UTG at Work Innovation Podcast

This month, Mary sits down with Deacon Mike Houghton, Executive Director of UTG at Work, for a candid conversation about the apostolate’s first two and a half years. Together, they reflect on the journey—celebrating what has been most effective, sharing the greatest joys, and openly acknowledging what hasn’t gone as planned.

This month Mary interviews Kathy Svoboda. Kathy is a graduate from U of D Mercy Law School. She has provided legal services in multiple roles as a prosecuting attorney, Circuit Court Referee, State Administrative Law Judge and Manager, and is most recently self-employed as an Attorney specializing in estate planning and probate/trust administration. Kathy has compassionately provided service to families and individuals in need through employment choices and volunteer work on not for profit boards. She is currently serving as a Consultant for development of organizational strategic plans, leadership team development and formation training, as well as directing faith-based initiatives and follow up training for teams. As an AOD regional coordinator, she accompanied four vicariates through the pioneering process of a complete restructuring to align available pastors with parishes and reorient the Faithful in SE Michigan to Unleash the Gospel during the transformation of the AOD to Families of Parishes.

This month Mary interviews John Sier. John has been involved with the AOD Mass for Commerce since 1999 when he was president of the Catholic Lawyers Society.  He is a graduate of Loyola University of Chicago and Drake University Law School and Graduate School of Mass Communication and Journalism.  He is the head of the Kitch law firm's construction and commercial litigation group where he concentrates his practice in dispute avoidance and resolution of commercial, professional and construction issues as well as counseling clients on risk management topics. In addition to his distinguished legal practice, Mr. Sier is active in a variety of professional organizations.  He serves as Director of Christian Legal Aid of Southeastern Michigan, a former board member of St. Joseph’s Helpers, Emeritus Director of the Catholic Lawyers Society and was a founding member of the Board of Trustees for Detroit Cristo Rey High School (DCRHS) and chaired the DCRHS Corporate Work Study Council.  In 2010, he received the Msgr. Malloy Award from the Catholic Lawyers Society of Metropolitan Detroit.  In 2023, Mr.Sier was awarded The Roberts P. Hudson Award which is the State Bar of Michigan’s highest honor. This award is periodically presented to honor an attorney for their outstanding service to and on behalf of the State Bar of Michigan, the legal profession, and the public.

The month Mary interviews Katie Montes, the Executive Director at Mary’s Mantle since since 2015. Katie is a graduate of Eastern Michigan University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work and Wayne State University with a Master’s Degree in Social Work.Prior to coming to Mary’s Mantle, Katie worked at a local non-profit where she had 10 years of experience working in programs designed to support children and families in need in the Metro-Detroit area. Katie came to Mary’s Mantle with experience in program development, contract compliance and monitoring, staff development and training, and budget management. Katie has specialized training in the Strength Based Approach to working with families, Motivational Interviewing, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy and Child Welfare Staff Training and Retention.

This month Mary interviews Henry Kutarna, an experienced business executive and mentor. He is Chair of a private family investment fund concentrating on manufacturing and real estate. His investments are mainly in real estate and manufacturing. He has also personally capitalized twenty-two early stage technology deals. He has been a Deputy Minister of Economic Development, President of the Saskatchewan Diversification Corporation, and a Deputy Minister of Social Services.  He is a private mentor and executive coach. He owns The Executive Advisor, a consultant group working with corporations and not-for-profit organizations in executive coaching, advisory services, board governance, deal making, and other business development. He has served on numerous private and public boards, as well as on many not for profit and charitable boards. He has served as a chair, member, and advisor to many large and small not for profits. His most recent start-up is The Catholic CEO a business mentoring service for a fast-growing segment, that of business owners who want to be Catholic and successful in business. This business is a family business with HQ in Houston.

This month Mary interviews Henry Kutarna, is an experienced business executive and mentor. Henry is Chair of a private family investment fund and has served as a Deputy Minister of Economic Development, President of the Saskatchewan Diversification Corporation, and a Deputy Minister of Social Services.  Henry owns The Executive Advisor, a consultant group working with corporations and not-for-profit organizations in executive coaching, advisory services, board governance, deal making, and other business development. He has served on numerous private and public boards, as well as on many not for profit and charitable boards. He has served as a chair, member, and advisor to many large and small not for profits. His most recent start-up is The Catholic CEO, a business mentoring service for a fast-growing segment, that of business owners who want to be Catholic and successful in business. This business is a family business with HQ in Houston.

This month Mary interviews Mark Beukema. Mark is a Seminarian at Sacred Heart Major Seminary. His home diocese is Marquette. Mark worked in the secular world for 10 years before entering Sacred Heart.Mark and Mary discuss his experiences in living his faith in the workplace, as well as the upcoming Conference in Marquette where Deacon Mike from UTG at Work will be the speaker.

This month Mary interviews Fr. Adam Nowak. Fr. Adam is a Roman Catholic Priest in the Archdiocese of Detroit. He serves as a Priest In Solidum at St. Anne Catholic Church and School and as the Moderator of the Communion of Saints Family of Parishes.Fr. Adam is bright, personable, and well liked. He is a blessing to everyone he meets.

This month Mary speaks with Kenneth M. Kernen, MD. Dr. Kernen was born in 1967 and raised in the Metro Detroit Area. he graduated from Cranbrook High School and earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Physiology from Michigan State University. He received his Medical Degree from Wayne State University, and completed his Urology residency at William Beaumont Hospital and his Urologic Oncology Fellowship at Baylor in Houston.  He has been a partner at the Michigan Institute of Urology (MIU) for 25 years, where he is the Director of Research. He is also the Chief of Urology at William Beaumont Hospital, Troy, and National Speaker on Advanced Prostate Cancer. He has been married to his beautiful wife Christine for 31 years. They have two children, Ken (27), who works for BCG, and Diana (22), who is in her first year of Medical School at Wayne State University.His hobbies include marathon running, fly fishing, cooking, and fig trees. 

This month Mary speaks with Teresa Tomeo. Teresa is an author, syndicated Catholic talk show host, and motivational speaker with more than 40 years of experience in TV, radio, and newspaper, 20 of which were as a secular reporter/anchor in the Detroit market. In the year 2000, Teresa left the secular media to start her own speaking and communications company, Teresa Tomeo Communications, LLC. Her weekday morning radio program, Catholic Connection, is co-produced by Ave Maria Radio in Ann Arbor, Michigan and the EWTN Global Catholic Radio Network. It is heard on over 600 Catholic radio stations worldwide and on the Sirius Satellite Network. Teresa appears frequently on the EWTN Global Catholic Television Network. She is also a correspondent for EWTN News In Depth. As a deacon’s wife, Teresa also writes a column for Our Sunday Visitor’s The Deacon magazine. In 2019, she opened her own Italy travel consultation company, T’s Italy (TravelItalyExpert.com). Teresa has written more than 10 books, is an international speaker, where she addresses media awareness and activism, as well as sharing her reversion to the Catholic Church. She resides in Southeastern Michigan with her husband, Deacon Dominick Pastore. They travel the world giving marriage and diaconate couples’ retreats. 

In this episode, Mary interviews three wonderful men who are Legatus members and who support the Archdiocese of Detroit's Mass for Commerce.Msgr. Charles Kosanke, Bob Pliska, and Anthony Tomey reflect on the value of living your faith at work from a theological and practical perspective. Their strong faith and their wisdom make for a very engaging podcast.

Karen Ervin grew up in a large Catholic family, learning the value of relationship and the gift of faith. She has dedicated her professional life to the formation of children, working in both secondary and elementary schools for the past 25 years as a teacher, counselor and administrator. Answering the deepest desire of her heart, Karen was consecrated for the Archdiocese of Detroit as a virgin living in the world in 2017. She currently serves as the principal at Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish School in Plymouth, Michigan, and seeks to witness to the Gospel with her life.

Dan Weingartz is the CEO of W&P Management, a group of family businesses in the outdoor power equipment and power sports industries.  He is the sixth of seven children of Ray and Marie Weingartz and is a partner with three of his siblings in the businesses that were started by his grandfather.  He has worked in the business since age 13 (taking a few years off for college) and has worked in most areas of the operation at one time or another.  Dan is a graduate of Central Michigan University.  He has been married to his wife, Kris, for 26 years and they have 21- and 23-year-old daughters and 18-and 20-year-old sons.  He is an active member of St. Lawrence Catholic Church in Utica, the Knights of Columbus, and Legatus.  He currently serves on the Boards of International Samaritan, Youth Vision Solutions, AOD Catholic Schools Council, and Austin Catholic High School. 

In this episode, Mary interviews Kevin Lowry. Kevin is Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for RevLocal, a digital marketing company based in Columbus, Ohio. He also serves on the boards of Our Sunday Visitor, The Coming Home Network International, and is President of St. Gabriel Catholic Radio. Kevin is Past President of the Columbus chapter of Legatus.    Kevin is the author of How God Hauled Me Kicking and Screaming Into the Catholic Church and Faith at Work: Finding Purpose Beyond the Paycheck, along with chapters of several other books including Surprised by Truth 2 and Special Children, Blessed Fathers. He has written countless articles and is a frequent speaker for Catholic and secular groups. Kevin and his super-cute wife live in Columbus, Ohio and have eight children and seven grandchildren – so far! 

Christine Schicker, Regional Marketing Manager, joined EWTN for the second time in 2014. She was originally hired by Mother Angelica in 1998 and worked in the Programming Department. Christine has worked for a number of cable companies including Nickelodeon, Nick at Nite, VH1 and Comcast. For the past 14 years, she has worked for Catholic organizations including Relevant Radio, Steve Wood's Family Life Center International and the Catholic Marketing Agency, The Maximus Group. Most recently, Christine was the General Manager of Baraga Broadcasting, a network of Catholic radio stations in northern Michigan. In her position, Christine is responsible for expanding EWTN's distribution, coordinating volunteer activities of EWTN Media Missionaries, and managing relationships with dioceses and media affiliates carrying EWTN in the North Central Region of the United States. Christine has a Bachelor's Degree in Broadcasting and Business. She attends The Church of the Resurrection in Lansing, Michigan.

In this episode, Mary interviews Al Carter. Al worked for the Detroit Police Department, the Clawson Police Department, and also the Royal Oak Police Department. His grandfather was a Lieutenant for the Detroit Police Department, his father was a Detroit Police Officer, and his oldest son is a fourth-generation police officer in the family. Al shares his story of how he lived his faith during his career in law enforcement.

In this podcast, Mary interviews Brian Magliocco from Captivate Exhibits. Brian is the Director of Culture at Captivate and a life-long practicing Catholic.  Captivate Exhibits is a Christian run exhibit house who designs and builds custom trade show displays but leads with culture first in all they do.  Prior to working at Captivate Exhibits Brian was a Youth Minister for 10 years.  He is also the outgoing Executive Director for an evangelistic Catholic ministry called Arise MKE.  Brian resides in a suburb of Milwaukee, WI with his beautiful wife Melissa and his 5 kids, Dominic, Maddie, Gianna, Sophia and Leo.

Fr. Stephen Pullis has served as a full-time faculty member and the Director of External Formation at Sacred Heart Major Seminary since July 1, 2021. Prior to this role, he served as the Director for Evangelization and Missionary Discipleship within the Archdiocesan of Detroit Curia.He has also served as the Chaplain of UTG at Work since its launch in July of 2023.Fr. Pullis is a personable, energetic, and well-liked priest who lives has helped countless people over his years as a priest and teacher.

In this episode of the UTG at Work Innovation Podcast, Mary interviews Vanessa Denha Garmo. Vanessa is a well-known radio host, communications strategist, content creator and coach with a Bachelor’s degree in journalism, Master’s degree in communications and is trained and certified in both leadership and life coaching.Vanessa is a keynote speaker, facilitator, and workshop presenter. She speaks on communications and leadership, team building, strengths and talents, media awareness, career development, self-awareness, and having “Epiphany Moments.”

In this episode of the UTG at Work Innovation Podcast, Mary interviews Bishop Gerard Battersby. Bishop Battersby is a popular Bishop in the Archdiocese of Detroit who is well known for his spirituality, his wisdom, his intellect, and his endless love for Jesus Christ. His advice to our listening audience is humble and genuine.