President/CEO

The Role
Reporting to the Board of Directors and appointed by the Archbishop of Galveston-Houston, the Chief Executive Officer of Catholic Charities of Galveston-Houston will be an experienced and inspiring leader of stature, responsible for the strategic, programmatic, financial, and operational leadership of the organization. The Chief Executive Officer will serve as a trusted partner working across governments, the private sector, local communities, and philanthropic partners to mobilize resources and achieve measurable outcomes for those in need in southeastern Texas. The Chief Executive Officer will work in collaboration with the Board and the Archbishop on all matters of governance, policy, advocacy, fundraising and development, mission, and strategic objectives, and will keep the Board fully informed on the operating and financial condition of the organization and of important internal and external influencing factors.

A strategic leader with a deep understanding of and compassion for vulnerable populations, the Chief Executive Officer will be able to identify trends and opportunities for Catholic Charities to effectively fulfil its mission. As Catholic Charities’ key strategic and operational leader, the Chief Executive Officer will be a focused and disciplined manager capable of working effectively with an engaged Board, establishing clear priorities, and steering the organization toward maintaining its strategic focus, mobilizing new resources, and expending them efficiently. The Chief Executive Officer will work together with the Board and staff to refine, articulate, and implement the organization’s future strategic direction, establishing critical priorities and evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of current programmatic activities to ensure alignment with the mission. The ability to leverage an understanding of large, complex business models to bring nimbleness and agility to Catholic Charities’ strategic and operating model to maintain its effectiveness in a rapidly evolving landscape is essential.

At every step, the Chief Executive Officer will reinforce program strategy and delivery, ensure consistency, promote a sense of urgency and results orientation, and strengthen human capital across the organization. The Chief Executive Officer will be an inclusive, approachable, and present manager, able to foster a culture that attracts talented staff and where staff members are valued, motivated, and retained. As the primary liaison between the Board and staff, the Chief Executive Officer will communicate effectively with Board members and ensure that Catholic Charities’ work is consistent with the values and mission of the organization.

The Chief Executive Officer will play the primary role in representing Catholic Charities to a variety of external constituents vital to the organization’s mission and livelihood, including donors, elected officials, policymakers, the media, partners, and clients. The successful candidate will be a strong, visible, and credible advocate for the organization’s mission and programs, consistently raising Catholic Charities’ visibility and influence in the community. The Chief Executive Officer will embrace their role as the organization’s senior fundraiser and encourage a culture of development within the organization. This role requires an articulate and persuasive speaker, a deeply skilled listener, a partnership builder with a strategic approach to revenue generation, and the passion and conviction to engage new and existing donors.

Catholic Charities has recently navigated rapid shifts in the funding landscape, and the Chief Executive Officer will need to position the agency for long-term success as the external environment continues to evolve. The new leader will be asked to revitalize the agency’s strategic direction to ensure that Catholic Charities continues to provide high-quality services that help alleviate the greatest issues affecting vulnerable populations in the greater Houston region. The Chief Executive Officer will also need to inspire and motivate a workforce that has maintained its commitment through swift change, negative media messages, and external political pressure.

Candidate Profile
Catholic Charities seeks to recruit a skilled, inspiring, and compassionate leader of vision and stature, with a deep belief in providing care and services to improve the lives of those in need. The Chief Executive Officer should bring vision and operational excellence, along with the ability to advance the organization into the future, while respecting its strong foundation, history, mission, and culture. Catholic Charities seeks an experienced, strategic, and respected leader who is aligned with the organization’s values.

The successful candidate will have experience working closely with Board members, staff, collaborating partner organizations, and other constituents to set and achieve ambitious goals. The candidate will possess the empathy and cultural astuteness to work with people of many different backgrounds, and ideally will bring established connections to the Galveston-Houston community. The successful candidate will be a poised, diplomatic, energetic, and inspiring leader with the ability to represent Catholic Charities at multiple levels in a compelling and persuasive manner, and to influence decision-making bodies at the highest levels.

The Chief Executive Officer will have the ability to think creatively in identifying new opportunities and alliances in an uncertain and competitive fundraising environment. This capacity will include a proven track record in managing all resources for large, complex organizations and taking calculated risks. The successful candidate will be results-oriented and have the ability to communicate effectively at all levels.

The successful candidate will be an active, practicing Catholic who upholds the values of faith, integrity, and collaboration.

In terms of the performance and personal competencies required for the position, we would highlight the following:

Strategy Leadership and Management

The successful candidate will have a demonstrated record of setting priorities, leading organizations through transition and evolution, and delivering results.

A transparent leader and strategic thinker who works with Catholic Charities’ senior leadership team and Board to establish plans and methods to reach strategic objectives, evaluate the impact and effectiveness of ongoing programmatic work, and ensure the long-term viability and success of Catholic Charities in serving vulnerable and underserved communities in need.

Demonstrated success in managing a complex organization or program with clear and strategic results.

A growth and results-oriented leader able to inspire staff and Board to achieve ambitious goals while ensuring the evolution of systems and processes to sustain viability in the long-term.

Encourages transparency, openness, and mutual respect; sets priorities decisively, delegates responsibilities, assures and values accountability, and allocates resources efficiently to achieve results.

Able to recruit, engage, and empower top talent; motivate the team; delegate effectively; celebrate diversity and promote inclusiveness among the team; and manage performance. Widely viewed as a strong developer of diverse talent and someone who can identify change agents and leaders from among the agency’s existing employees.

Navigates confidently in ambiguous situations; makes decisions in the face of uncertainty or change that are aligned with the core values of the organization; makes prudent contingency plans.

Viewed by others as having a high degree of integrity and forethought in decision-making; acts in a transparent and consistent manner while always taking into account what is best for the organization.

Self-reflective and aware of his/her own limitations; leads by example; hires to complement his/her own skills and competencies; drives the organization’s performance with an attitude of continuous improvement by being open to feedback and self-improvement.

Communication, Relationship Building and Influence

Exceptional communication skills; highly articulate and persuasive; presents in a compelling manner.

Relates easily to and communicates well with Catholic Charities’ various constituents, including the Archbishop of Galveston-Houston, the Board of Directors, governmental bodies (local, state, and federal), private donors (individual, corporate, and foundation), the broader Catholic community in Galveston-Houston, management and staff, clients, the media, and others.

Engages with individuals from all walks of life and backgrounds; understands how to forge connections with new audiences, continues to broaden the reach of Catholic Charities across the Archdiocese, and engages and cultivates stewardship from a new generation of volunteers and donors.

Leads employees through times of uncertainty by encouraging open dialogue, modeling transparency, and building trust and rapport.

Motivates others to pursue the achievement of common objectives. The ability to develop positive and productive working relationships and alliances at all levels within Catholic Charities, as well as externally, is key to the success of this role.

Highly skilled in developing, managing, and driving engagement from Board members through frequent communication, transparency, and setting and maintaining clear priorities.

Demonstrates decisiveness and confidence coupled with empathy, self-awareness, and humility.

Fundraising

Extensive experience successfully raising funds from individuals, foundations, and through government grants. In addition, is skilled in assessing the current financial stability of an organization, developing and implementing a focused and strategic plan to establish new and sustainable sources of revenue.

If not from the nonprofit world, has a proven track record of building productive and enduring relationships with partners that lead to recurring donations or revenues for an organization or company.

Brings creativity around overall fundraising strategy, particularly with an eye toward engaging individuals from a variety of generations and backgrounds.

Embraces the role of chief fundraiser, encourages a culture of development throughout the organization and the Board, and leads the ongoing capital campaign to a successful conclusion.

Mission and Identity

Holds beliefs that align with the principles of Catholic social teaching.

Possesses a dedication to the Church’s social ministry, a vision for how to carry it out, the capacity to inspire others to follow it, and the willingness and ability to defend it against critics.

An inspirational, authentic individual with a heart for those in need and the passion to make a transformational difference in their lives.

Has the experience, intellect, and maturity to make decisions in the best interest of the organization and in alignment with Catholic social and moral teaching.

Shows passion for and commitment to the vision of Catholic Charities and brings the highest level of energy and endurance to achieving the goals of the organization.

Highly ethical and exercises excellent judgment; has the “moral compass” to do the right thing for the organization and live the values and mission of Catholic Charities.

An active and practicing Catholic; Catholic Charities would welcome interest from lay people, professed religious, and members of the clergy.

Contact

Russell  Reynolds  Associates  has  been  exclusively  retained  for  this  search.  Initial  screening  of  applicants, recommendations, and nominations will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled. Nominations and applications are invited and will be considered strictly confidential and should be shared directly with the Russell Reynolds Associates team at CCAGHCEO@RussellReynolds.com.

Job Title

President/CEO

Agency

Catholic Charities Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston

Posted On

October 24, 2025