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, Creation Care Teams

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!

Michelle Butler

Operations and Development Manager

As Operations and Development Manager, I am honored to contribute to the Covenant's mission of advancing the call to love and care for God's creation, especially on behalf of BIPOC and marginalized communities. I strive to uphold the ethical, moral, and impartial principles that underpin these efforts, with the hope that we may see climate change as not only a threat, but an opportunity to ensure that every person has access to clean air, clean water, and a healthier life.

Prior to joining the Covenant, I have proudly supported the efforts of mission based organizations across the globe in areas of capacity building, data tracking, and development. In my free time, I speak on environmental racism, respond to disasters and prepare communities for resiliency and recovery on behalf of CERT, ARC, FEMA and UNHCR.

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.

Kayla Jacobs

Program Manager, Youth Mobilization

I serve as the program manager of Youth Mobilization for the Catholic Climate Covenant. I come to this work with 9 years of experience in the diocesan social ministry field, including 3 years as the Director of Programs for the first diocesan Laudato Si’ Ministry in the United States. My favorite line from Laudato Si’, Pope Francis’ encyclical on caring for creation, is: “Soil, water, mountains: everything is, as it were, a caress of God.” I have a passion for being in and seeing God’s love in nature, gardening, and enjoying outdoor sports, especially rock climbing and snowboarding.

Diana Marin

Program Manager, Young Adult Mobilization

I serve as program manager for Young Adult Mobilization with the Catholic Climate Covenant. I come to this work having previously served as theologian-in-residence for the Nuns and Nones Land Justice Project, convening Catholic Sisters and millennial "nones" in conversations on eco-theology. Originally from New York City, I live in San Francisco where I enjoy rock climbing, camping, and searching for the city's best burrito. I hold a Master of Divinity from Harvard Divinity School.

Riley Talbot

Policy and Outreach Associate

I am a student at Georgetown University ('25) studying government, theology, and environmental studies. My passion for my faith combined with my desire to bring about positive change in the world has led me to the Catholic Climate Covenant, where I can combine my care for creation with my knowledge of the American political system. I am ecstatic to join the Covenant as Policy Advocacy intern and look forward to working to make a more harmonious and sustainable future.

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.