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 28 years of marriage and have two young adult children.
Douglas Morino
Director of Communications
dmorino@usc.edu
Doug Morino serves as director of communications at the Institute for Advanced Catholic Studies at USC. Doug arrived at IACS from California State University headquarters in Long Beach, where he was a speechwriter for the system’s chancellor, senior leadership team and Board of Trustees.
Prior to joining the CSU, Doug served as assistant communications director for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange, helping oversee a variety of major projects, including the dedication of Christ Cathedral. He’s also been a communications specialist for Keck Medicine of USC. He earned his master’s degree from USC Annenberg and a bachelor’s degree in journalism from San Francisco State.
Doug’s professional background is in journalism. He’s worked as a staff writer at the Palos Verdes Peninsula News, Daily Breeze and Orange County Register. He has also reported for The New York Times, filing dispatches from across Southern California for the National and Culture desks, contributing to live coverage of breaking news and writing for the California Today newsletter. Doug is an adjunct professor in the Journalism Department at El Camino College, teaching news and digital media literacy.
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.
Ceres Botros-Migdal
Managing Director, USC Dornsife Advancement
213-359-7084
botros@usc.edu
Ceres Botros-Migdal is the managing director of major gifts at USC Dornsife Advancement. In her role, she helps the assistant dean for advancement manage a team of eight gift officers; as well as raise major gifts across the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences and the Institute for Advanced Catholic Studies at USC.
Since joining USC Dornsife in 2016, Ceres has been integral in closing major gifts supporting various departments and centers, scholarships, and experiential learning opportunities. Ceres has worked across campus since 2013; first at USC Gould, raising funds for scholarships and clinical programs; then at USC Viterbi, championing K-12 STEM, VAST and MESA programs, and working as the department advisory board liaison for the Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.
Starting her career in the arts, Ceres spent nearly 10 years at the Pasadena Museum of California Art and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, managing events and annual giving programs. Ceres received her B.A. in Art History from the University of Southern California in 2004. She grew up in the diplomatic community all over the world. Having spent the majority of her childhood in Rome, Italy, Ceres is multilingual and multicultural (French, Italian, and Spanish).
Martha Tapias Mansfield
Director, University Advancement
213-821-7088
tapias@usc.edu
A proven leader and accomplished business development executive, Martha Tapias Mansfield oversees advancement for the Institute for Advanced Catholic Studies at USC.
Martha has extensive experience in developing winning business strategies for Fortune 500 companies, especially in Hispanic markets. Prior to joining USC and IACS, Martha served as head of West Coast business development for NBCUniversal and Telemundo, and at the Los Angeles Times was General Manager of Nuestro Tiempo, the largest Spanish language weekly paper in the U.S. Her past experience also includes overseeing sales and marketing for Univision and Televisa. She led the launch of Fox Deportes, the first Spanish language sports television network and, earlier in her career, developed and launched a Spanish-language television station in San Diego, along with an extensive business network in Mexico for Univision. Martha began her career at AT&T.
Bilingual and bicultural, Martha is active in her community, volunteering with non-profit organizations, and serving on advisory and governing boards, including Scholastic Books, Loyola High School.
Martha earned a bachelor’s degree in business and finance from USC, where she was named the first woman president of the Mexican American Alumni Association. She has also been honored by the City of Los Angeles as one of the “Outstanding Latinas in Los Angeles.” Martha is currently working toward her master’s in business administration from the USC Marshall School of Business.