Jacksonville, Fla. – Bishop Felipe Estévez of the Catholic Diocese of St. Augustine has appointed Christopher “Kit” Parker as Director of Development and Stewardship, effective June 7, 2017. Kit comes to Florida from the Diocese of Syracuse in New York where he served as Director of Development and Stewardship for 16 years.

Prior to working for the Diocese of Syracuse, Parker served as the State Director of Chapter Advancement for the American Red Cross in N.Y. (1998-2001) and as National President of Literacy Volunteers of America, Inc. (1994-1997). From 1973 to 1994, he served as an executive for the American Red Cross in several states, including Alabama, Tennessee, and Utah.

Parker is a native of Savannah, Ga. He holds a bachelor’s in psychology from Armstrong State College in Savannah, and a master’s in financial management from the American College of Finance in Sacramento, Calf.  

Parker has been tasked with providing leadership to create and implement a comprehensive development program for the diocese, which includes major gifts, annual appeals, planned giving and stewardship.

One of the areas he will oversee is the Bishop’s Annual Stewardship Appeal. The 2017 appeal has exceeded its goal of $3.25 million. As of today, the appeal that was launched in February has more than $5 million in pledges. The annual appeal supports the education of seminarians, Catholic Charities, Catholic schools and evangelization throughout the diocese.

The Diocese of St. Augustine encompasses 17 counties of Northeast and North Central Florida, serving about 158,000 registered Catholics in 61 parishes and missions.