The de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture welcomed two new staffers to the office in mid-August. Brooke Tranten and Phil Tran join the team to support and further develop the Center's student formation, culture of life, and academic research pillars.

Brooke Tranten returns to the de Nicola Center after having been a Graduate Sorin Fellow during her studies in the Master of Theological Studies program, which she completed in 2019. After her graduation, she undertook Ph.D. work in American history at Marquette University, and is currently writing a dissertation on the reception of the US Bishops' 1983 statement on nuclear weapons. Prior to joining the dCEC, she has worked at the Cushwa Center for the Study of American Catholicism, the Hesburgh Library, and at the Morris Inn. She attended the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, MA, graduating with a BA in Catholic studies and history in 2017.

In her new role at the dCEC, Brooke will employ her research and logistics skills in support of the academic research and publications pillar with Margaret Cabaniss, and the administrative functions of the Center alongside Associate Director Laura Gonsiorek.

"I am delighted to be back at the de Nicola Center, this time as part of the team," said Brooke. "As a young scholar, the Fall Conference has always been a highlight of the year for me, and I am excited to put my talents to use 'behind the curtain,' as it were, to help make this and the other initiatives of the Center even better in the years to come."

Phil Tran joins the dCEC after several years with The Culture Project, a ministry that sends missionaries to partner dioceses to share Pope St. John Paul II's vision of human dignity and sexual integrity with middle school and high school students. A 2020 graduate summa cum laude of Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, PA with degrees in philosophy and theology, Phil holds a certificate in health care ethics from the National Catholic Bioethics Center in Philadelphia and is currently finishing studies for a Master of Science in bioethics at the University of Mary in Bismarck, ND.

At the Center, Phil will work closely alongside Dave Younger on the student formation program, and Petra Farrell on culture of life initiatives.

"As a young man who has long desired to advance Catholic identity and proclaim the dignity of the human person, I have had much excitement for organizations that are engaging society to work towards building a culture of life," said Phil. "As an undergraduate student, I attended two of the dCEC’s Fall Conferences, where I was astounded by the Center’s academic prowess, sense of mission, and execution of that mission. I am excited to join the dCEC team!"

The de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture is committed to sharing the richness of the Catholic moral and intellectual tradition through teaching, research, and public engagement, at the highest level and across a range of disciplines – both on campus at the University of Notre Dame, and as Notre Dame in the public square.