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Our Staff and Board

Catholics for Choice employs a diverse team of thought-leaders, experts and advocates who manage our programs and drive our efforts.

Board of Directors

Linda Pinto, Board Chair
she/her

Linda Pinto, a former Franciscan nun, retired from a career in subsidized senior housing and healthcare. She helped to establish Project Self-Sufficiency, a non profit dedicated to supporting single-parent families. She currently serves as the co-chair of CORPUS, the National Association for an Inclusive Priesthood.

Dawne M. Deppe
she/her

Dawne Deppe has worked on international development projects for over 25 years. She specializes in gender in development, youth development, emergency assistance, and monitoring and evaluation. Dawne has a Bachelor of Arts in religion and Russian language from the University of Iowa, and a Master of Arts in women’s studies and political management from The George Washington University.

Meghan Holden
she/her

Meghan Holden is the communications director for the ACLU of Connecticut. She is a graduate of Wheaton College in Massachusetts and has worked in development, policy, and communications roles with organizations focused on girls’ empowerment, feminist literature, reproductive freedom and justice, abolition, and financial support for people living with HIV.

Erin Matson
she/her

Erin Matson is co-founder and executive director of Reproaction, a national organization leading bold action to increase access to abortion and advance reproductive justice. A writer and organizer, she has previously served as action vice president of the National Organization for Women and editor at large for Rewire News Group. She is an alum of Georgetown University.

Kate Ott
she/her

Kate Ott is professor of Christian social ethics at Drew Theological School. Her scholarship focuses on sexuality and reproductive justice, youth and young adults, technology, and professional ethics. Her newest book is “Sex, Tech, and Faith: Christian Ethics in a Digital Age.” She lectures and leads workshops across North America on technology and sexuality issues related to faith formation for teens, young adults, parents, and religious educators and professionals.

Victor Reyes

Gloria Romero Roses
she/ella

Born in Bogotá, Colombia, Gloria Romero Roses has a career in real estate that spans 30 years, starting with Community Association Management, then branching out into real estate development starting in affordable housing and community redevelopment, as well as luxury high-rise development and assisted living. She is passionate about building coalitions for the common good in the areas of transit, economic mobility, and equality.

Kathy Ryg
she/her

Kathy Ryg formerly served as state representative from Illinois and president of Voices for Illinois Children. She has a Master of Arts. in guidance and counseling and Masters of Public Administration from Roosevelt University in Chicago. She also serves on the board of CHANGE Illinois, a good government reform organization.

Jennifer Villavicencio, M.D., MPP
she/ella

Jennifer Villavicencio, M.D. is a Cuban American who was born in Miami, Florida. She is the daughter of an immigrant and a nurse. She received her bachelor’s in neuroscience from the University of Miami and her medical education at the University of Central Florida. She graduated from OB-GYN residency at Brown University and completed her Complex Family Planning Fellowship at the University of Michigan. She also received her Master’s in Public Policy from the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan. She is an expert in OB-GYN and complex family planning, health policy, and strategic communication of socially complex subjects. In addition to clinical caregiving, her passions include reproductive justice-informed health policy, structural equity, and anti-racism and effective messaging around abortion.

Jessica Avery, MPPA
she/her

Jessica Avery has worked at the intersection of state policy, politics, and philanthropy for the past decade. She graduated from Mount Holyoke College, majoring in gender studies with a Nexus minor in law, public policy, and human rights. Jessica received her Master of Public Policy and Administration, focusing on nonprofit management, at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

Affiliations listed for identification purposes only.

Leadership

Jamie L. Manson she/her
President
@JamieLManson

Dayspring Cabaniss she/her
Director of Development

Elyce Nollette she/her
Director of Special Projects

Shannon Russell she/her
Director of Policy
@ShannonRussell

Taylor Tuckerman she/her
Director of Operations

Ashley Wilson she/her
Director of Communications & Strategy
@APdubs

Finance and Administrative Staff 

Maddy Niziolek she/her                                                                                                                                Administrative Assistant

Communications and Strategy Staff

John Becker he/him
Press Secretary
@Freedom2Marry 

Aisha Biyo she/her
Digital Media Specialist

Kate Hoeting she/her
Writer and Managing Editor
@K_Hoe15

Lauren Morrissey she/they
Communications Associate
@lmor16 

Development Staff

Christina Cisarik she/her
Institutional Giving Manager

Policy Staff

Steph Hanson-Quintana she/ella
Organizing Manager
@HansonQuintana

Lilian Medina Romero she/ella
Latinx Outreach & Spanish Communications Consultant

Molly Lesser she/her
Federal Policy Associate

International Staff

Manuela Tironi she/her
International Programs Associate
@ManuTironi