Anne Cullen Miller retires from the Catholic Community Foundation of Minnesota (CCF) next month after nearly 18 years with the St. Paul-based nonprofit and 13 as its president. During her time at the helm, the foundation has grown from $200 million to $800 million in total assets stewarded — and from $6 million to $45 million in annual grantmaking. Christopher Nelson, executive vice president of the foundation, will succeed her.
Cullen Miller and her husband, Mark, live in Mendota Heights and belong to St. Thomas More in St. Paul. They have three adult children and two young grandsons.
At 62, Anne Cullen Miller was thoughtful about discerning her retirement. “I feel this sense of peace that this is the time,” she said. “I believe it’s better to go a little early than half a minute too late. And I know this is a really good time for the foundation to absorb a leadership change without interrupting our momentum.”
Q) What do you love about being Catholic?
A) This inheritance of faith, the profound sense that this faith connects me not only to God but to generation after generation of my family whose roots of deep faith stretch back to Ireland and a bit of Norway and Germany as well. That legacy of faith is the through-line to who I am.
My faith both completes me and challenges me. It calls me every day to trust without fear, to love more generously and to receive love with greater openness.
Q) When were you first introduced to Ignatian spirituality?
A) My introduction was through a women’s silent retreat with my mom, who invited me for years to accompany her on a four-day retreat, which she had done many times. When she got older, she didn’t feel like she could go by herself, so finally I went, and of course, in trying to do something for my mom, I was the one who was gifted and changed through the experience. This particular spirituality teaches that you can find God in all things — in work, relationships, decision-making, emotions, nature, ordinary life. It feels accessible.
Q) And how was the silent retreat?
A) With this sometimes all-encompassing work and the busyness of family, it’s often a frenetic pace. We get so caught up in the world and what we think we’re supposed to be doing. On the retreat, I came to feel more clear-headed and grounded. Of course, you go right back into it and have to pull yourself back out. I’m still practicing. I’m not even close to where I want to be, but I know enough to keep trying.
Q) How do you lean into Advent?
A) I start by trying to find my Advent candles every year. They help me as a constant reminder, a grounding focus on what’s important — to pray through the season, to not get too caught up in the worldly pressures of it.
Q) What’s your favorite Christmas song?
A) My dad died when I was 8. Of my memories, I recall he always had Mitch Miller’s “Christmas Sing-Along with Mitch” album playing during the season, and the “White Christmas” song resonated with me. It brings me back to my early childhood.
Q) So the opportunity to be a grandparent — which he never got — is one you don’t take lightly?
A) For sure. I don’t take it for granted, the chance to live another day, to try again to get it right. I’ve never resented getting older. I have had this opportunity to watch my kids grow up, move into careers, become parents, become amazing citizens. It’s a gift. I embrace gray hair because I am reminded that my dad never got that opportunity, so I celebrate it. I try to treat aging as the gift that it is.
Q) What makes a great leader?
A) A leader is defined less by authority and more by spiritual posture, relational wisdom and the ability to motivate others to see their role as a calling, not a position. A great leader shares success with others and makes decisions with integrity, humility and a long-term vision. I’ve always embraced continuous learning. Real growth in myself as a leader comes in finding ways to unlock leadership potential and learning in others.
Q) What have you learned about generosity?
A) Where there’s generosity, there is joy; there is an absence of fear and a surrender of control. There’s a sense of peace followed by a sprinkling of love which emanates from those who are generous. It’s been stunning. It’s stopped me in my tracks to actually see these attributes consistently present in those who live in generous ways.
I’ve seen people doing such amazing things so quietly. I ask them, “Why are you doing this?” They almost always say the same thing: “I’ve been lucky in my life; I don’t feel worthy of blessings that I received; I know I’m a temporary steward of these blessings and I know because of the Gospels that I’m obligated to pass these on.” I’ve heard some version of this sentiment time after time.
Q) “A sprinkling of love” — it’s palpable.
A) Yep, you can’t deny it. The blessing of being a witness to this has made me more generous. When you see it, you know it’s real and I feel called to emulate it.
Q) How are generosity and gratitude connected?
A) Generosity rarely begins with abundance. It begins with gratitude. When people recognize the blessings in their own lives, they often feel drawn to share those blessings. Gratitude softens the heart. It expands perspective. It awakens a desire to give so others may experience that hope and dignity. Gratitude inspires generosity, and generosity strengthens gratitude — it’s a self-fulfilling cycle.
Q) One begets another.
A) If you think about it in a Catholic context, it’s rooted in a spiritual truth that everything we have is a gift from God. This awareness naturally stirs gratitude and the recognition that we live not by our own efforts alone but by God’s grace poured out.
Q) How do you practice generosity?
A) I try to practice (it) in ways that are attentive and quiet. For me, it’s less about doing anything big or visible and more about noticing where someone might need encouragement, support or even just to know they’re not alone. I’m mindful that generosity is about the other person, not me, so I try to give in ways that respect dignity and don’t draw attention. I don’t always get it right, but I try to stay open to the small invitations that God places in front of me.
I cook meals for people, send flowers, celebrate with others. There’s nothing like someone being quietly noticed. You heard what they had to say; you paid attention. These days we go along in this world not paying attention to people. We’ve got our heads in our phones, half listening. Those small little acts make a huge difference.
Q) It sounds like you discerned your retirement with the same care you used to first accept the job.
A) I moved into the role very reluctantly after a period of discernment which included time in adoration. That experience reminded me: If I took the job, I’d never be doing the work alone. God, the Holy Spirit, would always be helping me. This help, this synchronicity, has been a powerful force throughout my career at CCF. I’ve always felt the Holy Spirit guiding and weaving throughout my work.
There have been a lot of ups and downs during my tenure with the foundation. Some days I really didn’t know what I was going to do, which way to go, and then I’d have a conversation with someone who said yes to something when they had every reason to say no, or I picked up a random phone call where an introduction was made to somebody who could really help, or I’d read an article or have a sense that I needed to call this person which resulted in a breakthrough, progress, a path. You couldn’t pretend there was something else at work. It’s been amazingly consistent. These interventions come from all different places and sources. So I’ve come to strongly believe in that synchronicity. You know it when you experience it, and I believe in it.
Q) What will retirement bring?
A) I haven’t had time to dream about it yet, but that’s exciting. I’ve become a digital reader and so, in retirement, I’m moving back to being a physical reader. I like to hold a book and highlight it. I feel like I’ll have the gift of free choice now, more time — time with my mom, time with my grandkids, my kids and husband, time with my friends, time on my bike or with a racket in my hand. I love to be outdoors.
Q) How do you lean into winter?
A) I cross-country ski. I love it. Walking on a frozen lake, it’s amazing to hear the deep sounds of lake ice cracking. It’s otherworldly. You see God’s presence in all things. I get so much energy and joy from experiencing nature in all its forms. I’m not afraid of weather.
Q) It takes humility and grace to hand over the reins to someone new. How do you feel about your successor, Chris Nelson?
A) I am super excited! The news has been totally embraced by our community. The Holy Spirit is alive and well in what’s to come. It makes it easier for me to leave knowing someone as capable and faithful as Chris is at the helm.
Q) Is he different from you in certain ways?
A) Yes! The new president is not a replica, and he shouldn’t be. For the period of time I’ve been at the foundation, my skill set was a fit, and now it’s in this new era — we’re going to be a billion-dollar organization soon — and there will be new skill sets demanded for this future, not just with the executive director but with our board. We’ve been preparing for this new normal for a long time.
Q) What do you know for sure?
A) When I think about that, I realize I don’t know anything for sure, and that’s what I know for sure. I have learned to trust. I’ve become a fan of the Litany of Trust. When you really take that in prayer, you can let go of this sense that you know anything. If you really trust God, you don’t have to know. We can stay focused on growing in his love and putting our lives in service to others.
