News Release: MCC CEO Paul A. Long Elected President of National Catholic Conference Directors Association

(Lansing, Mich.) — The National Association of State Catholic Conference Directors (NASCCD) has elected as its next president Paul A. Long, President and CEO of the Michigan Catholic Conference.

“I am grateful for Paul’s selection to this important national position as the Church continues her diligent work to promote the common good and to uplift the dignity of all human persons,” said Most Rev. Allen H. Vigneron, Archbishop of Detroit and Chairman of the Michigan Catholic Conference Board of Directors. “The election of Mr. Long by his peers is a natural result of his talents and abilities; at the same time it is also a testament to the strength of our Catholic conference here in Michigan.”

NASCCD is an association of the executive directors of state Catholic conferences and affiliate diocesan agencies. A Catholic conference is a Church agency representing the dioceses within a state in order to coordinate public policy concerns of the Church. State Catholic conferences communicate with state governments, other Church agencies, non-Catholic churches and secular agencies. Each state Catholic conference and affiliate NASCCD member acts independently, at the direction of that state's bishops.

“The directors recognize and affirm Paul’s leadership skills, along with his extensive experience and knowledge of public policy matters,” said Richard E. Barnes, Executive Director of the New York State Catholic Conference and outgoing president of the NASCCD group.

Paul Long has served as Michigan Catholic Conference’s President and CEO since November 2010. Prior to his selection as president, Paul served the bishops in Michigan for 22 years as the Catholic Church’s lead advocacy voice on numerous policy issues and acted as the primary staff person for several statewide ballot campaigns dating back to 1988.

NASCCD is comprised of 40 state Catholic conferences with nine affiliated diocesan public policy offices. Mr. Long’s term as president of the NASCCD began August 2, 2018 and continues until August 2020.

Long is a former chairman of the Board of The Hospice of Lansing and the Michigan State University Alumni Association National Board of Directors. In 1996, Paul was named a Knight of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre, and in 1999 he was named a Distinguished Alumnus of the James Madison College. He also serves on the Board of the Michigan Nonprofit Association and the Michigan Society of Association Executives. Paul, his wife Dr. Melissa Long, and their three children reside in East Lansing.

Michigan Catholic Conference is the official public policy voice of the Catholic Church in this state.

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