Keith Donovan announced as new Executive Director
The Board of Directors of the Brother David Darst Center for Justice and Peace, Spirituality and Education is pleased to announce the appointment of Keith Donovan as the ministry’s new Executive Director, effective March 1, 2016.
Chosen after a national search, Keith is familiar to many Darst partners and visitors. He has been a staff member at the Darst Center since 2014, first as Program Coordinator and most recently as Mission and Operations Director.
“My time at the Darst Center has been critical in shaping me to be an effective leader,” Keith says. “I have a strong passion for the mission, and am excited to take on this primary leadership role for the organization, ensuring that the mission stays central to the work of the organization and that the Center maintains its position as a vibrant Lasallian ministry.”
Speaking about the recommendation of Keith for the Executive Director position, Search Committee member and Darst Board officer Robert Ortbal noted, “Keith has the capabilities, the enthusiasm, and the alignment with mission to take the Darst Center into the future. He has benefitted from working side by side with former Executive Director Mindy Rueden and has firsthand experience of the Darst Center’s programs and challenges.”
To meet those challenges, Keith brings skills honed in past positions as a high school teacher and administrator and as a campus liturgical minister and residence life staff member at the college level. He received his master’s degree in human development, with an emphasis on student affairs and the Lasallian charism, from Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota, a Lasallian institution. Keith spent one summer as an intern with the Midwest District Office of the Brothers of the Christian Schools and has attended several Lasallian formation programs. In addition to his current responsibilities at the Darst Center, Keith serves on the board of the Illinois Leadership Seminars, an organization focused on youth leadership development.
Located in Chicago, the Darst Center offers immersion retreats designed to help young adults learn about social justice through service, reflection, and discussion. Grounded in principles of peace, justice, and respect for human dignity and the environment, the organization seeks to inspire active faith, a commitment to service, and a passion for social change.
Keith Donovan, Executive Director