The Board of Directors is pleased to announce Kathleen (Kathy) Marchi has joined Samaritans, Inc. as our new Executive Director and President. In this leadership position, Kathy will represent our life-saving suicide prevention mission and values to external audiences at city, state, regional, national, and international levels. She will collaborate with other organizations in the suicide prevention community, corporate partners, and legislative leaders in Massachusetts to further raise awareness that suicide is preventable.
Kathy brings over 30 years of leadership, advancement, and management skills to Samaritans. She comes from MIT Sloan School of Management where she held the position of Director of Alumni Relations. At MIT, she was a member of the Office of External Relations Leadership Team, contributing to the overall fundraising plan. Prior to Kathy’s work at MIT, she served as the Executive Director of The Newton Partnership Child Care Scholarship Fund where she managed the annual scholarship program, oversaw the board of directors, engaged with community leaders, and collaborated with local agencies to understand student/family needs and target support to families for maximum impact. Kathy also worked for Newton Public Schools as Grants Director and provided leadership for The Newton Partnership, a collaborative overseeing more than $7.5M in federal funding from the Department of Education, Department of Justice, and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to address the social and emotional well-being of children, youth, and families. In addition, Kathy served as the Acting Executive Director of The Genesis Foundation for Children, an organization that helps children with genetic disorders, rare diseases, and disabilities reach their full potential and lead happy, productive lives.
Kathy describes her commitment to our mission, “There’s not a person in the universe who hasn’t felt despair and isolation at one point or another in their lives, and in those moments, there’s nothing like a compassionate and kind ear to listen and offer friendship and support. I couldn’t be more aligned personally or professionally with Samaritans’ mission and am eager to help lead the next phase of its growth and development alongside a dedicated and compassionate team, amazing Board of Directors, and exceptional volunteers.”
Steve Mongeau, Executive Director of Samaritans for nearly five years, is transitioning into retirement as Kathy joins the team. Steve remarks, “We are just so thrilled to have found Kathy. As Samaritans expands our services across the Commonwealth, I know Kathy can lead our team with the mission to save lives always at the forefront of her mind. I look forward to connecting with the Samaritans family at future events, and seeing the great heights the organization will reach.”
When Steve announced his retirement, the Board knew we had big shoes to fill. Steve’s time as Executive Director has transformed our organization, and we are eternally grateful for his guidance and dedication. Working with Development Guild DDI, our search committee wanted to ensure that we found someone with similarly outstanding leadership skills whose heart was in the work. Kathy exceeded our expectations. She is a terrific fit for both the mission and culture of our organization, and we are ecstatic to have her on board. We can’t thank Steve enough for the impact he has made on Samaritans, and we welcome Kathy to the team with open arms.
Kathy lives in Newton with her husband, Chris. As a relatively new golfer, she still finds the game fun and a great way to spend time on the weekend! Kathy’s first day as Executive Director was December 2, 2019. We look forward to introducing her to the Samaritans family at various events throughout December.
