Meet the Staff

	Father Mark Goldasich Father Mark was born and raised on Strawberry Hill in Kansas City, Kan. He attended St.John the Baptist Grade School and Savior of the World Seminary. He has a BA in German from the College of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minn. He did his theological studies at the North American College in Rome and has an STB and an STL (with emphasis in moral theology) from the Gregorian University in Rome. He was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas in 1981 and has served parishes in Topeka, Roeland Park, and Kansas City, Kan., and is presently pastor of Sacred Heart in Tonganoxie. He enjoys reading, bowling and procrastinating in his spare time.
	Anita McSorley Anita McSorley, managing editor of The Leaven, has over 30 years’ experience in book, magazine and newspaper editing, including stints as the assistant editor of the “Diplomatic Papers of Daniel Webster” at Dartmouth College and then in the public relations departments of Texaco, Inc., and the Rockefeller Group in New York. Anita made the move to newspaper editing when she came to The Leaven in 1988, where she has been ever since. Anita is a member of St. Patrick Parish in Kansas City, Kan., and enjoys, in her spare time, giving her children and her staff good advice that they never take.
	Todd Habiger Todd Habiger has been the production manager for The Leaven since 1995. Under his direction The Leaven has won multiple design awards from the Catholic Press Association. Prior to working at The Leaven, Todd was an award-winning writer for The Catholic Key newspaper in Kansas City, Mo. Todd is married to Lori Wood Habiger, a former Leaven employee herself. They have two children — Paige and Connor, and one dog — Joli.
	Joe Bollig, Senior Reporter Joe has been with The Leaven since 1993. He has a bachelor’s degree in communications and a master’s degree in journalism. Before entering print journalism he worked in commercial radio. He has worked for the St. Joseph (Mo.) News-Press and Sun Publications in Overland Park. During his journalistic career he has covered beats including police, fire, business, features, general assignment and religion. While at The Leaven he has been a writer, photographer and videographer. He has won or shared several Catholic Press Association awards, as well as Archbishop Edward T. O’Meara awards for mission coverage. He is a father and grandfather to a growing tribe of feral cats, never met a pie he didn’t like, thinks Ford missed the mark with the 2002 Thunderbird, and would like to own a 1959 Buick Electra or a 1949 Ford F1 pickup. His educational objective is to obtain a master’s in theology or certificate in welding. He aspires to be the first member of his Scout troop to hike Philmont with a portable defibrillator.
	Jessica Langdon, Feature Writer Jessica grew up in Prairie Village and is thrilled to be covering stories of the people in northeastern Kansas. Jessica graduated from St. Teresa’s Academy in Kansas City, Mo., in 1996, and received a bachelor of science in journalism from the William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications in 2000. After working as a producer and reporter at a television station in Topeka, Jessica headed south in 2001 to Wichita Falls, Texas, where she worked at KAUZ-TV as a reporter, assignment editor and noon anchor. After two and a half years of covering general assignments and the health and education beats, she moved to the print side, and spent several years covering crime, city and county governments, health, features and breaking news at the Wichita Falls Times Record News. Her coverage of breaking stories earned two first-place awards in deadline writing from the Texas Associated Press Managing Editors. Jessica made the move back to Kansas in 2011 to join The Leaven as a staff writer and loves meeting people across the area and telling their stories. In her spare time, she doesn’t at all enjoy running – but does it anyway.
	Jill Ragar Esfeld Jill Ragar Esfeld is a freelance writer/photojournalist with more than 30 years experience in magazine, technical and direct-market writing. Her copy has won several advertising and feature-writing awards. She’s been a regular contributor to The Leaven since April 2004. She is a member of Holy Trinity Parish in Lenexa.