John Meyers Named Executive Director of Catholic Charities

WINONA - Bishop Robert Barron and Catholic Charities of Southern Minnesota are proud to announce the appointment of John Meyers as its new Executive Director. Meyers has served as the Interim Executive Director since May and brings an impressive array of skills and experience to the role.

"We are thrilled to have John lead us forward as our new Executive Director," said Dean Beckman, Board Chair of Catholic Charities of Southern Minnesota. "John’s breadth of experience, especially in serving the most vulnerable among us, perfectly aligns with our mission. He has demonstrated unwavering commitment to our community and the work we do here."

In his new role, Meyers will be responsible for overseeing all organizational activities, program development, and financial planning for Catholic Charities. He will also focus on community outreach and continue the organization's strong relationships with its stakeholders.

Meyers has been with Catholic Charities of Southern Minnesota since 2016 in the agency’s Refugee Resettlement Program. Starting as a Case

Manager working one-on-one with refugees from around the world, for the last four years, Meyers served as the Director of the Refugee Resettlement Program, supporting his team as they worked to ensure that refugees received the basic needs and services as they settled into their new lives in the United States.

Meyers has over nine years of experience with the International Assistance Mission (IAM) in Afghanistan, where he worked in various capacities, including as the Regions Support Director in Kabul. The experience and knowledge Meyers gleaned from his years with IAM were particularly helpful during the U.S. evacuation of Afghanistan, as one of the only non-native speakers of Dari, the official language spoken in Afghanistan, in Minnesota. Meyers and his team helped resettle 74 Afghani refugees in a matter of months in 2021.

Meyers holds an MBA in Nonprofit Management from Crown College, a certification in Teaching English as a Foreign Language from Hamline University, and a BA in Cross-Cultural Studies from Bethany Global University.

"I am humbled and honored to serve as the Executive Director," said Meyers. "I look forward to leading Catholic Charities into the next phase of its journey to make a lasting impact on our community."

For more information about this press release or to schedule an interview with John Meyers, please contact: Christi Reynard, Catholic Charities Communication Director at 507-494-8021 or creynard@ccsomn.org