President and CEO, Catholic Herald Institute
Mark Ackermann is the president and CEO of the Catholic Herald Institute. He is a not-for-profit executive who has served as the first president and CEO of the Catholic Foundation of Long Island, with responsibility for inaugurating the operations of this new Catholic Foundation and establishing fundraising, investment and distribution of its philanthropic resources for programmes of the healthcare, education and Catholic Charities ministries.
Ackermann holds a BA from the Catholic University of America and a MS degree in non-profit management from New York University. He currently serves on a number of not-for-profit boards including the board of directors of the Foundation for Justice and Peace in the Vatican, and is a special adviser to the Path to Peace Foundation at the Holy See’s Mission to the United Nations. He is also the chairman of the board of the United States Association of Blind Athletes, which sponsors several teams in the Paralympics.
International educator and diplomat
Dr Paul Beresford-Hill CBE is the ambassador and permanent observer of the Sovereign Order of Malta’s Mission at the United Nations in New York. His responsibilities include liaison between the UN, its member states and affiliate organisations, and the Order of Malta’s extensive global outreach. His background is in education and he is the director general of the Mountbatten Institute as well as the chairman of the English Speaking Union of the United States. He is also a knight grand cross of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre, a knight of justice in the US Priory of the Venerable Order of St John of Jerusalem, and an honorary Commander of the British Empire.
Chair, Catholic Herald Institute
Amanda Bowman is chair of the Catholic Herald Institute and founder of the Anglosphere Society, an independent non-profit membership organisation dedicated to strengthening the “special relationship” between the United States and the United Kingdom.
Educated at Cambridge, where she took a first in English at Girton College, Bowman worked with the Economist in New York and later with Christie’s. Her career also includes roles as the New York director of the Center for Security Policy and, subsequently, the US director of the Atlantic Bridge.
In addition to her professional pursuits, she plays a significant role in various organisations. Bowman is a member of the executive committee of the board of American Humane, a leading national animal welfare organisation. She also serves as a US advisory board member of the Catholic Herald, engages in philanthropic endeavours, and held a position on the board of the Sheen Center in New York City.
President, Loyola Foundation
Andrea Hattler Bramson spent many of her formative years living in Puerto Rico attending Sacred Heart schools. She has been the president of the Loyola Foundation for ten years, and has been a trustee for over 30 years. The Loyola Foundation is a charitable organisation that supports Catholic mission activities in less developed countries. She has served on the boards of FADICA and the National Catholic Educational Association, and was the president of the pastoral council of her parish in Virginia. In 2020 she co-founded the Full Spectrum Studio, which is dedicated to artists with disabilities. She is married with three children.
Co-founder, National Organization for Marriage
Brian S Brown, 49, is the co-founder and president of the National Organization for Marriage (NOM). This is a non-profit political organisation established in 2007 to work against the legalisation of same-sex marriage in the US. Previously, Brown was founder and executive director of the Family Institute of Connecticut, during which time he evolved it into one of the largest pro-family organisations in northeast America. Originally a Quaker, he converted to Catholicism aged 25. Brown and his wife Susan have five children.
President, CatholicVote
Brian Burch is the president and co-founder of CatholicVote, a conservative, non-profit political advocacy group based in the US whose mission is for every Catholic in America to live out the truths of their faith in public life. While the organisation acknowledges the authority of the Magisterium, it is independent of the Catholic Church. Burch is married and has nine children. In 2018, he was named the Legatus “Defender of the Faith” for serving the Church.
CEO, Catholic Leadership Institute
Daniel J Cellucci is CEO of the Catholic Leadership Institute, an apostolate providing leadership training and consulting to more than 290 bishops, 2,700 priests and over 33,000 deacons, religious and lay leaders in more than 100 dioceses. Cellucci has served for the past two years as a member of the National Advisory Council for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. He oversees research on the Disciple Maker Index, a parish survey tool that helps church leaders focus their efforts toward evangelisation. Celluci lives in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia with his wife Tricia and their four children.
Chairman, Catholic Foundation of Greater Philadelphia
Richard T Clark is the chairman of the Catholic Foundation of Greater Philadelphia, the Catholic Leadership Institute and Penn Medicine’s Cardiovascular Institute Leadership Council. He is a retired chairman and chief executive officer of Merck & Co, a global leader in the pharmaceutical industry. In 2016, Pope Francis named Clark and his wife a knight and dame in the Order of St Gregory the Great for their dedication and exceptional service to the World Meeting of Families Philadelphia and the pastoral visit of the Holy Father to Philadelphia.
Wellspring Committee
Neil and Ann Corkery are founders of the Wellspring Committee, operating from Manassas, Virginia. It is a fundraising operation for conservative political non-profit groups, An influential Catholic power couple in Washington, the Corkerys have supported Catholic appointments to the Supreme Court.
President, Susan B Anthony Pro-Life America
Marjorie Dannenfelser, 57, is the president of Susan B Anthony Pro-Life America, a non-profit organisation that seeks to reduce and ultimately end abortion in the US by supporting anti-abortion politicians, primarily women. She was brought into the organisation as its executive director in 1993. In September 2016, Dannenfelser became the leader of Donald Trump’s “pro-life coalition” campaign. Although she grew up as an Episcopalian, she converted to Catholicism and adopted an anti-abortion stance while attending Duke University
Justice and peace coordinator, Catholic Charities of Archdiocese of New York
New York resident Tom Dobbin is the director of Justice and Peace for Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York. This department is responsible for working with the 300-plus parishes in the ten counties of the archdiocese to promote the social mission of the Roman Catholic Church. Dobbins is also the producer of a national radio programme on Sirius/XM’s Catholic channel called JustLove, a show highlighting “the work of the Church in the world”. He currently serves on two national boards: the Roundtable Association of Catholic Diocesan Social Action Directors and Good Shepherd Volunteers.
Mary J Donnelly Foundation
Elizabeth A Donnelly is a frequent speaker and writer on Catholic affairs. She is a trustee of the Mary J. Donnelly Foundation, and has long been active in FADICA – Foundations and Donors Interested in Catholic Activities – which seeks to educate foundation leaders on issues facing the Church.
She has served on several boards, including those of Jesuit Volunteers International, Maryknoll Lay Missioners and the Ignatian Solidarity Network. She and her husband have three daughters.
COO, Magnificat
Axel d’Epinay, based in New York, is chief operating officer at the Magnificat publishing firm and Aleteia USA. Under his leadership, since 2005, the pocket-sized Magnificat has grown to over 330,000 subscribers in the US. It is now a world-leading weekly spiritual guide in multiple languages which partners in the UK with the Herald, and is a regular fixture at the back of American churches. It includes daily and Sunday readings, all Feast Days and daily reflections on the Gospel.
Assistant professor, Weill Cornell Medical College
Michael Espiritu, MD, holds the position of assistant professor of clinical paediatrics at Weill Cornell Medical College and serves as an attending neonatologist at New York Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center.
Dr Espiritu is a knight of Magistral Grace in the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, where he serves as a counsellor at the Permanent Observer Mission of the Sovereign Order of Malta to the UN. He is also a knight commander of the Holy Sepulchre and a knight of merit of the Constantinian Order of St George.
Executive director, Neumann Forum
George Gunning runs the Neumann Forum, named after the Czech saint and bishop of Philadelphia who played a significant role in establishing the Church in the United States. The non-profit is dedicated to promoting and protecting traditional faith in Philadelphia and beyond through defending the truth of Catholicism, preserving its cultural and historical heritage and through effective catechesis and education.
A graduate from Temple University, Philadelphia, Gunning has previously worked for the Catholic Foundation of Greater Philadelphia and Archdiocese of Philadelphia. He has also served as treasurer for the Catholic Bioethics Center and the Archdiocese of New York, and is currently treasurer for the Philadelphia region of the Order of Malta.
President, FADICA
As president and CEO of FADICA (Foundations and Donors Interested in Catholic Activities) and a graduate of Harvard Divinity School, Kelley oversees a leading philanthropic members’ peer network that promotes the growth and effectiveness of US Catholic philanthropy. FADICA supports Catholic education, exchange, fellowship and faith, research and interaction with Catholic leadership.
Kelley served for ten years at the US Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Catholic Campaign for Human Development. She also served as the deputy director of the White House Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships. She co-wrote A Nation for All: How the Catholic Vision of the Common Good Can Save America from the Politics of Division and co-edited the book Living the Catholic Social Tradition: Cases and Commentary. She lives in Washington DC with her husband.
Grand Master, Order of Malta
Fra’ John Timothy Dunlap, 66, is 81st Prince and Grand Master of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta. Admitted to the Order of Malta in 1996, he took his solemn vows as a professed knight in 2008. For over a decade he has served the Order of Malta as chairman of the Committee for the Protection of Names and Emblems and Representative to the Alliance of the Orders of St John. In 2009, Dunlap was elected for a five-year term as a member of the Sovereign Council. He was re-elected for another five-year term by the Chapter General in 2014 and then in 2019. He led the Order of Malta as Lieutenant of the Grand Master from June 2022, following the death of Fra’ Marco Luzzago. He was elected Grand Master of the Order of Malta on 3 May 2023. He is a New York barrister by training and also co-owns an Italian restaurant in Midtown Manhattan.
Founder, Catholic Leadership Institute
Timothy C Flanagan founded the Catholic Leadership Institute (CLI) in 1989. Under his leadership, the CLI has reached national prominence, providing first-class leadership formation and consulting to clergy and lay leaders in over 100 dioceses in the US and around the world. In 2019, Pope Francis named him a knight of St Sylvester in recognition of his service to the Church and her people. He has also served as a lector and Eucharistic minister. He is married with five children.
Senior director, American Philanthropic
Jack Fowler is the senior director of American Philanthropic. Before joining American Philanthropic, he worked for 31 years at National Review in various capacities, including as publisher, where he oversaw fundraising and development operations. He remains a contributing editor. He is also the host of the Victor Davis Hanson Show podcast.
He has served on numerous boards, including the American Mental Health Foundation, Human Life Foundation, Frontier Center and Gatestone Institute. The Bronx native graduated from the College of the Holy Cross and is a member of the Knights of Columbus. He and his wife Sharon have five children and reside in Milford, Connecticut.
Director of philanthropy, Adams Family Foundation
Nannette Hendel serves as the director of philanthropy for the Adams Family Foundation and is on the board of directors for Covenant House, a charity which provides long-term support for young people facing homelessness and survivors of trafficking. Hendel graduated from St John’s University with a degree in psychology. She went on to work at Dreyfus Service Corporation before moving to Connecticut where she concentrated her efforts on raising her family, volunteering and fundraising for various non-profit organisations there and in the greater New York area.
Supreme knight, Knights of Columbus
Patrick E Kelly is the 14th and current supreme knight of the Knights of Columbus. Previously, he served as deputy supreme knight from 2017 until 2021. Prior to this he served as vice president for public policy for 11 years. He was the founding executive director of the Saint John Paul II National Shrine in Washington, DC. He was also the senior adviser to the ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom at the US State Department and, in this role, was its primary contact with the Holy See and other nations on matters of religious freedom. He lives in Connecticut with his wife and three daughters.
President, American Association of the Order of Malta
Peter Kelly is the president of the American Association of the Order of Malta and a semi-retired ophthalmologist. He is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame and received his medical degree from Georgetown University. A member of the Order of Malta for almost 20 years, he was elected to the board of councillors in 2009. Kelly has participated in ten Lourdes pilgrimages as a member of the medical committee. He is devoted to international medical mission work. Since 1993, he has regularly visited Haiti where he performs free surgery at Hôpital Sacré Coeur, a Catholic hospital operated by the Center for the Rural Development of Milot.
President, Catholic Charities USA
Sister Donna Markham served as president and CEO of Catholic Charities USA (CCUSA) from 2015 to 2023. She was the first woman and tenth president to hold this position in the organisation’s 113-year history. An Adrian Dominican sister with a doctorate in clinical psychology, Sister Donna served on CCUSA’s board of trustees for eight years. In addition, she has served in leadership positions in behavioural healthcare both in Canada and the US and is an internationally recognised author and speaker in areas of transformational leadership, organisational change management and the effective treatment of those struggling with mental illness.
President, Ancient Order of Hibernians
Daniel J O’Connell is the 49th national president of the Ancient Order of Hibernians and was installed for his second term in July 2022. Founded in 1836, the Ancient Order of Hibernians is America’s oldest Irish Catholic fraternal organisation. It is at the forefront for issues concerning Irish Catholics, such as the Right to Life.
Chancellor, American Association of Order of Malta
Thomas J Reedy has been a member of the American Association of the Order of Malta since 2002 and served as the Illinois area chair from 2007 to 2013. In 2012, he was elected hospitaller of the American Association. He has participated in eight Lourdes pilgrimages and served as team captain on five of them. He became a Knight in Obedience in 2012. In addition to his work with the Order of Malta, Reedy has served on the Catholic Charities board of advisers. He was president of the Chicago chapter of Legatus from 2005 to 2008. He is recently retired and was the managing director of Reedy Industries.
Disability rights activist
Maryland resident Tim Shriver, 64, leads the Special Olympics international board of directors. He previously helped produce four films including The Peanut Butter Falcon, The Ringer and Amistad. Shriver also serves as president of the Joseph P Kennedy Jr Foundation, and currently chairs the Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning. In 2011, he wrote the book Fully Alive: Discerning What Matters Most. Shriver’s connection to the Kennedy family is through his mother, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, who was the sister of John F Kennedy. He is also a brother of Maria Shriver. Raised in a Catholic household, Shriver received his master’s degree from the Catholic University of America, reflecting his deep ties to his faith and his family legacy.
Advocacy officer, Aid to the Church in Need
Marcela Szymanski lives in Brussels. Since 2011, she is the EU and UN advocacy officer for the pontifical foundation Aid to the Church in Need, which helps the voice of the persecuted Church to be heard among policy makers. She conducts high-level public diplomacy relations on behalf of persecuted Christians, including kidnapped priests as well as entire communities under duress by Islamic terror groups. She has 20 years’ experience as a media correspondent and public affairs professional. She often appears on TV shows defending the importance of maintaining the integrity of Article 18, promoting and protecting the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, and opposing attempts to separate its basic elements.
Child advocacy attorney
The founder of Yore Children, Elizabeth Yore is a child advocacy attorney who deals with legal issues relating to the exploitation of children. She served as special counsel to Oprah Winfrey as her child advocate, both at Harpo and at the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa. In addition, Yore served as general counsel at the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services. She is also a contributor writer for Townhall, Breitbart, LifeSiteNews, the Remnant and a number of other outlets.
This article first appeared in the February 2024 issue of the Catholic Herald magazine. To subscribe to our multiple-award-winning magazine and have it delivered to your door anywhere in the world, go here.
This page is available to subscribers. Click here to sign in or get access.
Areas of Catholic Herald business are still recovering post-pandemic.
However, we are reaching out to the Catholic community and readership, that has been so loyal to the Catholic Herald. Please join us on our 135 year mission by supporting us.
We are raising £250,000 to safeguard the Herald as a world-leading voice in Catholic journalism and teaching.
We have been a bold and influential voice in the church since 1888, standing up for traditional Catholic culture and values. Please consider donating.