José Julián is originally from Puerto Rico. An alumnus from Colegio San José - Marianist College Preparatory, he taught there also, and worked with Juventud Marianista, the Summer Mission at the former Marianist Parish, and Marianist LIFE (Living In Faith Experiences) for over a decade. Being formed in the Marianist charism through education, religious life, work in apostolic institutions and lay community life, José Julián is an advocate of ongoing formation opportunities to put our faith in action. José Julián currently serves as the executive director of the Marianist’s Tecaboca Camp and Retreat Center in Mountain Home, TX.
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Susan first met the Marianists as an undergraduate at the University of Dayton in 1972, where she was shaped by both campus ministry and Marianist professors. She and her husband joined a Lay Marianist Community in the early 1980s, and later deepened their commitment through pilgrimage to Rome for the beatification of Fr. Chaminade. In 2007 she became a Marianist Educational Associate and completed formation in San Antonio, receiving the Lackner Award that same year. Susan spent three decades as a professor in the Department of Teacher Education at UD, where she also served as Director of the Center for Catholic Education. She has been active in Marianist life through community leadership, the Sponsorship Commission, and service on boards and committees, including Bergamo and Marianist-sponsored schools. Trained as both a spiritual director and professional life coach, Susan continues to bring her gifts of listening, discernment, and servant leadership to the Marianist Family.
Paul Combest is the Director of Operations at Central Catholic High School. Paul has completed the Marianist Lay Formation Institute (MLFI), and currently serves on the Marianist Sisters Vocation Fund committee. Paul holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from St. Mary’s University (1988), and a Master’s degree in Pastoral Ministry from the Oblate School of Theology (1996).
Marcela has been connected to the Marianist Family since 1999 when she became a student at Chaminade University of Honolulu. Later, she became a Marianist Affiliate in the middle of the pandemic and also became part of the Marianist Family of California (MFCA) Leadership Team. Marcela has taught theology at Chaminade College Preparatory and other Catholic schools for the last 15 years and been in professional ministry for nearly 20 years. Marcela says that being a Marianist reminds me to always say “Yes” to God’s call to serve and be a voice of justice in a world filled with the opposite.
Ellen Celaya was introduced to the Marianists when she began working at Chaminade College Preparatory in California in 1999. As the Executive Assistant to the President she was involved in almost every aspect of school life and worked closely with the Marianists living in the local community and those serving on the school’s Board of Directors. When she retired in 2016, she knew she didn’t want her Marianist involvement to end. Ellen and her husband are now Marianist Affiliates in Southern California. She is the editor for the Marianist Family Council of California and serves At Large (Area Reps) on the MLC-NA Leadership Team.
Stephen first encountered the Marianists as a student at the University of Dayton, where he lived in Marianist student communities and later helped form the Ho’ololi Lay Marianist Community. Professionally, Stephen works as a program manager at the University of Dayton Research Institute.
Matt Dunn is a member of the Micah Theotokos MLC and the Visitation Marianist State Community. He has served in various roles on the MLC-NA Leadership Council since 2010 and has also served on the MSJC Steering Committee. Matt has represented Marianist laity by serving on the Marianist Family Council of North America and as a delegate to international Marianist assemblies in Lima, Peru and Seoul, South Korea. Professionally, Matt serves as the Manager of Community Programs for the Montgomery County Department of Human Services Planning & Development.
Fr. Roland Bunda graduated from Saint Louis School in 1960. He made his first vows as a Marianist brother in 1962. He was campus minister and Principal at St. Louis from 1979 until 1988. Between 1988 and 2022, he served in various ministries including Chaplain at UC Santa Cruz and, for 14 years, Pastor of St. Anthony parish in Wailuku, Maui. After 34 years, he returned to Kalaepohaku in August of 2022 and is providing priestly ministry at his alma mater, and at Mystical Rose Oratory. He celebrated his 60th Jubilee on Agust 15, 2022.
Rob Brodrick is the first National Director for MLC-NA. He is a founding member and chair of the board of the Mission of Mary Cooperative in Dayton, OH. He has served as a delegate to the International Lay Assembly in Peru, on the national leadership team of the Adele Social Justice Project, and as the editor of the IO-MLC Newsletter, La Madeleine. Prior to joining MLC-NA, Rob worked with HUD’s National HMIS Data Lab at The Partnership Center to provide data-driven solutions to preventing and ending homelessness. Rob holds a BS and MA from the University of Dayton, and a PhD from Boston College.
Luke was first introduced to the Marianists by his father and learned more about the charism while earning his bachelor’s degree at the University of Dayton. While there, he studied Economics, Finance, and Accounting, and he was actively a part of a Marianist Student Community and the Ephphatha lay community. Now working as an accountant for Reading Rock Inc in Cincinnati, Luke is excited to volunteer for MLC-NA as Treasurer.
Ashley met the Marianists at the Marianist Family Retreat Center in Cape May, NJ in 2012. She completed the Marianist Lay Formation Institute (MLFI) and quickly learned that there were Marianists all over the country. She then went on to become a Marianist Affiliate in August 2018. Previously she held the role as Chair of the Marianist Social Justice Collaborative Immigrant Justice Team. She was also Chair of the Northeast Marianist Family Council. Most recently, she had the opportunity to chair the Marianist Lay Assembly in St. Louis, Missouri. Ashley is a full time special education teacher who resides in New Jersey with her husband, Brian, their daughters Charlotte and twins Delilah and Eleanor along with their dog, Louie.
MLC-NA is the national division of the Marianist Lay Communities, an international association of the faithful in the Catholic Church. At the same time, MLC-NA is structured as a nonprofit organization in the United States. The Leadership Council incorporates both the responsibilities and best practices of its religious and civil natures in its ministry of governing the Marianist Lay Communities in the US and Canada.
Religious Structure of the Leadership Council
MLC-NA's Leadership Council is organized according to the Three Offices model of the Marianist tradition. In this model, there are three offices - Spirituality, Temporalities, and Education. The Chair and three Heads of Office are elected by MLC-NA's membership. At MLC-NA, the offices are not primarily a way to divide up tasks, but rather a point of view that each office brings to all the affairs of the association. Responsibilities for each member include:
In addition to the Chair and three Heads of Office, the Leadership Council is further supported by two At-Large representatives which are appointed by the Council. All terms are 3-years in length, renewable for a second term.
MLC-NA's Leadership Council is supported by several non-voting members, including: a Spiritual Advisor, the International Responsible for North America, Ireland, and Australia, a Secretary, and a Treasurer.
Civil Structure of the Leadership Council
As a nonprofit organization, MLC-NA's Leadership Council functions as the board of the corporation. Moreover, MLC-NA follows the best practices of traditional nonprofits in placing the Leadership Council with the board responsibilities of upholding the governance, strategic direction, and fiduciary responsibility of the organization while placing executive functions pertaining to managing the operations of the organization under the National Director.
