Montclair Resident Appointed Chancellor Of Newark Archdiocese

MONTCLAIR, NJ — A Montclair resident has been appointed as chancellor of the Archdiocese of Newark.

Christine James succeeds Sister Donna Ciangio of the Dominican Sisters of Caldwell, who served as chancellor since 2018.

Raised in Montclair, James will be helping to guide a diocese that serves roughly 1.3 million Catholic residents across Bergen, Essex, Hudson and Union counties.

According to the archdiocese, James brings more than three decades of executive leadership experience in investment management to her new role. She served as managing director of business development and client relations at Allspring Global Investments in New York and previously held a similar role at Wells Fargo Asset Management in New York and Philadelphia. She also served as managing director and portfolio manager with Evergreen Investments and as chief operating officer at Tattersall Advisory Group in Philadelphia.

James earned a bachelor of business administration and a master of business administration from Villanova University, as well as a master of arts in educational leadership and administration from Montclair State University. She is pursuing a doctor of education in educational leadership and administration at Caldwell University.

An alumna of Lacordaire Academy, James has chaired its board of trustees since 2009. She also has served as president of the board of trustees of the Montclair Art Museum since 2024 and as a trustee of the Montclair Foundation since 2020. She previously served as a trustee of the Morris Arboretum of the University of Pennsylvania.

In 2021, James became a Lay Dominican Associate and became more actively involved with the Caldwell Dominicans’ Committee on Global Issues. She volunteers in spiritual ministries at her parish and has served on the Parish Finance Council and the Pastoral Council of Immaculate Conception Church in Montclair. James also served on the Archdiocesan Pastoral Council and the Planning Commission for We Are His Witnesses, the Archdiocese of Newark’s pastoral initiative to strengthen parish life and plan for the future of the local church.

Cardinal Joseph Tobin, the archbishop of Newark, said James brings “exceptional leadership experience” to the position.

“I am grateful for her willingness to serve the Archdiocese of Newark and look forward to working with her as chancellor,” Tobin said.

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