Mr. Paredes currently serves as Chief Executive Officer of Somos Community Care (f/k/a Advocate Community Providers). He continues his affiliation with American Bible Society (ABS) as a member of the Board of Trustees after serving for seven years as its Presidential Liaison to Roman Catholic Ministry from which he retired in 2015. Mario is a Founder and Chairman of the Board for Catholic Association of Latino Leaders (CALL) and is today its Chairman Emeritus. Mr. Paredes is also a member of the Board of Directors of America Media, is a Director and former President of the North American-Chilean Chamber of Commerce of New York, a Director of enFamilia Radio and Notes for Growth and is the Treasurer and former Vice President of the Gabriela Mistral Foundation.

Mario joined Merrill Lynch as Vice President of Business Development in April 2001 and was appointed Director of the U.S. Hispanic Market for the Multicultural & Diversified Business Development Group in 2002. In February of 2007, he was transferred to the Corporate Division.

Under Mayor Ed Koch, he served as Commissioner for the Charter Revision of New York City. Mr. Paredes served as Personal Advisor to John Cardinal O’Connor, Archbishop of New York and has also served as Consultant to the Latin American Commission to the Vatican and the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops.

For 30 years, Mr. Paredes directed the operations of the USCCB’s (United States Catholic Conference of Bishops) in the Northeast Region. He served as Founder and Director of the Northeast Hispanic Catholic Center. 

Mr. Paredes earned his Master of Philosophy at the Catholic University of Argentina, Masters in Religious Education at Loyola University Chicago and postgraduate studies at Georgetown University. 

He is founder of the national weekly El Visitante Dominical in USA and El Visitante de Puerto Rico. Mario has served as an Editorial Board Member of El Diario-La Prensa, Catholic New York, The Tablet and El Pregonero.

Mr. Paredes is editor of the Polyglott Bible and Camino a Emaus, both published by ABS, and the Leccionario Dominical and Ferial for the United States.  In addition, he is the author of The History of the National Encuentros (2014, Paulist Press), Un Papa para la Urbe y Orbe (1979, Catholic Center of New York), Hispanics in USA (1980, Catholic Center of New York), Official Lectionary for U.S. Hispanic Catholics (1985, Northeast Catholic Center) and Catecismo del Pueblo (1976, Our Sunday Visitor). 

Mr. Paredes received the “Degree of Knight” as the recipient of the 2018 Order of Merit Gabriela Mistral award and, in 2017, he received a “Doctor of Liberal Arts” degree from The Catholic University of America. Mr. Paredes was created Knight Grand Cross of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem in 2012.

In addition, Mario has received the Catholic Press Association Award, the Archbishop Patrick Flores Medal from the USCCB, the Joseph P. Fitzpatrick Award from Fordham University and The Pierre Toussaint Medallion.