Institute Staff
Dr. Jared Ortiz, Executive Director and Co-Founder
Jared Ortiz hails from Hopewell Junction, New York where he was a wayward and impious youth. He entered the University of Chicago in 1996 as a confused agnostic and through the reading of Great Books and under mentorship of wise professors he slowly returned to his childhood faith. After college, he spent two years living in a faith-based community in voluntary poverty while teaching in an inner-city Chicago Catholic school. He received a Masters degree in Liberal Arts from the St. John's College Graduate Institute and a PhD in Early Christian Studies at the Catholic University of America. He is author of You Made Us for Yourself: Creation in St. Augustine's Confessions and editor of Deification in the Latin Patristic Tradition. Currently, he is a full professor in the Religion Department at Hope College. He is happily married to Rhonda, a writer and graphic designer. They have six mischievous children: Benedict, Miriam, Joseph, Leo, Magdalene, and Matthias. Dr. Ortiz can be reached at jared.ortiz@saintbenedictinstitute.org.
Dr. Jack Mulder, Assistant Director and Co-Founder
Jack Mulder is a native of Grand Rapids and a Hope College alumnus. He studied Philosophy and Religion at Hope College before pursuing an MA and PhD in Philosophy at Purdue University where he wrote his dissertation on Kierkegaard. Dr. Mulder was received into the Catholic Church while at graduate school. He is author of several books, including Kierkegaard and the Catholic Tradition,What Does it Mean to Be Catholic? (Eerdmans, 2015) and Civil Dialogue on Abortion (Routledge, 2018). Currently, he is chair and associate professor in the Philosophy Department at Hope College. He is happily married to Melissa, an instructor in Spanish at Hope, and father to two adorable children, Luke and Maria. Dr. Mulder can be reached at mulderj@hope.edu.
Fr. Nicholas Monco, O.P., Chaplain
Fr. Nick Monco was born and raised in Chicago. He went to Claremont McKenna College in California where he majored in Philosophy and Business. He then pursued the priesthood with the Dominican Order of the Midwest Province. He received a Master of Theology and Master of Divinity degree from the Aquinas Institute of Theology in St. Louis, MO, where he also earned a Certificate in Thomistic Studies. He was ordained in 2013 and has taught Theology at Fenwick High School in Oak Park, IL, for the past four years. Fr. Monco can be reached at nicholas.monco@saintbenedictinstitute.org.
Dcn. Brian Piecuch, Development Director and Program Coordinator
After graduating from college, Brian Piecuch served for two years as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Costa Rica working with “campesinos” practicing subsistence farming. This experience reoriented the path of his life to one of serving the needy both here and abroad. His overseas projects included a five-year stint in the Central African Republic with Christian Blind Mission International and a decade in Peru with Medical Ministry International (MMI). Brian and his wife of thirty-five years, Carmen, are the proud parents of five children, who range in age from 18 to 33. In January 2022, Brian was ordained a permanent deacon for the Diocese of Grand Rapids and assigned to his home parish, St. Francis de Sales in Holland. Brian can be reached at 616-392-6700, ext. 8981, or at brian.piecuch@saintbenedictinstitute.org.
Carly Baldwin, Campus Minister
Carly Baldwin was born and raised in Normal, Illinois and yes, she is aware that it is quite peculiar to be from a town called Normal. Carly is a graduate of Hope College (‘17) where she studied Church History and Theology. She also minored in Dance. While attending Hope, Carly lived in an intentional Christian community of students called the Emmaus Scholars. Additionally, she worked for Residential Life and the Religion Department. Carly was received into the Catholic Church during her final year of school. She lives in Holland with her husband, Michael. Carly can be reached at carly.baldwin@saintbenedictinstitute.org.
Michelle Pohlman, Assistant Program Coordinator
Michelle Pohlman earned a B.A. in Spanish and Theology from Aquinas College in Grand Rapids in 2011. During her time at Aquinas, she spent a semester abroad in Salamanca, Spain, and was an active member of the Insignis honors program. Beginning as a summer intern in 2010, Michelle worked with the Programs and Education department at the Acton Institute for 8 years. During her time at Acton, her primary responsibilities included administration for their annual summer conference, Acton University. Outside of her professional career, Michelle has volunteered with the liturgical environment team at the Cathedral of St. Andrew, has served as both retreat director and chapter director for Veritas, and has been a member of her church choir. Michelle lives in Holland with her husband Ben and their children Steven and Claire and are members of St. Francis de Sales parish. Michelle can be reached at michelle.pohlman@saintbenedictinstitute.org.
Theresa Asselin, Accountant
Theresa Asselin was born in Pennsylvania and lived in Texas for ten years before finally settling down in West Michigan. She graduated from the University of Michigan in 1992 with a Bachelor of Business Administration and started her career in public accounting to earn her CPA license. After three years as an auditor, Theresa moved into the corporate world of financial reporting, where she spent the next six years. Once her kids came along, she spent over a decade helping small business owners with their finances. She has also been very involved in all aspects of the Catholic community in Holland, from working at Corpus Christi Catholic School for four years and volunteering there for nineteen years while her kids attended, to serving on the Corpus Christi Foundation board as treasurer, to chairing the Our Lady of the Lake Catholic Church finance council. Theresa has been a part of the Saint Benedict Institute for many years as a donor and volunteer and is now on staff as the accountant. She has been married to her high school sweetheart, Eric, for 29 years. They have four amazing, mostly adult kids (Sydney is a Hope alum), one son-in-law, and two dogs! Theresa can be reached at theresa.asselin@saintbenedictinstitute.org.
William Hurley, Liturgy Intern
William Hurley, a current Hope College student, grew up in Glenview, Illionis (a suburb of Chicago). He was baptized in the Catholic Church but was raised as an Episcopalian. Sometime during high school, William became more interested in religion. He had always believed in God but did not ever think about the specifics. William started to research Catholic teaching and gradually grew closer to the truth, but did not practice. At the end of his senior year of high school, William started to attend the Traditional Latin Mass at St. John Cantius Church in Chicago. One Mass at St. Cantius was all it took to inspire William to practice the Catholic faith and kick off his passion for the liturgy. When William started at Hope College, he wanted to get involved with the Catholic community and was pleasantly surprised by the passion and orthodoxy of Hope Catholics. On February 13, 2022, William received the Rite of Confirmation in the Catholic Church. As the Liturgy Intern for the Saint Benedict Institute, William will help oversee altar serving, preparations for Mass, and aid in general with matters associated with the liturgy at Hope College. William can be reached at william.hurley@hope.edu.
Cameron Maloney, Exodus Intern
Cameron Maloney grew up in Lansing, Michigan. He is a senior at Hope College, studying mathematics and religion. Cameron has been involved with the Saint Benedict Institute for the entirety of his college career in various ways. On campus, Cameron is involved with Residential Life, Intramural Sports, Dance Marathon, Campus Ministries, and Admissions. As the Exodus Intern, Cameron will be in charge of recruitment and mentorship within the Exodus program. Cameron can be reached at cameron.maloney@hope.edu.
Cory Lakatos, Communications Assistant
Cory Lakatos earned a B.A. in English Literature and History from Hope College in 2012. While at Hope, Cory spent a semester studying at Oxford University in the United Kingdom. After graduation, Cory worked for a marketing and communications company. During this time, he and his wife joined the Catholic Church. Later, Cory worked as the office manager for several academic departments at Hope College. He greatly benefited from the Saint Benedict Institute’s programs while he was in the process of joining the Church and during his time working at Hope. In 2018, Cory joined the staff at Our Lady of the Lake Catholic Church in Holland, where he currently works as the Director of Community Life. He lives in Holland with his wife MacKenzie and their four children. Cory can be reached at cory.lakatos@saintbenedictinstitute.org.
Lauren DiIulio, FOCUS Missionary
Lauren DiIulio grew up in Bettendorf, Iowa, with her two lovely parents and three younger siblings. She was raised Catholic by her parents and credits her priest, dearest friends, and the former FOCUS missionaries at her alma mater, Loras College, for continuing to challenge and form her in the faith. Lauren graduated in 2023 with a B.A. in Social Work and Spanish with minors in Catholic Studies and Psychology. During her time at Loras, Lauren was actively involved in the Catholic community. She was a member of the Breitbach Catholic Thinkers and Leaders scholarship program, the director of the biannual Antioch retreat, and participated in FOCUS Bible studies and formation. In addition, she played a vital role on the tennis team all four years. As a former student-athlete, Lauren is so excited to walk with female athletes in their faith lives at Hope College as a FOCUS missionary. She can be reached at lauren.diiulio@focus.org.
Ben Lahart, FOCUS Missionary
Ben Lahart was brought up Catholic in the small town of Chariton, Iowa. He is a recent graduate of the University of Northern Iowa, where he earned a degree in Digital Journalism. While at UNI, Ben became an active member of the Catholic Student Center on campus, where his faith blossomed from a small sapling to a mighty oak. Working as a Peer Minister, he was widely exposed to the ministry of FOCUS and after becoming interested (and politely persuaded), he applied. Upon being hired, Ben was sent off as a newly formed missionary to the faraway land of Holland, Michigan, to work with the students at Hope College. He is excited to meet and walk with the students at Hope and grow in faith with them! He can be reached at benjamin.lahart@focus.org
Gabby Hancock, FOCUS Missionary
Gabby Hancock was born and raised in Dearborn, Michigan. She graduated from Grand Valley State University in 2021 with a degree in Nursing and a minor in Spanish. While she is a registered nurse in the state Michigan, after graduation, she went on to become a missionary with FOCUS and has been serving at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana, for the past two years. She has had many profound moments throughout her life that allowed for a greater openness to becoming more serious about the Catholic faith during her undergrad. Through the continued mercy of the Lord in her life and the continued question from the Lord, “Do you trust me?” Gabby is eager to continue the journey to sainthood. She has a passion for inviting others into their own journey with the Lord and teaching the genius of the faith. She can be reached at gabrielle.hancock@focus.org.
Nathan Lindholm, FOCUS Missionary
Nathan Lindholm grew up in Elkhart, Indiana. He graduated from Ball State University in 2023 with a bachelor's degree in computer science. In his time at Ball State, Nathan had a reversion back to the faith after falling away for a time. He was invited into an Exodus 90 group by his dad, which propelled him into deeper faith. Shortly thereafter, Nathan encountered FOCUS missionaries and the Cardinal Catholic community at Ball State. As a result, Nathan grew in his relationship with Jesus and his desire to share his love with others. In response to this, Nathan has become a missionary with FOCUS. He is serving in his first year at Hope College. He and the other FOCUS missionaries will be working closely with Fr. Nick and Carly to minister to the students of Hope College. He can be reached at nathan.lindholm@focus.org.