Staff
Director
Reverend Joe Vetter
(919) 684-1882
Father Joe Vetter has been Catholic campus minister at Duke since 1997. He was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Raleigh in 1973 and has served in various parishes and diocesan offices. He is a native of Burlington, NC, and did his seminary education at the Pontifical College Josephinum in Columbus, Ohio. In addition to his duties at Duke, Fr. Vetter currently serves as Director of Campus Ministry for the Diocese of Raleigh and is Chairman of the Council of Priests. At Duke he serves on the Faith Council and Religious Life Staff.
Associate Director and Campus Minister
(919) 680-2507
Father John McDonagh previously reached out to college students, faculty and staff in Western Massachusetts as Director of Campus Outreach in Higher Education in the Diocese of Springfield. Earlier, he served as the director of the Catholic Center at the University of Massachusetts and Adjunct Catholic Religious Advisor at Amherst College. In addition to parish work, he has worked for the church in the areas of finance, human resources and marriage annulments.
Fr. John studied for the priesthood at Rome’s Gregorian University where he obtained a License in Dogmatic Theology. He also completed studies at Ottawa’s St. Paul University for a License in Canon Law and Springfield’s Western New England College for a Masters in Business Administration.
A Francophile, his interests include Ignatian Spirituality, 19th and 20th Century Visual Art and contemporary American Theatre. He understands the mission of his priesthood “to enable students to discover the wonder of tripping over God's presence in their lives”. Fr. John looks forward to the opportunity to work with Fr. Joe Vetter, a national leader in Catholic Campus Ministry, and the inspiring team which Fr. Joe is gathering at the Duke Catholic Student Center. He relishes the challenge of working with Duke students who as entrepreneurial leaders are reshaping the face of the Catholic Church and the world for the better.
Campus Minister for Faith Formation
(919) 680-2521
Catherine Preston serves as the Campus Minister for Faith Development at the Newman Catholic Student Center at Duke. Catherine graduated from Duke in 2001 with a degree in Psychology. As an undergraduate, she swam for Duke and was active in the Catholic Student Center. She served for two years after graduation as our first Peer Ministry Coordinator. She then earned a Masters in Theology from Franciscan University of Steubenville in Ohio. For the last two years she worked as Youth Minister at a parish in Florida. She looks forward to working with Duke students again.
Peer Ministry Coordinator
(919) 684-1472
Nick Bonazza, a native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, joined the Newman Catholic Student Center after transferring to Duke from Case Western Reserve University before his junior year. While at Duke, he served as interfaith coordinator and served in numerous roles at Duke Awakenings 8-10. Nick graduated from Duke this past May with a degree in biomedical engineering and plans to attend medical school after completing his year of service with us.
Business Manager
Nicole Nash
(919) 684-3354
Nicole Nash joined the Newman Catholic Student Center staff in March 2007. Originally from Rudd, Iowa, Nicole has fourteen years of experience in a wide variety of administrative roles, including: seven years as the office manager for an education law firm in Washington, D.C., and two years as a legal assistant at Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association in Chicago, Illinois. Just prior to joining the Catholic Student Center, Nicole was the business manager at the Freeman Center for Jewish Life at Duke University.
Director of Development
(919) 286-4397
Keith Myers was active in Catholic campus ministry at St. Mary's Catholic
Center as a student at Texas A&M University, including serving on the
leadership team of Awakening retreats and as a Liturgy Coordinator. As
Assistant Director of Development at St. Mary's, Keith worked on the
Foundation in Faith Campaign which generated capital and endowment funding
for student center activities. For the past three years, he guided the
Annual Giving and Alumni programs at the University of Houston Law Center.
He joined the Catholic Center staff at Duke in 2008 and is a member of
the Association of Fundraising Professionals.