By CatholicPhilly Staff • Posted December 1, 2023

Heather Huot, MSW, LSW, has been named as the next Secretary for Catholic Human Services (CHS) in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia by Archbishop Nelson Pérez, according to a Dec. 1 announcement from the archdiocese. Her appointment becomes effective Jan. 1, 2024.

She succeeds Mr. James Amato, MSW, who is retiring at the end of the year after more than four decades of service to those in need in the Philadelphia region. He has served as Secretary of CHS since 2016.

Huot will be the first woman to hold this post in the history of the Archdiocese.

Huot began her career in social services after completing a year of service living and working alongside the Franciscans at Saint Francis Inn, located in the Kensington section of Philadelphia.

She has dedicated more than 18 years of service to CHS. She previously served in several posts with Catholic Social Services including Case Manager for Women of Hope-Vine (2002-2005); Systems Administrator for Housing and Homeless Services (2005-2011); and Social Work Intern for the Northeast Family Service (2011-2012).

>>>SEE RELATED: James Amato, Archdiocese’s Secretary for Catholic Human Services, to Retire at End of 2023

Following a three year stint at the University of Pennsylvania’s Abramson Cancer Center as a Social Work Intern and Patient Navigator, Huot returned to CHS as the Assistant Director of Catholic Housing and Community Services (CHCS) in 2015 and was named Director of CHCS in 2020.

Over the past eight years, she has played an instrumental role in the expansion of the archdiocesan portfolio of affordable housing for seniors seeking to age in place within their communities and a continuum of senior care services in senior centers and parishes located throughout the five-county metropolitan region.

“I am humbled and honored to step into this role, carrying forward the tremendous legacy of Catholic Human Services in the Greater Philadelphia region,” Huot said.

“I am inspired by the thousands of compassionate and committed people who do the extraordinary work of this organization each day. It is my hope, that working together, the light of Catholic Human Services, which is a reflection of the love of Christ, will grow brighter and reach even more of our most vulnerable brothers and sisters.”

The Secretariat for Catholic Human Services is the largest faith-based human services provider in Southeastern Pennsylvania. It provides critical support and vital assistance to more than half a million individuals annually through its three agencies: Catholic Social Services (CSS), Catholic Housing and Community Services (CHCS), and Nutritional Development Services (NDS).