Mr. Mark Rohlena has been appointed the new President and CEO of Catholic Charities of Central Colorado.   He will begin this new leadership role on February 1, 2011.

“We are very pleased to be able to announce the appointment of Mark as Catholic Charities’ next President & CEO.  Mark is a very capable and very committed person with a real passion for our work.  He will be an asset to our organization and to the communities that we serve,” ” said Kirk Morton, Interim President/CEO of Catholic Charities of Central Colorado.  Mr. Morton, who took a leave of absence from the Catholic Charities Board of Directors to assume the role of Interim President/CEO, will rejoin the Board of Directors once Mr. Rohlena arrives.  “The Board of Directors and the staff of Catholic Charities are extremely grateful to Kirk for his commitment to our organization and his leadership during this time.  We want to thank him for his service these past few months, and are looking forward to having him back on the board,” said Betsy Sobral, Board Chair of Catholic Charities of Central Colorado.

Mr. Rohlena has been serving as the Senior Ethics & Conflicts Attorney for Holland & Hart in Denver, the largest law firm in the Rocky Mountain region.  Prior to that appointment, he was an attorney in Holland & Hart’s Litigation Department, focusing on commercial, employee benefits/ERISA, and utilities and communication litigation, as well as tax litigation and labor and employment law.  He is a member of the Colorado Bar Association, the Denver Bar Association, and Colorado Bar Association Ethics Committee as well as board member of the National Lawyers Association and the St. Thomas More Society of Colorado.

“We are thrilled to have someone of this caliber, background and proven passion for the missions of Catholic Charities, and we are looking forward to working with him.  Catholic Charities is in a good place and Mark will help bring it to the next level,” said Betsy Sobral, Board Chair of Catholic Charities of Central Colorado.

Originally a native of Everett, Washington, Mr. Rohlena is one of 12 children.  His mother is an immigrant from the Azores Islands, Portugal so Mr. Rohlena has a particular passion for Catholic Charities’ Family Immigration Services program.  Mark and his wife Danielle have been married for almost ten years and have three children ranging in age from 20 months to 6 years.  They are expecting their fourth child in May.

Mr. Rohlena attended Christendom College in Front Royal, Virginia, a Liberal Arts College, where he double-majored in History and political Science/ Economics.  He was in the inaugural class of the Ave Maria School of Law.  While there, he served as the Business Manager and an Editorial Board Member of the Ave Maria Law Review.

Mr. Rohlena has volunteered with Catholic Charities in Denver for several years, staffing a monthly legal aid program and assisting with periodic material needs drives.  “I am truly humbled by this incredible opportunity to serve those most in need in our community.  I have felt a strong call to participate in this vital work over the last several years, and my family and I are excited about beginning this new chapter in our lives.”