Board of Directors

Ambassador Elizabeth Frawley Bagley, Chair
Former U.S. Ambassador to Portugal

Ambassador Elizabeth Frawley Bagley is a Counsel member of the law firm of Manatt, Phelps & Phillips and a Senior Advisor for Manatt Jones Global Strategies. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, US Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy, Board of Directors of American Ireland Fund, Vital Voices Global Partnership, National Democratic Institute for International Affairs, Refugees International, the US Institute of Peace and the French American Foundation. Ambassador Elizabeth Frawley Bagley served as Senior Advisor to the Secretary of State from 1997 – 2001, where she established and headed the Office of Media Programming Acquisition for the newly independent Balkan states. She also served as a Senate liaison for NATO Enlargement. Prior to her position at the State Department, Ambassador Bagley served as the U.S. Ambassador to Portugal from 1994 to 1997. She is a member of Holy Trinity parish, Washington DC.

Francis Xavier Doyle, Treasurer-Secretary

Frank Doyle was the Founding Executive Director of the Catholic Development Conference, founded in 1968. From 1971 through 1995, Mr. Doyle served in various positions within the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, including Assistant Director, Government Liaison, Director of Finance and Administration, and Associate General Secretary. He was also formerly a 1st Lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps, a high school teacher, and an FBI Special Agent. Mr. Doyle is a graduate of the College of the Holy Cross, received M.A. in Education from Hofstra University, and J.D. from St. John’s University. He has served on the Board of Directors of several non profit organizations, including the Catholic Church Extension Society, the Holdy Childhood Association, and on the Rector’s Advisory Board of Theological College, Catholic University of America. He is a member of St. Mark’s Parish, Vienna, VA, where he has served as a President of the Pastoral Council.

William J. Byron
President, St. Joseph's Preparatory School

Rev. William J. Byron, S.J., a priest of the Society of Jesus, was the 12th president of The Catholic University of America as well as the president of the University of Scranton. From 2003-2004, Byron was also interim president of Loyola University New Orleans. Fr. Byron has recently accepted the position of president at Saint Joseph's Preparatory School in Philadelphia, from which he himself graduated in 1945. He is also a research professor in the Sellinger School of Business at Loyola College in Maryland. Entering the Society of Jesus in 1950, he was ordained in 1961. In 1969, he received a doctorate in economics from the University of Maryland.

Prof. Jennifer Mason
University of Notre Dame School of Law

Professor Mason is an Associate Professor at University of Notre Dame School of Law, where she teaches civil rights law. She was just named “Professor of the Year” by the students of the School of Law. As an attorney in Washington, DC, her practice focused on civil rights, children’s rights, and the First Amendment. Ms. Mason graduated summa cum laude in government and theology from the University of Notre Dame and received a J.D. summa cum laude from New York University. After law school, she served as a law clerk to Judge Alex Kozinski on the Ninth Circuit and Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor. Professor Mason is a member of the Church of Loreto in South Bend, Indiana.

Melba Novoa
Executive Director, The National Catholic Council for Hispanic Ministry

Melba Novoa has over 15 years experience working in educational television, radio, and theater with a focus on Hispanic media. Most recently, she served as Executive Director of the National Catholic Council for Hispanic Ministry, a national advocacy organization. Melba Novoa got her BA/MA degrees in Communication/Communication Management from the University of Southern California and lives in San Diego, California.

Agnes Williams

Agnes N. Williams is a graduate of the College of New Rochelle and Georgetown University Law Center. She is a former member of the Board of Directors of Georgetown University, the Woodstock Theological Center and the Federal Association of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta. She is also a former trustee of the College of the Holy Cross, the College of New Rochelle and Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School. Currently she serves on the Board of Advisors of the Georgetown Center for Liturgy.

Alexia Kelley (non-voting)
Executive Director
Catholic Alliance for the Common Good

Alexia has served in diverse capacities in non-profit organizations committed to poverty reduction, social justice, and the environment. She worked for nine years at the Catholic Campaign for Human Development, the U.S. Catholic Bishops’ national anti-poverty program. She is also the co-editor of Living the Catholic Social Tradition: Cases and Commentary (Sheed and Ward 2004) with Dr. Kathleen Maas Weigert. The book examines how low-income led, anti-poverty organizations funded by the Catholic Campaign for Human Development put Catholic social justice teachings into action. She is also the author of Call to Family, Community, and Participation, an education booklet in a Catholic social teaching series published by USCCB. Alexia has a B.A. in Religion with honors from Haverford College and a Master of Theological Studies from Harvard Divinity School with a focus on Christianity and Culture. Alexia is a member of St. Matthew’s Cathedral parish in Washington DC.