Jim Mullen, president and CEO of Catholic Charities, Diocese of Cleveland, resigned from his position effective Jan. 15, 2026. Mullen, who joined Catholic Charities in January, said he accepted another role closer to his home, which will enable him to spend more time with his family.
Diocesan officials said the search will begin immediately for his replacement.
Dan Horrigan, senior director of government relations and advocacy for Catholic Charities, will serve as interim president and CEO.
Horrigan, who has an extensive record of public service and community engagement, joined Catholic Charities in August after serving as mayor of Akron from 2016 to 2023. He also was a member of Akron City Council for 16 years, and previously was clerk of Summit County courts.
Mullen replaced the late Patrick Gareau as president and CEO of Catholic Charities. Gareau, who died on Nov. 11, retired last January after leading the nonprofit for 11 years.
During his yearlong tenure with the organization, Mullen began the process of improving its finances and organizational structure
Prior to joining Catholic Charities, Mullen had been CEO of United Way of Summit & Medina since 2015. Before that, he spent much of his career in the United Way network, in charge of multi-million-dollar fundraising efforts at United Way of Greater Cleveland and United Way of Metropolitan Nashville.
When his appointment was announced in December 2024, Mullen said it was “an honor to follow in the path of my father, J. Thomas Mullen, who served in this very same role from 1994 to 2010.”
Catholic Charities, Diocese of Cleveland, is one of Northeast Ohio’s largest health and human service nonprofit organizations. It provides help and creates hope for people of every race and religion across the eight counties of the diocese: Ashland, Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Lorain, Medina, Summit and Wayne.