Leadership & Staff

Born in Honolulu, Hawaii on May 16, 1952, Fr. Spitzer is a Catholic Priest in the Jesuit order, and is currently the President of the Magis Center of Reason and Faith and the Spitzer Center. The Magis Center produces documentaries, books, high school curricula, college courses, adult education curricula, and new media materials to show the close connection between faith and reason in contemporary astrophysics, philosophy, and historical study of the New Testament.

The Spitzer Center produces facilitated curricula to strengthen culture, faith, and spirit in Catholic organizations as well as nonprofit and for-profit organizations.

Meet Fr. Spitzer

Formerly a marketing and product executive for early stage technology companies, Joe made the transition to full time Catholic evangelization in 2007. Prior to joining Magis he served as a vice president and board member for the Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS). With Magis, Joe leads the organization’s digital outreach. He also serves on the Magis Center’s Board of Directors, He holds a Master of Arts in Philosophy from Holy Apostles College and Seminary in Cromwell, CT and a Master of Arts in Theology from Notre Dame Graduate School in Alexandria, VA.

Joan M. Jacoby was the former owner and President of Jacoby Commercial Real Estate Services Company. After twenty years of executive leadership in her company she decided to dedicate herself to the mission of education in the area of reason and faith. After joining the Magis Institute Board of Directors, and meeting Fr. Spitzer in 2009, she decided to sell her part of the partnership in her company, and become the Administrative Officer for the Magis Institute.

Since that time, she has been actively involved in the creation of all sixteen products in the Magis Institute’s six product lines, has been at the center of the operational administration of the Institute, and has assisted Fr. Spitzer in virtually every phase of the Institute’s development. She is the Institute’s key contact person.

She earned an MBA from Pepperdine University and a BA from Kent State University and is a California licensed broker.

As Executive Director of Credible Catholic, Michael oversees the organization’s global outreach to Catholic schools and parishes. He is a retired Army Colonel with three decades of experience overseeing international security issues with expertise fulfilling assignments for multiple agencies and defense offices. As a strategic planner, he was responsible for resource allocation, budget control, and inventory maintenance, for multimillion-dollar assets. Michael is currently completing a Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership at Benedictine University in Lisle, IL.

Gregory serves as Director of Philanthropy for the Magis Center. He is an accomplished entrepreneur and business leader with over 20 years of experience spanning business development, e-commerce, fundraising, and sales. In addition to his role at Magis, Gregory is also active with Legatus and is the current President of the San Diego chapter.

Kathy is Director of Finance for the Magic Center. She was formerly the CFO for FOCUS (The Fellowship of Catholic University Students) and is a Certified Public Accountant with over 30 years of experience in accounting and financial services. She holds a Master of Science degree in Accounting from Regis University in Denver, CO.

Susan has owned several businesses and was a licensed real estate agent. She is a former Executive Administrative Assistant with a wealth of customer service experience. Her most recent position, in a large design center, put her in close contact with customers on a daily basis.

For Magis, she wears several hats including sending out the monthly Magis Center e-Blast, providing prompt solutions to customer service issues, and sorting emails to insure they are answered by the appropriate party. Susan is mission oriented and will not be deterred from achieving her goal of pleasing the customer.