Advisory Board and Staff
A Spiritual Journey

Companions Board Members

Jeffrey Baerwald, S. J.

Jeffrey is a member of the New York Province of the Society of Jesus. He is also the Department Chair and an Associate Professor at Santa Clara University, Department of Counseling Psychology. Jeffrey directs retreats both nationally and internationally and speaks and writes on the topics of integration of neuropsychiatry and Ignatian spirituality. Before moving to Santa Clara, Jeffrey was founder and clinical director of the Loyola Clinical Centers in Baltimore, MD. He was born and raised in Minnesota and is happy to live where snow is experienced and enjoyed from a far distance on the mountains.

James Briggs

Jim, Chair of the Board of Companions, is now the Executive Director of the School of Applied Theology, an affiliate program of the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley. He recently retired from his position as Executive Assistant to the President of Santa Clara University where he served as chief of staff to the President from 1999-2010. From 1989-1999, he served as Vice President for Student Services at Santa Clara. Prior to coming to Santa Clara, Jim held administrative positions at the University of California, Berkeley, Georgetown University, and the University of Miami. He is married to Kathleen Gannon-Briggs; they have four married daughters and nine grandchildren.

Barbara Gerwe

Barbara is a retired elementary school teacher, and completed two masters program at Santa Clara University. Upon retirement, she became involved in the Child Advocate Program, has tutored at Evergreen College, and worked in the Refugee Program at Catholic Charities.  In her parish of St. Francis of Assisi, Barbara and her husband Gene initiated the "Bread Project", which serves well over a dozen homeless shelters and kitchens in Santa Clara County.  Barbara is currently working in an ESL class for immigrant mothers and their children at the Loving & Learning Center in Morgan Hill.

Gene Gerwe

Gene, a native Iowan, came to California as a Navy officer during the Korean War, where he met his wife, Barbara. With a degree and background in Finance, he worked for Caltech, the University of Chicago and Santa Clara University. Gene served 10 years on the Board of Directors of Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County and currently volunteers and advises on fundraising for Catholic Charities and Catholic Relief Services. He is also involved in his parish, St. Francis of Assisi, where he and his wife initiated "The Bread Project", involving some 50 people, transferring approximately 200 loaves of left-over bread and bagels from a nearby bakery, packaging them and distributing them to 10 shelters and kitchens.
For Gene, who is currently a second year Companion, describes his experience in the Companions as "a stimulant to prayer life and an inspiration to serving the poor and powerless in our society".

Anne Grycz

Anne was born in San Francisco and has lived all her life in the Bay Area. She graduated from the University of San Francisco and taught high school Spanish and History until her first child was born. She has two adult children, one of whom is a daughter with developmental disabilities.
Anne is the Director Emerita of the Institute for Leadership in Ministry in the Diocese of San Jose and works closely with the Jesuit Retreat Center and Santa Clara University Campus Ministry. She is currently Associate Director of the Pastoral Year Program at St. Patrick's Seminary in Menlo Park where she also serves as adjunct faculty. She is a graduate of the Pierre Favre Program which trains individuals to direct the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. When asked what drew her to the program she pointed to the generosity and spirit of the volunteers. She serves as a spiritual director and finds it a privilege to be on the journey with such interesting and committed people.

Carolyn Krantz

Carolyn is currently the Director of Catholic Charities of the East Bay’s Family to Family Program. The program was organized as a social justice outreach project for parishioners, where it pairs immigrants, refugees and other struggling families with a church team that functions as their guardian angels. Carolyn oversees16 parishes and 20 groups in the Diocese of Oakland, from Richmond to Brentwood and from Rodeo to Berkeley to Livermore. Prior to joining Catholic Charities, she was the Pastoral Associate at St. Peter Martyr Parish in Pittsburg for 10 years.

Elizabeth Lilly

Elizabeth, "Liz," retired from Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County in 2010 and now volunteers with several of their programs. In addition, she facilitates Poverty Simulations to raise awareness about local poverty for Step Up Silicon Valley: Campaign to Cut Poverty. She belongs to the Parish Social Ministry section of Catholic Charities USA, an association whose members are committed to strengthening the social mission of parishes in an organized, sustainable and communal way. A JustFaith alumna, she is also volunteering in her parish, St. William in Los Altos. Liz has 25 years of experience in professional parish ministry in the Diocese of San Jose. In 2005 and 2006 she was Minister of Parish Life at Sacred Heart Parish in Saratoga, California, where she served as central parish leader, in lieu of an ordained priest pastor, and had overall administrative and pastoral responsibility for the parish. She has served on the diocesan Liturgy Commission, and on numerous other diocesan committees including those dealing with the catechumenate, environment and art, parish lay compensation, and the Institute for Leadership in Ministry.

Michael C. McCarthy, S.J.

Michael “Mick” McCarthy is the Executive Director of the Ignatian Center for Jesuit Education (ICJE) at Santa Clara University. He is also the Assistant Professor, Department of Religious Studies _and the Assistant Professor, Department of Classics.
Michael is a native of San Francisco, receiving his B.A. in Classical Languages from Santa Clara University. McCarthy completed the course for a B.A./M.A. from Oxford University, received the M.Div. from the Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley, and then went on to earn a Ph.D. in Patristics (the study of theology in the Early Church) from the University of Notre Dame. He joined the faculty at Santa Clara in 2003, with a joint appointment in the Religious Studies and Classics departments. In 2011 he was appointed executive director of ICJE and is an ex officio member of the CISS Advisory Board.

John Ottoboni

John Ottoboni was appointed as Santa Clara University’s first in-house General Counsel in January 2007. Reporting to the President, John provides legal counsel, guidance and policy analysis to the University, its President and Board of Trustees, senior administrative and academic officers, and other constituent units. John serves as the University’s chief legal officer. In addition to providing legal advice and counsel on a broad range of issues, the Office of the General Counsel is also responsible for engaging the services of outside law firms for specialized legal needs. Prior to becoming SCU General Counsel, John was in private practice. He is a Trustee Emeritus of SCU. He is also a member of an Ignatian prayer group that has been meeting for many years.

Mark Potter

Mark works for the California Province of the Society of Jesus as the Provincial Assistant for Social Ministries. His job is to support, encourage, and promote the integration of the social mission of the Jesuits across the many institutions and ministries of the Province. Mark is married to Kristin Heyer, a professor of Christian ethics in the Religious Studies Department at Santa Clara University. They have two young children, Owen & Luke.

Jenny Girard Malley, MA

Jenny is the Program Director for Companions in Ignatian Service and Spirituality and brings over 20 years of experience working with Nonprofit Organizations and Jesuit Institutions. A graduate of both Santa Clara University (BS) and the University of San Francisco (MA Theology), Jenny is proud of her own Ignatian heritage which includes a decade at St Ignatius College Preparatory in San Francisco and two fabulous years as a Jesuit Volunteer in Hartford, Ct and Washington DC. Jenny credits her life changing experience in JVC for her immense passion for both service and spirituality. A certified Spiritual Director, Master Catechist and Parish Pastoral Associate, Jenny strives to integrate ministry and social justice throughout the Companions Program. Married to her fabulous husband, Jeffrey, Jenny lives in San Francisco.