We looked back in the recent archives and found a November interview on Mater Dei Radio with Kaleen Deatherage, Catholic Charities of Oregon’s interim CEO/executive director.
Host Brenda Aiken asks Deatherage about her background and her role for the year going forward.
Deatherage attended St. Matthew and St. Edward Parishes in Washington County. She studied business at the University of Oregon and ended up working in addiction treatment, her start in non-profits. She also led an agency that created outdoor recreation for children with disabilities.
Deatherage now works with Page Two Partners, a group that helps agencies move through changes. She told Aiken that nonprofit work has become her passion.
“I am so committed to the importance of service,” Deatherage said.
She told Aiken it’s important for an agency to step back now and then to reassess mission and programs. She is giving Catholic Charities’ board of directors an objective assessment.
One of the main questions she’ll answer is this: “What kind of leadership does Catholic Charities need for this moment?”
She is examining the agency’s systems and how it structures teams.
Deatherage said she does not come with an agenda to change the programming or mission but instead wants to strengthen the organization and get it ready for the next leader.
Along the way, she’s getting input from donors in meetings, small gatherings and surveys. She said she wants to know what really moves donors’ hearts.
Play the full interview below or listen here.