Foundation board, Tishman Speyer and board member, Alfred E Smith Foundation
Michelle Adams oversees global external relations for the real estate and construction giant Tishman Speyer, including government and community affairs as well as communications and philanthropy. She works on an array of development and acquisitions projects globally and is a member of the ESG committee. Prior to Tishman Speyer, Michelle served as the executive director of the Association for a Better New York from 2002 until 2010.
Chairman, Rhône Group
Rochester, NY native Robert Agostinelli, 70, attended the Aquinas Institute and served as an altar boy at Sacred Heart Cathedral with Bishop Fulton J Sheen. He earned his MBA at Columbia University. Joining Goldman Sachs in 1982, he left for Lazard’s in 1987. Agostinelli struck out on his own in 1995 with the founding of New York-based private equity shop Rhône Group.
He is active in philanthropic activities, including being a former chairman of the National Review Institute, the founder of the William F Buckley prize for leadership in political thought, and a member of the Reagan Ranch board of governors. In a caustic and widely applauded 2021 article in the National Review, Agostinelli spoke out about the crisis of Catholic identity on American campuses today after a return visit to Aquinas where he found the school indoctrinated with woke values that represented a form of “papier-mâché Catholicism”. He lamented how far removed the school was from the Christian values that had provided him with a “moral compass” for life. His memorable 70th birthday party in 2023 was hosted by his wife Francesca at a private club in London’s Mayfair, with guests including leading Conservative politicians and intellectuals, Herald director Sir Rocco Forte and the magazine’s editor-in-chief.
Commercial real estate
A graduate of Boston College and Harvard University, Laure Aubuchon works in commercial real estate. She serves on the board of Catholic Charities of Fairfield County where she is on the executive committee, and in 2016 was the co-chair of the Capital Campaign for the New Covenant House in Stamford, CT, a programme of Catholic Charities, where she is also on the advisory board. She is the treasurer for the Order of Malta American Association and a founding board member of Malta House in Norwalk, CT, a home for pregnant, homeless women. Aubuchon was a trustee of Assumption College for 21 years and for eight years served as a Eucharistic minister at Memorial Sloan Kettering Hospital.
John and Daria Barry Foundation
John Barry is the chairman and chief executive officer of Prospect Capital Corporation and Prospect Capital Management (PCM). He is chairman of PCM’s Investment Committee and has been an officer of PCM since 1990. Daria Barry is head of administration and managing director at PCM. She joined PCM in 1998 and oversees its operations. They are philanthropists who run the John and Daria Barry Foundation which is committed to improving opportunities, with a focus on veterans, education and the environment. Through their foundation, they helped to create the Academic Freedom Alliance which aims to protect the free speech of faculty members at colleges and universities. They have five children.
CEO, Delta Air Lines
Edward Bastian, 66, has been CEO of Delta Air Lines since 2016. He received a bachelor of business administration in accounting from St Bonaventure University in New York. In 2018, Fortune magazine named him among the “World’s 50 Greatest Leaders”. In 2022, he met with Pope Francis at the Vatican, presenting the Pontiff with a Roman cross, cut from a Delta engine blade, and a generous six-digit financial gift to a papal charity.
Wine distributor
Patrick Baugier de Chevestre is chairman and founder of Metrowine Distribution, one of the largest Bordeaux wine distributors in the US. He has a deep background in wine, having grown up in Bordeaux, where his family has been active in the wine business for four centuries. He is a member of the Chevaliers du Tastevin, Commandeur of La Commanderie du Bontemps, and also belongs to the Jurade de Saint Emilion and L’Union Club Bordelais. He is also a board member of the Lumen Institute, an organisation which seeks to provide faith-based formation for business and cultural leaders. He holds a degree in law from the Paris-Panthéon-Assas University
Philanthropist
Billionaire philanthropist and businesswoman, Gayle Benson is both the principal owner of the National Football League (NFL) New Orleans Saints and the National Basketball Association (NBA) New Orleans Pelicans, as well as being a successful racehorse owner in Kentucky.
One of ten female NFL owners, Benson is the first woman to be a majority shareholder in both the NFL and the NBA franchises. A devout Catholic, who is a regular lector at Sunday Mass at St Louis Cathedral, Gayle and her late husband Tom were presented with the Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice by Pope Benedict XVI in 2014. Benson has long been a dedicated philanthropist to local community causes, as well as giving $20 million to cancer research and most recently funding the construction of a children’s hospital for the Ochsner Health System.
Benson has generously supported a variety of Catholic causes, notably donating $5 million to the New Orleans Jesuit High School, as well as funding the construction of the Gayle and Tom Benson Stadium at the University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio.
She is now leading the capital campaign to restore and renovate the Cathedral of St Louis in New Orleans, one of the oldest Catholic cathedrals in the United States
Philanthropist
Kim Bepler is the widow of the late wealth management professional Stephen E Bepler, and since his death in 2016 has run the extensive Bepler family estate. At Fordham University, a top-ranked Jesuit Catholic university in NYC, five chairs were created in STEM fields thanks to a £10.5 million legacy from her husband, and an additional gift by Mrs. Bepler, who is now a University trustee at Fordham. The Beplers also contributed £10 million for a new science building planned for the Rose Hill campus. Mrs. Bepler has also started a fund for Fordham students affected by the war in Ukraine. In total, the Belpers’ investment in Fordham’s mission totals more than £35 million.
Chairman Emeritus, American Ireland Fund
Loretta Brennan Glucksman, Chairman Emeritus of the American Ireland Fund, was earlier in her career a teacher, television producer and on-air host for news. In recent decades, she has been a staunch supporter of many Irish causes, including Ireland House, the centre for Irish studies at New York University, the Irish Arts Center in New York, the Irish Repertory Theatre, and the American Irish Historical Society.
Founder, Napa Institute
Tim Busch is the CEO of the Busch Hospitality Group. In 2011 he teamed up with Fr Robert Spitzer to co-found the Napa Institute, one of the world’s most successful Catholic leadership think tanks and philanthropic organisations devoted to assisting Catholic leaders defend Catholic values, especially in public life. Busch’s Napa Institute conferences have broken the mould, attracting leading Catholic influencers, both lay and religious. In 2016 the Busch Family Foundation donated $15 million to the Catholic University of America. Busch also helped bring in an additional $32 million in gifts that were used in part to renovate Maloney Hall, and to turn it into a home for the renamed Tim and Steph Busch School of Business.
Speaking to the Herald in 2023, Busch attributed the rise of the institute’s influence to “God’s grace”. His personal faith journey was inspired by another successful Catholic business leader to take an entrepreneurial approach to his faith. “I went to a parochial school, and one day, one of the nuns suggested it would be a good idea if we went to Mass. So I did and in time became a daily communicant. Later, in college, I never lost my faith but did fall away somewhat from practising. Then I went into business, and in my 30s joined Legatus [the organization for Catholic CEOs founded by Domino’s Pizza owner Tom Monahan], and that proved decisive. I returned to daily Mass and never looked back, and today it remains a tremendous anchor in my life. I recommend it highly to anyone searching for God and spiritual fulfillment.” A founder of JSerra elementary school in Orange County, California, and the endower of the Busch School of Business at the Catholic University of America, he is also a successful Catholic networker. He writes on religious subjects for the National Review and has launched a series of pilgrimages to the Holy Land, England, Paris and Rome for 2023-25. In October, he hosted a New York conference on “Principled Entrepreneurship” which included a Eucharistic procession from St Patrick’s Cathedral with Cardinal Timothy Dolan.
Former vice chairman, Johnson & Johnson
Robert E Campbell is a retired vice chairman of the board of directors of Johnson & Johnson. He served as an Air Force officer for three years and during his J&J career held numerous positions in financial and general management. Campbell is trustee emeritus and past chairman of the board of trustees of Fordham University, his alma mater and where he was presented with its Founder’s Award in 2008. After retiring in 1995, Campbell served as chairman of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, whose mission is to improve the health and healthcare of every American, and the Cancer Institute of New Jersey.
Entrepreneur and philanthropist
Joseph A Cari Jr, 71 and from New York, is a banker, public policy expert and philanthropist. Beyond this, his professional career has also included experience in the worlds of media, politics, law and education. He has maintained a longstanding active career in public service and has held several senior positions in presidential campaigns. Cari was appointed by President Bill Clinton as chairman of the board of the Woodrow Wilson Center for International Scholars, a government think tank. He has also established the Rita Bahr Cari Memorial Fund, named after his wife, at the University of Notre Dame. This aims to aid those who suffer from human-rights violations.
Founder, Caruso Family Foundation
Rick Caruso, 64, is a retired real estate developer in Los Angeles and founder of the Caruso Family Foundation, which focuses on improving the lives of children in need of healthcare and education. A graduate of the University of Southern California (USC) and Pepperdine School of Law, Caruso served as USC’s board chair and in 2015 was named Pepperdine’s alumnus of the year. The Caruso Catholic Center and Our Savior Catholic Church on the USC campus are named after him.
Former chairman and director, PVH Corp
Emanuel Chirico is chairman of PVH Corp. It owns a family of iconic brands including Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger and Van Heusen. Chirico has been with PVH for over 26 years, serving as CEO from 2006 to 2021 and as chairman since 2007.
Under his leadership, PVH has become one of the world’s leading fashion and lifestyle companies, reaching £9.9 billion in annual revenues in 2019 and 40,000 associates operating in over 40 countries. His philanthropic work includes serving on the board of trustees of his alma mater, Fordham University, as well as the board for Save the Children and the Healthcare Chaplaincy. Chirico also supports the Ronald McDonald House in London, and was honoured at their annual gala in 2015.
Chairman, Demeter & Co
Jim Clerkin has over 40 years of experience in the wine and spirits industry. He began his career in Ireland where he rose through the ranks at Guinness to become an executive member of the board of directors. In 2010, Clerkin was appointed to the position of CEO and president of Moët Hennessy USA, the leading luxury wines, spirits and champagne company in the world. Outside work, he is the chairman of Co-Operation Ireland in the UK, which is a non-profit organisation promoting peace and reconciliation. In 2022, he became the chairman of Demeter & Co.
Founder, PivotNorth Capital and philanthropists
Timothy Connors is the founder of PivotNorth Capital and a 25-year veteran of Silicon Valley, having co-founded five companies and been part of six startups that have reached the valuation of £1 billion. He has built an extensive career in engineering and technology and as a venture capitalist. The focus of Wendy and Tim Connors’ philanthropy is directed towards Catholic causes such as the University of Notre Dame, Catholic Charities London, the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, Saint Raymond Parish and Sacred Heart Prep High School.
CEO, Amicus Therapeutics
John F Crowley, 56, is the executive chairman of Amicus Therapeutics, a global biotechnology company he founded in 2005, which now has a presence in more than two dozen countries and a market value in excess of $3 billion. Crowley’s involvement with biotechnology stems from the 1998 diagnosis of two of his children with Pompe disease. In his drive to find a cure for them, he became an entrepreneur in the field. The 2010 medical drama Extraordinary Measures is based on his story.
He is a former national chairman of the Make-A-Wish Foundation of America and was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the University of Notre Dame when he delivered the commencement address to the Class of 2020. He lives in Florida.
Co-founder, The Carlyle Group
Daniel A D’Aniello, 77, is a co-founder and chairman of the Carlyle Group, a global alternative asset management company headquartered in Washington, DC with over $188 billion in assets under management. Prior to forming Carlyle in 1987, D’Aniello was a vice-president for Finance and Development at Marriott Corporation, and prior to that was a financial officer at Pepsi and Trans World Airlines. He received a scholarship to attend Syracuse University and upon graduation, spent three years as a supply officer in the Navy before graduating from Harvard Business School in 1974, where he was a Teagle Foundation Fellow. In 2003, he and fellow Catholic business leaders founded the Lumen Institute, whose purpose is “to form business leaders and transform culture”. His philanthropic work follows what he calls his “five pillars” of philanthropy: faith-based giving, educational programmes, free enterprise, the performing arts and mental health research.
Founder, Packaging Express
Jim Davis established Packaging Express of Colorado Springs in 1998 and continues to serve as a partner. Prior to this venture, Davis spent over 30 years as a partner at Denver’s Deline Box Company. His professional achievements led to his induction into the Association of Independent Corrugated Converters/Paperboard Packaging Hall of Fame in 2013. Beyond his professional endeavours, Davis extends his leadership to community service as a member of the National Advisory Board of the Catholic Leadership Institute.
Chairman, Warner Bros
Samuel A DiPiazza Jr, 73, is the chairman of Warner Bros Discovery and is a former CEO of PricewaterhouseCoopers. He earned a master of accountancy degree from the University of Houston.
He joined PwC in 1973 and became a partner in 1979, the youngest in the firm’s history. He is on the board of directors of St Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City, Seton Education Partners, Inner City Scholarship of NY, and is a former member of the board of the National September 11 Memorial and Museum. Since 2014, he has also been chairman of the board of trustees for the Mayo Clinic.
Founder, Cablevision and HBO
Charles Dolan, 97, is the founder of Cablevision and HBO. He served in the US Air Force at the end of World War II, after which he entered the field of telecommunications. The Fairfield University Dolan School of Business is named in recognition of his $25 million donation and his service to the university as a member of the board of trustees. The Dolan Center for Science and Technology, completed in 2003 at a cost of over $66 million, is John Carroll University’s showcase building. He is the chairman emeritus of the Lustgarten Foundation, the largest private funder of pancreatic cancer research in the world.
Co-Founder and Partner Emeritus,DCM Ventures
For over 35 years, Dixon Doll has provided counsel to entrepreneurs, investors and executives within the computer, communications and internet sectors. He is the founder of DCM Ventures, a prominent global VC firm with offices in Silicon Valley, Beijing and Tokyo.
DCM is recognised as the first Silicon Valley venture firm to successfully invest in China, Japan and the US. In 2021, Doll was awarded the lifetime achievement award in venture capital by the US National Venture Capital Association. He currently serves on the boards of the Papal Foundation and the Catholic Investment Services.
Trustee, Doughty Family Foundation
Lucy Doughty is a trustee of the Doughty Family Foundation, a charity working in the areas of health, financial hardship and education in London. She also spends time in New York where last year she was the special guest and honoree of the 2023 Glasswing Gala, hosted during National Hispanic Heritage Month. The event raised over $1 million to help fund education and mental health programmes for children and youth in Latin America, the Caribbean and New York City.
According to Vogue, Catholic philanthropist Doughty, of Dominican descent, was “honoured for her commitment to youth, families and underserved communities globally, as well as her work in the Dominican Republic and New York”.
Sugar magnates
Born in Cuba, Alfonso, José, Alexander and Andres Fanjul are the sons of the sugar baron Alfonso Fanjul Sr and are all co-owners of Fanjul Corp, a huge sugar and real estate conglomerate in the US and Dominican Republic. Some of its subsidiaries include La Romana International Airport and resorts surrounding La Romana in the Dominican Republic. All are Catholics; Pepe and Alfonso have been honoured by the Diocese of Palm Beach for their dedication to Catholic charities in the area. Emilia Fanjul is married to Pepe and is active in several Palm Beach charities. One of her fundraising dinners, ‘A Night of Great Expectation’, was attended by King Juan Carlos l of Spain and raised over a million dollars to support three Florida charter schools. The family are prominent in local, state and national politics and give money to both the Democrat and Republican parties.
President and CIO, Equinox Partners
Sean Fieler joined Equinox Partners (a global value fund focused on emerging markets and gold mining) as an intern. He is now the firm’s chief investment officer and majority owner. Fieler has lectured on monetary policy at the annual Grant’s Conference, the Atlas Liberty Forum, and has written for the Wall Street Journal and the Hill.
Fieler’s Chiaroscuro Foundation invests in education, family strengthening, humanitarian work, pro-life activities, religious liberty, evangelism and other causes. A particular concern of Fieler’s is the importance of family and marriage to American society. He has spoken out on the importance of upholding the traditional Catholic view of marriage and family values.
He serves as chairman of the American Principles Project, Communio, and the Knights of Columbus Charitable Fund. He lives in Stamford, Connecticut, with his wife Ana and six children. He and Ana were married in New York by the Dominican priest Father John McGuire.
Philanthropist and former GM, Microsoft
Melinda French Gates, 59, is a philanthropist and former general manager at Microsoft. In 2000, she and her former husband Bill Gates founded the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which focuses on enhancing healthcare and reducing extreme poverty across the world. Most recently, her philanthropic work has seen her join forces with Amal Clooney and Michelle Obama to end child marriage. She has been awarded both the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the French Legion of Honour. Gates attended St Monica Catholic School and in 1982 graduated as valedictorian from the Ursuline Academy of Dallas. Gates practices her own brand of Catholicism; however, in 2012 she broke publicly with the Church’s opposition to artificial birth control when the Gates Foundation launched a global campaign to expand provision of contraception.
Senior vice president, NBCUniversal Media
Christina Glorioso has over 25 years of experience in marketing and sales across the media, entertainment and technology industries. She currently serves on the dean’s Business Advisory Council of the University of Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business, and as co-chair of the Media and Entertainment Leadership Committee for the Film, Theatre and Television major. She has previously served on the National Alumni Association board and the Monogram Club board of directors. She is a native of Rockville Centre, New York and has four sons who are receiving a Catholic education at St Agnes Cathedral School.
Entrepreneur and philanthropist
Frank J Hanna III is the CEO of Hanna Capital in Atlanta, Georgia, since 2006. Inside Catholic has described him as one of the leading Catholic philanthropists in the US. Hanna has served on the boards of the Catholic cable television network EWTN, the Catholic Leadership Institute and the Busch School of Business of the Catholic University of America. He also supports FOCUS (the Fellowship of Catholic University Students), Lumen Institute, the Pontifical North American College and Sophia Institute Press.Hanna has helped to shape Catholic life and education in America in a national role. He served as chair of a Commission on Education Excellence under President George W Bush, and he has been involved in 13 new educational institutions, from preschool through post-secondary. These include two schools in Atlanta, serving on the boards of each: Holy Spirit Preparatory School and Holy Spirit College.
Managing partner, MM Hayes
David Hayes is a managing partner at MM Hayes, a software company focused on labour-management solutions for the workplace and headquartered in Albany, New York. Hayes and his wife Lauren have been married for 26 years and have five children; the Hayes family’s Irish heritage and Catholic faith have been integral parts of their lives, forming a foundation for success in business, sports, and most importantly, family. He joined MM Hayes in 1988 after graduating from Boston College. He is presently one of the managing partners alongside his father Michael M Hayes and two brothers, Michael and John. From 2016-19, he stood as chair of the trustees board for the Academy of the Holy Names school in Albany.
Healey Family Foundation
Thomas J Healey, 81, was a partner at Goldman Sachs and is a senior fellow at Harvard University’s John F Kennedy School of Government. He was a former assistant secretary of the US Treasury under President Ronald Reagan. He was a trustee and chairman of the Rockefeller Foundation Investment Committee and served a similar role at Georgetown University. He serves on the emeritus board of FADICA and received their 2020 St Katharine Drexel Award for Catholic philanthropy. He is married to Margaret Healey. They have two children and nine grandchildren.
President, Legatus International
Stephen Henley has been serving as the president of Legatus International since 2016. Legatus International is the peer group for top Catholic executives, with a membership of over 5,000 individuals. Prior to his role as president, Henley held the position of Legatus regional vice president. A graduate of Ave Maria University and a father of six, he brings a wealth of experience to his leadership role. Henley spent six years as a sergeant in the US Marine Corps, including a full-year activation and a seven-month deployment in Iraq. Following his military service, he served as the director of security and life safety
at Ave Maria University.
Chairman, Conrad Hilton Foundation
Steven M Hilton, 72, is the son of hotel magnate Barron Hilton and grandson of Conrad Hilton, who founded the Hilton hotels chain. He lives in Malibu and has a black belt in aikido.
He is the chairman of the Conrad N Hilton Foundation, a non-profit charitable foundation established in 1944 which aims to improve the lives of underprivileged and vulnerable people across the globe. By the time he retired in 2015 as CEO of the foundation, his family had given away over $1.4 billion to causes that included the Catholic Sisters Initiative and the Perkins School for the Blind. He has served on the finance council of his local archdiocese and on the board of Loyola Marymount University. Hilton has also received an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from Pepperdine University and has been honoured by the St Joseph Center and the National Multiple Sclerosis Society through its Southern California Chapter.
Businesswoman and philanthropist
Luci Baines Johnson, 76, is an American businesswoman and philanthropist. She is the younger daughter of President Lyndon B Johnson and Claudia Johnson. Johnson converted to Roman Catholicism at the age of 18. Since 1993, she has held the position of chairman of the board and manager at LBJ Asset Management Partners. Additionally, she serves on the board of directors of the LBJ Foundation and has been actively involved in various civic boards, contributing to fundraising efforts for the American Heart Association.
Johnson has also served as a trustee of Boston University and as a member of the advisory board of the Center for Battered Women.
Fintech entrepreneur and philanthropist
Daniel Keegan is the former co-head of global equities at Citigroup. He previously served for three years as head of equities (Americas) at Citi, having joined in 2007. He recently left the role to launch a fintech investment fund. Born in New Jersey, Keegan attended the University of Notre Dame, receiving a BA and later a JD at Notre Dame Law School. Before joining Citigroup, Daniel was employed at JPMorgan Chase. He went to Catholic grammar school, high school, college and law school, and has stated in interviews that his Catholicism has always been a big part of his life. His philanthropy includes being chairman of the Ireland Funds Gala dinner in 2017 that raised $2.65 million for Irish causes and charities, including a new Irish Arts Center on Manhattan’s West Side. Keegan lives in New York with his wife, Elizabeth, and four children.
President and CEO, FADICA
Alexia Kelley is the president and CEO of FADICA, (Foundations and Donors Interested in Catholic Activities) as well as the former director of the Department of Health and Human Services Center for Faith-based and Community Partnerships.
She was also the principal founder and executive director of Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good. She holds degrees from Haverford College and Harvard Divinity School.
President and CEO, Teleflex
Liam J Kelly is the chairman, president and CEO of healthcare solutions firm Teleflex. He joined Teleflex in 2009 and since then has held a variety of roles. In 2019, Teleflex received the Ambassador Award from the Irish American Business Chamber & Network. Born and raised in Galway, Ireland, Kelly and his wife, Helen, are both graduates of the University of Limerick. In 2014 they relocated to Philadelphia with their five children.
Director of communications, CNEWA
Michael LaCivita, who is director of communications at the Catholic Near East Welfare Association is also regional Lieutenant of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre and Saint John of Jerusalem. He is a graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University and also serves on the board of the US Catholic Media Association. He was co-chair of CNEWA’s highly successful 2023 ‘Healing & Hope’ gala dinner, which raised over $500,000 and honoured John Studzinski and Good Shepherd Sister Marie Claude Naddaf.
Businessman and philanthropist
Kenneth Gerard Langone, 88, is a businessman, investor and philanthropist who helped finance the founding of The Home Depot. He was portrayed by actor Ray Iannicelli in the HBO drama Wizard of Lies, about Bernie Madoff. He has contributed significantly to the Republican Party. In 2018, Langone pledged £100 million in funding towards a £450 million programme to make tuition free for all medical students at the NYU School of Medicine.
He is a practising Catholic, stating in a 2019 interview that “my faith is everything”, and was made a Knight of St Gregory by Pope Benedict XVI.
Businessman, landowner and philanthropist
John Malone is a businessman and philanthropist who is also America’s second-largest private landowner, possessing 2.2 million acres. Born in Connecticut, he built Tele-Communications Inc into a cable and media giant from 1973 to 1996. Malone is now chairman and the largest voting shareholder of Liberty Media, which owns F1, Liberty Global and Qurate Retail Group. He also owns 7 per cent of Lionsgate and Starz Inc.
A leading philanthropist, his causes are focused on land preservation, medical research and animal rescue. “You should use your money to do what you regard as good things for your society and your fellow men,” he has said. “I also don’t believe in hereditary wealth.” His gifts include Yale’s Daniel L Malone Engineering Center, named after Malone’s father. He has gifted £50 million to the university’s engineering school and another £30 million to the Johns Hopkins Whiting School of Engineering to build the Malone Hall. He is proud of his Irish heritage and has restored Humewood Castle in Wicklow, various hotels in Dublin and Limerick and Castlemartin House on the Liffey, in County Kildare. The former home of media tycoon Tony O’Reilly, the estate includes a restored medieval church, St Mary’s, which was reconsecrated for Catholic worship in 1981.
President, Genesis Real Estate Advisors
FJ McCarthy is president of Genesis Real Estate Advisors and board trustee of Northwell Health. He is a graduate of Fordham’s Gabelli School of Business. In July 2022, he was appointed as the magesterial delegate to oversee the Irish arm of the Order of Malta. In a letter to members of the Irish association, Mr McCarthy said Rome had “identified certain problems within the association” which he was tasked with fixing.
Chairman, the Raskob Foundation for Catholic Activities
Patrick W McGrory is a private-wealth specialist with Liberty Point Advisors. With a career spanning over 25 years, he has played an important role in the Raskob Foundation for Catholic Activities, a foundation associated with his family. McGrory is the chairman of the foundation, which is dedicated to supporting domestic and international projects aligned with the Catholic Church.
He is also a board member of the Global Solidarity Fund. In recognition of his contributions, he was honoured with the Ignatius Award by the Saint Joseph’s University Alumni Association in 2016.
Philanthropists
Daniel Mezzalingua has had a career in a variety of fields including cable television and education. In addition to these business ventures, he is also on the boards of trustees at St Bonaventure University and Ave Maria University. Kathleen Mezzalingua is a Dame of the Order of Malta and led the Syracuse Region as Hospitaller for ten years. She has been active in the order helping the sick, frail and poor in the community, and has taken part in ten of the order’s pilgrimages to Lourdes. Since 2009, she has been president of the Saint Agatha Foundation, an organisation started by her daughter to help women suffering from illnesses with costs of surgery, medication and treatment not covered by insurance.
Founder, Domino’s Pizza
Tom Monaghan founded Domino’s Pizza in 1960. Brought up in a Michigan orphanage after his father died, he was driven by a strong work ethic to build his pizza franchise into one of the largest in the world before selling, in 1988, 93 per cent of the company to Bain Capital for $1 billion. Since then, he has devoted his time and fortune to Catholic causes.Monaghan has been a major Catholic philanthropist, saying that his love of the Catholic Church stemmed from his time at the St Joseph Home for Boys and, in particular, the influence of Sister Berarda who instilled in him the belief that anything was possible. He then went onto St Francis High School where he tested a vocation to the priesthood and joined St Joseph’s Seminary in Grand Rapids. He was asked to leave for disciplinary reasons (talking in chapel and pillow fighting) and later said that was one of the greatest failures and disappointments of his life. His gifts include $3.5 million to the rebuilding of the cathedral in Managua, Nicaragua. He supports pro-life charities, including Priests for Life. He has helped with the founding of several Catholic organisations including Legatus International, Ave Maria University and the Spiritus Sanctus Academies. Notably, he also built Ave Maria town in Florida, designed to support the university he helped found.
Board chairman, Becket Fund for Religious Liberty
William P. Mumma is Board Chairman of the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty. He graduated from the Georgetown School of Foreign Service and took his MBA from Columbia University. Mumma served a 30-year career on Wall Street as CEO of Mitsubishi UFJ Securities (USA), and previously worked at Nomura Securities International and Bankers Trust.
He also serves as the board chairman for FOCUS (the Fellowship of Catholic University Students) and serves on the board of the National Civil Liberties Alliance. He has been married to his wife Kathy since 1983. They have six children and 17 grandchildren.
Former CEO, Chrysler, Home Depot and Freedom Group
Robert Nardelli, 75, operates the investment firm XLR-8 LLC. Previously he served as the CEO of Chrysler and has served in a similar capacity at Home Depot and Freedom Group. Nardelli is a practising Catholic, was an altar boy growing up and has appeared on EWTN to give his opinion on the Catholic faith in the business world. Nardelli also served as the head of operations and advisory business of Cerberus Capital Management. He has also worked at General Electric, where he was one of the top executives.
Managing director, Hager Pacific Properties
Robert Neal, 61, is a managing director with Hager Pacific Properties. Neal is active in the Church’s charitable activities and has held board positions with the Orange County Council of the Boys Scouts of America, Catholic Relief Services, the Becket Fund, the Catholic Leadership Institute, the Pacific Club, the Magis Institute of Reason and Faith, the Orange Coast Chapter of Legatus International, Second Harvest Food Bank and Christ Catholic Cathedral Corporation. Both Neal and his wife, Berni, are stewards of the Papal Foundation. Together they have two children and two grandchildren.
Real estate developer and philanthropist
Bill Orosz has spent his entire working career focused within the real estate industry. His charity the Orosz Family Foundation supports religious, educational and medical research initiatives in Florida, where he lives. He has served as chair of the Finance Committee for the Catholic Diocese of Orlando, is founding chair of the Catholic Foundation of Central Florida, is a member of the President’s Advisory Council for Fellowship of Catholic University Students and has previously served as a board member and chair of the Catholic Leadership Institute. Orosz is also a member of the Napa Institute Guild.
Board member,
Alfred E Smith Foundation
Maureen Sherry Klinsky is a former senior executive on Wall Street and best-selling author of the novel Opening Belle, which is described as an “unconventional love story and funny account of what life is really like for women working in the hardball, high-stakes world of high finance”. She is a board member of the Alfred E Smith Foundation and several other charitable organisations, including Great Oaks Charter Schools and the Gary Klinsky Children’s Centers. A former managing director at Bears Stearns, she has written for Fortune and the New York Times and tutors at inner city schools.
She and her husband live with their four children and pets in New York City.
Chairman, Ranieri Partners
Lewis Ranieri, 76, is a former bond trader and founding partner and current chairman of the real estate firm Ranieri Partners. He previously served as the vice chairman of Salmon Brothers and formed Hyperion Partners in 1991 before selling it to United Bank of Texas. In 2005, Bishop William Murphy of the Diocese of Rockville Centre appointed Ranieri to form Tomorrow’s Hope Foundation, a non-profit organisation providing assistance to the Catholic schools in the diocese. The foundation has provided scholarships to thousands of families seeking Catholic education for their children. In 2012, St John’s University recognised Ranieri with the Spirit of Service award for his commitment to serving others and his contributions to Tomorrow’s Hope Foundation.
President, Marren Properties
Mark Rauenhorst, 61, is the president of Marren Properties. Prior to this role, he served as the CEO of Opus Corporation. Rauenhorst has also taken a keen interest in Catholic education. He serves on the board of directors of Catholic Relief Services, Creighton University, GHR Foundation, the Advisory Council for the University of Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business and Ascension Catholic Academy, a consortium of Catholic schools serving highly diverse neighbourhoods in the Minneapolis-St Paul metropolitan area.
In 2020, he and his wife, Karen, were presented with the Notre Dame Award for outstanding contributions to Catholic education.
Founder and CEO, Rex
Peter Rex, 41, is the founder and CEO of Rex, a technology, investment and real estate firm headquartered in Austin, Texas. Rex is a former seminarian who attended both Ave Maria University and Georgetown.
Rex’s Catholic faith has played a large role in his professional life, stating in a recent interview: “I draw from my faith, from my prayer life, to empower how I envision how we’re going to do great in the world through our businesses.” He sits on the board of visitors at the Catholic University of America’s Busch School of Business and is a member of Legatus. In 2016, Rex helped found the Cristo Rey Tampa Salesian High School, providing a Catholic education to 175 low-income students.
CEO, Palladium Equity Partners
Marcos A Rodriguez serves as chairman and CEO of Palladium Equity Partners and many of its portfolio companies. He is also on the board of the Alfred E Smith Foundation.
He graduated from Columbia University and has an MBA from the Wharton School. His foundation helps provide youth from impoverished families with an education that will empower them in the future.
CEO, Somos Health
Mario Paredes is CEO of Somos Health. Paredes has over 30 years of experience as an executive in healthcare administration and has extensive experience as a leader in business development.
He is a member of the board of trustees for the American Bible Society and is also a founder and chairman of the board for Catholic Association of Latino Leaders and is today its chairman emeritus. Paredes serves as a member of the board of directors of America Media, is a director and former president of the North American-Chilean Chamber of Commerce of New York, member of the board of directors of the Latin American Academy of Catholic Leaders, and is the former treasurer and vice president of the Gabriela Mistral Foundation.
Paredes earned his master of philosophy at the Catholic University of Argentina, master of religious education at Loyola University Chicago and postgraduate studies at Georgetown University.
CEO, Saul Centers
Frank Saul has been the chairman and chief executive officer of Saul Centers, a private real estate firm based in Bethesda, Maryland, which he inherited from his grandfather, since June 1993. He also owns The Hay-Adams, a five-star hotel across the road from the White House which brands itself as “discreetly luxurious”. Throughout his life, Saul has given generously to Catholic causes. In 1991, Pope John Paul II awarded him the Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice decoration.
Lawyer and philanthropist
Christine Schwarzman, a lawyer and the wife of Stephen Schwarzman, the founder and CEO of Blackstone, entered into an interfaith marriage with Schwarzman in 1995. She has been actively involved in supporting Catholic education.
In 2001, she facilitated an introduction between Stephen Schwarzman and the late Archbishop of New York, Cardinal Edward Egan, leading to Schwarzman providing financial advice to assist the archdiocese’s finances.
The Schwarzmans have a longstanding commitment to sponsoring students at Catholic schools. In 2015, they made a significant donation of $40 million to support underprivileged students in receiving a Catholic education. This philanthropic gesture was followed by a special visit from Pope Francis to Our Lady Queen of Angels School in East Harlem, New York.
Philanthropist
MacKenzie Scott, 53, is a novelist and philanthropist who is the ex-wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. At Princeton she was taught by Toni Morrison, the Nobel Prize-winning Catholic novelist. Morrison introduced her to Jeff Bezos. In 2005, she published her debut novel The Testing of Luther Albright, following it in 2013 with Traps. Scott has signed the Giving Pledge. In 2021, she gave several million dollars to a multi-religious advocacy group, Faith in Public Life. The group, according to CNA, takes a “progressive” view in regards to the Catholic bishops’ debate on the Eucharist and Catholic public figures. Her parents are active members of the Florida Catholic community, attending galas for the Catholic charities of the Diocese of Palm Beach. Scott has given substantial sums to homeless charities affiliated with the Catholic Church.
Entrepreneur
Antoun Nabil Sehnaoui, 51, is a Lebanese-American entrepreneur and producer. His ventures range from banking and real estate to tourism and film. He is the CEO of Société Général de Banque au Liban and Fidus Wealth Management.
He also founded Lebanon of Tomorrow, a charity dedicated to helping marginalised communities. Sehnaoui comes from a Greek Catholic background and donated the funds to build the shrine dedicated to St Charbel at St Patrick’s Cathedral in New York in honour of his parents.
Chairman, the William E Simon Foundation
William Simon is a businessman, philanthropist and professor at the University of California. Currently he serves as the chairman of the William E Simon Foundation and the Cynthia L & William E Simon Jr Foundation. In 2011, he co-authored, along with Michael Novak, the book Living the Call: An Introduction to the Lay Vocation. This inspired him to launch his Parish Catalyst, a project helping priests revitalise parishes across the country. He and his wife are members of St Monica Catholic Church in Santa Monica, California.
Philanthropists
Lisa and Justin Simpson are from the Bay Area, California. Justin currently serves as the CEO of the Global Fund for Forgotten People, an initiative of the Order of Malta which aims to care for the people who need it most and are often overlooked. Lisa serves as the current director for the Corporations and Society Initiative at Stanford University Graduate School of Business. She has held senior positions at media firms including NBC, CBS and Sony, and was a regional campaign director for Ronald Reagan’s 1984 presidential campaign.
Chair, the Crimsonbridge Foundation
Gabriela Smith is the founder and executive chair of the Crimsonbridge Foundation. She has 25 years of philanthropic experience and serves as a lay consultant to the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, as president of the Catholic Association of Latino Leaders (Washington DC chapter), and as a member of the board of directors of FADICA, the Catholic philanthropy network. She is married with a son and two daughters. Smith received a master’s degree in public administration from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, and both a master’s degree in Latin American studies and economic development, and a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of California, Los Angeles.
Co-founder, GSO Capital Partners
Albert ‘Tripp’ Smith, 57, is the co-founder of GSO Capital Partners. After selling the company for $1 billion to the Blackstone Group in 2008, he remained as managing director until his departure in 2018. Following that, Smith founded Iron Park Capital Partners in 2019. In addition to his business career, he purchased a 10 per cent stake in the football club West Ham United and currently serves as a non-executive director of the club. Smith comes from a Catholic background, having attended Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School and graduating in 1987 from the University of Notre Dame.
CEO, Atlas Crest Investment Corp
Michael Spellacy is CEO of Atlas Crest Investment Corp. He has been recognised as a member of the Global 100 Irish Business Leaders and has a BSc in economics from the London School of Economics and an MBA from the University of Hartford. He is also a financial services industry leader at Alvarez & Marsal.
CEO, CNN
Sir Mark Thompson, 66, is CEO of TV network CNN and chairman of the board of directors of Ancestry, the largest for-profit genealogy company in the world. He is the former president and CEO of the New York Times Company and a former director-general of the BBC. He was elected to the American Philosophical Society in 2017. Thompson’s mother Sydney was Irish, the daughter of a County Donegal policeman. His father Duncan was an accountant who died when Thompson was 12. He was educated at the Jesuit Stonyhurst College, Lancashire, before going up to Merton College, Oxford, where he took a first in English. He lives in New York where he attends Mass in the Upper East Side.
Retired Partner, Latham & Watkins
Paul Tosetti is a retired partner at Latham & Watkins in Los Angeles who has been active in many Catholic and community causes, including the board of Catholic Charities in Los Angeles. He is a graduate of Harvard Law and Magdelen College, Oxford.
Goya Foods
Andy Unanue is the scion of Goya Foods, the largest Hispanic food company in America. A former senate candidate from New Jersey, after many years with the family business he now operates a private equity firm. His family wealth is reported to be in excess of $1 billion. He graduated from
the University of Miami.
Healthcare entrepreneur
Anthony Viscogliosi is a healthcare entrepreneur and principal at Viscogliosi Brothers. He has founded more than 20 companies and investment funds in the neuro-musculoskeletal/orthopaedic industry and has served as chairman, executive chairman, CEO, president, managing director or managing member of more than 15 businesses. He attended the University of Michigan.He supports his wife’s initiative, Imagine Main Street, which brings together the Manchester, Connecticut community and improves local business through the arts. He describes himself as a devoted supporter of the Catholic Church.
President, Wolohan Family Foundation
Michael J Wolohan is an orthopaedic surgeon with 28 years of practice in Saginaw, Michigan. He obtained his BSc from the University of Notre Dame. Beyond his medical practice, Wolohan is actively involved in various philanthropic and community service endeavours. He serves as the president of the Wolohan Family Foundation, holds the position of chair of the board at FADICA, and is a member of the Catholic Relief Services Foundation Board.
Additionally, Wolohan currently is the president of the Catholic Community Foundation of Mid-Michigan. Over the years, he has been actively involved in advocating for and supporting Saginaw Area Catholic Schools. He and his wife, Marcia, have six children. He is also actively involved in politics and endorsed Donald Trump in 2020.
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