Catholic Charities’ Own Emmie Glynn Ryan to be honored for Outstanding Contributions to Catholic Charities by the New York State Catholic Conference
Brooklyn, NY – Emmie Glynn Ryan, General Counsel, Chief Corporate Compliance Officer, and Senior Vice President for Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens will be awarded the Vincenza DeFazio Award for outstanding contributions to the work of the New York State Council of Catholic Charities Directors at a reception on February 5th at Renaissance Hotel in Downtown Albany, New York. The reception is part of the Council’s two-day convening on February 5-6, in which Catholic Charities personnel from throughout New York State advocate with elected and state agency officials on important issues of concern to the poor and vulnerable.
Emmie hails from Galway, Ireland. Admitted to the bar there, she practiced law for several years before emigrating to England, practicing law in London. Following the fall and assassination of Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceausescu, Emmie left her firm in London to work in Romania with orphans and adults suffering from mental health problems who had been warehoused and forgotten by the government. She emigrated to New York in 1991, working two jobs and volunteering to assist victims of domestic violence. In 1995, she passed the New York State bar exam, and two years later came to Catholic Charites Brooklyn and Queens as director of legal affairs, eventually rising to her current position of general counsel, chief corporate compliance officer and senior vice president. Emmie is a member of the Criminal Justice Committee of the New York State Catholic Conference and sits on numerous not-for-profit boards.
“Emmie reminds us of the call of Pope Francis when he addressed the U.S. Congress on his apostolic trip in 2015. Pope Francis
reminded us of our responsibility to protect and defend human life at every stage of its development,” said Msgr. Alfred LoPinto, President and CEO of Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens and affiliated agencies. “This is the spirit that led Emmie from Ireland to New York and we are proud of her accomplishments and commitment to serve her fellow brothers and sisters wherever she encounters them.”
Emmie will receive the Vincenza DeFazio Award for outstanding contributions to the work of New York State Council of Catholic Charities Directors. The award is named for a deceased long-time attorney with Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York. The New York State Catholic Conference represents New York State’s Bishops in matters of public policy.
Read the NYS Catholic Conference release.
