US leaders special report: business and philanthropy

This year’s US Leaders Special Report reflects the new realities of American public affairs. As one Catholic left the White House after Joe Biden decided, at last, to withdraw from seeking a second term of office, Donald Trump returned to power with another—JD Vance—as his vice president, and a cabinet packed with conservatives who wear their faith on their sleeve.

In this first section of the report, we look at those who have made a significant impact in business and philanthropy. From startup garages to boardrooms and family foundations, these Catholic leaders show how enterprise and generosity can reinforce each other. They have built companies, backed founders, and reinvested their returns into schools, scholarships, clinics, research, parish life and culture—often taking risks on places and projects others overlook.

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Robert Agostinelli
Chairman, Rhône Group
Robert Agostinelli attended the Aquinas Institute and served as an altar boy at Sacred Heart Cathedral with Bishop Fulton J. Sheen. He earned his MBA at Columbia University and joined Goldman Sachs in 1982, then moved to Lazard in 1987. Agostinelli struck out on his own in 1995 with the founding of the New York-based private equity firm Rhône Group. He is active in philanthropic work, including serving as a former chairman of the National Review Institute, the founder of the William F. Buckley Prize for Leadership in Political Thought, and a member of the Reagan Ranch board of governors. In a widely noted 2021 article in National Review, Agostinelli spoke out about the crisis of Catholic identity on American campuses after a visit to Aquinas, where he found the school indoctrinated with woke values that, he argued, represented a form of “papier-mâché Catholicism”. He lamented how far the school had drifted from the Christian values that once gave him a “moral compass” for life.

Edward Bastian
CEO, Delta Air Lines
Edward Bastian has been CEO of Delta Air Lines since 2016. He received a bachelor’s degree in business administration and accounting from St Bonaventure University in New York. In 2018, Fortune magazine named him among the “world’s 50 greatest leaders”. In 2022, he met the late Pope Francis at the Vatican, presenting the pontiff with a Roman cross cut from a Delta engine blade, along with a generous six-figure donation to a papal charity.

Patrick Baugier de Chevestre
Wine distributor
Patrick Baugier de Chevestre is chairman and founder of Metrowine Distribution, one of the largest Bordeaux wine distributors in the US. He has a deep background in wine, having grown up in Bordeaux, where his family has worked in the wine trade for four centuries. He is a member of the Chevaliers du Tastevin, a Commandeur of La Commanderie du Bontemps, and also belongs to the Jurade de Saint-Émilion and L’Union Club Bordelais. He is a board member of the Lumen Institute, which provides faith-based formation for business and cultural leaders. He holds a degree in law from the Paris-Panthéon-Assas University.

Gayle Benson
Philanthropist
Billionaire philanthropist and businesswoman Gayle Benson is principal owner of the NFL’s New Orleans Saints and the NBA’s New Orleans Pelicans, as well as a successful racehorse owner in Kentucky. One of ten female NFL team owners, she is the first woman to be a majority shareholder in both NFL and NBA franchises. A devout Catholic and regular lector at Sunday Mass at St Louis Cathedral, Benson and her late husband Tom were awarded the Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice by Pope Benedict XVI in 2014. She has long supported local community causes, donating $20 million to cancer research and recently funding the construction of a children’s hospital for the Ochsner Health System. Benson has also supported Catholic initiatives, donating $5 million to New Orleans Jesuit High School and funding the construction of the Gayle and Tom Benson Stadium at the University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio. She is currently leading the capital campaign to restore and renovate the Cathedral of St Louis in New Orleans, one of the oldest Catholic cathedrals in the United States.

John Cannon
Founder, SENT Ventures
John Cannon is a graduate of Notre Dame, Oxford University and Harvard Business School, and spent seven years in a Carmelite monastery. In 2020, he founded SENT Ventures, a private network for executives building high-growth ventures while pursuing sainthood. He is a distinguished fellow at the Busch School of Business at the Catholic University of America.

Joseph A Cari
Entrepreneur and philanthropist
Joseph A. Cari Jr, from New York, is a banker, public policy expert and philanthropist. His career spans media, politics, law and education. He has held senior positions in several presidential campaigns and was appointed by President Bill Clinton as chairman of the board of the Woodrow Wilson Center for International Scholars, a government think tank. He also established the Rita Bahr Cari Memorial Fund at the University of Notre Dame, in memory of his wife, to support victims of human rights violations.

Jim Clerkin
Chairman, ReserveBar
Jim Clerkin is chairman of ReserveBar, a company that develops adult beverage brands. He has more than 40 years of experience in the wine and spirits industry, beginning his career in Ireland where he rose through the ranks at Guinness to become an executive board member. From 2008 to 2020, he was CEO and president of Moët Hennessy North America. Outside of work, he serves as chairman of Co-operation Ireland, a non-profit organisation based in Ireland and the US that promotes all-island peace building.

John F Crowley
CEO, Amicus Therapeutics
John F. Crowley is president and CEO of the Biotechnology Innovation Organization, the world’s largest biotechnology advocacy group. Previously, he was executive chairman of Amicus Therapeutics, a global biotech company he founded in 2005. His involvement in biotechnology began after his two children were diagnosed with Pompe disease in 1998. In his effort to find a cure, Crowley became a biotech entrepreneur. His story inspired the 2010 medical drama Extraordinary Measures. He is a former national chairman of the Make-A-Wish Foundation of America and was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree by the University of Notre Dame.

Daniel A D’Aniello
Co-founder, Carlyle Group
Daniel A. D’Aniello is co-founder and chairman of the Carlyle Group, a global alternative asset management firm based in Washington, DC, with over $188 billion in assets under management. Before founding Carlyle in 1987, D’Aniello was vice president for finance and development at Marriott Corporation. He earned a scholarship to Syracuse University and later served three years as a Navy supply officer before graduating from Harvard Business School in 1974 as a Teagle Foundation Fellow. In 2003, he and other Catholic business leaders co-founded the Lumen Institute, whose mission is to “form business leaders and transform culture”. His philanthropic efforts follow what he describes as his “five pillars” of giving: faith-based causes, education, free enterprise, the performing arts and mental health research.

Jim Davis
Founder, Packaging Express
Jim Davis established Packaging Express of Colorado Springs in 1998 and continues to serve as a partner. Prior to this, he spent over 30 years as a partner at Denver's Deline Box Company. His professional achievements led to his induction into the Association of Independent Corrugated Converters / Paperboard Packaging Hall of Fame in 2013. Beyond his professional work, Davis extends his leadership to community service as a member of the National Advisory Board of the Catholic Leadership Institute.

Samuel A DiPiazza Jr
Chairman, Warner Bros. Discovery
Samuel A. DiPiazza Jr is chairman of Warner Bros. Discovery and a former CEO of PricewaterhouseCoopers. He joined PwC in 1973 and became a partner in 1979, the youngest in the firm’s history. He serves on the board of directors of St Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City, Seton Education Partners, and the Inner City Scholarship Fund of New York, and is a former member of the board of the National September 11 Memorial and Museum. Since 2014, he has also chaired the board of trustees of the Mayo Clinic.

Dixon Doll
Co-founder and Partner Emeritus, DCM Ventures
For over 35 years, Dixon Doll has provided counsel to entrepreneurs, investors and executives in the computer, communications and internet sectors. He is the founder of DCM Ventures, a prominent global venture capital firm. DCM was the first Silicon Valley VC firm to successfully invest in China, Japan and the US. In 2021, Doll received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the US National Venture Capital Association. He currently serves on the boards of the Papal Foundation and Catholic Investment Services.

Sean Fieler
President and CIO, Equinox Partners
Sean Fieler joined Equinox Partners, a global value fund focused on emerging markets and gold mining, as an intern. He is now the firm’s chief investment officer and majority owner. Fieler has lectured on monetary policy at the Grant’s Conference and the Atlas Liberty Forum, and has written for The Wall Street Journal and The Hill. His Chiaroscuro Foundation supports education, family strengthening, humanitarian work, pro-life activities, religious liberty and other causes. A particular concern of his is the importance of marriage and family in American society. He chairs the American Principles Project, Communio, and the Knights of Columbus Charitable Fund.

Declan Ganley
Chairman and CEO, Rivada Networks
Declan Ganley is an English-born Irish entrepreneur and political activist who has built telecommunications businesses across the European Union, Russia and the United States. He often speaks about the role his Catholic faith plays in shaping his worldview, particularly on issues of national sovereignty, human rights and European governance. His beliefs have also guided his public stances on religious freedom and Europe’s Christian cultural heritage.

Christina Glorioso
Senior Vice President, NBCUniversal Media
Christina Glorioso has over 25 years of experience in marketing and sales across the media, entertainment and technology industries. She currently serves on the Mendoza Dean’s Advisory Council, the FTT Media and Entertainment Leadership Committee, and the national board of the Notre Dame Alumni Association. She has previously served on the National Alumni Association board and the Monogram Club board of directors.

Frank J Hanna III
Entrepreneur and philanthropist
Frank J. Hanna III has been CEO of Hanna Capital in Atlanta since 2006 and is one of the leading Catholic philanthropists in the United States. He has served on the boards of EWTN, the Catholic Leadership Institute, and the Busch School of Business at the Catholic University of America. He also supports FOCUS, the Lumen Institute, the Pontifical North American College and Sophia Institute Press. Hanna helped shape national Catholic education policy as chair of the Commission on Education Excellence under President George W. Bush, and has been involved in founding 13 educational institutions. In Atlanta, he serves on the boards of Holy Spirit Preparatory School and Holy Spirit College.

Thomas J Healey
Healey Family Foundation
Thomas J. Healey was a partner at Goldman Sachs and is a senior fellow at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. He served as Assistant Secretary of the US Treasury under President Ronald Reagan. Healey chaired the investment committee of the Rockefeller Foundation and held a similar role at Georgetown University. He serves on the emeritus board of FADICA and received the 2020 St Katharine Drexel Award for Catholic philanthropy.

Stephen Henley
President, Legatus International
Stephen Henley has served as president of Legatus International since 2016. Legatus is a peer group for top Catholic executives, with over 5,000 members. Before becoming president, Henley was regional vice president. A graduate of Ave Maria University and father of six, he previously served in the US Marine Corps for six years, including a seven-month deployment in Iraq. He later worked as director of security and life safety at Ave Maria University.

Steven M Hilton
Director Emeritus, Conrad N. Hilton Foundation
Steven M. Hilton is the son of hotel magnate Barron Hilton and grandson of Conrad Hilton, founder of Hilton Hotels. He is director emeritus of the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, which was established in 1944 to serve the vulnerable and underprivileged. By the time Hilton retired in 2015 as CEO, the foundation had given away over $1.4 billion. He has served on the finance council of his local archdiocese and on the board of Loyola Marymount University. He holds an honorary doctorate from Pepperdine University and has been honoured by the St Joseph Center and the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

Daniel Keegan
Philanthropist
Daniel Keegan is the former co-head of global equities at Citigroup, where he also served as head of equities (Americas). He left in 2023 to launch a fintech investment fund. Born in New Jersey, Keegan earned both his BA and JD at the University of Notre Dame. He previously worked at JPMorgan Chase. Educated entirely in Catholic institutions, Keegan has said his faith has always been central to his life. He is a board member of the Catholic Herald. In 2017, he chaired the Ireland Funds Gala, which raised $2.65 million for Irish charities, including the Irish Arts Center in Manhattan.

Liam J Kelly
President and CEO, Teleflex
Liam J. Kelly is chairman, president and CEO of the healthcare solutions firm Teleflex. Since joining the company in 2009, he has held various executive roles. In 2019, Teleflex received the Ambassador Award from the Irish American Business Chamber & Network. Born and raised in Galway, Ireland, Kelly and his wife Helen are both graduates of the University of Limerick. They moved to Philadelphia in 2014.

Kenneth G Langone
Businessman and philanthropist
Kenneth G. Langone is a businessman, investor and philanthropist best known for helping to finance the founding of The Home Depot. He was portrayed by Ray Iannicelli in the HBO drama Wizard of Lies, about Bernie Madoff. In 2018, Langone pledged £100 million to help make tuition free for all students at the NYU School of Medicine. He is a practising Catholic who has said “my faith is everything,” and was made a Knight of St Gregory by Pope Benedict XVI.

Sarah Lucey
Talent director
Sarah Lucey is a Miami-based talent and events director, known for her leadership at some of South Florida’s most prominent hospitality venues. Originally from Cork, Ireland, she is playing a growing role in Catholic philanthropic and networking efforts in the US, particularly among young professionals and converts. She is active in local Catholic communities and emerging faith-based ventures in the Miami area.

John Malone
Businessman, landowner and philanthropist
John Malone is a businessman and philanthropist who is the second-largest private landowner in the United States, with 2.2 million acres. Born in Connecticut, he built Tele-Communications Inc into a cable and media giant from 1973 to 1996. He is now chairman and the largest voting shareholder of Liberty Media, which owns F1, Liberty Global and Qurate Retail Group. Malone also owns 7 per cent of Lionsgate and Starz Inc. His philanthropic interests include land preservation, medical research and animal welfare. He has given £50 million to Yale and £30 million to Johns Hopkins for engineering facilities, and has restored multiple historic sites in Ireland, including St Mary’s Church at Castlemartin House in County Kildare.

FJ McCarthy
President, Genesis Real Estate Advisors
FJ McCarthy is president of Genesis Real Estate Advisors and a trustee of Northwell Health. He graduated from Fordham’s Gabelli School of Business. In July 2022, he was appointed magistral delegate overseeing the Irish association of the Order of Malta.

Patrick W McGrory
Chairman, Raskob Foundation for Catholic Activities
Patrick W. McGrory is a private wealth specialist with Liberty Point Advisors. He chairs the Raskob Foundation for Catholic Activities, which supports domestic and international Catholic projects, and is a board member of the Global Solidarity Fund. In 2016, he received the Ignatius Award from the Saint Joseph’s University Alumni Association in recognition of his service.

Tom Monaghan
Founder, Domino’s Pizza
Tom Monaghan founded Domino’s Pizza in 1960. Raised in a Michigan orphanage after his father’s death, he built the business into one of the world’s largest pizza franchises before selling 93 per cent of it to Bain Capital in 1988 for $1 billion. Since then, he has dedicated himself to Catholic philanthropy, founding Legatus International, Ave Maria University and the Spiritus Sanctus Academies. He also funded the building of the town of Ave Maria in Florida to support the university. Monaghan has donated $3.5 million to rebuild Managua Cathedral in Nicaragua and supported numerous pro-life causes. He attributes his vocation to Sister Berarda at the St Joseph Home for Boys and still regards being expelled from seminary as one of his greatest personal regrets.

William Mumma
Board chairman, Becket Fund for Religious Liberty
William P. Mumma is board chairman of the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty. He graduated from the Georgetown School of Foreign Service and earned an MBA from Columbia University. Mumma spent 30 years on Wall Street, serving as CEO of Mitsubishi UFJ Securities (USA), and previously held senior roles at Nomura Securities International and Bankers Trust. He also serves as board chairman of FOCUS (Fellowship of Catholic University Students) and is on the board of the National Civil Liberties Alliance.

Robert Nardelli
Former CEO, Chrysler, Home Depot and Freedom Group
Robert Nardelli runs the investment firm XLR-8 LLC. He previously served as CEO of Chrysler, and held similar roles at Home Depot and Freedom Group. A practising Catholic, Nardelli was an altar boy growing up and has appeared on EWTN to discuss faith in the business world. He also led operations at Cerberus Capital Management and held executive positions at General Electric.

Robert Neal
Managing partner, Hager Pacific Properties
Robert Neal is a managing partner at Hager Pacific Properties. He is active in Catholic charitable work and has held board positions with the Orange County Council of the Boy Scouts of America, Catholic Relief Services, the Becket Fund, the Catholic Leadership Institute, the Magis Institute of Reason and Faith, and the Orange Coast Chapter of Legatus International. He also serves on the boards of the Second Harvest Food Bank and Christ Catholic Cathedral Corporation. He and his wife, Berni, are stewards of the Papal Foundation.

William S. Orosz
Real estate developer and philanthropist
Bill Orosz has spent his entire career in the real estate industry. Through the Orosz Family Foundation, he supports religious, educational and medical research initiatives in Florida. He has chaired the Finance Committee of the Diocese of Orlando, was founding chair of the Catholic Foundation of Central Florida, and serves on the President’s Advisory Council for FOCUS. He is also a former board member and chair of the Catholic Leadership Institute and belongs to the Napa Institute Guild.

Lewis Ranieri
Chairman, Ranieri Partners
Lewis Ranieri is a former bond trader and current chairman of Ranieri Partners, a real estate investment firm he co-founded. He previously served as vice chairman of Salomon Brothers and founded Hyperion Partners in 1991, later selling it to United Bank of Texas. In 2005, Bishop William Murphy of Rockville Centre asked him to establish Tomorrow’s Hope Foundation, which provides scholarships for families seeking Catholic education. In 2012, he received the Spirit of Service Award from St John’s University for his contributions to Catholic education.

Mark Rauenhorst
President, Marren Properties
Mark Rauenhorst is president of Marren Properties and former CEO of Opus Corporation. He serves on the boards of Catholic Relief Services, Creighton University, the GHR Foundation, and the Advisory Council of Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business. He also supports Ascension Catholic Academy, a consortium of schools in the Minneapolis–St Paul area. In 2020, he and his wife, Karen, received the Notre Dame Award for outstanding contributions to Catholic education.

Peter Rex
Founder and CEO, Rex
Peter Rex is founder and CEO of Rex, a technology, investment and real estate firm based in Austin, Texas. A former seminarian, he studied at Ave Maria University and Georgetown. Rex has spoken of drawing on his faith and prayer life in business. He serves on the board of visitors at the Catholic University of America’s Busch School of Business and is a member of Legatus. In 2016, he co-founded Cristo Rey Tampa Salesian High School, which provides Catholic education to low-income students.

Fernando Reyes
CEO, Drosera
Fernando Reyes is CEO of Drosera, a cybersecurity firm focused on Ethereum blockchain protection. He served in the US Army, where he specialised in cyber protection and earned the Special Forces Army Achievement Medal. A graduate of MIT’s cybersecurity programme, he helped develop the curriculum and provided technical feedback. Reyes is active in the Catholic Church and has led projects to build and restore churches in Puerto Rico and Argentina.

Marcos A. Rodriguez
CEO, Palladium Equity Partners
Marcos A. Rodriguez is chairman and CEO of Palladium Equity Partners and its portfolio companies. He serves on the board of the Alfred E. Smith Foundation. A graduate of Columbia University with an MBA from the Wharton School, he supports educational programmes for disadvantaged youth through his family foundation.

Mario Paredes
CEO, Somos Community Care
Mario Paredes is CEO of Somos Community Care and has over 30 years of experience in healthcare administration and business development. He serves on the board of trustees of the American Bible Society and is founder and chairman emeritus of the Catholic Association of Latino Leaders. He also serves on the boards of America Media, the North American-Chilean Chamber of Commerce, the Latin American Academy of Catholic Leaders, and the Gabriela Mistral Foundation. He holds degrees from the Catholic University of Argentina and Loyola University Chicago, and completed postgraduate studies at Georgetown.

Frank Saul
CEO, Saul Centers
Frank Saul has been chairman and CEO of Saul Centers, a private real estate firm based in Bethesda, Maryland, since 1993. He also owns The Hay-Adams, a five-star hotel opposite the White House. A committed Catholic, he has given generously to Church causes. In 1991, he was awarded the Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice medal by Pope John Paul II.

MacKenzie Scott
Philanthropist
MacKenzie Scott is a novelist and philanthropist, and the ex-wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. While at Princeton, she studied under Nobel Prize-winning Catholic author Toni Morrison, who introduced her to Bezos. Scott has signed the Giving Pledge and in 2021 donated several million dollars to Faith in Public Life, a multi-religious advocacy group. Her parents are active in the Catholic community in Florida, and she has given generously to Catholic homeless charities.

William E. Simon
Chairman, the William E. Simon Foundation
William E. Simon is a businessman, philanthropist and professor at the University of California. He chairs the William E. Simon Foundation and the Cynthia L. & William E. Simon Jr Foundation. In 2011, he co-authored Living the Call: An Introduction to the Lay Vocation with Michael Novak. Inspired by the book, he launched Parish Catalyst, a project to help priests revitalise parishes. He and his wife are members of St Monica Catholic Church in Santa Monica.

J. Albert ‘Tripp’ Smith
Co-founder, GSO Capital Partners
Tripp Smith is co-founder of GSO Capital Partners. After selling the firm to Blackstone in 2008 for $1 billion, he stayed on as managing director until founding Iron Park Capital Partners in 2019. A practising Catholic, he attended Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School and graduated from Notre Dame in 1987. He owns a 10 per cent stake in West Ham United and serves as a non-executive director of the club.

Michael Spellacy
CEO, Atlas Crest Investment Corp
Michael Spellacy is CEO of Atlas Crest Investment Corp. Recognised among the Global 100 Irish Business Leaders, he holds a BSc in economics from the London School of Economics and an MBA from the University of Hartford. He also serves as a financial services industry leader at Alvarez & Marsal.

Andy Unanue
Founder, AUA Private Equity Partners
Andy Unanue is the founder and principal of AUA Private Equity Partners, a private equity firm focused on Hispanic and family-owned businesses. He is the former COO of Goya Foods, the largest Hispanic-owned food company in the US.

Anthony Viscogliosi
Healthcare entrepreneur
Anthony Viscogliosi is a healthcare entrepreneur and principal at Viscogliosi Brothers. He has founded more than 20 companies and investment funds in the orthopaedic sector and has served as chairman, CEO, president or managing director of over 15 businesses. A University of Michigan graduate, he supports his wife’s initiative, Imagine Main Street, which promotes local revitalisation through the arts in Manchester, Connecticut. He describes himself as a devoted Catholic.

Michael J. Wolohan
President, Wolohan Family Foundation
Michael J. Wolohan is an orthopaedic surgeon with 29 years of practice in Saginaw, Michigan. A graduate of Notre Dame, he is president of the Wolohan Family Foundation, chairs the board at FADICA, and serves on the Catholic Relief Services Foundation Board. He is also president of the Catholic Community Foundation of Mid-Michigan and actively supports Saginaw Area Catholic Schools.

Austin Wright
Co-founder, MDKeller
Austin Wright is co-founder and CEO of MDKeller, an American holding company launched with Super Bowl champion Harrison Butker. A US Navy veteran and graduate of Saint Mary of the Lakes University, he oversees MDKeller’s portfolio of mission-driven businesses. He is a prominent Catholic voice on social media as @thebasiccatholic.

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