Zeca (as José Luiz is known) holds a degree in philosophy and theology and was previously a catholic priest at the Church of the Resurrection (Igreja da Ressurreição), where he led an ecumenical movement called Deus é Dez.

He gained a doctorate from the Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome, for which he wrote a thesis on the contemporary relevance of the thinking of St. Augustine. He worked at PUC-Rio as a professor of theology and religious culture in the university’s undergraduate and graduate programs.

Also at PUC-Rio, he coordinated the Department of Religious Culture, including disciplines on professional ethics. After leaving the priesthood, he did a graduate diploma course in business administration at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (Coppead/UFRJ), and became an accredited coach by the Brazilian Association of Coaching.

Zeca currently lectures in ethics in the knowledge society as part of the graduate program in knowledge management at UFRJ (MBKM – Crie/Coppe/UFRJ) and is a guest professor at Fundação Dom Cabral. In his talks, he addresses topics such as spirituality in times of complexity and unrest, innovation and business models with an impact on society, trust in change, ethics, and educational leadership. He has worked with companies such as Brookfield Energia Renovável, Globosat, Vale, Zona Sul, Embrapa, Petrobrás, Oi and VIVO.