Ronald A. Hicks, born August 4, 1967, in Chicago to Ronald and Rosalee Hicks, is a prominent American Catholic prelate known for his expertise in priestly formation and missionary work.[1][2][4] He earned a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy from Niles College of Loyola University Chicago in 1989 and a Master of Divinity in 1994.[5][6] Ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Chicago on May 21, 1994, Hicks began his ministry as associate pastor at Our Lady of Mercy Parish (1994-1996) and St. Elizabeth Seton Parish in Orland Hills, Illinois (1996-1999).[1][2][3] From 1999 to 2005, he served as dean of formation at St. Joseph College Seminary in Chicago. In 2005, he moved to El Salvador as regional director for Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos (NPH), overseeing care for over 3,400 orphaned and abandoned children across nine Latin American and Caribbean countries—a role reflecting his early post-high school volunteering with the organization.[1][2][3][4] Returning in 2010, he resumed as dean of formation at Mundelein Seminary until 2014, while assisting at St. Jerome Parish.[1][2][3] Hicks advanced rapidly: appointed vicar general of the Archdiocese of Chicago by Cardinal Blase Cupich on January 1, 2015; ordained auxiliary bishop on September 17, 2018; and named bishop of the Diocese of Joliet, Illinois, by Pope Francis on July 17, 2020.[1][2][3] He chairs the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Committee on Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations, serves as liaison to related associations, and sits on boards for the Catholic Extension Society and Mundelein Seminary.[3][4] On December 18, 2025, Pope Leo XIV appointed him the 11th archbishop of New York, succeeding Cardinal Timothy Dolan, with installation set for February 2026—elevating his profile in one of the Church's most influential sees.[1][2][4] Hicks remains noted for pro-life advocacy, including leading a 3.4-mile Eucharistic Procession for Life in Naperville.[4]