IACS is led by a dynamic team of professionals who work collaboratively to further its mission and help tell its story to audiences across the globe.
Richard Wood, Ph.D. 
President
woodrich@usc.edu
Richard Wood, a renowned researcher and proven leader in higher education, serves as president of the Institute for Advanced Catholic Studies at USC.
Dr. Wood joins IACS and the University of Southern California from the University of New Mexico, where he taught for 27 years as a professor of sociology and served as the founding director of the Southwest Institute on Religion, Culture, and Society. He also served as the university’s interim provost and executive vice president for academic affairs, and the senior vice provost for academic mission. In these positions, he oversaw the university’s academic priorities, led initiatives to advance equity and academic excellence, and achieved major fundraising goals.
Dr. Wood’s research and writing focus on the areas of religion, faith-based community organizing and global sociology. At UNM, he taught courses on democracy and political culture, religion, Catholicism in Latin America, social theory, social movements, and community organizing.
Dr. Wood is the author of two award-winning books, both published by The University of Chicago Press: A Shared Future: Faith-Based Organizing for Racial Equity and Ethical Democracy and Faith in Action: Religion, Race, and Democratic Organizing in America. He has written dozens of articles for leading peer-reviewed academic journals, co-edits the Cambridge Studies in Social Theory, Religion, and Politics book series, and served as the principal investigator on four major federal-funded research projects.
His commentary has been featured in The New York Times, Washington Post, Associated Press, Albuquerque Journal and a variety of Catholic publications.
Dr. Wood earned a doctorate in sociology from the University of California, Berkeley, a master’s degree in theology from the Graduate Theological Union and a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from the University of California, Davis.
Becky King Cerling, Ph.D.
Executive Director
213-821-0847
rcerling@usc.edu
Becky King Cerling serves as executive director of the Institute for Advanced Catholic Studies at USC. She earned an M.Div. at Fuller Theological Seminary and a Ph.D. in European Medieval History and the History of Christianity from the University of Southern California. Her research centers on the role of children in medieval monasticism.
Dr. Cerling is an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and has also served as an affiliate faculty member in Church History at Fuller Seminary. She and her husband, Lee, have enjoyed 31 years of marriage and have two young adult children.
Kylie Uyeda
Administrative Assistant
kuyeda@usc.edu
Kylie Uyeda serves as administrative assistant at the Institute for Advanced Catholic Studies at USC. She earned her bachelor’s of science degree in human biology and master’s degree in gerontology from the University of Southern California.
Prior to joining IACS, Kylie worked for a nonprofit organization developing virtual forums to assist older adults aging in their homes during the pandemic. She then gained experience within senior living working as a marketing assistant and residency counselor for a developing senior living community. Most recently, she worked as an associate executive director at a senior living community and currently enjoys volunteering for a senior wellness program at a local community center.