Catholic Charities Names New Director
Karen A. Dehais will lead a 12-county organization
that serves more than 250,000 people annually
ROCHESTER, New York (November 16, 2021) – Ms. Karen A. Dehais has been appointed diocesan director and president of Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Rochester. She will begin her position January 8, 2022. The appointment was announced by the Most Reverend Salvatore R. Matano, Bishop of Rochester, and the Catholic Charities Board of Trustees.
Ms. Dehais brings a wide range of experience in the nonprofit, public and philanthropic sectors with extensive past involvement in Catholic Charities organizations. She was selected after a comprehensive process conducted by the search committee of the Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Rochester. Ms. Dehais will succeed Mr. Jack Balinsky, who is retiring as diocesan director and president after leading Diocese of Rochester Catholic Charities for nearly 30 years.
“I am honored and grateful for the opportunity to lead the team of dedicated professionals at Catholic Charities who deliver vital services that make a positive impact for people in need,” said Ms. Dehais. “I look forward to building on the rich tradition of service and advocacy for which Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Rochester is known.”
Ms. Dehais, a native of Western New York, will direct a diocesan Catholic Charities family of agencies that serve more than 250,000 people annually in the 12-county Diocese of Rochester in such areas as home-purchase assistance; senior services; emergency services for food, clothing, and housing; help for the homeless; assistance to developmentally disabled people; help for people with mental illness; migrant-family assistance; and help with addiction, among others. Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Rochester provides compassionate assistance to people in need without regard to religious, racial, ethnic, or economic background.
“Ms. Dehais brings to this crucial role a great deal of experience that will serve her well in continuing the vital mission of Catholic Charites to serve our communities with the compassion of Jesus Christ and
Karen A. Dehais
recognizing the dignity of every human person, especially the most vulnerable among us,” said Bishop Matano. “I look forward to working with Ms. Dehais, while also offering my deep gratitude to Mr. Balinsky for his many years of service and leadership.”
Most recently, Ms. Dehais has served as Evaluation and Learning Officer for the Health Forward Foundation in the Kansas City, Missouri, area, where she guided assessment of community needs to inform organizational strategy and investment of a $20 million annual grantmaking budget. Previously, she founded and served for more than 12 years as principal consultant of Strategic Solutions Consulting, where she strengthened non-profit agencies to achieve greater positive change for individuals and communities. Before that, she served as Regional Director for Outreach, Dutchess County, for Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York and also held the position of Associate Executive Director of Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Albany.
Ms. Dehais also served in previous years as Executive Director of the Maternity and Early Childhood Foundation in Albany; Special Program Assistant to the Commissioner of the New York State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services; and as a Policy Analyst for the Office of the New York State Lieutenant Governor, among other positions in her distinguished career.
Ms. Dehais holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of Notre Dame, a Master of Arts degree in Public Policy from Duke University, and a Master of Science degree in Epidemiology from the State University of New York at Albany, School of Public Health.
For more information about Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Rochester, visit https://www.dor.org/about/office-ministry-directory/catholic-charities/.

Catholic Charities Director Jack Balinsky announces upcoming retirement
March 19, 2021
Solemnity of Saint Joseph
‘Tireless in his service to the mission of Catholic Charities’
Jack Balinsky, longtime director of Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Rochester, has announced his retirement, effective September 1st, 2021.
Mr. Balinsky said he made the decision to retire upon the occasion of his 75th birthday, which he celebrates this month; September 1st also marks the 50th anniversary of his work with Catholic Charities beginning in Syracuse and for nearly 30 years in the Diocese of Rochester. “I am looking forward to this next phase of my life firm in the knowledge that the work of Catholic Charities is in good hands with so many dedicated people devoted to our mission. It has been an honor to serve. I express my deepest thanks to Bishop Emeritus Clark and Bishop Matano, the many outstanding priests of the Diocese, women religious who have volunteered with us and the more than 200 persons who serve as lay leaders on our boards. I stand in awe and admiration of all for their outstanding good work and especially for their creativity and flexibility in enabling us to provide service during the COVID pandemic.”
A search for a successor will be initiated.
The Most Reverend Salvatore R. Matano, Bishop of Rochester, said, “Mr. Balinsky has been an extraordinary leader who has been tireless in his service to the mission of Catholic Charities. He has greatly expanded the services of the organization over his many years of devotion to the cause of helping those in need. He truly has lived the Gospel in his work. He will be greatly missed. May God bless this next phase of his life.”
Mr. Balinsky, a native of Syracuse, has been diocesan director of Catholic Charities since 1992. He is credited with vastly expanding the services and presence of Catholic Charities in the 12-county Diocese, from three subsidiary agencies to 10. Before joining the Diocese of Rochester, Mr. Balinsky served in a variety of roles in the Diocese of Syracuse Catholic Charities from 1971-1984, including as Syracuse Area Director. From 1984-1990, he was executive secretary of the State Council of Catholic Charities Directors in Albany, and from 1990-1992 served as executive director of the DuLac Community Development Corp., also in Albany.
Mr. Balinsky is a 1967 graduate of the University of Notre Dame, where he achieved distinction as class valedictorian. In addition, he holds a master’s degree in Public Administration from Princeton University.
Mr. Jack Balinsky
Debtor in Possession
He also has made a life’s work of chronicling the long service of Catholic Charities, researching, and writing multiple volumes of the history of Catholic Charities in Rochester and New York State. These works can be accessed at www.balinsky.org.
In September 2010, he was given a Centennial Medal by Catholic Charities USA, one of only 100 to be awarded nationally during the organization’s 100th Anniversary celebration that year. In 2011, he was awarded the prestigious J. Alan Davitt Award for Exemplary Service by the New York State Catholic Conference, which represents the Catholic Bishops of New York in matters of public policy. In addition, the New York State Legislature honored Balinsky on the occasion of the awarding of the J. Alan Davitt Award with a special Legislative Resolution, calling him a “true asset to society” with a “distinguished record meriting the respect and recognition of the Legislature.” Bishop Clark said of Mr. Balinsky then, “You truly have made this your life’s work and mission, and this has meant life-changing help for those who need it most. You exemplify the word ‘service’ and you honor the name ‘Christian.’” In September 2012, he was presented by the Catholic Charities Board of Trustees with the highest award of Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Rochester, the Bishop Clark Award.
Mr. Balinsky directs a diocesan Catholic Charities family of agencies and affiliates that serve more than 250,000 people annually, regardless of religious affiliation, in such areas as home-purchase assistance; senior services; emergency services for food, clothing and housing; help for the homeless; assistance to developmentally disabled people; help for people with mental illness; migrant-family assistance; and help with addiction, among others. For more information about Catholic Charities, visit https://www.dor.org/about/office-ministry-directory/catholic-charities/
Debtor in Possession

“Run-of-the-mill” is not how we operate at CCDR. We’re all about efficiency and
effectiveness, and — dare we say it— out-of-the-box thinking.
So instead of a run-of-the-mill 2012 annual report, we offer this special edition of The Good News,
highlighting our agencies’ most important contributions to community health and well-being last year.
Plenty of stories here, but if you’re looking for financial information, it will be
on our web site, https://www.dor.org/index.cfm/catholic-charities/, after August 15, 2013.
God bless you for your support.

MARCH 17, 2008– Paul T. Pickering, the executive director of the Diocese of Rochester’s Catholic Charities Community Services, has been presented the Vincenza DeFazio Award by the New York State Council of Catholic Charities Directors. The award was established in 1992 to recognize someone who has contributed to the work of the council and exemplifies the […]