Catholic Charities names first CFO

ROCCO ZAPPILE

PATERSON  Rocco Zappile has been appointed as Catholic Charities’ first Chief Financial Officer in the organization’s 80-year history by the Catholic Charities Board of Trustees.

“Catholic Charities serves thousands of individuals every day throughout the Diocese of Paterson. With more than 40 programs and a $50 million operating budget, it is essential to have a unified finance office,” said Scott Milliken, Catholic Charities chief executive officer. “The Catholic Charities family is excited about the appointment of Mr. Zappile as our first Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Zappile will lead a new office to efficiently manage, plan, implement and run all financial activities of our vast organization, which includes Straight and Narrow, Catholic Family and Community Services and the Department for Persons with Disabilities. We know that, with Mr. Zappile’s assistance, Catholic Charities will be taken to new heights,” Milliken said.

The appointment took effect Dec. 1. It is part of the implementation of a new, unified finance office, following Catholic Chari­ties Board of Trustees merger. Since then, the Catholic Charities Board has appointed a sole Chief Executive Officer and has established a unified Human Resources Office as well as a unified Development Office.

“Throughout the past two years, our Board of Trustees has worked tirelessly with our agency Executive Directors to better and more efficiently streamline services and help us unify as one Catholic Charities Family. Mr. Zappile’s appointment will help us to further come together,” Milliken added.

Zappile has been a member of the Department for Persons with Disabilities executive team since 1989 when he joined the organization after many years of experience in public accounting and for-profit corporations. He earned his license as a Certified Public Accountant in 1987 and is an active member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, and the N.J. Society of CPAs. He received his MBA in finance from Montclair State University in 1995. He is a member of the Knights of Columbus Joseph F. Lamb Council 5510, Jefferson Township, and was honored for his longtime support of the Department for Persons with Disabilities with a Caritas Award in 2014.

“I am looking forward to this new chapter in the history of our unified Catholic Charities organization. Our Catholic Charities team, in the Diocese of Paterson, makes a difference in the lives of thousands of people every day,” said Zappile. “I am grateful to Bishop Serratelli, the Catholic Charities Board of Trustees, and Scott Milliken for the opportunity to serve our sisters and brothers in the Diocese of Paterson in this new role.”