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Catholic Digest.com » About » Team

Meet Our Team

  • Dan Connors, Editor-in-Chief

    Dan was named editor-in-chief of Catholic Digest in 2005. He was previously editor-in-chief of Today's Parish. Prior to that, he was managing editor of Pastoral Music magazine (the National Association of Pastoral Musicians, NPM), and managing editor of Emmanuel magazine. He has worked with parish leaders for 26 years and has been an active parish volunteer. His wife, Deborah, is pastoral associate at St. Mary Star of the Sea Parish in New London, Connecticut.

  • Julie Rattey, Managing Editor

    Julie joined Catholic Digest in 2002. In addition to writing and editing articles for the magazine, she is the department editor for Be Well, Products We Recommend, Quiet Moments, and Love Your Neighbor. She received her B.A. in English from Harvard University, where she wrote for the Harvard Crimson.

  • Traci Neal, Copy Chief/Bookshelf Editor

    Traci joined Catholic Digest in July 2006. She received her journalism degree from Southern Connecticut State University and has worked as a newspaper and magazine writer, editor, and/or copy editor since 1988.

  • Kathryn Oates, Assistant Editor

    Kathryn came to Catholic Digest in 2008. Kate earned a B.A. in Journalism from Spring Hill College, a Jesuit institution in Mobile, Alabama. She also spent a summer abroad studying at King's College in London.

  • Paul Bourque, Production Director

    Paul joined Catholic Digest as a consultant in 2002. He became Production Manager in 2005 and was promoted to Production Director in 2009. He has fifteen years of experience in printing, publishing, and pre-press.

  • Jeff McCall, Art Director

    Jeff has been the art director for all of the Bayard Publishing Group since 2002. He is also the Creative Director for Twenty-Third Publications. He has 22 years experience designing books and magazines for the Catholic catechetical community and 14 years as Art Director of Religion Teacher’s Journal, now the Creative Catechist--A Religion Teacher's Journal.

  • Valerie Westrate, Circulation Director

    Valerie joined the staff of Catholic Digest as Financial Controller in 1999. She became Circulation Manager in 2007 and was named Circulation Director in 2008. Valerie oversees circulation for the entire magazine group, which includes 5 magazine titles.

  • Jean Bingham, Audience Development Director

    Jean joined Bayard in 2009 from Pitney Bowes. In addition to corporate marketing, she has over 20 years publishing experience working for well known business and consumer publications, such as Soundings Magazine, Woodshop News, Air Age Publishing, Running Times, RxRemedy, and Internet World. She brings to Bayard experience in new product development that will help utilize print and emerging web technologies to build brand and garner new audiences.

  • Bret D. Thomas, President and CEO of Bayard Inc.

    Bret joined the company in January 2007. He recently came to Bayard after serving as President and CEO of Peter Li Inc., publisher of Catechist, Today's Catholic Teacher, the Pflaum Gospel Weeklies, and other religious instructional books and supplemental materials. Prior to that, Bret taught high school biology and life sciences for the Diocese of Pittsburgh. He earned graduate and undergraduate degrees from the University of Pittsburgh and the University of Dayton.