Business Matters: Meaningful Work in the Modern Age

As president of the Acton Institute, Fr. Sirico lectures at colleges, universities, and business organizations throughout the U.S. and abroad.  His writings on religious, political, economic, and social matters are published in a variety of journals, including: the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the London Financial Times, the Washington Times, the Detroit News, and National Review.  Fr. Sirico is often called upon by members of the broadcast media for statements regarding economics, civil rights, and issues of religious concern, and has provided commentary for CNN, ABC, the BBC, NPR, and CBS' 60 Minutes, among others.

In April of 1999, Fr. Sirico was awarded an honorary doctorate in Christian Ethics from the Franciscan University of Steubenville, and in May of 2001, Universidad Francisco Marroquin awarded him an honorary doctorate in Social Sciences.  He is a member of the prestigious Mont Pèlerin Society, the American Academy of Religion, and the Philadelphia Society, and is on the Board of Advisors of the Civic Institute in Prague.  Father Sirico also served on the Michigan Civil Rights Commission from 1994 to 1998.  His pastoral ministry has included a chaplaincy to AIDS patients at the National Institutes of Health.  He is the Pastor of Sacred Heart of Jesus parish in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

The Acton Institute maintains a vigorous editorial outreach, especially through its president, Rev. Robert A. Sirico.  This site maintains an archive of many of his essays and reviews.

Father Sirico holds dual Italian and American citizenship.

Prior to launching NIFW, Missy worked at Bank of America in Charlotte, NC; The Boston Consulting Group in Chicago, Singapore, Bangkok and New York; Time Warner in New York, and most recently on the team that launched the high school division of Ensworth School where she worked in various roles over a decade in marketing, admissions, and college counseling. Her combination of corporate experience, advising capability, theological focus, and nonprofit development gives her the unique ability to help those in the trenches bridge the sacred secular divide. Missy holds a BA in economics from Vanderbilt and an MBA from the JL Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern.

Prior to these endeavors, he worked in various engineering, finance and international business development roles for Chrysler, Magna and Prince Corporation. He has his BS degree in Economics and Mathematics from Hope College and his MBA from the Thunderbird – American Graduate School of International Management. He speaks Spanish and Portuguese.

In addition to providing leadership and strategic direction to VentureSource and DPMC, Phil is also an investor and advisor in 2 start-ups. One, a learning agency in West Michigan, that provides on-line educational services to corporations, schools and non-profits. And the other, a social enterprise in Guatemala City, that offers local artisans the capability to access the global marketplace.

The entrepreneurial success of Autocam has prompted John to become active in a number of educational organizations and institutes. He currently serves as a trustee of Grand Valley State University and an advisory board member of the University of Michigan Ross School of Business’ Samuel Zell and Robert H. Lurie Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies. Kennedy also is a board member of Lacks Enterprises, the Van Andel Institute and the Acton Institute. Additionally, he is a founding board member of Grand Rapids University Prep Academy.

Through this community involvement, Kennedy seeks to play a role in developing future entrepreneurs who will become the next generation of job creators, driving the country’s future success and ultimately building a stronger America.

Kennedy received his BA from the University of Detroit Mercy and his MBA from the University of Michigan. In 2002, he was inducted into the Junior Achievement West Michigan Business Hall of Fame and received the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award. The Economic Club of Grand Rapids also honored Kennedy with the Business Person of the Year in 2004. In 2006, he received the Grand Valley University Foundation Enrichment Award and is a past recipient of the Leadership Award of the Grand Valley University Foundation, Jaycees Distinguished Service Award and Michigan Jaycees Five Outstanding Young People of Michigan Award. In 2012, the Grand Rapids Community Foundation awarded John and his wife, Nancy, the Chaille Community Philanthropy Award. In 2013, John was selected to receive the John G. Thodis Michigan Manufacturer of the Year Award by the Michigan Manufacturers Association. 

James is a combat veteran, having served two tours in Iraq as an armor officer with the US Army, receiving a Purple Heart and Bronze Star. He is also the Co-founder and Chairman of an international non-profit, the 2Seeds Network, which deploys college graduates to lead economic development projects with subsistence farmers in East Africa. James graduated magna cum laude from Harvard University and received an MBA in global management from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

In addition to his work with Burger King, Stuart took an active interest in community development and human resource development. He founded two charter schools and a work-to-work program with Cascade Engineering which later evolved into The Source, focused on maximizing human potential.  

Stuart worked briefly for the last Richard Rockefeller in Portland Maine in a community economic development organization Richard had created, again focused on maximizing human potential.

He is currently employed at Guiding Light Mission as the Executive Director, taking his previous experience in resource development, to address homeless men and those with substance issues.

Stuart is married to Anne with three adult children and two grandchildren. He and his wife attend Westminster Presbyterian Church in Grand Rapids where Stuart is an Elder.

J.C. has earned many awards throughout his career, including the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year, the Michigan Chamber of Commerce Distinguished Service and Leadership Award, and he has been inducted into the Dutch-American Heritage Foundation Hall of Fame. He continues to be committed to the GVSU community, serving both as a GVU Foundation Director, a Seidman School Advisory Board member and a board member of the Hauenstein Center for Presidential Studies. He has been instrumental in a number of campaigns for the university, including Shaping Our Future. The J.C. Huizenga Business Scholarship was established in his name and he initiated the J. Patrick Sandro Education Scholarship in honor of his friend, Pat Sandro. In 2001, he served on the Honorary Executive Cabinet for the Building for Life Campaign. In 2012, J.C. was a recipient of the Enrichment Award.