Biography
Ken Hackett, president of Baltimore-based Catholic Relief Services (CRS), oversees the official international humanitarian agency of the U.S. Catholic community, with operations in 99 countries and a global staff of 5,000.
A native of West Roxbury, Massachusetts, Mr. Hackett graduated from Boston College in 1968. He joined the Peace Corps and served in Ghana. Mr. Hackett joined CRS in 1972, starting his career in Sierra Leone. He has served CRS in posts throughout Africa and in the Philippines, as well as a variety of positions at CRS headquarters. In July 1993, Mr. Hackett was named executive director of CRS. He was appointed president in 2003. Mr. Hackett has served as North America president of Caritas Internationalis and is currently a member of the boards of the Pontifical Council Cor Unum; the U.S. bishops' Committee on Migration; the U.S. bishops' Committee on International Policy; and the Africa Society. He is also a member of Legatus, an organization of Catholic business leaders. In 2004, the U.S. Senate unanimously confirmed Mr. Hackett's nomination to the board of directors of the Millennium Challenge Corporation, a federal effort to increase aid to countries that demonstrate a commitment to ruling justly, investing in people and encouraging economic freedom. |
