What's Happening

August 14, 2019, Morris Plains, New Jersey – For the fourth year in a row, Sister Donna Markham, OP, PhD, first woman President and CEO of Catholic Charities USA, has been named one of the The NonProfit Times’ (NPT) Power and Influence Top 50 executives.

The selection of Sister Donna this year is part of a trend among nonprofit organizations to “push for 360-degree services,” offering shelter, food, and healthcare as a “bundle,” according to an article by Paul Clolery. Sister Donna foretold the immigration crisis at the border of the United States and Mexico, “and was among the first to jump into action, pushing other nonprofits to follow her lead,” The NonProfit Times notes. “It makes sense that the organization [Catholic Charities USA] moves into affordable housing, given the volume of those who make it across the border and Americans who need assistance.”

The nonprofit executives on the Top 50 list were chosen from 300 of their peers by a committee made up of NPT staff members, executives, and contributors. Honorees are recognized for their contributions in the past 12 months.

Sister Donna and the 49 others on the Top 50 list will be recognized in September at the NPT Power & Influence Top 50 Gala at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.

Sister Donna, Prioress of the Adrian Dominican Congregation from 2004 to 2010, has been leading Catholic Charities USA since 2015. A clinical psychologist, Sister Donna also served as founding director of the Dominican Consultation Center in Detroit from 1980 to 1986 and, from 1993 to 2003, as President and CEO of the Southdown Institute, a residential treatment program based in Ontario, Canada, for priests and women and men religious dealing with addictions or other psychological issues. 

July 30, 2019, Washington, D.C. – “The threats of deportation and family separation are causing anxiety and fear within the vulnerable communities our agencies serve, endangering immigrant rights and safety.” Those are the words of Sister Donna Markham, OP, President and CEO of Catholic Charities USA. She is one of many faith leaders to speak out against raids in immigrant communities announced by the U.S. agency, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). 

The raids by ICE, as well as the inhumane conditions of detention centers holding immigrant children, have brought public attention and concern to the border between the United States and Mexico. Read more in Crux about the stance of Sister Donna and other faith leaders about the immigration crisis and the need to treat immigrants with dignity and justice.