Diarmuid Rooney is Vice President, Sponsorship and Mission Services at the Catholic Health Association of the United States (CHA). He assists the Catholic health ministry with thought leadership and subject matter expertise in ministry formation. Responsibilities include providing strategic direction in the design, development and implementation of a ministry formation strategy; collaborating with key stakeholders to develop an integrated approach to formation; and assisting in the implementation of projects related to Catholic identity.

Prior to joining CHA in 2018, Diarmuid served for eight years as vice president, formation and communication technology, at the Ministry Leadership Center in Sacramento, Calif. The Ministry Leadership Center was established in 2004 to expand and enrich executive health care leaders’ commitment to the Catholic tradition’s mission, vision and values. His key focus was co-designing and facilitating innovative leadership formation programs that transformed leaders personally and professionally, enabling them to deliver cultural transformation for their organizations. Previously, Diarmuid was regional director of mission formation for Providence St. Joseph Health & Services in Oregon (16,000 associates), where he provided organizational leadership for cultural transformation to sustain the work of the founders and ensure the presence of core values in all aspects of today’s ministry.

During his active role in ministry since 1991, he worked with the Christian Brothers and was a Benedictine monk in Ireland.  He trained as a clinical psychotherapist at St. Vincent’s Hospital in Dublin. He co-founded and directed a community-based counseling and psychotherapy center, where he provided individual and group therapy, facilitation and organizational consultancy. He subsequently served as director for the Mercy Conference and Retreat Center in Burlingame, Calif., sponsored by the Sisters of Mercy.

His professional experience includes cultural analysis, organizational development, clinical psychotherapy, retreat direction, pastoral counseling and program development specific to adult education. He holds master’s degrees in both theology, from the Jesuit School of Theology, Santa Clara University, and clinical psychotherapy, University College Dublin, School of Medicine. Diarmuid is particularly interested in how these disciplines impact the culture of spirituality in the workplace. He also holds degrees in business and social administration (University College Dublin); philosophy and politics (University College Dublin) and is a member of the Alpha Sigma Nu, The Honor Society of Jesuit Institutions of Higher Education.