From the Executive Director: Many hands, one mission and the gift of good leadership

I’ve been super fortunate to work with many amazing people over the course of my career. In my 20 years at the Diocese of Phoenix, for example, I contributed to numerous initiatives involving many different committees and working groups. Sometimes they were focused on celebrations or big initiatives, such as welcoming a new bishop, opening a new Catholic high school or the development and rollout of a capital campaign. Other times they were during periods of duress — working through crisis responses due to scandal, loss of trust or heartbreak. And honestly, a lot of times we were just doing things together that were a lot less glamorous, such as developing IT policies or a diocesan-wide rebrand (necessary stuff, but nothing that would exactly raise my resting heart rate).

Whatever the occasion, whatever the goal, success was not always a given. Positive results, in my experience, were made possible by good leadership. And what did that leadership look like to me? A unified mission, clear goals, excellent communication and someone who knew how to galvanize the group.

I know I am fortunate to have had good leaders and mentors throughout my career. These people also encouraged me to think bigger, to get out of my bubble and to participate in something bigger while striving to make an optimal, positive difference in the lives of others. They encouraged me to participate in the life of the Catholic Media Association as a committee member. (I know that not everyone is as fortunate as I am to have great supervisors or haven’t had that same opportunity quite yet. If this is something that you think would bring you joy and energy, like it does for me, I encourage you to contact me). And wouldn’t you know it: the relationships I built turned into good friendships in most cases, and the initiatives I worked on at a larger level positively affected others across North America, including the work my team and I were doing at home in Phoenix.

Now, a few years later in my full-time role at the Catholic Media Association, I am happy to participate in all of the CMA committees. I see the passion and the expertise from people all over North America, just about each and every week. I see the good leaders working to get everyone pointed in the same direction. I see those with experience sharing their gifts with those who are eager to learn and contribute. Currently there are more than 50 people who volunteer their precious time and energy across more than a dozen CMA committees. And after each committee meeting, I’m almost always at a loss for words at the magnitude of it all and due to the deep gratitude I have for those who selflessly and generously give of their time to support one another in our shared mission of spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ. Check out the various committees here: catholicmediaassociation.org/committees.

2027 awards season

With the 2027 awards season now underway (see adjacent story for more information), I want to take a moment to thank the dozen or so volunteers who generously spend many hours over the course of a few months to produce the CMA’s awards programs.

Emily Sanna, executive editor of U.S. Catholic and chair of the Catholic Media Awards committee, exemplifies the outstanding leadership I mentioned earlier. She has led the committee through a significant reorganization of the awards categories, doing so with a clear vision, great communication and a game plan that the committee bought into with enthusiasm. These efforts translate to a refreshed awards program that provides consistency across media along with new and exciting categories that reflect today’s Catholic media environment. And those who participate in the CMA Book Awards, the St. Juan Diego Collegiate Awards and the Gabriel Awards all have a lot to look forward to as well. I encourage you to visit the new CMA awards hub to learn more about these annual recognition programs and study up on the refreshed categories: catholicmediaassociation.org/awards.

In gratitude

In this spirit of thanksgiving, I’m grateful to all who have given so much to this year’s awards programs:

Catholic Media Awards

Emily Sanna, U.S. Catholic

André Escaleira, Jr., Denver Catholic

Jean Gonzalez, Florida Catholic (Orlando)

Keri Hake, Northwest Catholic

Chaz Muth, Trinity Washington University

Kerry Weber, America Magazine

CMA Book Awards

Fr. Patrick Flanagan, St. John’s University, N.Y.

Ken Hallenius, Notre Dame’s de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture

Rita Ferko Joyce, retired, Diocese of Pittsburgh

Susan Mountin, Marquette University

Colleen Rabine, Diocese of Gary

Mary Uhler, editor emeritus, Catholic Herald -Diocese of Madison

St. Juan Diego Collegiate Awards

Kristi Anderson, The Central Minnesota Catholic

Heidi Huntington, Catholic Courier

Chaz Muth, Trinity Washington University

61st Annual Gabriel Awards

Sr. Nancy Usselmann, FSP, Pauline Center for Media Studies

Maria-Elena Pineda, Emerging Creation Productions, LLC

Every name above, and those listed on the CMA’s committee page, belongs to someone who said yes when it would have been easy to say they were too busy. Our association is stronger because of it. If you’ve ever wondered whether you have something to offer, I promise you do. Reach out to me, find a committee that fits your gifts and discover the same joy and energy I found years ago in Phoenix.

DeFrancesco is executive director of the Catholic Media Association. Contact him at rdefrancesco@catholicmediaassociation.org or 312-380-6789.