Brian McDaniel is beginning his tenure as Executive Director of Catholic Charities of Madison the way he believes service should begin: by listening.
“I come to this work with questions, not answers,” Brian said. “There is a story being written by our team and our neighbors that I want to know. How can I be a part of it? Where can I help? To do that, I must first listen.”
He officially became Executive Director on October 1, succeeding Shawn Carney, who led the organization for five years and will remain through the end of the year to support the transition.
As Brian visits programs and meets the people behind our work, his message has been clear: the strength of Catholic Charities is found in the people who carry out its mission every day.
“The mission of Catholic Charities runs through you,” he told employees in his first week. “I don’t bring it with me; you deliver it, and I am here to support and learn from you.”
A Calling That Began in a Storm
Brian’s road to Catholic Charities began far from Wisconsin. In April 2011, a tornado tore through his hometown of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, killing 48 people. Living in Illinois at the time, Brian called his pastor and told him he had to help. His pastor reminded him of the words of St. Benedict, Brian’s patron saint: “Listen, and incline the ear of your heart.”
Soon afterward, Brian was leading the first mission trip of his life, clearing debris in Holt, a working-class community in the shadow of the paper mill where his father once worked. It was there that he told the priest leading the mission that he felt called to a life of service.
“Saying yes to that call has brought me to a place I never expected to be,” he told our staff. “Among you.”
One Mission Across 11 Counties
As Brian listens and learns, he is also thinking about Catholic Charities’ presence throughout the 11 counties of the Diocese of Madison. His hope is simple: no matter where someone lives, they should know Catholic Charities is there for them.
“People in every corner of the diocese should know that Catholic Charities is there for them,” Brian said. “We must be the hands and feet of compassion, helping our neighbors meet immediate needs and pursue lasting stability.”
For an organization that has served southern Wisconsin since 1946, Brian sees that hope not as a departure from Catholic Charities’ history, but as a continuation of it.
“Our work began in the days after World War II, helping immigrants, the poor and the displaced,” he said. “I believe the people involved in that early work would find our work today quite familiar.”
Today, that work takes many forms: welcoming people experiencing homelessness at The Beacon, helping older adults and individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities live with dignity, strengthening children and families, walking with neighbors in recovery, and serving the community at the Catholic Multicultural Center.
The programs may look different than they did 80 years ago, but Brian believes the reason behind them remains the same.
“We don’t only serve Catholics,” he said. “We serve everyone because we are Catholic.”
A Career in Chapters
Brian’s career has moved through broadcasting, advertising, public finance and humanitarian service. He sees those years less as separate careers than as chapters of one story.
“As I reflect on my career, it is clear that everything I have done prepared me for today,” he said.
Most recently, Brian served with the American Red Cross of Illinois as regional director of Services to the Armed Forces and International Services. He led staff and volunteers supporting active-duty service members, veterans and military families across Illinois. He also conducted casework for immigrants separated from loved ones by conflict, migration and natural disaster, and maintained relationships with 12 Chicago-based consulates. That work placed him alongside people in some of the hardest moments of their lives.
Before that, Brian served as deputy treasurer and chief investment officer for Will County, Illinois, where he directed a $2.1 billion public investment portfolio for a county of approximately 750,000 residents. Earlier in his career, he founded a boutique advertising and marketing firm after nearly two decades in broadcasting, including roles with Tribune Co., NBC and several network affiliates.
Building on a Strong Foundation
Brian steps into the role following five years of leadership by Shawn Carney.
During Shawn’s tenure, Catholic Charities sharpened its focus on where it could make the greatest difference, strengthened its relationship with the Diocese of Madison and Bishop Donald J. Hying, and deepened its Catholic identity and mission. In 2025, Shawn also led the integration of the Catholic Multicultural Center into Catholic Charities, bringing together two organizations with a shared commitment to serving neighbors with dignity and compassion.
“I am excited to welcome Brian to the Catholic Charities team,” Shawn said. “He brings experience and passion that will benefit those we are privileged to serve well into the future.”
For Brian, following that leadership means honoring what has been built while taking the time to understand the people, programs and communities that will shape Catholic Charities’ next chapter.
“That heritage is something special,” Brian said, “and it is why I am honored to build on the work of Shawn Carney and his team.”
Listening to What Comes Next
Over the coming months, Brian plans to spend time throughout Catholic Charities: visiting programs, meeting staff, listening to community partners and learning from the people we serve.
And he hopes the listening doesn’t stop there.
Our volunteers, donors and supporters are part of the story, too. Your commitment has sustained this mission for 80 years as it has grown alongside the needs of our communities.
Brian sees his role not as bringing that mission to Catholic Charities, but as helping strengthen what is already here and making sure more people throughout southern Wisconsin know they can turn to Catholic Charities when they need support.
“We may come from different places, professions and backgrounds, but we share one mission: to serve our neighbors with dignity, compassion and hope,” he told our staff.
For Brian, this new chapter is an opportunity to honor Catholic Charities’ history while helping prepare the organization for what comes next, with a commitment to listen, to learn and, above all, to serve.
“I am grateful and excited to be here,” he said, “and I cannot wait to get started.”
About Brian
Brian holds a bachelor’s degree in economics, a master’s degree in accountancy and an MBA from Benedictine University. He and his wife, Ann, are relocating to the Madison area from Plainfield, Illinois. Their son, Graeme, is a senior studying mechanical engineering at Kettering University in Michigan.
