NEW YORK CITY

PARTNERING WITH

In monthly sessions held at the IESE Business School, Leonine Fellows are led by Catholic thought leaders from around the greater New York City Metropolitan area. During these sessions Leonine Fellows will grapple with some of the most important questions at the intersection of Catholicism and public life.

NEW YORK CITY

PARTNERING WITH

In monthly sessions held at the IESE Business School, Leonine Fellows are led by Catholic thought leaders from around the greater New York City 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 NEW YORK CITY

FIRST-YEAR LEONINE FELLOWS

Javier Alvarez
Murray Hill Place, Inc.


Javier was born and raised in Miami, FL in a family of seven children. After studying mechanical engineering at MIT, he specialized in business systems analysis and data science. He was a financial engineer for Moody’s Analytics in NYC, after which he worked for ZipRecruiter as a data analyst in Los Angeles. He is excited to be back in the Big Apple, where he is the project and business operations manager for the Regional Commission of Opus Dei in the United States. He enjoys swimming, reading, and taking advantage of NYC’s limitless cultural offerings.
Kallie Aultman
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies


Kallie is a Humanitarian Affairs Adviser for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) – Delegation to the United Nations. In this role, she leads on climate and migration policy. Prior to joining the IFRC, she worked in immigration advocacy in Washington D.C. and was a Diplomatic Attaché at the Permanent Observer Mission of the Holy See to the United Nations. Kallie earned her Master of Business Administration and Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and International Studies at the University of St. Thomas. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, watching and playing tennis, and spending time with family and friends.
Gretchen Bednarz
Bloomberg LP


Gretchen currently works in portfolio & risk product sales at Bloomberg. She is from the suburbs of Philadelphia (Yardley, PA) and grew up as the middle of five kids. Gretchen graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 2019 where she studied International Relations and Statistics. Afterwards, she spent the summer as an au pair in Spain, then lived and worked in Germany as a Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange fellow. She enjoys exploring cities by foot, writing, long conversations over coffee or wine, the rosary, learning languages and any recipes that involve feta.
Hilarina Casie Chitty
NYU Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development


Originally from Sri Lanka, Hilarina has worked in private and nonprofit sectors at the intersection of communication and social impact. Her experience includes two Fortune Global 500 companies—HSBC and Johnson & Johnson, the World Bank and NYU among others, with her work supporting diverse community-based projects across Asia, North America, Latin America, and Sub-Saharan Africa. She currently works in research administration at NYU Steinhardt’s Office of Research as an operations and communications manager. Hilarina is bilingual—with fluency in Sinhala (native to Sri Lanka) and English—and has a basic understanding of Tamil. She holds an MPA in Public and Nonprofit Management and Policy from NYU’s Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, a Master of Communication and Information Studies from Rutgers University and a BA in Business Administration from Staffordshire University, UK. Hilarina loves to walk, hike, volunteer and currently serves as a Co-Worker with the Sisters of Life.
Philip Castoro
P3 Analytics


Phil leads P3 Analytics, a private consulting company specializing in pattern recognition and predictive modeling. His work serves industries ranging from finance to non-profits to baseball. His educational background includes Master's degrees in Statistics (UConn) and Economics (NYU). Phil grew up in Woodside, Queens, and currently lives on Manhattan's Upper East Side. He enjoys time exploring nature, fitness, classic games and puzzles, and writing. He is a long-time Catholic NYC citizen, and is happy to be involved in this year's Leonine Forum.
Min Tae Cha
Princeton University


Min Tae is a Ph.D. candidate at Princeton University, where he is completing his dissertation on religion and constitutionalism in the 19th-century Anglophone world. Born and raised in Korea, he graduated from Yonsei University with a B.A. and M.A. with distinction before moving to the U.S. for graduate school. When not at his studies, Min Tae enjoys cooking, swing dancing, and reading. He also sings occasionally in different church choirs.
Heidi Cinquegrana
Con Edison


Heidi Cinquegrana was born and raised in New York. She has primarily worked in the energy sector focusing on enterprise risk management, project management, compliance and finance. She received her Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance from Baruch College, MBA from Fordham University, and received a professional certification from Columbia University in Enterprise Risk Management. In her day-to-day life, Heidi's goal is to make people smile and to inspire her team and others to reach their full potential. She is passionate about her faith, family and friends. Heidi enjoys spending her time running in Central Park, traveling to unique corners of the world, volunteering, swing dancing to live big-bands, and learning to play golf.
Alessandro Crocco
The Formation Foundation - In Format Ltd


Alessandro is an entrepreneur at heart with diverse interests in the food, beverage, and real estate industry. He's also very active in the nonprofit world and currently serves as director of development for the Formation Foundation. Alessandro graduated from the University of Minnesota, receiving a B.S. in International Business and Marketing. He lives in Westchester with his wife and daughter.
Thomas Dilling
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals
Jeremy Faust
Permanent Observer Mission of the Holy See to the United Nations


Jeremy serves as an Attaché with the Holy See Permanent Observer Mission to the United Nations. Previously, he served as a Presidential Management Fellow with the US Bureau of Reclamation. Originally from Mahwah, NJ, Jeremy attended Regis High School on Manhattan's Upper East Side before obtaining a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Davidson College. He also holds a Master of Arts in Nonproliferation and Terrorism Studies from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies and a Master of Arts in International Relations from the Moscow State Institute of International Relations. Prior to his government service, Jeremy interned at the US Department of State and Habitat for Humanity Interntional and served as a Graduate Research Assistant at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies, where he has published a book chapter on the Presidential Nuclear Initiatives and a monograph on US policy towards the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty.
Kevin Fischer
J.P. Morgan


Kevin Fischer is a Vice President at J.P. Morgan where he leads projects related to infrastructure modernization and cloud migrations. He received his Bachelor of Science from Fordham University's Gabelli School of Business where he also played lacrosse. Kevin previously served in the United States Marine Corps with combat deployments to Afghanistan and is now very active mentoring recently separated veterans as they enter the civilian work force. In his spare time Kevin enjoys staying active with long bike rides, playing golf or tennis, and spending time at the beach in North Carolina. Originally from Armonk, NY he now calls Bronxville home and is a parishioner of the Church of St. Jospeh.
Vincent Franzonello
AvePoint, Inc


Vincent Franzonello is the the Director of Partners for AvePoint, Inc and is responsible for managing their Partners & Alliances for the United States sales organization. Vincent has spent the last 10+ years working for and with large technology companies helping them develop and nurture partner relationships. He recently relocated from Washington DC to NYC with his wife and son. In his free time he enjoys dabbling in Stand Up Comedy
Javier Gonzalez
We Mean Business Coalition


Javier grew up in Mexico city. His endless curiosity led him to study mechanical engineering and enroll in history courses during his college years.He started his professional career in the automotive industry, making a switch to the non-profit sector, where he managed a forest conservation program in partnership with indigenous communities in the state of Oaxaca. Five years ago, he moved to the US and obtained a Masters degree in Environmental Management from Yale University. Nowadays, he works at a climate finance non-profit, seeking to advance climate action through sustainable standards. Throughout his life, he has had many opportunities to belong to (and create) faith groups. He nourishes his faith from Ignatian, Dominican, Benedictine and CL spirituality. He is passionate about finding beauty and the sacred behind all of creation and seeks to inspire others in this quest. In his free time, he enjoys reading, listening to opera and cooking
Molly Haigh
Digital Product Management


Molly Haigh grew up in the Pacific Northwest and spent the last 15 years in the Midwest before landing in NYC. Molly has worked at the intersection of corporate innovation and the startup ecosystem for the past 10+ years, launching new digital products and services for global companies. She enjoys exploring the city, traveling to see her large family throughout the US, and getting outside to a mountain, lake, or golf course. Molly holds a M.A in Digital Communication and Media Arts from DePaul University and a B.A in Humanistic Studies from Saint Mary’s College, Notre Dame, IN.