Robert R. Newton
Interim Director
Robert Newton is serving as Interim Director of the Church in the 21st Century Center. He led the C21 initiative during its first three years and has served as chairperson of the Steering Committee and co-chairperson of the Advisory Committee throughout its existence. Newton came to Boston College in 1980 from the University of San Francisco and was associate academic vice president for 20 years before joining the BC president’s office as special assistant to the president. Newton is a graduate of the University of Scranton and holds graduate degrees from Harvard, Yale, Woodstock, and Fordham. He will serve as Interim Director until a new permanent director is appointed.
John McGinty
Interim Assistant Director
John McGinty is the Interim Assistant Director of the C21 Center. He has a doctorate in systematic theology from the Gregorian University in Rome and taught for several years at Saint John’s Seminary in Brighton, MA. McGinty has served parish communities throughout the Boston area. He is is currently studying the implications of the second Vatican Council's ecclesiology of communion.
Jessica L. Salefski
Administrative Assistant
Jessica Salefski joins the Church in the 21st Century Center from Pennsylvania. She is a 2007 graduate of Saint Joseph's University where she earned Bachelor's degrees in sociology and theology. Jessica is completing a Master of Education degree in religious education with a concentration in higher education administration at Boston College. Her research interests include interreligious dialogue, religion in art, and Catholic higher education. Jessica is also an aspiring writer, working on her first children's book.