Upon receiving a unanimous recommendation from a search committee composed of priests and lay staff and after prayerful discernment, Bishop Burbidge is pleased to announce his appointment of Peter de Keratry, CFRE, as Chief Development Officer. As Chief Development Officer, Peter will serve as the chief development strategist and advisor to Bishop Burbidge, direct all major fund-raising programs, and provide oversight to the Office of Development as they seek to grow endowments and charitable funds in support of the ministries and programs in the Catholic Diocese of Arlington and Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Arlington. Peter will begin his assignment on October 14, 2024.
For the past thirty years, Peter has worked with numerous non-profit and Catholic organizations, ranging in size and mission, and in capacities including volunteer, consultant, and senior staff. He began his professional development career as Development Director for the St. Mary’s Catholic Center at Texas A&M. Later he joined the consulting staff of Community Counseling Service (CCS), where he worked with Catholic dioceses, parishes, schools, and other Church ministries. Peter was appointed Campaign Director of the Citadel Foundation where he stayed until he founded Petrus Development in 2004, a fundraising consulting firm dedicated to assisting Catholic campus ministries in creating sustainable fund development programs. He continued his work with Petrus until he sold it to his longtime business partner in 2020. In addition to his work with Petrus, he served as the Director of Resource Development for the Archdiocese of Brisbane and later the Campaign Manager at the Archdiocese of Chicago.
Since 2016, Peter has served as the first Executive Director for the Secretariat for Stewardship and Development in the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City. Since 2021, he has also served as the Executive Director of the Catholic Foundation of Oklahoma. Peter is a part-time Program Coordinator for the Institute for Catholic Philanthropy at the University of Mary in Bismarck, North Dakota, an institute that provides 9 credit hours towards a specialized MBA or certificate in Catholic philanthropy. Peter earned his Bachelor of Arts in Speech Communication from Texas A&M and a Master of Arts in Philanthropy and Development from St. Mary’s University of Minnesota. He is also a Knight of Malta.
Peter and his wife are proud parents to four children.
Please welcome Peter to the Catholic Diocese of Arlington and pray for him and his family, especially at this time of transition.
