Cardinal Luis Antonio G. Tagle of Manila

Cardinal Tagle was born on June 21, 1957 in Manila. He attended Loyola School of Theology and San Jose Seminary, and was ordained a priest of the Diocese of Imus (nearby Manila) on February 27, 1982.  Cardinal Tagle received a master’s degree in 1987 and a doctorate in sacred theology in 1991 at The Catholic University of America. He became Bishop of Imus on October 22, 2001, and Archbishop of Manila on October 13, 2011. On November 24, 2012 he was installed as a member of the College of Cardinals and participated in the 2013 conclave that elected Pope Francis.

Cardinal Tagle has been immersed in social issues in the Philippines with emphasis on helping the poor and the needy while maintaining opposition against practical atheism, abortion, contraception and the Reproductive Health Bill. From 2003 to present he has been a member of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Office of Theological Concerns, and Chairperson of the Philippine Bishops’ Episcopal Commission on the Doctrine of the Faith. In 2012, Cardinal Tagle was appointed vice-president of the Commission for the Message of the XIII General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops on the New Evangelization, and in 2013 appointed a member of both the Pontifical Council for the Family and the Pontifical Council for Migrants and Itinerant People. He speaks fluent Italian and English in addition to his native Tagalog, and is proficient in reading Spanish, French and Latin.

Archbishop Joseph Kurtz of Louisville, President of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops

Archbishop Kurtz is the fourth archbishop and ninth bishop of the Archdiocese of Louisville. Before going to Louisville, he was Bishop of Knoxville, Tennessee. He earned bachelor and master of divinity degrees from St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Philadelphia and a master’s degree in social work from the Marywood School of Social Work. He was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Allentown in 1972. 

Before becoming Bishop of Knoxville, Archbishop Kurtz served for 27 years in the Diocese of Allentown, Pennsylvania, in charge of social services, diocesan administration and parish ministry. He has served on the Pennsylvania Catholic Conference, as president of the board of directors of the Catholic Social Agency, and in Knoxville, as a member of the Association of Christian Denominational Leaders. He served as vice president of the United State Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) from 2010 to 2013 and was elected president of the USCCB on November 12, 2013. He is vice chancellor of the board of the Catholic Extension Society. He serves on the board of trustees of The Catholic University of America, the board of directors of the National Catholic Bioethics Center and the boards of St. Charles Seminary, Philadelphia; Leadership Louisville, and on the advisory board to the cause for Archbishop Fulton Sheen’s beatification.

Archbishop Paul S. Coakley of Oklahoma City, Chairman of the Board, Catholic Relief Services

Archbishop Coakley was appointed the fourth archbishop of Oklahoma City in 2010. He attended the University of Kansas, where he earned a bachelor of arts degree in English and classical antiquities in 1977. After completing studies at Mount Saint Mary Seminary in Emmitsburg, Md., he was ordained a priest in 1983. He was appointed Bishop of Salina, Kansas, by Pope John Paul II on October 21, 2004.

Archbishop Coakley is a member of the USCCB Administrative Committee and Committee on Budget and Finance, as well as a consultant to the Committee on International Justice and Peace and the Subcommittee on the Church in Africa. He has been a CRS board member since 2012 and a member of the board’s Governance and Nominations Committee. He was named CRS chairman on November 20, 2013.

Sister Carol Keehan, DC, President and Chief Executive Officer, Catholic Health Association (CHA)

Sister Carol Keehan is a Daughter of Charity. She assumed leadership duties at CHA in 2005 and leads CHA’s staff at offices in Washington, where she is based, and in St. Louis.  

Prior to her present position, Sister Keehan worked in administrative and governance positions at hospitals sponsored by the Daughters of Charity for more than 35 years, including board chair of Ascension Health’s Sacred Heart Health System in Pensacola, Florida and president & CEO of Providence Hospital in Washington. She has served in leadership positions at Sacred Heart Hospital, Cumberland, Maryland, and Sacred Heart Children’s Hospital and Regional Prenatal Intensive Care Center, Pensacola.

Sister Keehan earned a bachelor of science degree in nursing from St. Joseph’s College, Emmitsburg, Maryland, where she graduated magna cum laude, and a master of science degree in business administration from the University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina. She joined the CRS Board in 2008.

Carolyn Y. Woo, Ph.D., President and CEO, Catholic Relief Services

Dr. Woo assumed the position of CEO and president of CRS in January 2012. Dr. Woo, representing CRS, was featured in Foreign Policy (May/June, 2013) as one of the 500 Most Powerful people on the planet and one of only 33 in the category of "a force for good." 

Dr. Woo's Catholic News Service monthly column took first place in the 2013 Catholic Press Association Awards in the category of Best Regular Column – Spiritual Life. Before joining CRS, she served as the dean of the Mendoza College of Business at the University of Notre Dame from 1997. During her tenure, the Mendoza College achieved number 1 ranking (BusinessWeek/Bloomberg) in 2010 and 2011. Prior to joining the faculty of the University of Notre Dame, Dr. Woo served as associate executive vice president for academic affairs at Purdue University.

Dr. Woo earned her bachelor's degree in economics with highest distinction and honors, master of science in industrial administration with award as Krannert Scholar and Ph.D., all from Purdue University. She is married to David E. Bartkus and they have two sons, Ryan and Justin. 

Media Contact Only:
Sister Mary Ann Walsh
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M: 301-325-7935