Bishop announces search for lay COO to run diocesan operations

In an effort to strengthen and streamline diocesan operations and expand the role of lay leadership, Bishop Edward B. Scharfenberger has announced a plan to hire a Chief Operating Officer for the Diocese of Albany in the coming months. A national search is currently underway for a business leader who has both the professional expertise to run the operational side of the pastoral center and the personal commitment to advance the mission of the greater Church.

“I see this person as an orchestra conductor, someone who is able to take a long view of our mission and our ministries and at the same time bring out the best in our employees on a day-to-day basis,” said Bishop Scharfenberger, who has long promoted a vision of shared leadership among the laity and clergy in parishes throughout the Diocese’s 14 counties. This new model will bring that same visionary approach to the diocesan level, allowing the Bishop and clergy in top leadership roles to focus more on the pastoral side of their ministry while entrusting the business operations to a lay person with the necessary expertise.

Bishop Scharfenberger found this strategic leadership model to be beneficial to overall diocesan operations during the year he spent as Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Buffalo, which is one of several dioceses throughout the country that uses the COO model.

The Bishop and his leadership team are currently reviewing various diocesan models and creating a plan for the Diocese of Albany. The hope is to have a COO in place by sometime in June.