A nonprofit leader responsible for the major growth of several leading charities in Atlanta has been named the executive director of The Catholic Foundation of North Georgia, serving the metropolitan and rural counties that comprise the Archdiocese of Atlanta. The announcement was made Aug. 7 by Clarence H. Smith, chairman of the Catholic Foundation board and chief executive officer of Havertys, Inc.

“The appointment of Nancy Dinka Coveny signals a significant new phase in the almost 20-year history of The Catholic Foundation of North Georgia,” said Smith. “Nancy’s leadership will move us along the expansive paths recently pursued by foundations in other Catholic dioceses in our country.”

He added, “Several of these foundations have already become strong stewards of significant money contributed by people of all faiths and very good sources of funding for serious charitable needs. It’s our aim to become one of them.”

The Catholic Foundation of North Georgia, headquartered in Atlanta since its founding in 1992, solicits and receives material support for charitable, religious, scientific, literary and educational purposes within the Archdiocese of Atlanta that are in conformity with the theology and the discipline of the Catholic Church. The foundation focuses its support in the areas of children and youth services, community development, education and literacy, health sciences, human services and religion. Currently, the foundation oversees assets in the range of $13.5 million, with significant growth expected. The foundation board also includes Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory; Msgr. Joseph Corbett, vicar general of the Archdiocese of Atlanta; Msgr. Edward Dillon, pastor of Holy Spirit Church, Atlanta; Father James Miceli, pastor of St. Mary Church, Rome; Juanita Baranco; Jean Brannon; Tim Cambias; Mark Christopher; William Cortez; Dave Fitzgerald; Jeffrey K. Haidet; Michael L. Keough; Joseph Ledlie; Alan S. Neely; William M. Rich; and Michael Trapp.

Coveny comes to The Catholic Foundation from Homestretch (Housing Initiative of North Fulton), where she was executive director. In that role, she was responsible for managing the transitional housing program with 27 units of housing and an operating budget of $874,000.

Before joining Homestretch, she was the executive director of Buckhead Christian Ministry, an interfaith, inter-congregational initiative to serve the poor in the Buckhead area. In that role, she increased the number of participating congregations by almost twofold, doubled the number of people served and the amount of assistance given out, and conducted a successful capital campaign to purchase new office facilities for the ministry.

“This is a time of tremendous growth for the Catholic Church in North Georgia. With Nancy’s successful record of working with nonprofit organizations, she will be a great asset to the Catholic Foundation of North Georgia,” said Archbishop Gregory. In addition to being a member of the board, he is the sponsor of the foundation’s growth plan.

According to “The Official Kenedy Directory,” the Catholic population in North Georgia has grown from 159,800 in 1990 to almost 750,000 in 2008.

“The needs have grown greater along with the population, Catholic and otherwise. The ability of Catholics to respond to the needs of more and more people has grown also, thank God,” said the archbishop.

“Nancy’s mission is to lead the foundation in both those areas.”

Coveny has served as program director of The Place, an extension of Catholic Social Services, Inc., and she was a counselor at Marist School.

Coveny graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Florida with a bachelor of science degree in psychology. She continued her education at the University of Florida where she received her specialist’s and master’s degrees in mental health counseling. Her husband, Michael Coveny, is the director of the Marist Way at Marist School. They have two daughters.