Leadership Roundtable^[1] (formerly known as the National Leadership Roundtable on Church Management) is a lay-led group born in the midst of the Catholic clergy's sex abuse scandal and dedicated to bringing better administrative practices to dioceses and parishes nationwide.

Mission^[2]

In partnership with lay, ordained, and religious leaders and organizations across all sectors of the Catholic community in the United States and Rome, Leadership Roundtable seeks to elevate and implement best practices in management and leadership to establish a culture of co-responsible, servant leadership for a healthy, thriving Church in the U.S.

Leadership Roundtable is an organization of laity, religious, and clergy working together to promote best practices and accountability in the management, finances, communications, and human resource development of the Catholic Church in the U.S., including greater incorporation of the expertise of the laity.

Leadership Roundtable is a Catholic 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that brings together leaders from the worlds of business, finance, academia, philanthropy, nonprofit organizations, and the Church, to serve the Catholic Church.

Leadership Roundtable serves the Church through its programs, collection of best practices, and consultancy services, which have assisted archdioceses, dioceses, and religious communities across the country.

Early years and formation^[3]

In 2002, Geoff Boisi, Rev. J. Donald Monan, S.J., and others consulted with Catholic leaders across the country to make a positive contribution to a Church embroiled in crisis. This led to "The Church in America" convening in 2004, where leaders from business, finance, academia, philanthropy, and the Church came together to discuss and learn.

National Leadership Roundtable on Church Management in incorporated as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in 2005.

National Leadership Roundtable on Church Management formally became Leadership Roundtable in 2016.

Convenings^[3]

In June 2009, Leadership Roundtable partners met at the Wharton School of Business and drew a dozen bishops. Former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and recent Catholic convert Tony Blair addressed them, according to a 2009 report.^[4]

In 2010, Catholic leaders convened at "From Aspirations to Action: Solutions for America's Catholic Schools" at Georgetown University.

In 2011, the first Regional Roundtable on Church Management, Finances, and Human Resources convened in San Francisco, CA.

In 2015, in conjunction with FADICA, Mexican American Catholic College, and the University of the Incarnate Word, Leadership Roundtable convened the National Symposium on Hispanic Leadership and Philanthropy for a 21st Century Church.

Leadership Roundtable convened and incubated the Drexel Fund to seed new school models in 2015.

In 2018, Leadership Roundtable convened top Church leaders in wake of the PA grand jury report. This convening brought co-responsibility, accountability, and transparency into the global conversation around Church leadership.

In 2019, Leadership Roundtable convened its first annual Catholic Partnership Summit.^[5] Leadership Roundtable created the Catholic Partnership Summit to convene Catholic leaders to address the most pressing challenges and opportunities facing the Church. This first Summit addressed the twin crises of abuse and leadership failures in response to abuse. More than 200 leaders gathered in Washington, D.C. for the inaugural Summit to directly address the twin crises, and together identified best practices in accountability and co-responsibility as well as best practices for responding to sexual abuse. At this convening, Leadership Roundtable also awarded the first J. Donald Monan, SJ Distinguished Catholic Philanthropy Medal.

The 2020 Catholic Partnership Summit centered around the theme of "We are the Body of Christ: Creating a Culture of Co-responsible Leadership."

During the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, Leadership Roundtable convened leaders online in response to the pandemic.

The 2021 Catholic Partnership Summit was hosted virtually, with a special group gathering in Rome for this convening.

In 2022, Leadership Roundtable began convening leaders of 40+ organizations in regular Catholic Leaders Circle gatherings. This group continues to come together to discuss and learn about synodal leadership.

The 2022 Catholic Partnership Summit was hosted in September in Washington, D.C., its first in-person Summit since the pandemic.

The 2024 Catholic Partnership Summit will be the fifth Catholic Partnership Summit and will center around the theme of young adult leadership.

All Leadership Roundtable Summit Reports are available as a resource to the public on their website.

Notable work and recognition^[3]

In 2006, Leadership Roundtable partnered with McKinsey & Company and the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans to restore the Catholic school system in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina.

Catholic Standards for Excellence for Parishes, Dioceses, and nonprofits was published in 2007. "Catholic Standards for Excellence is a comprehensive set of managerial best practices that help pastors, pastoral and finance council members, and other Church leaders to lead and manage their parishes more effectively."^[6]

In 2008, The Toolbox for Pastoral Management was launched, with its first workshop held in New Jersey. In this year, Catholic Leadership 360 was also launched for the first time with two dioceses. This program was adapted for a book, A Pastor's Toolbox, which was published in 2013 and received the First Place Award by Catholic Press Association.

In partnership with Saint Thomas More Catholic Chapel & Center at Yale University, ESTEEM (Engaging Students to Enliven the Ecclesial Mission) was launched in 2009.

In 2012, Leadership Roundtable delivered its first annual Bishops' Workshop and leadership formation session for bishops and senior diocesan leaders.

Leadership Roundtable received the Lumen Gentium Award from the Conference for Pastoral Planning and Council Development in 2013.

In 2020, Leadership Roundtable worked with Australian leaders to prepare a governance report.

Leadership Roundtable launched the Latino Pastoral Leaders Initiative in 2020 with its inaugural cohort in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Joliet in Illinois.

In 2021, Leadership Roundtable launched a national, online version of Catholic Leadership 360 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Online cohorts are still offered several times throughout the year.

Leadership Roundtable has been an integral part of the Synod on Synodality, partnering with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Vatican to create two Synod Guides in 2021.

Services^[7]

Leadership Roundtable partners with lay and ordained leaders to equip them to more effectively serve in their ministerial roles by delivering high-quality trainings, programs, and consultations for Catholic leaders featuring best leadership and management practices.

Services and Programs offered include:

• Bishops' Workshops: A forum for bishops and senior diocesan leaders to come together to discuss current issues with a focus on practical solutions.
• Catholic Leadership 360: A leadership formation process for Catholic leaders using a feedback tool and coaching, for developing more effective and fulfilling pastoral leadership skills.
• Catholic Standards for Excellence: A comprehensive set of managerial best practices combined with resources and training that help parishes to be good stewards and fulfill their mission.
• Diocesan Office Assessment: An assessment of structure, resources, and culture that provides recommendations and a clear roadmap to move dioceses toward best practices in administration and leadership.
• Latino Pastoral Leaders: A comprehensive formation process that provides Hispanic/Latino leaders access to critical leadership skills and addresses the complex pastoral environments where these leaders serve.
• Leadership and Management Consulting: Professional consulting to help Catholic leaders transform their dioceses, religious orders, Catholic charities, and other entities into places where managerial best practices are the norm.
• Leadership Coaching: Confidential coaching is a form of accompaniment designed for Catholic leaders to help them to be more effective servant-leaders in their ministry settings.
• Mission Management Model: A system-wide approach for Catholic dioceses and other Catholic institutions to achieve leadership and management excellence in service of their mission.
• Toolbox for Pastoral Management: A week-long formation experience from which ordained and lay leaders emerge with the tools they need to effectively lead the ministry entrusted to their care.

Leadership

Kerry Robinson and Michael Brough have been a part of Leadership Roundtable from its start, with Robinson serving as Executive Director and Brough serving as Director of Strategic Engagement.

In 2014, Kerry Robinson addressed an international meeting of treasurers of religious communities at the Vatican.

In 2017, Kim Smolik assumed the role of CEO of Leadership Roundtable. Michael Brough because Deputy Director, and Kerry Robinson became Global Ambassador.

To better model a synodal, co-responsible Church, Leadership Roundtable established a partnership model of executive leadership in 2020.

In 2023, long-time executive of Leadership Roundtable, Kerry Robinson, became CEO and President of Catholic Charities USA and assumed a seat on Leadership Roundtable's Board of Directors.

Currently, Leadership Roundtable is managed by three executive partners: Michael Brough, Patrick Markey, and Kim Smolik. Leadership Roundtable is overseen by a Board of Directors.

References