Kim Daniels joins John Carr as Co‑Director of the Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life at Georgetown University
As Co-Directors, John Carr and Kim Daniels' continuing leadership will enable the Initiative to have an even greater impact—promoting meaningful dialogue, building bridges, and encouraging a new generation of leaders to work across divides for the common good and the dignity of all people.
Dear friends, supporters, and partners of the Initiative,
I am happy to share the good news that Kim Daniels is joining me as Co-Director of the Initiative. We made this important announcement today at the start of our dialogue on President Biden, U.S. Bishops, and Pope Francis: How to Promote Catholic Principles in a Divided Church and Nation. Kim moderated this dialogue with Bishop Robert McElroy, Helen Alvaré, Anne Thompson, and myself which drew nearly 5,000 online viewers.
I have sought to bring Kim’s leadership to the Initiative since our founding in 2013. She was a key part of our first dialogue and one of our first Salt and Light Gatherings for young leaders, and she co-chaired our National Leadership Convening on Overcoming Polarization in 2018. Kim joined the Initiative as Associate Director two years ago and has now accepted our invitation to serve as Co-Director. Kim and I come from different generations and different parts of the Catholic family; we share a deep commitment to Catholic social thought, the leadership of Pope Francis, and Georgetown’s Catholic and Jesuit mission. I am delighted that Kim and I will lead the Initiative together as Co-Directors at a time when the Initiative’s unique mission is more important than ever.
In 2013, Georgetown President John DeGioia invited us to launch the Initiative at Georgetown, and his leadership, participation and support has been essential. In a statement, he welcomed this new sign of the Initiative’s progress:
“Under John Carr’s direction and with invaluable leadership from Kim Daniels, the Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life has become one of the most important spaces for conversations about faith, civic responsibility, and Catholic social thought in our nation’s capital. When we began this journey nearly eight years ago, John had a vision for how the Initiative could bring people together through dialogue on the commitments of Catholic social thought. In carrying forth this vision, he brought to Georgetown another extraordinary leader to engage with him in this work—Kim Daniels, who has shared knowledge, relationships and talent that have shaped the work of the Initiative. Now, as Co-Director with John, Kim’s continuing leadership will enable the Initiative to have an even greater impact—promoting meaningful dialogue, building bridges, and encouraging a new generation of leaders to work across divides for the common good and the dignity of all people.”
Now, as Co-Director with John, Kim’s continuing leadership will enable the Initiative to have an even greater impact—promoting meaningful dialogue, building bridges, and encouraging a new generation of leaders to work across divides for the common good and the dignity of all people.”
Kim, who has served as Associate Director of the Initiative since 2018, responded,
“I’m grateful to President DeGioia for his support and his wholehearted commitment to the Initiative’s efforts, and excited to be joining John as Co-Director. John has built the Initiative into a respected center of principled dialogue at the intersection of Catholic social thought and public life, and his decades of service to the Church are a model of effective lay leadership. I look forward to continuing to work with John to advance the principles of Catholic social thought in public life and the leadership of Pope Francis, building bridges and working for the common good at this challenging moment for our Church and nation.”
I look forward to continuing to work with John to advance the principles of Catholic social thought in public life and the leadership of Pope Francis, building bridges and working for the common good at this challenging moment for our Church and nation.”
We are proud of the work Kim, Anna Misleh, the Initiative Projects Manager, and I are doing together, and look forward to joining with you to advance our distinctive mission and essential work in the months and years to come. Since Covid made in-person gatherings impossible, the Initiative has organized 23 dialogues and gatherings with over 85 diverse and respected leaders drawing over 90,000 viewers from across the country and around the world. There is a hunger for the moral vocabulary of Catholic social thought and for principled and civil dialogue at Georgetown, in Washington, and beyond.
John Carr
Co-Director
Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life
Georgetown University
Kim Daniels is the new Co-Director of the Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life at Georgetown University. She is also an adjunct professor in Georgetown’s Department of Theology and Religious Studies. Kim was appointed by Pope Francis as a member of the Vatican Dicastery for Communication in 2016 and is a consultor to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Committee for Religious Liberty. Kim is a graduate of Princeton University and the University of Chicago Law School.
John Carr is the Co-Director and founder of the Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life at Georgetown University. He is an adjunct professor in Georgetown’s Department of Theology and Religious Studies and a member of the GU Committee on Investments and Social Responsibility. He served for over 20 years as director of the Department of Justice, Peace, and Human Development at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, a Washington columnist at America, residential fellow at Harvard’s Institute of Politics, and chair of the board of Bread for the World.
The Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life at Georgetown University was launched in 2013 to promote civil dialogue at the intersection of faith and public life, share the principles of Catholic social thought, and encourage a new generation of Catholic lay leaders. In less than 8 years, the Initiative has organized over 75 Public Dialogues, over 30 gatherings for young and Latino leaders, and four National Leadership Convenings with more than 145,000 who joined us online or in-person. In a survey of more than 1,000 participants, 9 out of 10 said the Initiative’s mission and gatherings are very important or extremely important in these challenging time for our Church and nation.