Parish Council Members 2023 - 2024
Katie Dwyer
Katie is a Washington, D.C. native and is a licensed real estate agent serving clients in DC, Maryland, and Virginia. She was born in Alexandria, graduated from Marymount University, and currently resides in the Kalorama neighborhood. When it comes to her approach to real estate she focuses her attention on her relationships with her clients. Katie's local expertise, passion for her work, attention to detail and communication help her to create an unforgettable experience and life long connection with the clients she serves. She is looking forward to bringing this skill set to serve on the Pastoral Council. Katie is also passionate about serving her community, you can find her volunteering every week with Community of Hope, an organization that provides stable housing and healthcare to the most vulnerable families in the district. Katie has been a St. Matthew's Cathedral parishioner for 10 years and helps the Social Justice Committee with the Monday Morning Ministry program helping to feed and clothe unhoused members of the community.
Kathy Lester
Kathy Lester, JD, MPH, is the founder of Lester Health Law, PLLC, where she practices public health law working with clients at the legislative, administrative, and judicial levels of the federal government. Her practice includes privacy law, Medicare coverage and reimbursement, emergency preparedness, and health care quality and measure development. Prior to that she was at Patton Boggs, where she was an equity partner for 7 of her 14 years at the firm. She received her JD from Georgetown University (cum laude), her MPH from The Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health, and her BA from DePauw University (magna cum laude). She clerked for The Honorable Michael S. Kanne on the US Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, served as staff to The Honorable Senator Richard G. Lugar (IN), and worked at the Department of Health and Human Services. Kathy is married and has two children. She has been a parishioner at St. Matthew's for the past 20 years.
Grace Lutfy
Grace Lutfy is originally from the Metro Detroit area and has been living in Washington, DC, since late 2016. She joined St. Matthew's during the pandemic and is happily involved in the Social Justice and Community Service Committee, the Lector Ministry, and the Pastoral Council. It's been a blessing, an honor, and a privilege for her to serve God in so many ways, and she looks forward to many more.
Dr. Isreal Mallard
Dr. Mallard is a native of Texas and has worked for the Federal government for 16 years. He earned his doctoral degree in political science and has recently published his first book. He has lived abroad in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic and Tanzania, Africa as well as traveled to 56 countries. Through his spiritual journey, he realized the teachings of the Catholic church and its mission resonated with his faith in Jesus Christ. He is excited to be apart of a Christian community to help in the mission of Christ through Catholicism.
Miguel Ángel Martínez, Jr.
Perhaps fitting for a tax lawyer, Miguel first came to Saint Matthew's after being invited by a law school friend to attend mass on Easter in 2005. He enjoyed it so much that he started regularly attending mass at the Cathedral ever since. He and his wife, Margarita, are active parishioners in the Hispanic Ministry and often volunteer with Faith Formation programs. On their first date, Miguel and Margarita were surprised to learn that they were both parishioners and had never met so it was fitting that they were married at Saint Matthew's in 2020 in a mass presided by Padre John Benson. Miguel works at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), and he also serves on the Board of Directors for Ayuda, a nonprofit organization that provides legal, social, and language services to immigrants in the DC area.
Mauro Alberto Morales
Mauro Morales was born to Albert and Fimia Morales in Los Angeles, California. He received first Holy Communion from Holy Family Church in Lakewood California. Mauro attended the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) and was confirmed at St. Pius V in Buena Park, California. He has served as an attorney in various government positions and currently is the Staff Director of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. He and his wife, Janet Murguia, I have been members of the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle for over ten years. Mauro grew up in Southern California and earned a B.S. from Georgetown University and a J.D. from the University of Southern California. Mauro and Janet were married in Kansas City, MS by Bishop Mario Dorsonville. Mauro's hobbies include golf, fly fishing and attending sporting events.
Carlos F. Sánchez
Carlos has been blessed to be a parishioner at St. Matthew’s Cathedral since September 2021. Currently, Carlos works as a Systems Director for Great Minds, a K-12 curriculum provider that believes “every child is capable of greatness”. Prior to Great Minds, Carlos helped clients around the world navigate people-centric digital transformation initiatives as a consultant at IBM and Accenture. Originally born in Venezuela, Carlos grew up in South Florida and completed a B.A. in Economics at Princeton University in New Jersey. In addition to volunteering at St. Matthew’s, Carlos loves to read, study foreign languages, hit the gym, and travel during his spare time. He is thrilled to put his “faith in action” as part of the Cathedral’s parish council.
Dione Shears
Retired from the corporate interior design industry, Dione Shears was born, raised, and married in New York, New York. She attended the Art Institute of Pittsburg, majoring in interior design. Dione spent the first years of marriage living with her husband (who has since passed) in France then England where their first daughter was born. After returning to the U.S., they made a home in Greensboro, NC where their second daughter was born. After several corporate moves, their family settled in DC and has been here over 40 years. Dione has been a parishioner at Saint Matthew's over 20 years.
Jonathon Smith
Jonathan has been a parishioner of St. Matthew’s Cathedral for 15 years, since moving to DC. He volunteered as an EMC prior to the COVID-19 pandemic and since then as an usher. Jonathon was born and raised in the Midwest where he attended Catholic elementary and high schools before entering the US Air Force. After serving for 4 years, he attended the University of Illinois and Southern Illinois University, receiving a BA in International Relations & Economics. He married Hiroko Otsu and together they moved to New York City where Jonathon received an MBA from New York University. They then moved to Los Angeles where he worked in marketing management for a variety of firms, travelling throughout the US and several other countries. Now retired, Jonathon and Hiroko enjoy traveling and attending classical concerts and other events. They have been fortunate to visit Rome twice as well as the Holy Land. Jonathon is a member of Serra International, a lay apostolate organization that supports vocations, priests and seminarians. He also serves on the Development & Marketing Committee for the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Shrine in Emmitsburg, MD.
Kristien Szczesnowicz
Sebastian and Kristien Szczesnowicz have been members of St. Matthew's Cathedral since 2006. They are government contractors, centered on military construction and security, based in the Washington, DC Metro Area. St. Matthew's has been an integral part of their family life, as parents, as well as their continued faith, while residing in the Northern Virginian suburb of Vienna.
Tara Tighe Ryan
Tara Tighe Ryan relocated to the Washington, DC area in late 2020, and she was quickly captivated by the beauty and history of the Cathedral of St. Matthew. Tara and her husband celebrated their wedding at the Cathedral in December 2022 and look forward to being an active part of the community as they build their family together. Tara studied finance before attending law school and earning her Juris Doctor from the University of Pittsburgh. She looks forward to using her legal and networking training to help the Cathedral realize its full potential as a faithful community.
Margarita Valdez Martinez
Margarita Valdez Martínez is the Director of Policy and Advocacy for the American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy (ASGCT), the primary professional membership organization for gene and cell therapy. The mission of ASGCT is to advance knowledge, awareness, and education leading to the discovery and clinical application of genetic and cellular therapies to alleviate human disease. Through her work at ASGCT, Margarita seeks to advance the Society’s priorities in policy development amongst legislators, providers, patient advocates, coalitions, and other stakeholders. Valdez Martínez earned her undergraduate degree at Michigan State University, she is Chair of the Public Policy Committee for the American Society of Association Executives. She currently lives in Washington, DC, with her husband, Miguel.
Adria Vargas
Adria was born in the Dominican Republic part of the island of Hispaniola. She migrated to the U. S. under a cultural exchange program to attend college, completing a BA in International Business in 2004. She moved to Washington DC in 2005 to work at the Inter-American Development Bank. In 2006 she joined the World Bank Group where she currently works on development projects, principally in Eastern and Southern Africa, West Africa, and Latin America and the Caribbean. In 2012 Adria completed an MA in Sustainable International Development from Brandeis University. At St. Matthew's she found a home, enjoying the homilies of Jesuit guest Mass celebrants that remind her of the Ignatian faith formation she received in high school. Adria is multilingual, and loves children, helping those in need, loving and caring for nature, sharing life experiences with others, taking pictures of sunsets and clouds, and eating as healthy as possible. Some of her hobbies are hiking, dancing, listening to music and podcasts, and making jewelry, knitting, and sewing.