Congratulations and Welcome Home

May 11, 2022

The Catholic Tuition Organization board of directors announced the selection of Mark Reed as the new executive director of the Catholic Tuition Organization effective June 1.

In this role, Reed will secure funding of $4.5 million annually which provides tuition assistance to more than 2,000 students in the 16 Catholic schools in the Diocese of Des Moines.  The tuition assistance provided by CTO allows two thirds of the student population to attend the Catholic schools; without which, tuition is out of reach for their families.

Reed currently serves as director of advancement for St. Benedict’s Abbey in Atchison, Kansas.  His name is familiar to many as he returns to the Diocese of Des Moines where he had been the founding executive director of the Catholic Foundation of Southwest Iowa. 

“Returning to my roots, where I grew up and attended Catholic school, is a ‘coming home’ for me and my family.  Giving back to a community that has given so much to me is an opportunity to pay it forward for generations to come.”

Reed graduated from Drake University with his Master of Public Administration degree and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science.

Reed succeeds Jeanne Wells Thill, who will retire as of June 30. Thill served 14 years as executive director of CTO.

CTO was established in 2006 with the passage of the Educational Opportunities Act and provides 75% Iowa tax credits to donors who contribute to the organization.

Catholic Tuition Organization is a 501(c)(3) organization that provides tuition assistance to families in all of the Catholic schools in the Diocese of Des Moines.