LOS ANGELES

PARTNERING WITH

In monthly sessions held at the USC Caruso Catholic Center, Leonine Fellows are led by Catholic thought leaders from around the greater Los Angeles metropolitan area. During these sessions Leonine Fellows will grapple with some of the most important questions at the intersection of Catholicism and public life.

LOS ANGELES

PARTNERING WITH

In monthly sessions held at the USC Caruso Catholic Center, Leonine Fellows are led by Catholic thought leaders from around the greater Los Angeles metropolitan area. During these sessions Leonine Fellows will grapple with some of the most important questions at the intersection of Catholicism and public life.

Join nearly 800 Leonine Fellows across the country 

Become part of a larger community of leaders committed to integrating the teachings of the Church within their professional and civic lives.

Applications will open in June 2023. Sign up below to receive an email notification when 2023-2024 Leonine applications open.
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2022-2023 LOS ANGELES

FIRST-YEAR LEONINE FELLOWS

Kateri Ambrow
The Alvarez Firm


Kateri is an Orange County mother of six children (five sons and one dynamic daughter). She works part-time at The Alvarez Firm supporting a robust team of attorneys and sophisticated clients. Kateri received her B.A. from Christendom College and spent nearly fifteen years in the Washington, D.C. area working in government, for the Catholic Diocese of Arlington, and starting her family. A native of Wisconsin and second of seven children, she enjoys spending time with friends and family, especially her gifted husband, beach life, photography, and anything well-written.
Lorna Baggott
Notre Dame High School, Sherman Oaks


Lorna is committed to Faith, Family and Country. She has a devotion to the Blessed Mother and volunteers her time assisting the sick in Lourdes, France every year. She was born and raised in Southern California and loves to spend her spare time on Catalina Island. She grew up in Pasadena and currently lives in Santa Monica. Lorna is a member of the fundraising and development team at Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks, CA.
Miquel Balta Manich
KAMAN Corporation


Miquel is a Senior Engineer at KAMAN Corporation, an American aerospace company that designs and manufactures helicopters, unmanned vehicles, and precise engineering products. He is leading the Engineering and PM of the Medical Technologies Market, as well as the Product Development Group. Miquel previously worked few years as a researcher and project manager at UC Irvine in both the Laboratory of Control, Dynamics, and Robotics, and the Biorobotics Laboratory. He holds an M.Sc. in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering from UC Irvine, an M.Eng. in Industrial Engineering from UPC, and a B.Sc. in Industrial Technology Engineering from UPC. Being originally from Barcelona (Spain), Miquel loves to travel abroad, hiking National and State Parks, and landscape photography and oil painting. He currently lives in Irvine, CA with his wife and son.
Alexis Barker
St. Monica Academy


Alexis was born and raised in Santa Maria on the beautiful Central Coast of California. She attended USC, first earning a BS in Business Administration and later earning an MA in Teaching and a Secondary Mathematics Teaching Credential. She loved her time at USC, spending her free time at the Caruso Catholic Center going to mass, leading bible study/retreats, and meeting her now husband! Alexis currently works at St. Monica Academy as a Robotics, Computer Science, Physical Science, and Pre-Calculus teacher as well as the robotics coach. Outside of work, she loves spending time refurbishing furniture, exploring Los Angeles, playing Frisbee golf, and playing board games (lots of them!).
Grant Barker
Walt Disney Imagineering


Grant Barker grew up in rainy Portland, Oregon, before moving to California to attend USC. Here, he not only obtained a BS in Mathematics/Economics, but he also met his wife, Alexis. His involvement at the USC Caruso Catholic Center has inspired him to seek a vibrant Catholic community in his post-grad life. He currently works as a Senior Financial Analyst at Walt Disney Imagineering, where he manages the budget for theme park expansions. In his free time, Grant enjoys watching baseball, listening to classic rock music, and playing board games with his wife.
Caroline Beckman
Nouri


Caroline is the Founder and CEO of Nouri, a microbiome health company creating consumer products supporting gut, immune, and brain health. She has founded, advised and invested in over 10 food, beverage, technology and sustainable resource companies that have partnered with leading retailers around the world. Caroline is a proud college dropout and former Thiel Fellow.
Mairead Blaes
KYOCERA Document Solutions Development America, Inc.


Mairead is a UX/UI designer currently working for Kyocera. A California native, her passion for visual design is motivated by a blank canvas' potential to create a lasting impression and invoke positive change. She received her bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Cal Poly SLO and completed a UX certificate program at UCLA Extension. Residing in Pasadena, Mairead enjoys spending time in nature, gathering with friends and family, and honing her creative skills.
Marco Carralero
Accenture LLP


Marco is a consulting manager at Accenture, a global services firm. He previously worked at Tesla and has held fellowships with the Claremont Institute and the Common Sense Society. Marco lives in Dana Point and is active in various Orange County organizations.
Deborah Choi
UC Irvine School of Law


Deborah is a third-year law student at the University of California, Irvine. After graduation, she plans to work in Mergers and Acquisitions at a law firm in Orange County. She studied English Literature at Ave Maria University during undergrad and considers her faith an integral part of her life. Her hobbies include knitting, traveling, and playing video games.
Joseph Cinemato
Joseph Cinemato Enterprises


Joseph is an 11x TELLY Award winning film and television producer, writer, director, and cinematographer. Some of the companies he has worked with include: Disney/ABC, FOX, BBC, HGTV, Netflix, SPEED, HGTV, Alex Hormozi, Travel Channel, and the US Army. In addition to his professional work Joseph has been involved in ministry and missionary work his entire life. This has taken him into the most remote of areas, which include working alongside the US Army Special Forces in the LRA-Warzone in the Congo Jungle.
Madeleine Connolly
The Law Office of Abtin Amir, PC


Madeleine Messinger Connolly is a native of Los Angeles. She attended the Villanova University Honors College, from which she graduated in 2017. After spending a year in campus ministry in Saint Louis, Madeleine enrolled at the University of Southern California, Gould School of Law. Since graduating in 2021, Madeleine has been practicing at the Law Office of Abtin Amir, P.C., where she represents major domestic and international auto companies in consumer protection litigation. In her free time, Madeleine enjoys spending time in nature with her husband, Patrick, reading, embroidering, and traveling.
Patrick Connolly
Jones Day


Patrick Connolly is a native of the suburbs of Atlanta, Georgia. He graduated from Villanova University in 2016 with a bachelor’s and in 2017 with a master’s. Patrick initially spent two years in a PhD program at Saint Louis University studying early Church history before pivoting to law and enrolling at the University of Southern California, Gould School of Law. He graduated in 2022. Patrick will begin working at Jones Day, Los Angeles in the New Lawyer’s Group in October 2022. In his free time, Patrick enjoys spending time with his wife, Madeleine, reading, hiking, and running, and he is a die-hard Atlanta Braves fan.
Alessandra Conti
Matchmakers In The City


"Alessandra Conti is a Celebrity Matchmaker & Co-Founder of Matchmakers In The City, an old-school, personal Matchmaking firm headquartered in Beverly Hills.  Conti is the Celebrity Matchmaker for shows like NBC's Access Hollywood, CBS's Face The Truth, and was a Matchmaker behind 2 seasons of MTV's, Are You The One. Her dating, relationship, and business advice has been featured on Forbes, The New York Times, The LA Times, and more.  For 10 years, Alessandra has worked with Clients ranging from celebrities to young professionals, and leads a team of 8 Matchmakers responsible for hundreds of marriages. For more, visit www.matchmakersinthecity.com.  "
Lauren Costabile