A Conversation with CPG Leadership - 2025

The Rev. Canon Arlette Benoit Joseph is Executive Vice President and Chief Church Relations Officer. She is responsible for strengthening CPG’s ties with the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society, The General Convention of The Episcopal Church, and other groups and stakeholders around The Episcopal Church. Prior to this, she served as CPG’s Church Relations Officer since 2023.

Before joining CPG, she was the Canon for Transition Ministry in the Diocese of Pennsylvania. She held positions in the Diocese of New York at Trinity Church Wall Street, the Diocese of Atlanta at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, and the Absalom Jones Center in Atlanta. Prior to her ordination, she worked as a Marketing Analyst for United Parcel Service.

She holds an MDiv and a certificate in Spiritual Direction from the General Theological Seminary and a BA (with honors) in Marketing from Claflin University.

Mr. Armstrong is Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. He is responsible for providing strategic leadership and direction for the Church Pension Group's three lines of business. Prior to this, he served as Senior Vice President, Benefits Policy, and Chief Actuary of CPG since 2011.

Before joining CPG, he served as a Managing Principal and Practice Leader for the Eastern Region for Hewitt Associates’ Health Management Practice, where he was the lead consultant to CPG. Prior to this, he was an actuarial consultant for Buck Consultants and an actuarial associate for US Life Insurance Company.

He is a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries and a Member of the American Academy of Actuaries. He holds a BA in Mathematics from Rutgers University.

Mr. Hood is Executive Vice President, Chief Investment Officer, and Managing Director. He is responsible for overseeing the investment programs for The Church Pension Fund, The Church Insurance Companies, Church Life Insurance Corporation, and related entities. He joined CPG in 2023.

He formerly served as Managing Director in JPMorgan Asset Management’s Multi-Asset Solutions division where he helped oversee diverse portfolios totaling $350 billion.

Prior to this, he was Chief Economist at Traxis Partners, where he analyzed economies and markets in Asia, Europe, and Latin America. He also held positions with Barclays Capital, where he served as economist and market strategist for Latin America and global emerging markets; JPMorgan and JPMorgan Chase, where he served as economist for Latin America; and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, where he served as an economist developing risk studies.

He received an MPA in International Relations from Princeton University and a BA in Economics and Political Science from Carleton College where he graduated magna cum laude in Economics.

Ms. Taggart is Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, and Treasurer. She is responsible for directing CPG’s corporate financial management, overseeing its strategy and project management office, managing the corporate risk management process, and overseeing the information and technology support group.

She started at CPG as a consultant in 2002 and joined CPG as Vice President, Shared Services, in the Finance Department in 2004.

Prior to assuming her current position, Ms. Taggart was Senior Vice President, Strategic Planning and Project Management. Before CPG, she served as a Senior Vice President of Finance and CFO at Dun & Bradstreet, where she worked for 17 years with businesses across the United States, Europe, Latin America, and the Asia-Pacific region.

She holds a BS from the University of Maryland.

Mary Kate Wold serves as Chief Executive Officer and President of the Church Pension Group (CPG), a $17.5 billion financial services enterprise that provides retirement, health, life insurance, property and casualty insurance, and other products and services to The Episcopal Church. She also serves as a member of the Board of Trustees of The Church Pension Fund, CPG’s governing body.

She has served in a variety of leadership positions in the corporate, legal, and government sectors. Prior to joining CPG, she was a senior finance executive and principal corporate officer of Wyeth, one of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies. Before embarking on her corporate career, she was a partner and chaired the tax practice group of Shearman & Sterling, a leading global law firm. Earlier in her career, she served in the Office of Tax Policy of the United States Department of the Treasury.

Her board participation has included both not-for-profit and for-profit organizations. She sits on the board of the Church Benefits Association, a national association of faith-based benefits organizations, and on the steering committee of the Church Alliance, a benefits policy and advocacy group. She serves on the vestry of Trinity Church Wall Street in New York City and on its investment committee, which oversees the institution’s multi-billion-dollar real estate and securities portfolio. She also sits on the boards of Nucleus RadioPharma, The Jackson Laboratory, and Burke Neurological Institute. Her professional affiliations include membership in the Women’s Forum of New York and Women Corporate Directors.

Mary Kate spent her childhood in Bottineau, North Dakota, a small rural community on the Canadian border. She graduated from Hamline University in St. Paul, Minnesota, summa cum laude with a BA in English and Theater and was elected a member of Phi Beta Kappa. She later graduated cum laude from the University of Michigan Law School. She holds an honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters from the Berkeley Divinity School at Yale University.