Career Staff

Director - Deacon Clark Goecker [E-Mail] Chaplain - Fr. Jack Izzo S.J. [E-Mail] Administrative Assistant- Mary Guardado [E-Mail] Student Staff Pastoral Associate - Michael Capata Outreach Coordinator - Kathleen Baker Community Life Coordinator - Mary Stallings Social Justice Coordinator - Ivan Irizarry

Director - Deacon Clark Goecker

I am beginning my fifth year as Director of the Newman Center. The Newman Community is full of vitality and enthusiasm for students, faculty, staff and others that call the Newman Center their spiritual home. Working with Fr. Jack Izzo, S.J., our Chaplain, the staff and community the Newman Center offers a wonderful opportunity for ministry for me – a ministry that has grown stronger and more worthwhile each year.

I was ordained a Permanent Deacon in June of 2000 after working thirty-four years for the League of California Cities in various management positions. Deacons are part of the clergy of the Church, but we are permitted to be married. I am married to Janet Gift who owns a business here in town. We have two children – Seth (age 30) who is living in Kodiak, Alaska and Erin (age 27) who lives in Seattle.

Before my move to Newman, I was very active at St. James Parish here in Davis. marriages and preaching. I also assist people with annulment cases in the Church.

My educational background has been greatly influenced by the Jesuits – BA degree from the University of San Francisco, a Master's degree in Public Administration from Golden Gate University and a Master's degree in Pastoral Studies from Loyola University New Orleans.

My theology is grounded in the Jesuit spirituality of "finding God in all things, listening with a discerning heart, choosing to live for the greater glory of God".

Newman Center is a great place for students, faculty and staff associated with the university. I hope you will spend some time checking out our web site and I invite you to visit us here at the Newman Center. Stop by to say hello, or feel free to call or email.

Chaplain - Fr. Jack Izzo S.J.

Fr Jack Izzo, S.J. is a transplanted Bostonian who has lived in California for most of the last forty years. After his ordination in 1980 he worked in film and television in Southern California for ten years, was Director of Communications for the Jesuit Province of Eastern Africa from 1991-1994, and taught Journalism at Boston College from 1995 to 2005. He also has studied in Australia, and taught film and photography at Loyola College in Chennai, India for a semester in 2004. Before joining the Jesuits in 1971, he worked as a medical x-ray engineer, a large-system data processing specialist for IBM, and as a professional fine art photographer. He has a B.S. in Physics, an M.B.A. in applied math, an M.F.A. in filmmaking and screenwriting, and an M.Div. with concentrations in Christology and atheism studies. His writing has primarily been in areas of international justice; and he is also interested in political philosophy, environmental studies, the arts, and the relation between religion and science. Fr. Jack is an outdoors person, and likes ocean kayaking, fishing, hiking and climbing. He has also maintained his interest in outdoor photography, and is an associate of Oceans Studio in Half Moon Bay. He is presently working on a nonfiction book: The Impact Boys—the story of a group of revolutionary Bay Area photographers in late '60s and early '70s.
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Administrative Assistant - Mary Guardado

Hi everyone my name is Mary Guardado and I am happy to be part of the Newman Staff. I am the Administrative Assistant and I look forward to meeting you soon. I enjoy working with students and the community, please, stop by and say "Hello".

I have been involved at my parish as confirmation teacher, lector, core team member of the Grievance Committee; assisted in parish fundraising, prayer group, and other parish activities. I volunteered at St Mary’s dinning hall as a receptionist and translator at the medical center. I was a previous owner of a Catholic Book Store in my community and worked many conventions in sales. I was able to travel to various places to purchase merchandise and I had an extensive selection of religious books in Spanish. The store was instrumental in developing Catholic video rental in English and Spanish for adults and children and I worked closely with the Diocesan various programs in education and instruction by supplying them with the various materials they needed. I was an active member of the Serra Club, worked as the bulletin editor and on other various activities. I enjoyed visiting our seminarians in Mexico on my buying trips.

I am the co-founder of Catholic Radio 1230 AM (Our Lady of Guadalupe Radio) which is part of the Immaculate Heart Family. Also I was active in the Diocesan Renewal Service Committee (DRSC) in our Diocese. I am a firm believer in evangelization of our faith through Catholic radio as an instrument in obtaining that goal.

I enjoy growing in my faith, fellowship, traveling, golf, music, and much more. You may e-mail me at mmguardado@davisnewman.org or call Newman Center (530) 753-7393.

May God Bless You and Mary Keep You
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Pastoral Associate - Michael Capata

Hey! My name is Michael Capata and I am your Pastoral Associate this year. I have been actively involved at Newman since I was a freshman, three years ago. I have led CLC's for the past 2 years and highly encourage anyone interested to check them out. I am a Biological Sciences major with an emphasis in Neurology, Physiology, and Behavior. I also volunteer with the Willow Project, which is a student-run medical clinic that provides medical care to the homeless of Sacramento. I was born and raised in Laguna Niguel, CA. If you have any questions about what we do at Newman or you just want to talk, feel free to come up and ask me. I hope to see you around!!!

Outreach Coordinator - Kathleen Baker

Hello everyone! My name is Kathleen and I am thrilled to be serving as your outreach coordinator this year! I am fourth year math major minoring in music. Most of my passion is directed towards my faith, my family, my friends, music, and athleticism (and school on occasion). I first got involved with Newman by joining the evening choir. I got more involved with music ministry by joining council on the liturgy committee and directing the evening choir. Last year I decided to get more involved and began volunteering for other Newman activities, quickly developing a deep appreciation for the friendships and support I received from our lovely Newman community. I was inspired by the hundreds of students who attended our Ash Wednesday masses and felt called to serve as outreach coordinator to encourage these students to attend mass more regularly. I am looking forward to working with fellow students to expand the Newman student community, grow in our faith and, of course, have tons of fun!
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Community Life Coordinator - Mary Stallings

Hello out there! My name is Mary Stallings and I am excited to be serving as your Community Life Coordinator this coming year. I will be entering my fourth year here as an Animal Science Major, along with working on campus as a peer advisor in the Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Dean's Office and will be applying to Veterinary School next year. I am originally from Cerritos, California and am a part of a relatively large parish there, but never fully felt at home within that community. One of my first activities at UC Davis my freshmen year was a Newman Scavenger Hunt across campus, and I immediately felt welcomed by the students I met. Since then the Newman Center has become like a second home for me and you'll soon find that it's a great place to hang out, deepen your faith, and share your life with some amazing people. You'll find that there is always something going on that you can get involved in, either in planning or attending events, some of my favorites being: the Welcome Week activities, Retreats, our Dinner Auction and Talent Show, Los Angeles Religious Education Congress, Soul Food, and even Trick-or-Treating for canned goods for the homeless. If there is ever anything new you would like to see at Newman let me know, and we can always experiment for new and better activities and ways to share our faith. I am really looking forward to meeting and getting to know all of you, and I hope to have a great year.
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Social Justice Coordinator - Ivan Irizarry

Hey, my name is Ivan Irizarry and I will be serving as Social justice Coordinator next year. I'm a Religious Studies major and, time permitting, I will try and double major in Psychology. I'm from the Seattle area though I was born in New York and I'm not quite sure how I ended up in Davis. Anyway, I'm glad I landed where I did because Newman has some great people. With a little bit of grace we are going to get this quirky church to do some more good in the world and that should be a lot of fun. If there is something or someone you are passionate about helping we will help you do it, it's the most important part of our faith and the easiest of all the mysteries to understand (MT 25:34-30).
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