Long succeeds Sister Monica Kostielney, RSM, who is retiring in November after 38 years of service to the Conference, the last 16 as President/CEO. Long will begin his tenure as President/CEO on November 15, 2010
"For more than two decades Paul Long has presented to state government the Conference’s advocacy agenda with integrity and the utmost level of professionalism. His years of service and commitment to the Church make him an exemplary candidate to lead the Conference into the next decade," said the Most Rev. Allen H. Vigneron, Archbishop of Detroit and chairman of the MCC Board of Directors.
“Sister Monica Kostielney for nearly 40 years has been a tireless advocate for the poor and the unborn; a passionate and commanding voice on matters concerning education and economic justice, Sister Monica has directed the Conference with humility and grace.”
Long was raised in St. Clare Shores Michigan and graduated from Michigan State University’s James Madison College in 1988 with a bachelor of arts degree in urban political studies. After working for both the House of Representatives and State Senate while enrolled at MSU, Long was hired by the Michigan Catholic Conference as Public Affairs Associate with a principle focus on tax and health care issues. In November 1994 he was appointed Vice President for Public Policy, serving as the chief liaison between the Catholic Church in Michigan and state government.
As Vice President for Public Policy, Long has worked on numerous pieces of legislation that sought to advance the common good in Michigan, including a ban on assisted suicide, the creation of a state earned income tax credit, and ushering through the Legislature the state’s ban on human cloning.
Ensuring non-public schools are treated fairly in the legislative process, protecting budget programs that assist the state’s poor and vulnerable population, and advancing legislation that promotes and protects all human life, from conception to natural death, have been priority areas for Long and the Conference’s public policy advocacy.
Michigan Catholic Conference is the official public policy voice of the Catholic Church in this state and advocates for legislation that promotes the common good. The Conference was established in 1963 by Cardinal John Dearden, then Archbishop of Detroit, who envisioned a unified Catholic voice that would bring its economic and social justice message to the executive, legislative and judicial branches of state and federal government.
“I am humbled today – and eagerly look forward to steering the Conference forward in its mission to develop sound public policy and administer benefit services with a dedication to integrity and excellence,” Long said.
Long serves on the Board of Visitors for Michigan State University’s James Madison College, the Board of the Michigan Association of Non-Public Schools, the Parish Education Council, Pastoral Council and Finance Council of St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in East Lansing, and on the Catholic Charities USA Social Policy Committee. He 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 Long was named a Knight of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre, and in 1999 he was awarded as a Distinguished Alumnus of the James Madison College. Paul, his wife Dr. Melissa Long, and their three children reside in East Lansing.
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