A Voice For the Voiceless

CHRISTOPHER BRANCATO

PATERSON  Christopher Brancato has been appointed as the develop­ment director of Catholic Charities in the Diocese of Paterson.

The appointment, which was effective July 1, was announced jointly by Scott Milliken, Catholic Chari­ties Chief Executive Officer, and Msgr. Herbert Tillyer, president of the Board of Catholic Charities in the Diocese of Paterson.

Brancato has worked and volunteered for the Department for Persons with Disabilities (DPD) and Catholic Charities for 15 years, serving as DPD’s development director for the past eight years.

He holds a bachelor’s degree from Mont­clair State University, and a master’s degree in clinical psychology from William Paterson University. He served on the board of trustees at Domestic Abuse and Sexual Assault Intervention Services (DASI) for four years and currently serves on the board for the Jefferson Township Chamber of Commerce. He is a member of the Asso­ciation of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) in New Jersey and is active in various causes and community service groups. Brancato is a Fourth Degree member of the Knights of Columbus, Our Lady of the Highway Council 3835 in Little Falls, and was named Knight of the Year by the Paterson Federation Knights of Columbus in 2016. He received the Vivere Christus Award of the Diocese of Paterson from Bishop Serratelli in 2013 for his service to the community.

“My family and I have watched Chris take the Murray House Dinner Dance and DPD’s other events to heights we never thought possible,” said Dennis Murray, Catholic Chari­ties board of trustees’ vice president. “He is humble and hardworking and the board of trustees looks forward to watching him lead development for Catholic Charities in the Diocese of Paterson.

On June 25, Brancato coordinated the Wiegand Farm Golf Classic for DPD. Under his guidance this event grew from a 68-person outing in 2011 to one of the largest charity golf outings in the United States.

Brancato will remain active in development for DPD; but he will split his time between DPD, Straight and Narrow and Catholic Family and Community Services. He will have a greater involvement in the philanthropic community throughout New Jersey and with Catholic Charities USA, according to Milliken.

“I am very proud and honored to be appointed to development director for Catholic Charities. I am excited to work with the Diocese of Paterson’s Development Office with Tim Potter, Msgr. Tillyer, Scott Milliken, the board of trustees, and the three Catholic Charities agencies that do so much within the Diocese of Paterson,” Brancato said.

“I look forward to giving the voiceless more of a voice in our community and to help serve more people in need,” he said.