John P. Cahill Named Chief of Staff, Special Counsel to Archbishop of New York

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Cardinal Dolan has appointed John P. Cahill to the newly created position of chief of staff and special counsel to the Archbishop of New York. The appointment became effective April 8.

Cahill has most recently served as senior counsel at the law firm of Norton Rose Fulbright where he concentrated on energy and environmental law and was recognized as one of the nation’s top utility lawyers. He also served as secretary to the governor from 2002 to 2006 during the administration of Gov. George Pataki, where he was responsible for the orderly operations of state government and the implementation of the governor’s agenda.

Cahill earlier served as commissioner of the New York Department of Environmental Conservation, where he led the state agency responsible for enhancing and protecting the state’s natural resources. Before joining state service, he was a partner in the New York City law firm of Plunkett & Jaffe P.C., where his practice focused on environmental and municipal issues.

As chief of staff and special counsel to the Archbishop, he will coordinate the legal and communications response on behalf of the archdiocese regarding various legal and legislative matters, oversee the continuing energetic response and reform in the archdiocese in the face of the sexual abuse crisis, advise the cardinal on various internal and external issues, and assist the cardinal in the administration of the archdiocese. He has been informally advising the cardinal for the past two years.

Welcoming Cahill to his new position, Cardinal Dolan said, “The Archdiocese of New York is fortunate to have a man of John Cahill’s experience and expertise to assist us in fulfilling our mission to serve God’s people through our pastoral, educational and charitable efforts. I look forward to working closely with him and receiving his wise counsel and input.”

Cahill said, “It’s an honor to be asked to serve as chief of staff to His Eminence, Cardinal Dolan. I am very excited to be a part of the terrific work of the cardinal and the archdiocese in fulfilling the mission of the Church.”

Cahill was a recipient of the Ellis Island Medal of Honor. The Adirondack Council, the National Audubon Society, the Historic Hudson Valley and The Rockefeller Institute of Government have all recognized him for his efforts for the environment and public service.

He serves on several charitable boards, including St. Joseph’s Seminary, Dunwoodie; the Finance Council of the Archdiocese of New York; Archbishop Stepinac High School, White Plains; The National September 11th Memorial Museum; and the Open Space Institute. He also is on the board of two publicly traded companies, Sterling National Bank and Ecoark Holdings.

He received a Juris Doctor degree in 1985 and a master’s of law in environmental law in 1992, both from Pace University School of Law. He also received a bachelor’s degree in economics from Fordham University.

Cahill and his wife, Kim, are proud parents of four children, John, Meghan, Erin and James. They are active parishioners at Sacred Heart parish in Yonkers.