Alumna Builds Bridges Between Catholicism and National Issues at Georgetown

This story is part of Georgetown Faces, a storytelling series that celebrates the beloved figures, unsung heroes and dedicated Hoyas who make our campus special.

Kimberly Mazyck (SFS'90) is the associate director for engagement for the Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life.

Kimberly Mazyck's (SFS'90) job title is fitting in more ways than one.

As the associate director for engagement for the Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life, she engages faculty, staff, students and the public in dialogues the initiative hosts on Catholic social thought and pressing issues.

As an alumna, she's eager to engage with Hoyas and newcomers to the university.

"I don't say this in a very boastful way," she says, "but I think most people would say, 'Of course your job is engagement.' It's kind of the perfect title."

Mazyckjoined the initiative in 2023. She has spent the majority of her career focused on policy, faith and building community - a passion rooted in her experience teaching at a Catholic school in South Africa during apartheid in 1991 through a Georgetown program. In the years following, she worked for Human Rights Watch, Catholic Relief Services - where she led educational and advocacy campaigns concerning Africa - and Catholic Charities, where she advanced community engagement efforts.

At Georgetown, Mazyck connects with colleagues, students and a global network of leaders to involve them in the initiative's dialogues, which cover issues ranging from immigration to artificial intelligence.

Mazyck returned to Georgetown, where she studied in the School of Foreign Service as an undergraduate, in 2022.

Her work focuses on bringing the Jesuit values to life in global and national issues, she says.

"We're trying to build opportunities for people to come together and have conversations about global and national issues. It creates a moral vocabulary for people so that they can talk about [these issues] in a way that highlights where our values play into them and how we build a society that works for everyone," she said. "How do we lift up those values so that students, faculty, staff and our community who attend in person and those who watch online have an example of how to live those out?"

In returning to the Hilltop, Mazyck has found colleagues also focused on community and faith in a place that feels like home. In this next chapter, she wants to make sure others feel at home in her alma mater, too. She keeps her office door open just in case.

"I just want to make sure we do what we can to send [students] off into the world so they can make it a better place for all of us," she says.

What I wish people knew about my job: I think when some people hear I work for the Initiative on Catholic Social Thought, they hear the word 'Catholic' and don't hear anything else. I hope that everybody who reads about this initiative knows that we're welcoming to all. We want people to feel that they're part of the room. The real value of what we do is that if we have that opportunity for dialogue and for questions and answers, that brings us closer to a better understanding. I hope that everybody recognizes the universal values at the heart of our Catholic faith, the small 'c' as well as the big 'C.'

How Catholic social thought can inform national issues: I believe that there is a separation of church and state, but I still believe that we should carry these values about the common good into our work and our lives to make sure the needs of the most vulnerable are addressed. I don't think we live compartmentalized lives. We still want to make sure that children do not live in fear, do not live in the middle of conflict, that they have access to healthcare. So how do we have these conversations in a way that reaffirms these core values? I feel like we contribute to that.

Why my upbringing helps in my job:My dad was in the military. We moved every three years. Sometimes we were on a military base, other times not at all. In 12 years, I went to seven different schools. I think that's why engaging with other people is easy for me. It's second nature, because anytime I go into a new environment, I'm like, I've got to figure out what works, what doesn't work and where I'm going to fit in.

Mazyck at her graduation from the School of Foreign Service in 1990.

My turning point as an undergrad at Georgetown: I lived in Germany and participated in a model UN in the Hague when I was 13 or 14 years old. I was determined to be a diplomat. I thought, I'm going to work at the UN. I'm going to be an ambassador. When I came [to Georgetown], I thought I was going to do straight diplomatic corps stuff. That was my goal. Then I had one class. The next thing you know, I was in the African Studies program. That was a real turning point.

Why it feels right to be back at Georgetown:I rode the G2 bus (now the C91) to campus that [first] day. As I got off the bus, the Healy bells rang, and I was like, I guess this is right.And it has felt right. We have an incredible team. Really, really bright people, really strong faith, people who believe in community, who want to support each other and believe in this work. I feel like I'm seeing [Georgetown] through different eyes, but I still think it's amazing. It still feels like home.

Mazyck chats with Christian Soenen (G'26), the projects manager for the Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life.

My biggest passion outside the office: I'm a foodie - and I don't even use that term - I just love food. I love cooking it. I love grocery shopping and I love to cook with others. I love trying out new restaurants too. I usually have dinner on Sunday nights with a dear friend from high school and her family. The question always is: What am I taking to dinner on Sunday? Sometimes it's Japanese milk bread and often ice cream. Or, I've never braided challah before, let's do that. That time around the table together is really important to me.

When I think about my work:I hope that my nieces and nephews will say, 'Kimberly tried to make a difference.' By hosting these dialogues, by helping people form this moral vocabulary, by providing them a real sense about where faith is supposed to play a role in these issues, I hope we help people carry these values about the common good into their work and their lives, looking out for the most vulnerable and contributing to diminishing the polarization that is so prevalent in the U.S.

Mazyck holds up a U.S. Postal Service postcard that was issued in 1989 to honor the bicentennial of Georgetown that she keeps in her office.