We’re thrilled that two Catholic Charities Board Members were honored by Twin Cities Business for their leadership.

Board Chair Kathleen Erickson DiGiorno was named to the Twin Cities Business list of “2022 Notable Nonprofit Board Members.” Catholic Charities CEO Michael Goar nominated Kathy, recognizing her for leading Catholic Charities through a period of tremendous need in our community and enabling the organization to support thousands of our community’s most vulnerable residents.

Catholic Charities Board Member Lynette Dumalag was also named to the list. She was nominated by the Urban Land Institute Minnesota, where she also serves on the board. Lynette joined our board in 2020 and currently leads the Planning and Program Development Committee and serves on the Executive Committee.

We are grateful for all of our strong, committed board members!

We’ve included excerpts from Kathy’s award nomination below:

“Kathleen Erickson DiGiorno, Senior Legal Director for Medtronic, is the current board chair for Catholic Charities St. Paul & Minneapolis. Her time in this position can well be summed up as keeping the wheels turning.

A no-nonsense leader, heading up a board of almost 40 dedicated community members, has led this organization (with a $55M operating budget) through a long-lived pandemic and smooth CEO transition.

Catholic Charities welcomes those most in need by providing life-giving basic needs for over 20,000 people every year. These services are provided primarily in communal settings of shelters, cafeterias, residential living, community clinics, and childhood centers that were all impacted with change during the pandemic. Kathleen’s leadership assured clients were not forgotten, programs remained safe, and public health was maintained.

Not only did Kathleen direct with perseverance she led a national search, through virtual interviews only, and found the next leader of Catholic Charities in the midst of the pandemic. Former President and CEO, Tim Marx retired after 10 years and new President and CEO, Michael Goar took the helm. To make it a seamless transition Kathleen generously agreed to extend her time as board chair, serving 3 years, to assure a unified changeover.

The time has arrived to honor Kathleen. Her leadership is strong, her care for others is unmistakable, her skill is evident, and her dedication is proven.”

Thank you, Kathy and Lynette, for your strong leadership—and congratulations on this well-deserved recognition!