Detroit — Catholic Charities of Southeast Michigan has named Dave Bartek as its new chief executive officer, succeeding Jason Shanks at the helm of the six-county social service agency.

Msgr. Charles Kosanke, chairman of Catholic Charities’ board of directors, made the announcement Aug. 30.

According to a news release from Catholic Charities, Bartek was chosen from a pool of 44 applicants collected from a national search. Since early 2016, Bartek has served as director of CCSEM’s immigration and refugee resettlement program, manager of the agency’s All Saints Soup Kitchen in southwest Detroit and as CCSEM’s chief operating officer.

Bartek succeeds Shanks, who earlier this year accepted a position as president of the Our Sunday Visitor Institute in Huntington, Ind.

“Dave is blessed with excellent leadership skills and possesses the spiritual depth to oversee this agency as an intentional disciple of Christ,” Msgr. Kosanke said in a statement. “We are blessed to have his steady hand and his experience gained during challenging circumstances when our refugee relocations soared in October last year then plummeted upon the (Trump) administration’s travel and refugee bans. We are confident he will guide CCSEM in its mission to bring help and hope to those in need in our community.”

As part of his responsibilities with CCSEM’s refugee resettlement programs, Bartek worked with state and local government officials to find help for 730 men, women and children from war-torn and impoverished nations in 2016.

Before Catholic Charities, Bartek worked for the United Way for Southeastern Michigan.

The father of three adult children lives in Livonia with his wife and attends St. Kenneth Parish in Plymouth.

Catholic Charities of Southeast Michigan was formed in 2011 from a merger of six county-based Catholic social service agencies in Metro Detroit.