Our people

Together, Catholic Charities’ staff, leadership, and Board of Directors serve those most in need and advocate for justice in the community.

Our team

Catholic Charities Twin Cities wouldn’t be here without the 500+ staff members who make our life-changing work possible. Our dedicated team includes a wide variety of professions, from social workers and mental health consultants to program leaders and fundraising specialists.

Interested in working with us? Check out open positions at Catholic Charities Twin Cities.

Meet our leadership

Interim President and CEO John Marston, a white man wearing a blue shirt and navy blue sweater

John Marston

Interim President and Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer

In addition to serving as interim president and CEO, 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.

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.

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.

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 in Minneapolis. He has also volunteered with, and helped raise money for, the Catholic Campaign for Human Development, St. Thomas the Apostle Church in Minneapolis, the Minnesota Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity, Simpson Housing Services, and the Amplify Mission Network.

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 more than 20 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.

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.

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.

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.

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. Joseph’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.

Amanda Luedtke

Senior Division Director, Children and Family Services

Amanda joined Catholic Charities in 2024 to lead our Children and Family Services programs. In her role, Amanda supports a 4-Star Parent Aware-rated early childhood care and education program, year-round intensive mental and behavioral health services for children in partnership with Minneapolis Public Schools, the largest emergency shelter for youth in the state of Minnesota, a family emergency shelter that is a proven safety net for families in Ramsey County, and a shelter diversion program to help families stay housed and avoid entering the shelter system. Amanda has worked in social services and behavioral health in the Twin Cities for over 20 years. Her previous positions have included Adjunct instructor at Adler Graduate school, Statewide Director of Clinical Coordination and Training-LSS of MN, Regional Operations Director for Behavioral Health Services- LSS of MN, and Clinical Director for Volunteers of America. Amanda holds a BA in Psychology/Criminology from the University of Northwestern and an MA in Clinical Mental Health from the Adler Graduate School. She is licensed as a Mental Health Professional and a Board Approved Supervisor.

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 Minnesota Leadership Council on Aging.

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.

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 performance and impact in key strategic areas; support quality improvement initiatives and processes; and manage the agency’s IT infrastructure and information systems.

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.

Meet our Board of Directors

Desirae Butler, Chair

Director
Norwest Equity Partners

John Marston (non-voting)

Interim President & CEO
Catholic Charities

Nick Alfano

Executive VP & President, Global Industrial
Ecolab

Barb Baumann

Vice President, Business Services
Securian Financial

Greg Chamberlain

Retired Vice President, Clean Fuels
Xcel Energy

Fr. Christopher Collins

Vice President for Mission
University of St. Thomas

Chris Dufresne

Vice President, Consumer Strategy
NRC Health

Lynette Dumalag

Founder & CEO
Sitio Purok

Michael Elliott

Chief Investment Officer, Olympus Ventures LLC
Schulze Family Foundation

Christine Esckilsen

Chief Human Capital Officer
Piper Sandler & Co

Obi Ezekoye

Partner
McKinsey and Company

Chad Faul

Senior Vice President / Commercial Banking Manager- Nonprofit / Government / Professional Services
Bremer Bank

Victor Fields

Health Plan Chief Executive Officer
United Health Care Community Plan of MN

Jazz Hampton

Chief Executive Officer/General Counsel
TurnSignl

Pat Harris

Vice President, Customer Solutions
PMA Asset Management

Chris Harrold

Vice President, Enterprise Quality Services
Medtronic, Inc

Most Reverend Bernard A. Hebda (non-voting)

Archbishop of Saint Paul and Minneapolis

Randy Kahnke

Partner
Faegre Drinker

Bryan C. Keane

Partner
Dorcey & Whitney, LLP

Roger Kempa

Global Finance Director, Joint Ventures
Cargill

Tim Kosiek

Vice President of Strategic Growth
Cristo Rey Jesuit High School

Rev. Charles Lachowitzer

Vicar General and Moderator of the Curia
Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis

Ann T. Lenczewski

State Government Relations
Lockridge Grindal Nauen

Paul Narog

Director, Global EHS
3M

Dr. Vanjelis Ngwa

Author

Laurie Paidosh

Retired SVP
UnitedHealth Group

Molly Porter

Senior Vice President, Social Impact and Sustainability
Wells Fargo

Keenan Raverty

Vice President
Bell Bank Mortgage

David Rowland

Executive Vice President and Co-Chief Investment Officer
The Travelers Companies, Inc.

Sr. Stephanie Spandl

Vocation Minister
School Sisters of Notre Dame North American Vocation Team

Jamez Staples

CEO
Renewable Energy Partners

Ugo Ukabam

Director/Senior Counsel – Labor & Employment Law
General Mills

Jonathan Van Wyck

Partner and Managing Director
Boston Consulting Group

Nate Wenner

Partner / Private Wealth Management
Creative Planning

Contact us

Not finding what you need? Please reach out and we would be happy to assist you.