Board

Most Reverend Joseph E. Kurtz is the Archbishop of Louisville (KY) and the Episcopal Moderator of the National Catholic Partnership on Disability. Before becoming the Archbishop of Louisville in 2007, Archbishop Kurtz was the Bishop of Knoxville (TN) from 1999 to 2007. In 2017, Archbishop Kurtz gave the National Catholic Educational Association’s Exceptional Learners Conference keynote address entitled, “Learning with and from my brother George, born with Down syndrome.” Archbishop Kurtz has over 30 years of experience working in social services within the Church, including his position as the executive director of the Catholic Social Agency and Family Life Bureau in the Diocese of Allentown.

Archbishop Kurtz is currently on the Board of the National Catholic Bioethics Center and the Institute for Priestly Formation, as well as the Board of Trustees of The Catholic University of America (CUA). He is also a member of the CUA Council for the National Catholic School of Social Service, and a member of the Advisory Board to the cause for Archbishop Fulton Sheen’s beatification. Archbishop Kurtz holds a Bachelor of Divinity and Master of Divinity degree from St. Charles Borromeo Seminary, and a Master of Arts degree in social work from the Marywood School of Social Work in Scranton, Pennsylvania.

The Most Reverend Michael F. Burbidge is a native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He attended St. Charles Borromeo Seminary and was ordained a priest of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia in 1984.

Bishop Burbidge holds a bachelor’s degree in philosophy and a master’s degree in theology from St. Charles Borromeo Seminary, a master’s in education administration from Villanova University, and a doctorate in education from Immaculata College.

In addition to parish and school priestly assignments, he served as administrative secretary to the Archbishop of Philadelphia from 1992-1999. In 1998, he was named Honorary Prelate to His Holiness Pope John Paul II with the title of Monsignor. In 1999, then Monsignor Burbidge was appointed rector of St. Charles Borromeo Seminary. In 2002, he was ordained an auxiliary bishop of Philadelphia.

On June 8, 2006, Pope Benedict XVI named Bishop Burbidge the fifth bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Raleigh. On October 4, 2016, he was announced by Pope Francis as the fourth bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Arlington and was installed on December 6, 2016, at the Cathedral of Saint Thomas More.

Bishop Burbidge is a member of several Boards of Trustees, including The Catholic University of America, Mount St. Mary’s Seminary, the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, Catholic International University, and the Commissariat of the Holy Land.

Bishop Burbidge has held a number of leadership positions at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and previously served as Chairman of the USCCB Committee on Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations, the Committee for Communications, and the Committee on Pro-Life Activities.

In recent years, Bishop Burbidge has published pastoral letters titled, “In Tongues All Can Hear: Communicating the Hope of Christ in Times of Trial,” “A Catechesis on the Human Person and Gender Ideology,” and “The Christian Family, In Vitro Fertilization, and Heroic Witness to True Love.”  

Tom Crishon serves as the Chief Legal Officer for The Arc of Indiana, a statewide non-profit association dedicated to advocating for and supporting individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families. Since assuming this role in October 2024, Tom has utilized his extensive legal expertise to advance the rights, opportunities, and meaningful participation of individuals with disabilities across Indiana.

Prior to joining The Arc of Indiana, Tom dedicated 14 years to Indiana Disability Rights (IDR), the state's designated Protection and Advocacy system. Starting as a staff attorney and ultimately serving as General Counsel and Legal Director, he played a pivotal role in protecting, promoting, and empowering the rights of individuals with disabilities. While at IDR, Tom also contributed his leadership to several important committees. As a Steering Committee member of the Back Home in Indiana Alliance, he worked to increase the availability of affordable, accessible, and inclusive housing for individuals with disabilities. As a member of the Indiana Bureau of Disabilities Services' Mortality Review Committee, he helped analyze the deaths of individuals receiving state services, identifying trends and developing recommendations to improve provider-specific and system-wide service delivery. Tom also served on NAMI Indiana's Public Policy Committee, advancing policies to support individuals with serious mental illnesses and their families.

In addition to his professional work, Tom is deeply engaged in his parish community at St. Louis de Montfort Catholic Church in Fishers, Indiana. At the invitation of his Pastor, Father Thomas Haan, Tom joined the Parish's Long Range Planning Committee in December 2023, contributing to the future vision and direction of the parish. He also served on the St. Louis de Montfort School Advisory Council from 2021 to 2024, including as Chair during the 2023-2024 term, supporting the parish school's mission and operations.

Tom brings significant governance and leadership experience to his roles. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Fair Housing Center of Central Indiana, a private, non-profit organization committed to eradicating housing discrimination and promoting inclusive communities. During his tenure, he served as Vice President (2016-2020) and President (2020- 2024). Tom also serves on the Board of Directors of Lampco Federal Credit Union, a community­based financial institution with a strong commitment to underserved populations.

Tom resides in Fishers, Indiana, with his wife, Mandi, an audiologist, and their two children, Gia (13) and Jace (11), both students at St. Louis de Montfort Catholic School. Together, they are active members of their parish community. Tom is dedicated to advancing opportunities for meaningful participation in both church and society, aligning deeply with the mission of the National Catholic Partnership on Disability.

Aracely Baeza is a case manager at Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City. She works in the Family Support Services Department, where the focus is to assist low-income families and individuals in working towards self-sufficiency to maintain a healthy, safe, and secure lifestyle. Baeza was also the Oklahoma State Ambassador for the Muscular Dystrophy Association during 2017 and 2018. She represented NCPD at the V National Encuentro of Hispanic/Latino Ministry in 2018, which is a process of ecclesial reflection and action in Catholic parishes across the United States. She also assisted NCPD in facilitating a 2016 diocesan review about participation of individuals with disabilities within the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City.

Michael J. Boyle is the Director of the Andrew M. Greeley Center for Catholic Education at Loyola University (IL), and serves on the NCPD Board as a member of the Education Committee. Boyle has experience as a school psychologist, special education administrator, and Catholic school principal. He also serves on the governing board of the Journal of Catholic Education and is a member of the Professional Development Advisory Board of the National Catholic Educational Association. Dr. Boyle has written a book entitled, Response to Intervention: A Framework for Catholic Schools. He has also published work in the book, Scholarly Essays on Catholic School Leadership: Research and Insights on Attaining the Mission of Catholic School. In 2014, Dr. Boyle received the C. Albert Koob Merit Award by the National Catholic Educational Association for his contributions to Catholic Education.

Marie Hilliard is the Senior Fellow of the National Catholic Bioethics Center. She is a registered nurse, an ethicist, and a canon lawyer. In addition, she has graduate degrees in religious studies, nursing, and canon law, and a doctoral degree in Professional Nursing Higher Education Administration. She is President of the National Association of Catholic Nurses - USA, and on the Executive Board of the International Catholic Committee of Nurses and Medical Social Assistants which is a member association of the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Promotion of Integral Human Development. She co-chairs the Ethics Committee for the Catholic Medical Association.  Hilliard is a retired colonel of the United States Army Reserve where she served as a nurse for over 20 years.

Miguel Romero is assistant professor of Religious & Theological Studies at Salve Regina University (RI), member of KofC council 379, and NCPD Board member. His published work is in moral theology, Catholic social teaching, theological method, and the thought of St. Thomas Aquinas. Romero recently presented at the Vatican on sacramental catechesis during the "Catechesis & Persons with Disability Conference," sponsored by the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization. Romero’s forthcoming book is entitled Destiny of the Wounded Creature: St. Thomas Aquinas on Disability.