About Us
Jesuit Conference Staff
The Society's Superior General appoints a president to oversee the work of the Jesuit Conference. The Jesuit Conference Board is comprised of the six provincials of Canada and the United States. Secretariats under the direction of the executive secretary/socius advance its mission.
Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the Jesuit Conference promotes common goals and coordinates common projects for the Jesuit provinces of Canada and the United States. As Conference president, Fr. Paulson serves as part of the Superior General’s extended council and represent the Society in many church and civic venues. He also represents the Conference internationally and serves as the religious superior of the Boston College School of Theology and Ministry and the Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University in Berkeley, California.
“I am humbled to be entrusted with this responsibility to work with the five provincials in Canada and the USA to advance our shared responsibility for the global Jesuit mission — we are stronger together,” said Fr. Paulson.
Named provincial of the Chicago-Detroit Province in 2013, Fr. Paulson led a unification process with the Wisconsin Province, which joined together to form the USA Midwest Province in 2017. During his tenure in the Midwest, Fr. Paulson had been a leader among the provincials in his work toward racial justice and healing in partnership with the Descendants of those enslaved by the Jesuits. He has also been a key voice on topics related to the promotion of vocations and Jesuit formation — the training of men who enter the Society.
Fr. Paulson has served in a variety of leadership positions as a Jesuit. From 1993 to 1998 he was the vocations director for the Chicago Province (now the USA Midwest Province). After 11 years as president of Saint Ignatius College Prep in Chicago (1999 to 2010), he was named rector of the Loyola University Jesuit Community in Chicago before becoming provincial of the Chicago-Detroit Province (now the USA Midwest Province).
Fr. Paulson entered the Society of Jesus at Loyola House Jesuit Novitiate in Berkley, Michigan, on September 12, 1981. He was ordained to the priesthood on June 13, 1992, and professed final vows on March 25, 2001. A native of Waukegan, Illinois, he attended St. Anastasia Grade School and Campion Jesuit High School in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin. When the school closed in 1975, he finished his high school education at Loyola Academy in Wilmette, Illinois, and went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in international economics from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service.
After graduating from Georgetown, he entered the Society. Since joining the Jesuits he has earned a master’s degree in political philosophy from Loyola University Chicago, a bachelor of sacred theology degree (STB) from Centre Sèvres in Paris, a master’s degree in education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and a licentiate in sacred theology (STL) from the Weston Jesuit School of Theology. He has served on the board of trustees at Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School, Christ the King Jesuit College Preparatory School, the Lumen Christi Institute of Chicago, and was a trustee associate at Boston College after 16 years of service on the board of trustees.
Father Sean Michaelson, S.J., is the Executive Secretary/Socius for the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.
Fr. Michaelson first met the Jesuits as a high school student at Brophy College Preparatory in Phoenix. At Georgetown University, he earned a bachelor’s degree in English and continued his studies at Boston College, where he earned a master’s degree.
Fr. Michaelson entered the Society of Jesus as a novice in 1996, later earning a master’s in philosophy from Fordham University in New York and a Ph.D. in 18th-century British and Irish satire from Arizona State University. His theology studies include a Master of Divinity degree, a Licentiate in Sacred Theology and a master’s in theology, all from Regis College at the University of Toronto.
Ordained in 2006, Fr. Michaelson taught at the Colegio del Sagrado Corazon in Montevideo, Uruguay, before joining the English department at the University of San Francisco as an assistant professor. In addition to serving as chair of the English department, Fr. Michaelson was also the director of the St. Ignatius Institute, the university’s great books residential learning program.
Before his current role at the Jesuit Conference, Fr. Michaelson served for three years as formation director for the California and Oregon Province Jesuits, responsible for the training of the provinces’ men preparing to be Jesuit brothers and priests.
Fr. Chris Kellerman, SJ, is the Secretary of the Jesuit Conference Office of Justice and Ecology. Originally from Arlington, TX, he studied at Texas Tech University, the University of Dallas, and Regis College at the University of Toronto. From 2020-2022 he served as visiting fellow and then interim director at the Jesuit Social Research Institute at Loyola University New Orleans where he engaged in research, education, and advocacy on issues related to racial and environmental justice. Kellerman regularly gives talks to Catholic audiences on the history of the Church and slavery, Catholic social teaching, and healing our polarized divide in the Church and the United States. He is the author of All Oppression Shall Cease: A History of Slavery, Abolitionism, and the Catholic Church.
Mike Jordan Laskey joined the Jesuit Conference communications team in 2018. He leads a team responsible for the Jesuits.org website, social media and vocation promotion. He also serves as the host of the AMDG Jesuit podcast.
Previously, Mike was the director of Life & Justice Ministries for the Diocese of Camden, New Jersey, and worked in Catholic parish and nonprofit ministry. A writer and speaker, he is the author of the book The Ministry of Peace and Justice (Liturgical Press), and he’s the sports columnist for the National Catholic Reporter, where he also contributes to the Young Voices section. His work has also appeared in America, Give Us This Day, Millennial, US Catholic, Vice and other outlets. He has an MA in theology from the University of Notre Dame, where he also earned a BA in English. He lives with his family in Maryland.
Eric Clayton is the deputy director of communications at the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States and the author of “Cannonball Moments: Telling Your Story, Deepening Your Faith” (Loyola Press). He joined the team in 2019 and produces content that invites deeper reflection on Ignatian spirituality and everyday life. He also guest hosts AMDG: A Jesuit Podcast.
He previously worked at Catholic Relief Services, most recently as the Campaign Content Manager, overseeing the development of prayer and advocacy resources aimed at promoting Catholic social teaching to a US-based audience. He has also managed social media channels for Maryknoll Lay Missioners, developed and directed retreats for the Sisters of Bon Secours and was an adjunct professor in the Mass Communication department at Towson University. His writing has appeared in America, National Catholic Reporter, Busted Halo, Amendo, Sojourners, Grotto Network, Give Us This Day and more.
He has a BA in creative writing and international studies from Fairfield University and an MA in international media from American University. He lives in Baltimore, MD with his wife and two daughters and their cat, Sebastian.
Follow Eric’s writing on Twitter (@eclaytopia) or at his website, ericclaytonwrites.com.
MegAnne Liebsch is the communications manager for the Office of Justice and Ecology of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States. She coordinates with OJE policy advisors to develop stories and resources that promote deeper engagement with issues of social and environmental injustice.
Liebsch holds an MA in Media and International Conflict from University College Dublin and a BA from La Salle University. She is based in Washington, DC.
Harrison Hanvey is the Manager of Outreach and Partnerships for the Jesuit Conference Office of Justice and Ecology. He joined the team in 2023 and works with members of the Jesuit network within the Conference and beyond to raise their voices in the public sphere, impacting federal policy for the ommon good.
Born and raised in Wichita Falls, Texas, he graduated with a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Texas Christian University. Soon after graduation, he moved to Central America to work with vulnerable populations in rural communities. Before joining the Jesuit Conference, he worked at the Catholic University of America in the Office of Campus Ministry as the Associate Director of Community Engagement, Social Justice and Catholic Social Teaching Initiatives.
Thomas Mulloy is the new Director of Government Relations for the Jesuit Conference Office of Justice and Ecology (OJE). He builds relationships with the U.S. Congress and Administration in order to develop and implement OJE’s policy agenda.
Previously, Tom was the Director of Poverty Programs for the National Council of the United States Society of St. Vincent de Paul, where he oversaw the Society’s public policy advocacy and systemic change initiatives. In 2019, St. John’s University (NY) awarded him the St. Vincent de Paul Medal, given to a layperson who embodies the values of its namesake in serving people living in poverty. Before the Society, he worked for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops as a domestic economic, labor, housing, and social welfare policy advisor. He began his public policy career on Capitol Hill, on the staff of a former Member of Congress.
Tom holds a Master of Science in Social Administration from the Mandel School at Case Western Reserve University, as well as a Bachelor of Arts in English and Spanish from John Carroll University. After graduating from John Carroll, Tom joined the Jesuit Volunteer Corps and lived in Casa Celina Ramos in San Diego, CA. He worked at the Sherman Heights Community Center, managing the seniors program and afterschool homework center.
Tom resides in Philadelphia with his family.
