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Bob Brown, Catholic Charities interim CEO.

Catholic Charities Community Services, which serves central and northern Arizona, announced an interim CEO Dec. 3.

Bob Brown will replaced longtime CEO Paul Martodam, who resigned to accept the position of CEO with Catholic Charities of St. Paul and Minneapolis.

“I want to accelerate the momentum gained under [Martodam's] leadership and use it to effect systemic change by building a network of like-minded organizations and working with them to truly transform lives,” Brown said. “It’s not just about the number of people we serve — it is about how their lives are better because we were able to help them discover and foster the resources within themselves to permanently improve their situation.”

Brown joined Catholic Charities Community Services in January 2008 as chief administrative officer when he felt a “calling” to give back to the community. After years in the corporate world, Brown wanted to apply his skills for strengthening organizations in a way that would enable him to make a real difference. Under his guidance, the organization centralized and streamlined many of its administrative processes to expand its ability to serve more people.

“We are extremely fortunate to have someone of [Brown's] caliber in place to assume leadership in this transition,” said Steve Lasswell, Catholic Charities board president, adding that the interim CEO will prepare Catholic Charities “to expand our impact in Arizona as we further our mission to protect and nurture children, strengthen families and support people in crisis.”

Martodam began his career with Catholic Charities as assistant director of administration for Catholic Charities of the Diocese of St. Cloud, Minnesota, where he served for 12 years. He became CEO Catholic Charities Community Services in 1993. Martodam returns to his native state to begin his duties on Jan. 1, 2010.