Michael Goar, President and Chief Executive Officer

Michael Goar joined Catholic Charities as president and chief executive officer in January 2021. In his role, Michael partners with the Catholic Charities board and executive team to develop the organization’s strategy to serve and advocate on behalf of those most in need. He leads a team of over 500 staff who assist more than 20,000 people annually, creating needed supports and opportunities for them to thrive.

Throughout his career, Michael has helped to lead foundational organizations that both sustain and serve their clients and the broader community. Prior to joining Catholic Charities, he served as executive director of Big Brothers Big Sisters, as CEO and interim superintendent of Minneapolis Public Schools, and as executive director of Generation Next, a Twin Cities-based youth development organization. Earlier in his career, Goar held executive positions and COO roles for both Boston Public Schools and Memphis City Schools.

Michael has a deep commitment to racial equity and social justice and is engaged in organizations that support those efforts in our community. Michael serves on the Board of Genesys Works, Black Men Teach, and the Minneapolis Institute of Art. He also serves on Governor Walz’s Juvenile Justice Advisory Committee.

Michael’s commitment to service is partly driven by his personal story. Born in South Korea, he came to the United States when he was adopted by a Minnesota family at age 12, an experience he describes as transformative.

He received his bachelor’s degree in business administration and urban studies from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls and his master’s degree in public administration from Mankato State University.

You can reach Michael at Michael.Goar@cctwincities.org.

Kristen Brown, Senior Division Director, Housing

Kristen leads Catholic Charities’ housing division, supporting the programming and property management of nearly 1,000 deeply affordable apartments across the Twin Cities. Kristen joined Catholic Charities in 2022 to guide compliance and government grants, and she brings extensive experience in social services, particularly in the areas of homelessness and housing. Her experience includes leadership roles at Emma Norton Services, Our Saviour’s Housing, St. Stephen’s, Matrix Housing Services, and Hennepin County Office to End Homelessness. Kristen received her Juris Doctor from Georgetown University Law Center, where she specialized in public interest law. Through internships with advocacy organizations and volunteering at drop-in centers, Kristen discovered a passion for advancing human rights, which has guided the direction of her career.

You can reach Kristen at Kristen.Brown@cctwincities.org.

Mary Callaghan, Senior Project Manager for Transformation

Mary guides the implementation of Catholic Charities’ sustainability plan and manages the cross-functional initiatives and continuous quality improvement efforts that are critical to the agency’s long-term success. Mary started her career representing clients at a community legal aid office in Chicago. She brings experience in fundraising, grantmaking, and capacity building work at regional and national non-profits. Most recently, Mary spent more than 12 years with Feeding America, partnering with food banks around the country to build organizational capacity and playing a key role in the collaborative development of a comprehensive national partner food bank agreement.

You can reach Mary at Mary.Callaghan@cctwincities.org..

Bob Elfstrand, Senior Vice President of Advancement

Bob oversees efforts to invite foundations, corporations, and individuals, to make gifts to support the work and mission of Catholic Charities. He has a passion for non-profit organizations that improve lives and our community. In previous roles, Bob led fundraising at The Redemption Project MN, the YMCA of the North, and Cristo Rey Jesuit High School, Minneapolis. He has also volunteered with, and helped raise money for, the Catholic Campaign for Human Development, St. Thomas the Apostle Church, Minneapolis, the Minnesota Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity, Simpson Housing Services, and the Amplify Mission Network.

You can reach Bob at Robert.Elfstrand@cctwincities.org.

Tatyana Finklea, Division Director of Emergency Services

Tatyana leads the agency’s Emergency Services programs that shelter and support adults throughout the Twin Cities region. In her role, Tatyana is passionate about advancing Trauma-informed policies and practices, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion strategies, and creating a culture of learning and development in both her organization and community. She joined Catholic Charities in March 2021 as the Senior Program Manager for Recuperative Care and Women’s Harm Reduction. Tatyana has over twenty years of organizational leadership and development experience, as well as expertise with programming that supports those experiencing long-term homelessness, mental illness, and substance use disorders. Originally from Jamaica and raised in Brooklyn, New York, Tatyana earned a B.S. in Human Resource Development from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities.

You can reach Tatyana at Tatyana.Finklea@cctwincities.org.

Pamela Hagen, Senior Director of Support Services

Joining Catholic Charities in 2009, Pam oversees the organization’s food service, procurement, and facilities operations. Maintaining fifteen buildings and providing over one million meals, the Support Services Department ensures that Catholic Charities programs have the material and logistical support necessary to serve over 25,000 people each year. Pam brings to her role decades of experience in supply chain management for national companies, and she is passionate about empowering our teams to improve the lives of those we serve.

You can reach Pam at Pamela.Hagen@cctwincities.org.

John Marston, Chief Financial Officer

John leads the Finance and Accounting teams to support the work and mission of Catholic Charities to serve people most in need in our community. He comes to Catholic Charities with a 28-year career during which he worked with small businesses, Fortune 500 companies, and nonprofit organizations. Most recently, John served as CFO to several behavioral health organizations, where he focused on revenue growth and sustainability. John began his financial career in the health care industry, as staff accountant for an assisted living facility in Minneapolis. After working several years in banking, he transitioned to a role in executive-level recruiting for organizations including UnitedHealth Group and Robert Half. He also founded Innovative Talent Strategies, a business development and executive recruitment company. John received a degree in accounting at University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.

You can reach John at John.Marston@cctwincities.org.

Richard Johnson, Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Dick leads the Finance and Accounting team at Catholic Charities, ensuring that we are responsible stewards of the resources entrusted to us to achieve our mission. Dick is currently working with incoming CFO John Marston to ensure the agency is in sound financial position prior to his retirement planned for fall 2024.

You can reach Dick at Richard.Johnson@cctwincities.org.

Elizabeth Knight, Chief Legal and Compliance Officer

Elizabeth leads the Legal and Compliance team at Catholic Charities. Elizabeth is responsible for legal analysis and advice to Catholic Charities on issues that affect its work – including those that impact clients. The General Counsel serves as Catholic Charities’ Chief Compliance Officer and Privacy Officer, and her team is responsible for overseeing the organization’s compliance program. The Legal and Compliance Department also manages all contracts and grants, organizational policies and procedures, general risk management, and Catholic Charities’ insurance portfolio.  

You can reach Elizabeth at Elizabeth.Knight@cctwincities.org.

Keith Kozerski, Chief Program Officer

Keith oversees and supports the vision, administration and culture of our Housing and Emergency Services, Aging and Disability Services, and Children and Families Services programs. Keith is a licensed social worker who joined Catholic Charities in 2007 as Director of St. Joe’s Home for Children, becoming Senior Director of Children and Families in 2012. Prior to his career with Catholic Charities, Keith gained over 16 years of experience in a variety of social service arenas. He has worked in hospitals, residential treatment, public child welfare/child protection and community-based settings. Keith has also served as an adjunct faculty member in the Human Services program at Upper Iowa University. Keith currently serves as board member of AspireMN and Connections to Independence.

You can reach Keith at Keith.Kozerski@cctwincities.org.

Patricia McArdle, Division Director, Aging and Disability Services

Patricia leads seven teams of social workers and administrative assistants who provide care coordination services to older adults and individuals with disabilities in order to ensure they can remain supported in the home of their choice. This includes the unique Homeless Elders team doing intensive care management to work through all barriers in achieving housing for our most vulnerable neighbors. The contracts she oversees are with both Hennepin and Ramsey county and UCare, Medica and Blue Cross and Blue Shield. She advocates for equitable resources and services for older adults by being on the Board of the MN Leadership Council on Aging.

You can reach Patricia at Patricia.McArdle@cctwincities.org.

Michael McRath, Senior Director of Human Resources

Michael leads the Human Resources team at Catholic Charities. He and his team are responsible for all people matters: Staffing, Learning and Development, Employee Relations, Compensation, and Benefits. He provides oversight of how these services are delivered in strategic and tactical ways.

You can reach Michael at 612-204-8346 or Michael.McRath@cctwincities.org..

Jessica Meyerson, Chief Accountability Officer

Jessica oversees the agency’s performance and quality improvement work, including its strategic and annual planning processes and organization wide-initiatives to adopt “best practices” such as trauma-informed care. She also leads the Data Analysis, Research, and Technology (DART) team at Catholic Charities. She and her team are responsible for the agency’s performance measurement, research, evaluation, and IT functions. They conduct research on best practices in social services programming and operations; analyze and interpret agency data ; assess CC’s performance and impact in key strategic areas; support quality improvement initiatives and processes; and manage the agency’s IT infrastructure and information systems.

You can reach Jessica at 612-219-5694 or Jessica.Meyerson@cctwincities.org.

Mike Rios-Keating, Director of Culture and Belonging

Mike provides leadership and direction to Catholic Charities’ ongoing efforts to create a welcoming, inclusive, and mission-driven organizational culture. He is responsible for guiding the agency’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) strategy, Trauma-Informed Care efforts and other major initiatives supporting a sense of inclusion and belonging among members of the Catholic Charities community. For the past seven years, Rios-Keating has led Catholic Charities’ social justice education programming, where he developed a robust curriculum focused on issues of racial equity, housing justice, and systemic issues that directly impact the people served by Catholic Charities. As an Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) Qualified Administrator, Mike also led Catholic Charities’ Board of Directors, and community members through the IDI and other DEI curriculum. Prior to this, he worked as a community organizer with a housing nonprofit in Guayaquil, Ecuador. Rios-Keating received both a Bachelor of Arts in Theology/Theological Studies and a Master of Ministry in Theological and Ministerial Studies at Creighton University.

You can reach Mike at Michael.Rios@cctwincities.org.