The Society of St. Vincent de Paul Adds National Board Members

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul (SVdPUSA) – a worldwide community of more than 800,000 lay Catholics who follow Christ’s call to serve the poor, the suffering, and the deprived – recently named Steve Havemann, Don Kany, and Mike Syslo as its newest National Council of the United States’ Board members. The two-year term with the National Council involves matters surrounding the organization’s overall policies and procedures.

Steve Havemann was named the board’s co-Chair of the Executive Directors Task Force. He also represents the Re-Entry Task Force (Immersion) on the Board. Havemann currently serves as the Executive Director of St. Vincent de Paul of Des Moines, Iowa.

Don Kany was named the Board’s Midwest Region Vice President. He is the President of Karco, LLC in Denver, Colo.

Mike Syslo was named the Board’s Chairperson of the National Governance Committee. He is the Vice President for the Archdiocesan Council of Chicago and is the retired Director of Governance of the National Council of the United States, Society of St. Vincent de Paul.

“Steve, Don, and Mike will make excellent additions to our Board based upon their commitment to serving our worldwide community,” said Ralph Middlecamp, National President of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. “They each bring a diverse skill set and broad range of experience to the National Council, and we look forward to all that our Board of Directors will accomplish.”

Founded in Paris in 1833, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul consists of 800,000 members and 1.5 million volunteers in more than 150 countries. The members – or Vincentians – work together to grow spiritually by offering person-to-person service via Home Visits to neighbors in need. Tangible assistance consists of intervention and consultation, as well as through direct financial or in-kind service.

The National Council of the United States, Society of St. Vincent de Paul (SVdPUSA) was established in 1845 to organize and represent local St. Vincent de Paul Conferences and Councils among the global society’s membership. The National Council provides resources, training, and spiritual formation for nearly 100,000 Vincentians in almost 4,500 Conferences and Councils across the country. For more information, call (314) 576-3993 or visit www.svdpusa.org.