MLA Places Maria Simon as General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer at Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago

Hanover, MD (January 6, 2022) — Major, Lindsey & Africa (MLA), the world’s leading legal search firm, today announced the placement of Maria Simon as general counsel and chief compliance officer at Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago. The search was led by Mindy Crandus Sircus, managing director with MLA’s In-House Counsel Recruiting group in Chicago.

Helping people since 1917, Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago is one of the largest private, non-profit social service agencies in the Midwest. Annually they assist over 500,000 people in Cook and Lake counties without regard to religious, ethnic or economic background.

Reporting to President and Chief Executive Officer Sally Blount, Maria will serve as a key member of the senior leadership team and as the primary legal support and resource for CCAC’s board. She will advise and provide strategic guidance on all legal and regulatory issues and risks facing Catholic Charities.

“After conducting a thorough and competitive search process, Maria was a natural fit for the general counsel role given her stellar legal background, excellent experience in the not-for-profit space and her deep commitment to mission-driven organizations,” said Mindy Crandus Sircus. “Maria will no doubt be a significant asset to Catholic Charities in the years to come. We are absolutely thrilled about this partnership.”

Maria spent the last 17-plus years with The Art Institute of Chicago, a world-renowned art museum and a nationally recognized art and design school, previously serving as interim general counsel, and most recently as senior associate general counsel. Prior to the Art Institute, she spent 10 years as a government lawyer, first with the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington, D.C., and later with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Chicago. Maria started her legal career with prestigious clerkships, including for the Honorable David J. Tatel and the Honorable Abner J. Mikva on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia,  and later as a law clerk to the Honorable Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Associate Justice on the United States Supreme Court. Maria earned her J.D. from Columbia University Law School and her B.A. from Harvard University.