About the UCBN
UCBN Leadership Team
Executive Director of the CEC
Timothy (T.J.) Nielsen, Executive Director of the Center for Evangelical Catholicism, holds a BA in History from Hillsdale College and an MA in Theology from Holy Apostles College and Seminary in Cromwell, Connecticut. T.J., who grew up in Arizona, moved to Upstate South Carolina to attend graduate school at Clemson University and then taught history and theology for five years in Catholic schools in Greenville. In July 2013 he became the pastoral associate at St Mary's Church and along with Fr Jay Scott Newman co-founded the CEC, where he is responsible for directing its operations and coordinating its programs and conferences. In their ample free time, TJ and his wife, Alycia, have six children, are lay members of the Dominican Order, and TJ works full time as a Financial Advisor.
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Karen Miros
Director of Operations of the CEC
Karen Miros, Director of Operations of the Center for Evangelical Catholicism, holds a BA in Economics from Hillsdale College and an MEd and EdS in School Counseling from Clemson University. She moved to Greenville, SC from Michigan in 2008 to work for Steve Wood at the Family Life Center, before joining the staff at St. Joseph's Catholic School in 2010. During her eleven years at St. Joseph’s, Karen worked first as the Assistant Director of Development, then as a College Counselor, and finally in the high school Administration. Karen lives in Greenville with her husband, Chris, a native of Greenville and lifelong parishioner at St. Mary's, and their two sons.
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Jordan Roberts
Chairman of the UCBN
Jordan Roberts, Chairman of the Upstate Catholic Business Network, has undergraduate degrees in Biological Sciences and Spanish from Clemson University. He also holds a Juris Doctor degree from the Charleston School of Law. Jordan works as a financial advisor at Parallel Financial in Greenville. He has been in the financial services industry since 2015. Jordan also serves on the Board of Birthright of Greenville and the Advisory Council of St. Mary’s Catholic School. Jordan converted to Catholicism in 2014 and is a parishioner at St. Mary’s Catholic Church. Jordan, his wife, and four children live in Simpsonville. In their free time, they enjoy reading, gardening, and trips to the beach.
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Our Purpose
By our Baptism we are called to be disciples of the Lord Jesus. And to live as true disciples of Christ, everything about us must be measured and guided by the Gospel, including our daily work. Human labor and enterprise have a God-given dignity, and it is largely through the hallowing of daily work that lay Catholics grow in holiness. The Upstate Catholic Business Network seeks to help Catholics sanctify their work so that we might live as better disciples of the Lord Jesus, who himself lived as a carpenter, laboring well in all he did.
“As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another” (Proverbs 27:16). It is impossible to grow in virtue on our own, and we we all need the help of like-minded souls in the ongoing effort of trying to become saints. For this purpose, in 2017 the Center for Evangelical Catholicism created the Upstate Catholic Business Network based around events including monthly breakfasts where Catholic business professionals in the community meet together to collaborate, share best practices, and encourage one another in the constant struggle to keep Christ at the center of all we do.