Our Staff

Jose Aguto

Executive Director

I feel blessed to participate in the Covenant's mission to advance the Catholic Church's call for us to love and care for God's creation, especially for our most vulnerable neighbors. I try to affirm the moral, spiritual and non-partisan foundations of this appeal, so that we can build bridges through divisions and generate lasting, compassionate and cooperative solutions for the climate crisis.

Before the Covenant, I was blessed to serve with the Friends Committee on National Legislation, the National Congress of American Indians, EPA's American Indian Environmental Office, and the 10th Mountain Division of the U.S. Army. I am a graduate of Brown University and Villanova Law School, and my family and I are parishioners at Good Shepherd Catholic Church in Alexandria Virginia.

Dan Misleh

Founder

As the founder of Catholic Climate Covenant it is a privilege to work every day with our partners and supporters to share the good news of Catholic teaching to care for our common home. Prior to this work, I spent 11 years in the Department of Justice, Peace and Human Development at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, and three years in the Office of Social Action in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. After graduating from Xavier University in Cincinnati, I joined the Jesuit Volunteer Corps and was stationed in Fairbanks, Alaska, where I met my wife Susie (also a volunteer). I received an M.A. in Theology from the Franciscan School of Theology in Berkeley, CA in 1989. Susie and I have three children: Benjamin, Anna and Zachary.

Elena Gaona

Director of Communications

I come to the Catholic Climate Covenant as a communicator who has focused on issues of equity and representation. As a Catholic and mother, I care deeply about what planet we are leaving behind for the next generation, most especially the communities that are being and will continue to be the most affected by climate change.

Prior to this work, I was a newspaper reporter, followed by communication roles at nonprofits and government agencies, including UnidosUS, the Center for American Progress, and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. My husband Keith and I have two energetic daughters, Maya and Fabi, and we attend St. Augustine in Washington, DC.

Paz Artaza-Regan

Program Manager

I have a deep passion for justice and for the protection of God's creation, and I have been blessed with the opportunity to work for over 25 years on environmental and human rights issues within the faith community. Originally from Chile, I see myself as a "citizen of the world" with a strong commitment to global and sustainable development. I have a BA in International relations from George Washington University, a master's degree in international development from American University, and completed the course of work for a master's degree in community and regional planning from the University of British Columbia.

My husband and I have three adult children, two grand-daughters, and a couch-potato pup who is king of the household.

Emily Burke

Social Media Manager

I recently graduated with my B.S. from Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska. I double-majored in Sociology and Justice & Society and triple minored in Graphic Design, Sustainability, and Theology. In my time at Creighton I helped to organize a successful fossil fuel divestment student movement grounded in Catholic and Jesuit values. I was also involved in an interdisciplinary research project that assessed the response of the U.S. Catholic bishops to climate change in the years around the publication of Laudato Si'.

I am now a doctoral student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the joint Sociology and Community and Environmental Sociology program. My research is focused on environmental social movements and the phenomena of climate change denial.

I am excited about my role as Catholic Climate Covenant’s Social Media Manager as I find social media to be a great tool to facilitate education and communication about the climate crisis. As a young adult, climate change is at the forefront of my priorities and anxieties. I look forward to energizing people of all ages to care for our common home!

Kathy Foley

Office Manager

After running a bookkeeping service, raising 6 children and actively engaging in St. Catherine Laboure parish, my husband and I spent three years as missionaries at St. Augustine Indian Mission in Winnebago, Nebraska. This amazing adventure left me hungering for more ways to serve the church and her people. I now share leadership of our parish's Stephen Ministry with my husband, Jeff. I am excited to begin another adventure by joining Catholic Climate Covenant.

Kelly Hickman

Database Manager

I serve as the Database Manager for the Catholic Climate Covenant, maintaining the database and supporting the Covenant with various administrative, financial, and programmatic duties. I am passionate about advancing social justice and undoing institutionalized racism, and I deeply believe in the Covenant's mission to inspire and transform hearts and minds toward ecological conversion, working to achieve climate and environmental justice. I serve on the board of the Spiritual Exercises in Everyday Life (SEEL) Puget Sound and on the A Matter of Spirit editorial board. I am a third generation Seattleite and enjoy spending lots of time with family and friends, snuggling my cat Leeloo, and practicing the radical act of resting.

Henry Glynn

Policy Advisor

I am a senior at Creighton University studying political science, theology, and justice & peace studies. As a young Catholic excited for the future, my passions lie at the crucial intersections of climate science, faith, and politics. Recognizing education’s foundational value to an informed society, I strive to work for faith-fulfilling climate solutions that build bridges across political and religious spectra.

Originally from Sabetha, Kansas, I am excited to continue engaging with the Covenant’s inspiring mission in Omaha, Nebraska.

Nancy LaVerda

Public Health Volunteer

It has been a pleasure for me to help the Catholic Climate Covenant with the development of educational literature that documents the impact of climate change on the health of humanity. I have advanced degrees in public health with a DrPH from George Washington University and an MPH from Columbia University.. I have worked in the field of public health for over 35 years and am very happy to use my education and experience to support the mission of the Covenant. I am a long-term parishioner of St. Matthew's Cathedral in Washington, D.C., and serve as a member of their creation care team.

Michael Wright

Homily Helps Editor

I am a retired NASA engineer, a licensed social worker, and a freelance writer on the environment and faith. I am author of the booklet 10 Things Pope Francis Wants You to Know About the Environment and Catholic Update: Pope Francis and the Environment (both from Liguori Publications). My articles have appeared in National Catholic Reporter, U.S. Catholic and Liguorian magazines. I am also a member of the Climate Psychology Alliance of North America, as a climate-aware therapist.

My wife and I have three adult children, 2 cats, and 8 chickens. Our home in south-central Pennsylvania is a 19th century farmhouse with solar photovoltaic, solar hot water, and two spring-fed geothermal systems (as well as indoor plumbing). I am a parishioner at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church and founder of its Care for Creation ministry, the only one in the Diocese of Harrisburg. I am honored to be editor of Homily Helps, and humbled by the reflective insights of our contributors.