Catholic Charities has announced the hiring of Keith King as its director of community relations. In this new position for the organization, King will work to bring increased attention to and awareness of the services that Catholic Charities provides in Middle Tennessee. He will support marketing and communications activities, build strategic partnerships, strengthen existing external and internal relationships, and increase understanding of the nonprofit’s programs so more people may be assisted in times of need.
King has extensive experience with nonprofits and community relations. His most recent position was with Alive Hospice as its senior director of outreach.
“Our community faces many challenges, which have been exacerbated by the March tornadoes and COVID-19,” said King. “Catholic Charities is uniquely positioned to help Middle Tennessee face these challenges. I believe I can use my years of experience in non-profit community relations and education to assist the tremendous efforts the team has begun to tackle. I’ve had the pleasure of working with various Catholic Charities teams over the years, especially the McGruder Family Resource Center team, and I’ve always enjoyed the spirit and compassion of the staff members. I look forward to seeing the agency expand its footprint in the region as we seek to create change and opportunity for all Middle Tennesseans.”
“Keith King is the right addition to Catholic Charities at the right time,” said Judy K. Orr, executive director of Catholic Charities. “We pride ourselves on providing services that reflect the changing needs of our community. With the recent tornadoes and ongoing pandemic-related issues, we need to grow our presence in the community, and Keith is the perfect person to help us do that. Keith’s extensive network of contacts and his broad and deep knowledge of the community will immediately amplify the agency’s profile. I am thrilled to add his experience and expertise to our team.”
King has a strong history of community involvement, including serving on the Board of Directors of the Nations Ministry Center for Refugees; the Ethics Advisory Board for Vanderbilt-Meharry-Miami Center For Precision Medicine and Health Care Disparities; the Patients’ Rights and Ethics Committee for Metro General Hospital; and Metro Health Department’s Fetal and Infant Mortality Review, Behavioral Wellness Committee and Community Action Team.
King has a degree in communications from the University of Tennessee in Chattanooga.
Catholic Charities was founded in 1962 as the social service arm of the Diocese of Nashville. The organization serves people of every religious, ethnic, cultural, and racial background in all 38 Middle Tennessee counties that comprise the Diocese of Nashville. Assisting more than 10,000 people per year, Catholic Charities provides a range of services that help clients through crises and toward self-sufficiency. Services include emergency financial assistance, counseling, job training, housing stability, hunger relief, and more. Catholic Charities also manages the Tennessee Office of Refugees.
