Michael O'Loughlin (Courtesy photo)
Michael O'Loughlin, executive editor of the National Catholic Reporter, will become the nonprofit news organization's new CEO while retaining leadership of its newsroom in a newly combined role as CEO and executive editor.
The move places O'Loughlin at the head of both NCR's editorial operations and its broader organizational strategy as the independent Catholic publication looks to expand its reach and invest in new ways of delivering news.
"I'm honored by the board's invitation to serve as CEO and executive editor, which will allow us as an organization to carry out our mission in innovative and compelling ways," O'Loughlin said.
The appointment, which begins Sept. 14, follows a multi-month search and transition process led by NCR's board of directors.
"This appointment is the result of months of careful planning," said Stephen Miller, NCR's board chair. "We are confident that Michael's editorial vision and leadership experience make him the right choice to guide NCR into its next chapter. On behalf of the board, I also want to express our deep gratitude to Joe Ferullo for his nearly four years of leadership, during which he elevated NCR both editorially and financially."
Ferullo, who has been CEO of NCR since 2022, will step down from his role but will support O'Loughlin through the transition.
"It has been an honor to lead NCR through a period of real growth," Ferullo said. "I'm confident that Michael is the right person to take over leadership of this organization, and I look forward to seeing NCR continue to thrive under his direction."
O'Loughlin said he plans to build on the organization's recent growth.
"I'm looking forward to building on the success that NCR has seen during the past few years, especially under Joe's leadership, and I'm certain that we will continue to grow our audience and serve our community of readers with the best Catholic journalism out there," he said.
Founded in 1964, NCR is an independent, nonprofit news organization whose reporting focuses on the Catholic Church and issues at the intersection of religion and public life. It reaches 1-2 million readers worldwide each month.
NCR's projects include Global Sisters Report, launched in 2014 to cover Catholic sisters and their ministries around the world, and EarthBeat, a climate and faith initiative established in 2019.
O'Loughlin pointed to both NCR and GSR as occupying a distinctive place in Catholic media.
"NCR and GSR hold a unique and important space in the Catholic world, and my singular goal is to work with the board and the entire NCR team to ensure that we are able to undertake this work for years to come," he said. "Helping our readers understand the world and connect the Gospel to what's happening around us is essential and we have a great team that does important work every day."
The organization also plans to invest in staff and technology, O'Loughlin said, as it explores new formats and ways of reaching readers.
"We are excited about investing in people and technology that will give us the ability to deliver our journalism in creative and compelling ways," he said. "People are yearning for hope and we intend to deliver."
The restructuring will also bring changes to newsroom leadership. O'Loughlin said NCR will immediately begin searching for a deputy editor to oversee more of the newsroom's daily operations as he assumes the expanded responsibilities.
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O'Loughlin joined NCR as executive editor in January 2026. He previously served as executive director of Outreach, the LGBTQ Catholic organization founded by Jesuit Fr. James Martin, and as a national correspondent for America. Earlier in his career, he worked for The Boston Globe and Crux.
He is the author of Hidden Mercy: Catholics, AIDS, and Untold Stories of Compassion in the Face of Fear and The Tweetable Pope: A Spiritual Revolution in 140 Characters. His writing has also appeared in The New York Times, The Atlantic and The Washington Post.
The leadership change comes during a period of strong digital readership for NCR. In July, NCR had again been ranked among the 10 most widely read nonprofit news websites in the U.S. by Nieman Journalism Lab for both May and June.
O'Loughlin said the organization's role could become particularly important amid a consequential period for Catholics in the United States and abroad.
"We are at a unique moment as Catholics in the United States, with an American pope taking on some of the gravest threats facing society and difficult challenges here at home," he said.
"NCR is primed to help Catholics here and across the world understand the news more deeply, to be a resource for those seeking to live out the teachings of Jesus and to build a community of readers who seek greater insight of the world around us."
