Montse Alvarado named president, COO of EWTN News

WASHINGTON (OSV News) -- Montse Alvarado, vice president and executive director of Becket, the Washington-based religious liberty firm, has been named president and chief operating officer of EWTN News Inc., the EWTN Global Catholic Network announced Jan. 23.

According to a news release, Avarado in her new role "will oversee EWTN's global news media platforms, which create content in English, Spanish, German, French, Portuguese, Arabic and Italian. Its holdings include Catholic News Agency, the National Catholic Register, the ACI Group, ChurchPop, and a lineup of television and radio news programming."

Alvarado's appointment is effective March 6. She assumes the post previously filled by Andrew T. Walther, who died in New Haven, Connecticut, in November 2020 of complications related to leukemia. Walther had joined the organization June 1 of that year after longtime service at the Knights of Columbus.

Alvarado is the founding anchor of the TV news program "EWTN News in Depth," which will mark two years on air in March. The show launched as a weekly one-hour discussion of current events in the church, politics and culture from a Catholic perspective.

Alvarado began her career at Becket, a nonprofit public interest law firm that defends religious freedom as a human right, including arguing cases before the U.S. Supreme Court. Alvarado rose to lead Becket as vice president and executive director over the span of 14 years of service.

In that time, the Becket team secured 12 victories at the Supreme Court on behalf of the Little Sisters of the Poor and their fight over the contraceptive mandate; Muslim death-row prisoners, who argued they should be allowed to be accompanied in the death chamber by an imam; and charitable groups, including such as the Philadelphia archdiocese's Catholic Social Services, which sued the city of Philadelphia to restore its right to place foster children in homes that uphold Catholic teaching on traditional marriage.

"As a seasoned executive, Montse will bring new energy and perspective to our global news services," Michael P. Warsaw, EWTN chairman and CEO, said in a statement.

"Her background in organizational management, understanding of the church, and experience in the public square are key elements that make her ideal for this role,” he said. “This combination of skills will allow EWTN News to become even stronger in delivering critical reporting and analysis."

Born in Mexico City, Alvarado holds a master's degree from George Washington University in political management and a Bachelor of Arts from Florida International University in political science.

"Mother Angelica's vision for EWTN was entrepreneurial, committed to excellence and reliant on Providence," Alvarado said in a statement. "The team at EWTN is remarkable and called for such a time as this to respond to the need for Truth in journalism."

"I look forward to leading this team of news professionals to play our necessary part in bolstering civil society through the free press," she said.

Alvarado has served in various roles with leading Catholic apostolates concerned with the new evangelization, the defense of free speech, the role of women and the treatment of marginalized communities in society.

She is on the advisory council to the Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious, the GIVEN Institute and the Catholic Information Center, among others.