The Catholic Leaders Podcast

Leadership Roundtable

The Catholic Leaders Podcast is a space where we host conversations with inspirational leaders to talk about their leadership and how faith informs it. The Catholic Leaders Podcast is hosted by Kim Smolik, an Executive Partner at Leadership Roundtable, and Kerry Robinson, CEO and President of Catholic Charities USA. read less
Religion & SpiritualityReligion & Spirituality
BusinessBusiness
ChristianityChristianity
Non-ProfitNon-Profit

Episodes

Tania Tetlow: Ambition for the Good
Oct 30 2024
Tania Tetlow: Ambition for the Good
Tania Tetlow grew up in a uniquely Catholic and Jesuit-influenced household, where dinner conversation centered around intellect, scripture, and justice. Throughout her career, Tania’s Jesuit formation and devotion to justice have guided her, whether she was prosecuting violent crimes, helping lead recovery efforts for the New Orleans Library system post-Hurricane Katrina, or serving as the first female and lay president of a major Catholic university. On this episode of The Catholic Leaders Podcast, hosts Kerry Robinson and Kim Smolik sit down with Tania Tetlow, the current president of Fordham University. Tania grew up in New Orleans and spearheaded efforts to raise millions to rebuild and reimagine the city’s libraries after Hurricane Katrina as chair of the New Orleans Library board. She is a trailblazer in Catholic higher education, having served as the first female president of Loyola University New Orleans before becoming the first female president of Fordham in 2022. Join us as Tania shares from her experience surrounding hurricane recovery and leading in the face of natural disasters and financial hardship, as well the lessons she’s learned as a Catholic woman serving in leadership positions previously only held by clergy. You can learn more about President Tetlow on her social media platforms: Facebook: @presidenttaniatetlow (https://www.facebook.com/PresidentTaniaTetlow/) Instagram: @president_tetlow (https://www.instagram.com/president_tetlow/?hl=en) LinkedIn: @tania-tetlow-762807167 (https://www.linkedin.com/in/tania-tetlow-762807167/) X: @tetlowtania (https://x.com/tetlowtania) You can learn more about Fordham University at https://www.fordham.edu (https://www.fordham.edu/) and on social media: Facebook: @FordhamUniversity (https://www.facebook.com/FordhamUniversity) Instagram: @FordhamUniversity (https://www.instagram.com/fordhamuniversity/) LinkedIn: @Fordham-University (https://www.linkedin.com/school/fordham-university/) X: @FordhamNYC (https://x.com/FordhamNYC)
Chris Lowney: Integrating Our Spiritual and Work Lives
Sep 30 2024
Chris Lowney: Integrating Our Spiritual and Work Lives
Throughout his life and career in both corporate and nonprofit settings, Chris Lowney has learned that one of the most important pieces of leadership is avoiding what he calls “split life-ism,” where someone’s spirituality and personal life is left at the door when they enter the work place. “Nobody can live their whole life in a split way,” Chris shares. On this episode of The Catholic Leadership Podcast, Chris Lowney joins us to discuss integrating spirituality and work together, practicing love-driven leadership, and how to handle leadership transitions. Chris shares leadership lessons learned both from his unique life journey through Jesuit seminary, J.P. Morgan, and in his leadership coaching and consulting. About Chris Chris Lowney, a one-time Jesuit seminarian, now chairs the board of CommonSpirit Health, a Catholic hospital system that is the largest nonprofit healthcare system in the USA, with more than 140 hospitals and 150,000 employees. Previously, Chris served as a Managing Director of J.P. Morgan & Co. on three continents. He has authored some half-dozen books, including the bestselling, “Heroic Leadership: Best Practices from a 450-Year-Old Company that Changed the World,” which has been translated into eleven languages. His other award-winning books include “Pope Francis: Why He Leads the Way He Leads” and "Everyone Leads: How to Revitalize the Catholic Church." He also chairs the board of Commonweal magazine. His B.A. and M.A. are from Fordham University, and he holds eleven honorary doctoral degrees (But, Chris adds: "I don't have the intellect to earn one the real way!") He grew up in New York City, hates the New York Yankees, and roots for the New York Mets. You can learn more about Chris and his work and books at https://chrislowney.com/wp/ (https://chrislowney.com/wp/). You can follow Chris on: Facebook @ChrisLowneyAuthor (https://www.facebook.com/ChrisLowneyAuthor) X @chrislowney (https://x.com/chrislowney) You can learn more about CommonSpirit Health at https://www.commonspirit.org/ (https://www.commonspirit.org/) and on social media: Facebook @commonspirithealth (https://www.facebook.com/commonspirithealth) LinkedIn @commonspirithealth (https://www.linkedin.com/company/commonspirithealth/) Instagram @commonspirithealth (https://www.instagram.com/commonspirithealth/) X @commonspirit (https://x.com/commonspirit) McKinsey & Co. study: “Decoding leadership: What really matters” (https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/leadership/decoding-leadership-what-really-matters?cid=other-eml-mtg-mip-mck&hlkid=62271661ff5544e9b5cd28cf2ada7d70&hctky=1926&hdpid=2ac69b21-9396-4ba8-8c76-8904758e3278)
Kendra Davenport:  Living Your Faith in Leadership
Aug 30 2024
Kendra Davenport: Living Your Faith in Leadership
Since getting her first job in development right after graduating from college, Kendra Davenport knew that the nonprofit sector was where she belonged. Kendra shared that early in her career, “[I] realized how difficult it would be for me to work for a private sector company, as opposed to a nonprofit that really had a mission of helping and serving people.” Kendra has dedicated her career to mission-based NGOs with the purpose of serving those marginalized and in need, all while keeping her Catholic faith at the core of her personal, professional, and family practices. On this episode of The Catholic Leaders Podcast, we welcome Kendra Davenport, President and CEO of Easterseals, a national organization leading the way to full equity, inclusion, and access through life-changing disability and community services. Kendra joins hosts Kim Smolik and Kerry Robinson and shares her story of faith, leadership, and service with our listeners. About Kendra Kendra E. Davenport, MPL, CFRE, is President and CEO of Easterseals. Kendra brings more than three decades of experience working exclusively in the nonprofit arena. She has managed several national development and communications portfolios, served as president of a nonprofit serving veterans’ families, and was a philanthropy and communications consultant to several national and international nonprofit organizations. Previously, Kendra served as the chief development officer for Operation Smile, where she managed multichannel global philanthropy efforts, including domestic and international corporate fundraising, mass market and direct response, digital fundraising, major gifts and planned giving, community engagement, special events and partnerships, private sector grants, and government relations. Kendra possesses extensive management experience, having overseen more than 1,000 international staff across eighteen sub-Saharan countries while working for Africare, one of the largest African American founded and led nonprofits at the time. Much of Kendra’s career has been dedicated to facilitating the provision of critical services and interventions with organizations that include the Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Alliance, Goodwill Industries, and The Arc Montgomery County. Follow Kendra on: LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/kendradavenport/) @kendradavenport Twitter (https://x.com/kendraedav) @kendraedav Learn more about Easterseals on their website, www.easterseals.com, or on social media: Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/easterseals) @easterseals Twitter (https://x.com/eastersealshq) @eastersealshq Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/eastersealshq/) @eastersealshq LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/easterseals/) @easterseals YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/user/easterseals1) @easterseals1
Dr. Carol Zinn, SSJ: Responding to an Invitation
Jul 31 2024
Dr. Carol Zinn, SSJ: Responding to an Invitation
“Have you ever thought about being a sister?” That simple invitation from a religious sister became a call to consecrated religious life for Dr. Carol Zinn, SSJ. Looking back on her life, Dr. Zinn, a religious sister with the Sisters of Saint Joseph, sees a series of invitations to which she responded “yes,” each of which shaped her vocation, career, and spirituality. On this episode of The Catholic Leaders Podcast, hosts Kim Smolik and Kerry Robinson talk with Dr. Zinn who today is Executive Director of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR). She draws back the curtain on the state of religious life in the United States and provides a candid look at how discernment, charism, and vocation are shaping the landscape of consecrated and religious life in the 21st century. Dr. Zinn also provides insight into her work at the U.N., working for global peace. About Sr. Carol Dr. Carol Zinn, a sister of St. Joseph from Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia, PA has ministered in education as a teacher, professor, religious educator, sacramental coordinator, and music minister. Dr. Zinn holds a Doctorate in Curriculum Development and Education Foundations from the University of North Carolina-Greensboro. Dr. Zinn worked in grassroots-based international movements as consultant and facilitator. In particular, she worked on the United Religions Initiative and the Earth Charter. Dr. Zinn served as the main representative for the Congregations of St. Joseph, an NGO in General Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council at the United Nations. She represented over 15,000 Sisters of St. Joseph who live and minister in 57 countries. Dr. Zinn also worked as the Education Program Director for Global Education Associates, a non-governmental organization working to further global systemic change. Dr. Zinn served on her Congregation’s leadership team and in the Presidency of Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) from 2012-2015. Currently, Carol serves as the Executive Director of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious. You can learn more about the Sisters of Saint Joseph on their website (https://ssjphila.org/), www.ssjphila.org, and on social media: Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/ssjphiladelphia/) @ssjphiladelphia X (https://x.com/ssjphila) @ssjphila You can learn more about LCWR on their website, www.lcwr.org (http://www.lcwr.org), and on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/lcwr.org) @lcwr.org.
Jim Towey: To Love and Be Loved
Jun 28 2024
Jim Towey: To Love and Be Loved
Saint Mother Teresa of Calcutta (now Kolkata) has left an indelible impact on the Church, the world, and the life of Jim Towey. What began as a one-day stop in Kolkata to meet the renowned sister ended up transforming Jim’s life and forming an enduring, close friendship between the lawyer and the nun. Today, Jim credits much of who he is to Mother Teresa and the lessons she taught him. On this episode of The Catholic Leaders Podcast, hosts Kim Smolik and Kerry Robinson welcome Jim Towey, author of To Love and Be Loved: A Personal Portrait of Mother Teresa. Jim offers a glimpse into his close friendship with Mother Teresa, sharing leadership lessons she modeled, as well as her spiritual struggles, and her lifelong calling to serve those experiencing poverty. Jim also shares about his time working in the White House as head of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives and how his work with Mother Teresa led him to create Aging with Dignity, the organization he founded to bring advocacy and support to end-of-life issues and planning. About Jim Jim Towey was a trusted advisor and personal friend of Mother Teresa of Calcutta for 12 years and did the first reading at her Mass of Canonization in Saint Peter’s Square. He has been pro bono legal counsel to the Missionaries of Charity for 38 years. He previously headed the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives under George W. Bush for four years and served on his senior staff. His career spans the presidency of two Catholic colleges for thirteen years, a seven-year stint as a US Senate staffer, and the leadership of Florida’s 40,000-employee Health and Human Services agency. In 1996, with Mother Teresa’s encouragement, he founded the nonprofit advocacy organization Aging with Dignity and created the Five Wishes Advance Directive, which has sold over 40 million copies. He currently serves as the organization’s CEO. Towey is the recipient of seven honorary doctorate degrees, including ones from Catholic University of America and Franciscan University. In the year 2000, Pope John Paul II awarded him a papal medal for distinguished service. He currently is a trustee of The Papal Foundation. In 2022, Towey authored To Love and Be Loved: A Personal Portrait of Mother Teresa, published by Simon and Schuster, which is now available in five languages. He and his wife Mary are donating the book’s royalties to charities affiliated with the saint’s work. Towey met his wife in Mother Teresa’s Washington D.C. AIDS home and married her in 1992. They have five children and three grandchildren and reside in Falls Church, Virginia. To Love and Be Loved: A Personal Portrait of Mother Teresa can be purchased through Simon and Schuster (https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/To-Love-and-Be-Loved/Jim-Towey/9781982195632). You can find Jim’s blog at agingwithdignity.org/jim-toweys-blog (https://agingwithdignity.org/jim-toweys-blog/). You can learn more about Aging with Dignity at agingwithdignity.org. You can follow Aging with Dignity on: Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/agingwdignity) @agingwdignity YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/agingwithdignity) @agingwithdignity You can learn more about the Five Wishes program at www.fivewishes.org (https://www.fivewishes.org/). You can follow Five Wishes on: Five Wishes (https://www.facebook.com/5WishesOrg/) @5wishesorg Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/5wishesorg/) @5wishesorg Twitter (https://twitter.com/5wishesorg) @5wishesorg YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNgZvSBrRPXWAQJ0twyYCNg) @UCNgZvSBrRPXWAQJ0twyYCNg
Dr. Hosffman Ospino: Daring to Dream a Better Church
May 31 2024
Dr. Hosffman Ospino: Daring to Dream a Better Church
Moments when success may seem elusive are moments where Dr. Hosffman Ospino sees opportunity for innovation. Dr. Ospino is a professor, writer, and researcher in the fields of theology, religious education, and Catholic Hispanic/Latino ministry. Dr. Ospino is a leading scholar in the conversations surrounding how to engage young adults in the Church, how to grow and foster greater Hispanic/Latino leadership, and how to create a healthy, thriving Catholic Church. Join us for the latest episode of The Catholic Leaders Podcast, where our hosts Kim Smolik and Kerry Robinson sit down with Dr. Ospino. Dr. Ospino shares insights into what he has learned through his research surrounding ministry and engagement with Hispanic/Latino Catholics, his work teaching and forming young adults, his leadership in the V Encuentro, and two exciting projects he’s piloting at Boston College Clough School of Theology and Ministry to support Hispanic/Latino leaders: “Nuevo Momento” and “Haciendo Caminos.” About Hosffman: Hosffman Ospino, PhD, serves as Professor of Theology and Religious Education and Chair of the Department of Religious Education and Pastoral Ministry at Boston College, Clough School of Theology and Ministry. His research explores the relationship between faith and culture, and how that relationship shapes Catholic ministerial and educational efforts. Dr. Ospino has served as the principal investigator for several national studies on Hispanic Catholics. He is the director of Boston College’s five-year national initiative “Nuevo Momento: Leadership and Capacity Building for Ministerial Organizations Serving Hispanic Catholics” (2024-2028) and one of the principal investigators for the project “Haciendo Caminos: Theological Education for New Generations of U.S. Latino/a Catholics” (2023-2027), in collaboration with the University of Notre Dame. He was instrumental in developing core resources for and designing the process guiding the Fifth National Encuentro of Hispanic/Latino Ministry (2018). Dr. Ospino is a prolific writer with more than 20 books and 250 articles, both academic and general. He is Past-President of the Academy of Catholic Hispanic Theologians of the United States (ACHTUS) and is currently an officer of the Catholic Theological Society of America (CTSA). He is actively involved in ministry with his family in the Archdiocese of Boston. You can follow Dr. Ospino on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/hosffman.ospino/) @hosffman.ospino and LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/hosffman-ospino-598a44206/): @hosffman-ospino-598a44206. You can learn more about Dr. Ospino on Boston College, Clough School of Theology and Ministry’s website (https://www.bc.edu/bc-web/schools/stm/faculty/faculty-directory/hosffman-ospino.html). You can follow Boston College, Clough School of Theology and Ministry on: Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/bcstm/) @bcstm Twitter / X (https://twitter.com/bcstm) @bcstm Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/bcstm/) @bcstm LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/boston-college-school-of-theology-and-ministry/) @boston-college-school-of-theology-and-ministry YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@bcstm/featured) @bcstm
Dr. Nicola Brady: Peace, Healing, and Hope for the Church
Nov 29 2023
Dr. Nicola Brady: Peace, Healing, and Hope for the Church
Nicola Brady, Ph.D., is the General Secretary for Churches Together in Britain and Ireland. She previously served as the General Secretary of the Irish Council of Churches and Joint Secretary of the Irish Inter-Church Meeting where she facilitated relationship-building between Christian churches in Ireland and collaborative action on issues of shared concern to member churches. Brady has particular experience in the area of faith-based peace-building in Ireland and internationally, including human rights advocacy, support to victims/survivors, facilitation of civic dialogue, community engagement with policing, and research across a broad range of issues relevant to reconciliation. She is vice chair of the Board of the Christian Aid Ireland and a board member of the Maximilian Kolbe Foundation, which works to extend the lessons of German-Polish reconciliation post-World War II to other conflict areas. In 2017, Brady took part in an international workshop organized by the Catholic Bishops of Germany and Colombia to support the peace process in Colombia, engaging with victims and survivors, armed actors, NGOs and faith communities. In 2019, she became an Eisenhower Fellow and undertook a professional development program in the US with a focus on developing the capacity of the faith sector to promote social cohesion in communities divided by race, violence, political polarization and socio-economic inequality. She is currently chairing the Steering Committee for the Synodal Pathway of the Catholic Church in Ireland. She has a BA in European Studies from Trinity College Dublin. Her Ph.D., also from Trinity College Dublin, examined the response of the Catholic hierarchy to political violence in Northern Ireland (1921-1973) and the Basque Country (1936-1975). Brady’s recent publications include The Churches, Reconciliation and Addressing the Legacy of Intercommunal Violence in Northern Ireland, Glencree Journal (2021), 92-102 — co-authored with Dr Gladys Ganiel, Queen’s University Belfast and Pulling Together or Pulling Apart: Perspectives on Nationhood, Identity and Belonging in Europe (Peter Lang, 2019) — co-edited with Dr. Susana Bayó Belenguer, Trinity College Dublin. You can learn more about Churches Together in Britain and Ireland on their website, https://ctbi.org.uk/, or on social media: Facebook: @CTBIshare Instagram: @CTBImedia Twitter: @CTBI You can learn more about The Synodal Pathway of the Catholic Church in Ireland on their website, https://synod.ie/, or on social media: Facebook: @synodalpathway Twitter: @synodalpathway In this episode, we touch on: * The efforts for peace, accountability, and synodality in Ireland and worldwide * Uniting Christians worldwide * Catholic young adult perspective