Staff
Pastoral Staff
Fr. Eric Nielsen
Pastor – Executive Director of Saint Paul’s Catholic Student Center
Fr. Eric has been the Pastor of Saint Paul’s since 2006 and a priest of the Diocese of Madison since 1995. The oldest of seven children, Fr. Nielsen grew up in Oshkosh, graduated in 1984 from the UW in Civil Engineering, and entered Mundelein Seminary in 1990. As a young man he enjoyed a lot of outdoor activity and travel but now spends most of his time at Saint Paul’s encouraging students to focus on study and prayer as a path to know, love and serve Jesus Christ.
Contact Fr. Eric at enielsen@uwcatholic.org
Fr. Tim Mergen
Parochial Vicar
Fr. Tim was ordained a priest of the Diocese of Madison on June 26th 2020. The youngest of four children, Fr. Tim was born in Madison and grew up in McFarland, WI. In 2010 he graduated as an officer from the U.S. Air Force Academy and in 2011 he completed training to become an Air Force pilot. After flying the Air Force Special Operations C-146 aircraft for three years he responded to the call to enter seminary and serve as a priest. He is Co-Sponsored with the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA to serve as both a diocesan priest in Madison and a military chaplain in the U.S. Air Force. Fr. Tim is a lifelong Badger fan who enjoys sports, coffee, reading, aviation, the outdoors, and spending time with students to help them see the truth and beauty of Jesus Christ and the Catholic faith.
Contact Fr. Tim at tmergen@uwcatholic.org
Helena Dziadowicz
Director of Evangelization and Student Housing
Hi I’m Helena! In 2017 I graduated from UW-Madison with a bachelor’s degree in pharmaceutical sciences, and then stuck around another year to live in the brand new Saint Paul’s building while I served through AmeriCorps as a high school math tutor in town. After that, I became a FOCUS missionary for two years: first at Ramapo College in Mahwah, NJ then at Franciscan University in Steubenville, OH. Last year I was a Residence Hall Director at Franciscan when Father Eric called me up out of the blue and asked me to consider coming back to work for Saint Paul’s. I am thrilled to be back here at such a special, thriving, and well led Catholic Student Center! I love coffee, talking, fitness classes, discussing difficult topics, making people feel important, and I would love to meet you!
Contact Helena at helenad@uwcatholic.org
Eva Luba
Sacristan Liturgy & Retreats
Hey there! I grew up in West Bend, WI and was baptized at Holy Angels Catholic Church when I was 8 y/o (yeah I know kind of weird, I’d love to tell you the story!). I graduated from UW with a degree in civil engineering in 2022, but I knew I had to come back to Saint Paul’s for another year to serve as an intern. When I’m not at Saint Paul’s, you can find me enjoying a good cup of coffee, working on an embroidery project, or trying a new recipe in the kitchen. I hope Saint Paul’s becomes a home for you just like it did for me!
Contact Eva Luba at eva@uwcatholic.org
Matthew Olsen
Server Liturgy & Service Trip
Hello! My name is Matthew Olson, and I am from Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin. I am a Marquette High Alumnus, and I attended St. George’s Greek Catholic Church in downtown Milwaukee. I graduated UW Madison with a degree in Economics this past May, and enjoy fishing, cooking, and spending time with friends in my free time. I’m in charge of servers and lectors here at St. Paul’s, and love participating in the sacred Liturgy. I’m also responsible for coordinating service trips.
Contact Matthew Olsen at matthew@uwcatholic.org
Greg Lyon
Freshman Outreach Intern
What’s up! My name is Greg and I’m from Milwaukee. I grew up going to Catholic schools and graduated from UW with a degree in Biology. St. Paul’s gave me so much throughout my college career so I knew I wanted to give back and serve a year as an intern. I’m very interested in healthy living, exploring the outdoors, and watching sports with friends. I hope to see you around!
Contact Greg Lyon at greg@uwcatholic.org
Kennedy Peters
Freshman Outreach Intern
Hey! My name is Kennedy and I am from Seymour, WI. My home parish is Saint Nicholas in Freedom. Last May I graduated from UW-Madison with degrees in Marketing, Supply Chain Management, and Operations & Technology Management. I enjoy athletics (join RUN CLUB), laughing, going up north, and hanging out!! Saint Paul’s has transformed the way I live, and I cannot wait to share the mission with students. Feel free to reach out–I look forward to meeting and further getting to know the students of UW-Madison!
Contact Kennedy Peters at kennedy@uwcatholic.org
Kevin Ronczkowski
Grad/YP Intern
Hello! My name is Kevin Ronczkowski. I am from Marietta, Georgia, and my parish was Holy Family. I attended The University of Georgia (Go Dawgs) for undergrad and studied Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Management. Two weeks after graduating, I packed my bags and moved to Madison where I got my MS in Environmental Observation and Informatics at UW. I love to do anything outdoors in my free time including hiking, camping, fishing, and hunting. I am excited to get to know everyone at St. Paul’s and work with the Grad/YP community!
Contact Kevin Ronczkowski at kevin@uwcatholic.org
Sophie Johnson
Grad/YP Intern
Hi! My name is Sophie Johnson, and I’m from Kenosha, WI, where I grew up attending St. Mary’s parish.In December of 2021, I graduated from UW-Madison, with a B.A. in Communication Sciences and Disorders. Even though language and perception is interesting to me, I also really enjoy being outside in all seasons: kayaking, camping, skiing, biking, and rollerblading. St. John Paul II said, “life with Christ is a wonderful adventure,” and I’m always ready for an adventure! This year, I’ll be helping Kevin lead the Grad/YP ministry and working with Fr. Tim to run RCIA for those desiring to enter the Church.
Contact Sophie Johnson at sophie@uwcatholic.org
Kyle Mackey
Hospitality Intern
Hey howdy hey! I’m Kyle Mackey and I am the Saint Paul’s Hospitality Intern this year (aka Head Hospie)! I’m from a small town just north of Madison called Poynette, which is where I went to school and where, as a young lad, I went to Mass at my home parish – St. Thomas the Apostle. I spent 4.5 years as a student at UW-Madison and I graduated with a BA in Political Science (fun stuff, right?). During my time at Madison, Saint Paul’s became a great home for me to meet friends and come to a deeper knowledge of and love for Jesus. I’m so excited to be serving the Saint Paul’s community and hopefully cooking some tasty food this year! If you ever have questions or just need a friend, give me a shout at (608) 697-9937!
Contact Kyle Mackey at kyle@uwcatholic.org
Maria Steigerwald
Director of Music
Contact Maria at msteigerwald@uwcatholic.org
FOCUS Missionaries
Olivia Ring
Team Director
Hi, I’m Olivia and I am from Savage, MN. My home parish is St. Michael’s in Prior Lake, MN and I went to Prior Lake High School. I continued my education and earned a degree in Elementary and Special Education from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2018! GO BIG RED! For fun I love to rock climb, hike, and read classic literature! Now I work as the Team Director for FOCUS at UW/Saint Paul’s
William Dionesotes
Campus Missionary
Camryn Miller
Campus Missionary
Hi! My name is Cam and I am a first-year FOCUS Missionary! I am from Cedar Rapids, Iowa and I graduated from the University of Iowa with a pre-Occupational Therapy degree! I love Jesus, kombucha, the outdoors, & the Iowa Hawkeyes. I am beyond excited to be at UW-Madison bringing souls to Jesus through Saint Paul’s!
Noah Joseph
Campus Missionary
Hey! I’m from Plymouth, WI and my home parish is St. John the Baptist. I went to UW for undergrad and studied Bio Chem. I’m so excited to come back to St. Paul’s Catholic Student Center with FOCUS! I am very passionate about everything: soccer (watching, playing, practicing), reading, exercising, large group events, hangouts (especially bonfires), and day trips! Catch me around the student center to talk about absolutely anything – especially prayer and spiritual reading books!
Erica Nossaman
Campus Missionary
Hi, I’m Erica! I’m from Pella, Iowa and graduated from Iowa State University with a degree in Event Management. During college I was blessed with a community that drew me deeper in faith to make Jesus the center of my life. I became a FOCUS Missionary to share this experience with more college students and continue to grow in relationship with Christ myself.
Preferred contact is phone/texting! 641-204-2988
Development Team
KC Daniels
Director of Advancement
KC’s hometown is Madison, WI. He attended Edgewood High School and UW-Madison School of Business where he graduated in 2018. He was one of the first residents at St. Paul’s and even got married here, so St. Paul’s has a tremendous impact on his life. After living in Green Bay for three years, he and his family moved south to work at the best Student Center in the nation. KC is devoted to helping Saint Paul’s raise enough money for the whole formation of the next generation of leaders: spiritual, intellectual, human, and leadership formation. He enjoys running and hiking, as well as brewing his own beer. KC, his wife, Bridget, and their daughter, Zelie, reside in the Madison area. Contact KC at kdaniels@uwcatholic.org
Sophia Madore
Advancement Associate
Contact Sophia at smadore@uwcatholic.org or (608) 422-4818.
Staff
Scott Hackl
Senior Director of Advancement
Contact Scott at scotth@uwcatholic.org
Erin Sullivan
Director of Marketing
Contact Erin Sullivan at esullivan@uwcatholic.org
Kelli Trumble
Director of Operations
Contact Kelli Trumble at ktrumble@uwcatholic.org
