Fernando Ortiz, director of the Counseling Center at Gonzaga University, has been appointed to the National Review Board by Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The Board was established by the “Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People” to collaborate with bishops to prevent sexual abuse of U.S. minors by persons in service of the Church.
The selection followed a lengthy process that included 12 nominated psychologists from across the United States, according to a press release. The NRB is a consultative body — comprised of lay attorneys, psychologists and other professionals — that advises the USCCB on implementation of the Charter and the prevention of sexual abuse.
“It is truly an honor to represent Gonzaga University at the national level on this important issue,” Ortiz said in a statement. “Ultimately, this is about voicing the needs of victims.”
Ortiz is a native of Mexico and moved to Los Angeles in 1990, at age 18.
He spent five years at St. John’s Seminary College, Camarillo, Calif., where he earned a bachelor’s degree in philosophy, before discovering his calling as a psychologist. He was hired as assistant director of the Counseling Center at Gonzaga in 2009, and named director in 2011.
Ortiz holds a master’s degree in counseling psychology from Santa Clara University, and a master’s in religious studies from Gonzaga. He earned a doctorate in counseling psychology from Washington State University with a specialization in cross-cultural psychology, personality and culture, and ethnic minority mental health.
