I've long been a fan of Catholic Relief Services [1], having witnessed their work firsthand in India and Ethiopia as part of trips won through CRS's Eileen Egan Award for Journalistic Excellence [2] program. I've also been a fan of Ken Hackett [3], who led CRS for the almost 20 years I have been covering the organization and who retired last month.

Luckily, I'm also a fan of the new president, Dr. Carolyn Woo [4], former dean of the Mendoza School of Business at the University of Notre Dame, my alma mater. While I don't know Woo personally, a close friend who worked with her at ND speaks very highly of her as a colleague and a Catholic.

Although it seems like we shouldn't have to be noting this in the year 2012, Woo is the first woman [5] to head one of the world’s largest international humanitarian relief organizations.

As she starts her new position this week, I welcome her aboard and wish her much success in the important relief work CRS does. You can "meet" her in this video [6]: