Photo By Michael Alexander

ATLANTA—After leading St. Vincent de Paul Georgia through the COVID-19 pandemic, Patrick McNulty is stepping down as the leader of the statewide nonprofit.  

Mike Mies

Mike Mies succeeds McNulty, who has been CEO since 2020. Mies, the organization’s current board of directors’ president, will work alongside McNulty until taking the helm in January. 

Under McNulty’s leadership, St. Vincent de Paul Georgia kept its services open during the coronavirus crisis to aid families in need. McNulty also oversaw the launch of the organization’s statewide Community Pharmacy, which provides lifesaving prescription medications at no cost to individuals across Georgia.  

McNulty said he leaves the organization with tremendous memories, knowing its mandate to serve is wide including aiding families to move from a hotel room to stable affordable housing or stocking food banks giving parents the option to shop.  

“We have a saying in the society that ‘No act of charity is foreign to us.’ We mean it. We find ways to help and that is what makes us different,” he wrote in an email.  

The COVID outbreak revealed “incredible resilience from our team and our volunteers,” he said. Donors and community partners stepped up to continue to serve during the uncertainty because the demands did not lessen, said McNulty.  

“The Holy Spirit works in powerful ways,” he said, noting that people working with the nonprofit are “selfless in their endless giving to others.”  

The nonprofit increased its revenue to $22.8 million, according to its 2020 tax form. It employs about 80 people, relies on 73 local parish chapters and two community support centers to serve the needy in Georgia. It also aids 40 food pantries, 12 thrift stores and its community pharmacy. 

McNulty came to St. Vincent de Paul Georgia from Allied Universal where he was senior vice president. He has served as a board member of Cristo Rey Atlanta Jesuit High School and the Atlanta Mission. 

For the outgoing McNulty, he said the organization should keep “housing at the forefront” as the Atlanta area confronts rising costs that are putting homes out of reach for many workers. In addition, work on helping people find employment and workforce development will need to be prioritized. Another task is drawing in young people to take up the work of the society, he said. 

Mies, 60, is scheduled to take over as CEO starting Jan. 1, 2023. He has been a Vincentian for 22 years at three parishes, St. Brigid, St. Andrew and St. Peter Chanel, his home parish.  

Mies brings more than 20 years of leadership and service to the position. Mies has served as CEO of Nclear, Inc., an environmental nanotechnology company that addresses the global problem of nutrient pollution and toxic algae. He led Mies Management Associates LLC, providing consulting services, and started a wireless broadband provider.  

He said a primary mission of the society is for its members to grow in holiness through service.  

“I know my faith has grown over the last 22 years as a result of being a Vincentian, and doing the work of the society has allowed me to put that faith into action,” said Mies. “Taking the role of CEO is a continuation of that faith journey.”