SASI speaker bios

David Beckmann

Keynote Presenter: Finding the Political Will to End Hunger

World Food Prize laureate David Beckmann has been president of Bread for the World since 1991, leading large-scale and successful campaigns to strengthen U.S. political commitment to overcome hunger and poverty in the country and globally. Beckmann is also president of Bread for the World Institute, which provides policy analysis on hunger and strategies to end it. He founded and serves as president of the Alliance to End Hunger, which engages diverse U.S. institutions - Muslim and Jewish groups, corporations, unions, and universities - in building the political will to end hunger.
Due in part to the persistent, bipartisan advocacy of Bread for the World members, the U.S. government has tripled funding for effective programs to help developing countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Bread has also helped double funding for U.S. nutrition programs, assisting millions of families in the United States who struggle to feed their children.
Since 2000, Beckmann has been asked to testify in Congress 18 times, appearing before such committees as the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the Ways and Means Committee of the House of Representatives. He has written many books and articles, including Transforming the Politics of Hunger, Grace at the Table: Ending Hunger in God's World, and Exodus from Hunger: We Are Called to Change the Politics of Hunger.
Beckmann earned degrees from Yale University, Christ Seminary, and the London School of Economics. He is a Lutheran pastor as well as an economist.

Jack Jezreel

Closing Plenary: Gather and Send

Jack Jezreel holds an undergraduate degree in Philosophy and Religion from Furman University and a Master of Divinity degree from the University of Notre Dame. He spent six years in a Catholic Worker community, providing basic and emergency services to the homeless in Colorado, before directing his attention to transformative education, mostly focused on how to encourage Catholic parishioners to be engaged in outreach and social change.
Jack has over 25 of experience working in parish ministry and spent eight of those years at a Catholic parish in Louisville developing a conversion-based justice formation program, JustFaith, which has had extraordinary results and has been recognized nationally as a potent strategy for empowering social ministry. Five highly respected Catholic organizations - Catholic Charities USA, Catholic Campaign for Human Development, Catholic Relief Services, Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers and Pax Christi USA - and the largest ecumenical hunger-focused Christian organization in the U.S. - Bread for the World - are partners and promoters of JustFaith. Over 22,000 people in over 100 dioceses have participated.
Jack currently is Executive Director of JustFaith Ministries, a nonprofit organization that creates and supports justice formation processes, and is a popular national speaker and teacher. In 2006, he received the Harry A. Fagan Award for his unique contribution to the Church's social mission. He lives in Louisville, is married to Maggie, and they have three daughters.

Richard Coll

Track II: Session with USCCB-JPHD

A graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School, Richard Coll is a member of the New York and Washington DC bars, and is expert on international finance and global trade issues. He concentrates in the area of Latin American economies as well as on regulatory and foreign sanctions compliance. Mr. Coll has experience in the areas of Dodd-Frank and other legislative developments, focusing on commodities regulation, extractive industries reporting and trade concerns, and has written and lectured on these topics.
Prior to joining the USCCB, Mr. Coll served as Managing Director and Counsel to a major multi-national bank in New York, responsible for international banking and corporate finance topics, as well as the establishment of banking vehicles and investment funds in Latin America. Mr. Coll has also practiced with a number of global law firms in New York and Washington DC, concentrating on emerging markets, global trade and international finance matters. He is fluent in French and Spanish.

Tricia Hoyt

Track I: Biblical Justice & Theological Foundations of CST

Tricia Hoyt is the director of Catholic Charities Parish and Community Engagement in the Diocese of Phoenix, Arizona, where her work is to encourage parishes to take on the full perspective of Parish Social Ministry as a component of its Catholic identity. She is a PhD. Candidate at Brite Divinity School (TCU) in Fort Worth, currently conducting research on Luke-Acts, and holds a M.A. in Adult Christian Community Development from Regis University, Denver. She is a lead instructor with Survival School: Managing Leadership Successfully, a training event for church and non-profit leaders, and co-author of the MOMS: Ministry of Mothers Sharing books in English and Spanish, published by Resource Publications.

Joe Grant

Maintaining Hope through Transformative Learning

A native of Scotland and former Catholic missionary, Joe Grant has ministered in Europe, Latin America and the U.S. Joe received his Masters in Divinity from Catholic Theological Union in Chicago. He has lived and worked among indigenous people in the Brazilian Amazon and served as co-director of a spiritual center for Native Americans in Chicago. Joe is a writer, speaker and program developer for JustFaith Ministries. He is the creator of JusticeWalking (J-Walking), a JustFaith process for high school and college campuses and the developer of Engaging Spirituality, a spiritual-deepening process for adults. Joe writes maintains Still in the Storm, a spirituality blog for JustFaith Ministries.
Joe has authored youth ministry publications on prayer, service scripture and justice for St. Mary's Press and offered many keynote presentations, workshops and retreats around the country. In 2004 he was recognized with the National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry award for Gospel Values of Peace and Justice. Joe lives in inner-city Louisville with his wife and three children.

Jon Gromek

Track I: Organizing Anti-Poverty Legislative Advocacy in your Community

Jon Gromek serves as the North Central Regional Organizer for Bread for the World, a collective Christian voice urging nation's decision makers to end hunger at home and abroad. He has organized and worked in faith communities in Washington DC, Ohio, and Florida. He has a degree in Theology and Political Science from Xavier University in Cincinnati and is currently pursuing a graduate degree at Wright State University. He has worked at the Catholic Campaign for Human Development, Sojourners, Network, and as a community organizer for congregation based community organizations in Ohio and Florida. He has focused on a diverse array of social justice issues including immigration, the environment, hunger and a variety of local campaigns.

Ron Jackson

Track II: Amplifying Local Voices to Influence Public Policy

Born and raised on the Gulf Coast, Ronald Jackson, Sr. received his Law Degree in 1985 from Antioch University School of Law and Masters of Social Work Degree in 1975 from Howard University School of Social Work. Ron is currently Senior Director, Government Affairs for Catholic Charities USA with primary responsibility of legislative advocacy on issues impacting the elimination poverty. Ron began his career making history as the first African American staff person to work for a Mississippi U.S. member of Congress since reconstruction. He later served as: Paralegal/Administrator with South Mississippi Legal Services in Biloxi, Ms.; Executive Director of the Harrison County Head Start Program in Gulfport, Ms.; and Assistant Professor, Coordinator of Continuing Education and Chairman of the Faculty at the University of Southern Mississippi Graduate School of Social Work. In DC, Ron has held many positions including Policy Analyst/Lobbyist with the National Urban League; Policy Advisor/Lobbyist with the U.S. Catholic Conference of Bishops; and Lobbyist with the National Association of Social Workers. His work has centered primarily on civil rights, education and employment.
Prior to joining the staff at CCUSA, Ron served for 15 years the Executive Director of the D.C. Catholic Conference for the Archdiocese of Washington and served as President of the National Association of State Catholic Conference Directors 2006-2008. Ron serves on numerous community service boards and has been the recipient of several awards and acknowledgments including the Benemerenti Medal from Pope Benedict XVI for exemplary service to the church, family and community.

Tom Mulloy

Track II: Session with USCCB-JPHD

Tom Mulloy serves as a Policy Advisor for the Office of Domestic Social Development within the Department of Justice, Peace, and Human Development at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. He serves in the areas of labor and workforce, domestic economy, social welfare, housing and criminal justice. Tom holds a BA in English and Spanish from John Carroll University in Cleveland and an MS in Social Administration from the Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. He has over six years of public and private nonprofit experience in federal policymaking and has also worked with Catholic Charities in the Diocese of Cleveland.

Fr. John Rausch

Wednesday Plenary: Inspiration for Social Justice Ministry

Fr. John S. Rausch, a Glenmary priest living in Stanton, Kentucky, directs the Catholic Committee of Appalachia. Over the years, he taught with Coady International Institute in Antigonish, Nova Scotia, the Appalachian Ministries Educational Resource Center in Berea, Kentucky, and organized the Mountain Management Institute to serve the business needs of Appalachian cooperatives. His has offered workshops overseas in Ghana, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Bangladesh and Haiti.
John conducts five tours of Appalachia annually, introducing people to the ministries and social issues of the region. During these tours he combines social analysis with theological reflection, encouraging a conversion of heart in participants. A strong environmentalist, he speaks against the devastation of mountaintop removal and encourages sustainable economic development. He organized three worker-owned businesses in Central Appalachia and champions the rights of workers. On a continual basis, John sees the effects of globalization on the Appalachian region from outsourcing to corporate concentration.
John has a masters degree in economics and a masters of Divinity and his voice blends economic analysis with Catholic social teachings. He writes a monthly syndicated column called Faith and the Marketplace that appears in 15 Catholic diocesan newspapers. Fr. John is the 2007 Pax Christi USA Teacher of Peace. His hobby is cooking.

Julie Zorb

Track II: Amplifying Local Voices to Influence Public Policy

Julie Zorb currently serves as the Manager of Policy and Research for Catholic Charities USA. In this role, she compiles and analyzes data on the work of local Catholic Charities agencies around the country, and places this information in the context of nationwide social and demographic trends. She also examines pending public policy initiatives to identify opportunities to advance the principles of CCUSA's legislative reform agenda.
Julie is an alumna of the University of Notre Dame, where she graduated with honors in Political Science and completed a senior thesis comparing quantitative rankings of sustainability in American cities. As an undergraduate, she worked in the Notre Dame Office of Sustainability to promote social responsibility and environmental justice across campus. Julie also served in multiple elected student government positions and received the Student Leadership Award in recognition of her contributions to the campus.

Other speakers' bios will be posted as the information is received.