A hospital charity ship ministry announced the appointment of Cal Huge as its new chief executive officer on Tuesday.

The executive board of Mercy Ships had earlier confirmed Huge’s appointment on Nov. 28.

"Cal will be a great partner with me in leading the charity given his extensive and well rounded experience," said Mercy Ships’ founder/president Don Stephens, in a statement.

Huge began working with the ministry in the mid-1980’s when he prepared the initial legal groundwork for the establishment of several Mercy Ships offices in Europe. From 1987-1990, he managed the Mercy Ships Switzerland office.

The new Mercy Ships CEO is an attorney who most recently served as Interim Finance Manager for PACTEC International in Kabul, Afghanistan. PACTEC provides air transportation and satellite communications to NGOs (non-governmental organizations) in Afghanistan.

Huge also held the positions of president of Charlotte Christian School in Charlotte, N.C., and headmaster of Cathedral Academy in North Charleston, S.C.

The new Mercy Ships CEO and his wife Libussa (Bu) have five children and nine grandchildren. Huge’s permanent home is in Summerville, S.C. He enjoys sailboat racing during his free time.

Mercy Ships was founded in 1978 as a global charity by Don and Deyon Stephens. The ministry recruits volunteer professionals from around the world to join the crew on hospital ships that offer free health care services to the poor around the world. Doctors, dentists, nurses, community developers, teachers, cooks, seamen, engineers, and other skilled persons have made it possible for Mercy Ships to perform more than 1.5 million services, with a value of $600 million that directly impacted more than 1.7 million people.