Theresa Ruzicka, president of Catholic Charities of St. Louis, has announced her plans to retire in July 2022. The Catholic Charities Board of Directors has initiated a search for her successor.

Theresa was appointed president of Catholic Charities in March 2014 by then-Archbishop of St. Louis, the Most Reverend Robert J. Carlson. At that time, Theresa, a certified public accountant, was a partner at RubinBrown LLP. She served on the Catholic Charities Board of Directors for five years prior to her presidency.  

As leader of one of Missouri’s largest nonprofit social services providers, Theresa has dedicated her tenure to improving communication and collaboration across our family of eight agencies: Cardinal Ritter Senior Services, Good Shepherd Children & Family Services, Marygrove, Queen of Peace Center, Saint Louis Counseling, Saint Martha’s Hall, St. Francis Community Services, and St. Patrick Center.

“I have been truly blessed and honored to serve this organization and work with many faith-filled, committed and compassionate colleagues, supporters and community partners,” said Theresa. “Reflecting on my years with Catholic Charities, I see how much we have accomplished to advance our mission of serving our neighbors in need.”

Theresa has promoted initiatives to address unmet community needs, including Pathways to Progress, an intensive program that assists impoverished families to achieve greater financial stability. She has helped position Catholic Charities to play a major role in long-term disaster recovery after several historic floods and tornadoes, as well as to provide CARES Act funding to households impacted by COVID-19.

“We are immensely grateful for Theresa’s contributions,” said Catholic Charities Board Chair Ed Puzzella. “The best way we can honor her is to continue striving for excellence as a service provider, employer, Catholic ministry, and member of the St. Louis nonprofit community,” said Catholic Charities Board Chair Ed Puzzella.