OUR TEAM

Our dedicated team works with clients, partners, and donors to strengthen families that are at risk of child abuse and neglect. We provide parenting education and support to achieve the vision that all children live in a world free of abuse and neglect.

Fueled by a passion to lift those in need, Rhonda Neal joined Saint Joseph Parenting Center (SJPC) as Executive Director in 2019. Leveraging her proven ability to identify and convert new opportunities and build relationships, Rhonda quickly grew SJPC from $600,000+ to over $1.5M in annual revenues winning grants including $250K from the State of Connecticut and $3.3 million 5-year grant from the Federal government.

At SJPC, Rhonda applies the same creative and critical thinking to expand SJPC’s reach that have marked her career to date. In 2021, SJPC served 350 parents in Stamford, and, with the addition of our Danbury Center in January, we served 22% more parents in 2022. Using organizational skills honed since the early years of her career, Rhonda successfully managed SJPC through the Covid-19 pandemic transitioning fundraising, courses and community-support offerings from in-person to online and then back to in-person as she also increased SJPC staff from 9 to 19 to accommodate growing demand for SJPC’s child abuse prevention services.

A woman of faith, Rhonda works to create a culture of inclusion, community, support and love. Rhonda graduated from Hampton University with a degree in Business Management, an MBA from the University of Bridgeport and a master’s degree from Clark Summit University summa cum laude. Currently a Danbury resident, Rhonda is an avid tennis player and student of golf. She loves jazz, traveling, fine cuisine and trading stock options. She is the proud mother of Niema Riley, her only child, who graduated with honors.

OUR FOUNDER

Measi O’Rourke

Measi O’Rourke started her career as a registered nurse in 1982, with a focus maternal and pediatric nursing. After a career break to raise her 5 children, Mrs. O’Rourke became Director of Volunteer Services at Saint Joseph Parenting Center in Akron, OH in 2004.  For two years, she facilitated along with the Executive Director, the growth of this nonprofit parenting education and resource center. She recruited and managed over a hundred volunteers, coordinated a curriculum of 24 different parenting classes and supervised instructor delivery.

In 2006, Measi’s family relocated to CT and she spent most of 2009 writing a business plan, establishing governance and collecting seed money to replicate the model of the OH based SJPC. Saint Joseph Parenting Center – Stamford was founded in 2009, as a 501(c) 3 corporation. The mission of SJPC is to strengthen families at risk of child abuse and neglect by providing parenting education and resource support. Measi and SJPC work closely with the CT Department of Children & Families, juvenile/family courts in Fairfield County, as well as other community service providers, growing SJPC to serve over 300 families annually.

In 2019, Measi stepped down as Executive Director of SJPC after 10 years of providing vision and expertise in nonprofit management. She remains on the SJPC board and serves as the Board chair of SJPC’s Expansion Committee, exploring how the organization can serve additional communities that need help.