm providing financial, transactional, strategic, reputational and global guidance to its clients. In 2015, Tom retired as a senior partner at Weil, Gotshal & Manges, a major international firm, where he was a partner for over 20 years.
He served as Chairman of the Corporate Department from 2000 through 2012 and was a member of the Firm’s governing body from 1994 through 2014. Tom’s practice primarily involved domestic and cross-border mergers, acquisitions, contested takeovers and private equity. He also regularly advised companies and their Board of Directors with respect to complex, high-profile strategic, crisis management and corporate governance matters. He was twice elected by The American Lawyer as Dealmaker of the Year.
From 1998 to 2010 Mr. Roberts served on the Board of Directors of the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Metro New York and from 2006-10 served as the chairman of the Board of Directors. He also served, for many years, as a member of the Board of Visitors of the Georgetown University Law Center. Mr. Roberts is a graduate of both the Georgetown University College of Arts and Sciences and the Georgetown University Law Center.
Peter H. Smyth
Peter H. Smyth is president of the Hundred Club of Massachusetts and the retired chairman and chief executive officer of the former Greater Media, Inc. He adds significant value to organizations that seek to innovate, drive results, achieve growth, and improve interactions both internally and externally.
Mr. Smyth is an innovator and thought leader in the radio broadcasting industry, and is also a highly active philanthropist and source of guidance and expertise for large charitable organizations. He was inducted into the Massachusetts Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 2017 following a 30-year career with Greater Media, Inc.
As Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Greater Media, Mr. Smyth oversaw all strategic initiatives and operations for twenty-one AM and FM radio stations in Boston, Charlotte, N.C. Detroit, Philadelphia and New Jersey, as well as other media properties. He helped revolutionize the broadcasting industry by advocating for and adopting new technologies such as HD Radio and internet streaming, and by developing innovative content to meet the emerging demands of the industry and its advertisers.
He was named a “Giant of American Broadcasting” by the Library of American Broadcasting in 2014. Radio Ink Magazine twice selected Mr. Smyth as “America’s Best Broadcaster”— in 2005 and 2011.
In addition, he has been recognized as one of Radio Ink’s “40 Most Powerful People in Radio,” ranking among the top ten. In 2007, Radio Ink named him “Radio Executive of the Year,” while he also received the “Humanitarian of the Year” Award from the Hundred Club of Massachusetts and the Golden Mike Award from the Broadcasters Foundation of America.
Among his achievements, Mr. Smyth was largely credited with creating the concept of “FM Talk” radio, with the establishment of the all-talk 96.9 FM WTKK in 1999; while also being unafraid to exit the format after a 14-year successful run to take advantage of changing market tastes and opportunity. Mr. Smyth is highly sought across multiple industries as a director, board member, adviser and consultant, and has served in corporate governance leadership positions for some of New England’s most prestigious institutions.
In addition to serving on the board of America Media, Mr. Smyth is also serving on the boards of the Massachusetts Broadcasters Hall of Fame and the Radio Advertising Bureau, and as chairman of the Home Base Media Labs. Mr. Smyth is also an emeritus Trustee of New England Baptist Hospital and served for nine years as chair of that board’s finance committee.
He is a graduate of the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass. and in 2011 he was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Commerce degree from Suffolk University in Boston.
Carol Zuegner, Ph.D.
Carol Zuegner, Ph.D., is an associate professor of journalism in the Department of Computer Science, Design and Journalism in the College of Arts and Sciences at Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska. She also is the inaugural holder of the Joella Cohen Endowed Chair in Journalism. She worked as a reporter and editor for The Associated Press for more than a decade.
She earned a bachelor’s degree from Creighton, a master’s from The Ohio State University and a doctorate from the University of Tennessee. She also earned a master’s in negotiation and conflict resolution from Creighton University. She teaches writing, editing, social media and entrepreneurial media courses at Creighton and is one of the leaders of Backpack Journalism, a project where students and faculty produce documentary films about people on the margins. Her research interests are how news organizations deal with creative conflict, how news organizations and professionals use social media, and solutions journalism.