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.

Michael Adamus has worked in the field of disability advocacy for many years. Most recently, he served as the Disability and Deaf Ministry Director for Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Erie, Pennsylvania, and appeared on EWTN The Church Universal as a representative for NCPD.  Adamus participated on a panel at a breakout session on Disability and Deaf Ministry at the 2017 Convocation of Catholic Leaders meeting sponsored by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in Orlando, FL. He has been a member of the Knights of Columbus since 2000. Adamus has also served as a member of the Pennsylvania Rehabilitation Council for six years and is a current member of the Florida Rehabilitation Council. 

Walter is an associate director in the Office of Religious Education for the Archdiocese of New Orleans and is a member of the Mission Committee and Education Committee on the NCPD Board. Bonam previously served as a Catholic school program coordinator and principal, and as a public high school teacher. In 2011, a gunshot inflicted during an armed robbery attempt at his home left him paralyzed from the chest down, with limited use of his hands and a heightened appreciation for the precious gift of life. Bonam is married, and the father of an adult daughter. He holds a Master of Arts in Theological Studies from Notre Dame Seminary and Graduate School of Theology in New Orleans, and a Bachelor of Arts in English from Emory University.

Dione Grillo is the coordinator of Advanced Catechetical Ministries and Basic Catechist Formation for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. Grillo serves on the NCPD Board as a member of the Education and Development & Promotion Committees. She is also on the Archdiocese of Los Angeles Special Needs Committee and is the former consultant for elementary catechesis for the Archdiocese. Grillo has a Master of Arts in Pastoral Studies from Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, and over twenty years of experience in catechetical ministry and parish catechetical leadership. She is also a member of the National Conference for Catechetical Leadership where she serves on the Standards and Certification Committee.

Charleen Katra is an Associate Director in the Office of Evangelization and Catechesis for the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston and a disability consultant for Sadlier. She serves on the NCPD Board as the liaison to NCPD’s Council on Mental Illness and chair of the Education Committee. Katra holds a Bachelor of Science in Special Education and Elementary Education from Kent State University, and a Master of Arts in Pastoral Studies from the University of St. Thomas in Houston.

Bishop Mitchell Rozanski is the Bishop of Springfield (MA), and is on the Ethics and Public Policy committee for the NCPD Board. Prior to being appointed the Bishop of Springfield, Bishop Rozanski was appointed as auxiliary Bishop for the Archdiocese of Baltimore. One of Bishop Rozanski’s roles in the Archdiocese of Baltimore was Vicar for Hispanics. Bishop Rozanski also serves on the National Committee for the Protection of Youth and Young People, and the Advisory Council of the National Association of Catholic Chaplains. Bishop Rozanski was the former episcopal moderator for the National Apostolate for Inclusion Ministry before they transitioned into NCPD’s Council on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities.