Spokeswoman for USCCB president leaves after less than one year

From NCR: 

Hired less than a year ago, Kim Daniels has left her post as the spokeswoman for the president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

The conference confirmed the departure Wednesday, saying Daniels, the first to hold such a position, left by her own choice earlier this year.

“Kim left in January to be at home fulltime with her family,” Mercy Sr. Mary Ann Walsh, director of media relations for the conference, wrote in an email Wednesday.

Daniels, a mother of six, confirmed she left for family reasons but declined further comment.

Walsh said she could not elaborate further on Daniels’ exit because of a policy not to discuss internal personnel matters. As for whether the conference will seek a replacement for the position created just 11 months ago, Walsh said the conference president “will continue to be served by staff to assist with media issues and messaging, building on the successful work of Mrs. Daniels.”

…Daniels came to the conference from Catholic Voices USA, an organization she helped found in 2010 that seeks to bring the church’s message into the public square in a civil manner. She cited the group’s approach to discourse as a reason for her hiring, telling the Register that the bishops appreciated her preference of “shedding light and not heat” on hot-button issues, being less Marines and more Peace Corps.

But it was her work prior to Catholic Voices that drew scrutiny upon her hiring.

Numerous new outlets pointed out her de facto title as “personal domestic policy czar” for Sarah Palin following the former Alaska governor’s unsuccessful vice presidential bid in 2008. Daniels worked for Palin from September 2009 to April 2010, and her duties included daily briefings and writing speeches.

Read more.