Rosemarie Banich is a seasoned professional with experience in the non-profit sector, the legal sphere, and the Catholic Church. Her areas of expertise include systems development and training, organizational planning and team building, creation and facilitation of professional development offerings and pastoral and institutional planning
Rosemarie began her professional career practicing law at Steel Hector & Davis, a top-10 civil law firm in Miami, Florida and later with Disability Rights Advocates, a non-profit legal agency based in Oakland, California, litigating national class action lawsuits on behalf of persons with mobility impairments seeking access to public accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act.
She then transitioned to the non-profit sector, serving as the Director of Child and Volunteer Protection for the American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO), overseeing their national Safe Haven program for the league’s 400,000 youth soccer players and over 100,000 volunteers. Her career in the Catholic Church began as the Director of Youth Ministry at a parish of over 2,500 active families in Los Angeles. She was appointed by Archbishop Thomas Wenski as the Director of the Second General Synod of the Archdiocese of Miami in 2012 and subsequently served as the Director of Youth and Young Adult Ministry and the Director of Evangelization and Parish Life for the Archdiocese. She has also served many dioceses around the country as a Leadership Consultant with the Catholic Leadership Institute, including facilitating the Good Leaders, Good Shepherds leadership development program for clergy, facilitating listening sessions and focus teams for the Archdiocese of New Orleans’ Synod, and serving the Archdiocese of Boston in the implementation of their 2011 pastoral plan, providing training and individual coaching for pastors and parish leaders on leadership and management skills, including goal setting, development, and the writing of collaborative pastoral plans.
Rosemarie received a B.A. from the University of South Florida in English and a J.D. from the University of Miami School of Law. She is currently completing an M.A. in Theology from Franciscan University. Rosemarie has served on several Boards, including the Miami Midnight Basketball League, Monsignor Edward Pace High School and Daniel’s House, a support service for caregivers of children with disabilities. She is currently a member of the Board of Directors of SEPI, the U.S. Catholic Bishops’ Southeast Regional Office for Hispanic Ministry.
Rosemarie lives in Atlanta, Georgia with her husband Marc; their son Matthew Francis is a freshman at Florida Gulf Coast University. She enjoys running, traveling, reading, and theater of all kinds. Rosemarie is fluent in Spanish.