Catholic Charities CEO Resigns Months after Sex Scandal at Children's Shelter

By Susan Carroll
Houston Chroncile
February 10, 2012

http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/Catholic-Charities-CEO-resigns-months-after-sex-3104834.php

Catholic Charities president Bonna Kol, from left, event chair Roseann Rogers and underwriting chair Souad Malouf Bejjani at the "Christmas with the Cardinal" luncheon benefiting Catholic Charities. Photo: Michael Martinez / HC

The CEO/president of Catholic Charities Galveston-Houston has announced plans to resign after more than six years at the helm of the nonprofit organization.

The organization confirmed the departure of Bonna Kol in a statement but did not respond to questions about whether her resignation was connected to the fallout from a sexual abuse scandal at St. Michael's Home for Children.

"Bonna has made many contributions to the success of Catholic Charities, and her leadership will be missed," Catholic Charities of Galveston-Houston said in a statement.

Kol, 44, issued a statement Tuesday saying that Catholic Charities' total assets and operating budget more than doubled during her tenure. She said she "will continue to support the organization as it moves forward."

She added that she plans to spend time with her family and take an extended trip to Asia.

Kol's resignation comes about four months after the organization found itself at the center of a major scandal for attempting to cover up the sexual abuse of an 8-year-old boy at one of its shelters for immigrant children.

The federal Office of Refugee Resettlement issued a scathing report that found the group's senior management "deliberately misled" federal officials about a July 1 sexual assault at one of the shelters run through its St. Michael's Home for Children.

The resettlement office accused senior managers of doctoring incident reports and failing to immediately seek medical treatment for the assaulted boy, records show.

Two boys, who were 10 and 11 then, were charged with aggravated sexual assault of a child, the Harris County District Attorney's Office confirmed.

Two Catholic Charities executives resigned and two other managers were fired over the incident.

Kol wrote a letter to Catholic Charities supporters in October, saying the organization was fully cooperating with authorities and "will make the changes necessary to better ensure the safety of children entrusted to our care."

Kol, previously the executive director of Mended Hearts of Dallas, joined Catholic Charities in Houston in 2005. Her last day will be March 2.

Contact: susan.carroll@chron.com