Board & Staff
The Father McKenna Center has a lead staff team of dedicated professionals.
Each member of our team has a deep commitment to our guests and our community, and considers their work an act of prayer and service. While each person has a defined area of responsibility, we are a highly collaborative, cross-functional team, helping out wherever necessary to ensure the Center functions well.
Our team is supplemented by dozens of regular volunteers – many of them giving multiple hours of their time every week – and hundreds of visiting volunteers over the course of the year. We could not operate without them, and are grateful for their generosity.
Staff
Kimberly K. Cox, Ph.D., President
Kim has led the Father McKenna Center for three years. In that time she has focused the work of the Center on Case Management for the Day Program and healthy groceries for the Food Pantry. “It is a joy to work with such a strong team,” she writes. “The staff and volunteers are dedicated to seeing the dignity of each person who visits the Center and supporting his or her journey to stability and meaning in life.” Kim is spearheading the Slow Miracles Campaign to raise $3.75M to underwrite major renovations at the Center, so that the Center can better meet the needs of our guests and those who rely on the Center each day. Kim holds a B.A. in Russian Language and Literature from the University of Iowa, a Masters in International Affairs from Johns Hopkins SAIS, and a Ph.D. in Economics from Duke University. For almost twenty years, she taught Economics at the university level.
Father Gap LoBiondo, Chaplain
Gap (Gasper) LoBiondo, SJ joined the Jesuits in 1955 after one year premed at Georgetown University. Since 2013 he has been Superior of the Saint Aloysius Gonzaga Jesuit Community and assists as chaplain with the promotion of Ignatian Mission and Identity at Gonzaga High School, Washington Jesuit Academy, and the Father McKenna Center. During his Jesuit formation he taught at St. Joseph’s Prep in Philadelphia and at Colegio San Mateo in Osorno, Chile. After ordination in 1968 he lived and worked among the urban and rural poor in Chile. After returning from Chile he received a doctorate in development economics and put it to work in a variety of ways by serving at the Office of Social Ministries of the US Jesuit Conference and then as assistant to the Maryland Provincial for social and pastoral ministries. Prior to serving on Eye Street, Gap served as director of the Woodstock Center at Georgetown University from 2002 to 2013. Together with Dr. Rita Rodriguez he worked on a social research and spirituality project with Jesuits at social research and action centers around the world.
Cortez McDaniel, Director of Services
Cortez has provided leadership for direct services to men struggling with homelessness for the past eight years. He was trained as an addictions counselor at Second Genesis and has written a manual on Recidivism Prevention. His street sense and commitment to the men makes him the right choice to lead the program here. Much of his credibility comes from life experience. He has successfully reclaimed his life and dedicated himself to helping others who struggle with homelessness. Cortez is a co-founder of the DC Homecomers Academy, an organization that serves men recently released from prison, and is a co-founder of the DC Peace Team, a group that works with youth and adults to offer non-violent approaches to ending confrontational situations in society. He currently serves on the Criminal Justice Coordinating Committee. Cortez is delighted to work at the Center. “It is a chance for my ministry and work to intersect. I get to serve God every day when I am at the Center.”
Ned Hogan, Director of Development and Volunteer Coordinator
Ned joined the Father McKenna Center team in January 2014. He was hired to launch a professional fund development effort at the Father McKenna Center. Ned has also led a very successful effort to expand the volunteer base to support the work of the Center. The Center has gone from five or six weekly volunteers to more than 40 regular volunteers in just three years. Additionally, hundreds of volunteers come for service on Saturdays, holidays and to augment our staff during the week. Mr. Hogan has nearly twenty years’ experience raising funds for small nonprofit organizations, raising $25,000,000 for mission. Ned has also been a leader in the Association of Fundraising Professionals. He holds an A.B. from Georgetown University as well as masters’ degrees in American History and Theology. He was for 22 years a member of the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits). This is what Ned has to say about his work at the Center: “As I look over my working career I find the team to be the best collaborative working situation of my career. I see a true partnership on behalf of the men we serve.”
Christine Melekian, Director of Operations
Christine has been with the Center since 2014, initially as its part time bookkeeper, and recently took on the role of Director of Operations. In this position, she is responsible for bookkeeping, IT, human resources, and plant management functions as well as acting as a liaison to many of the Center’s outside service vendors. Examples of her recent achievements include transitioning the Center’s digital work to a cloud-based system, and purchasing and overseeing the installation of two new washers and dryers that serve our clients on a daily basis. In her past positions, Christine has held project and program management titles in the federal contracting arena, in addition to being the Director of Business Operations for 8 years for a small federal contractor. Christine holds a Bachelor of Science from Georgetown University and a Masters in Community Planning from the University of Maryland at College Park. Christine’s thoughts about working at the Center: “I find the perseverance of our guests toward a better life, and the dedication of our staff and volunteers to help them along, inspiring. It makes me proud to work in an organization that is improving our society and our neighborhood one person at a time!”
Russell Byrd, Kitchen Manager
Russell joined the Father McKenna Center team in 2017. He is a former guest at the Center, having struggled with addiction and homelessness. Born in Louisville, KY, Russell came to DC and worked for DC Government. Russell credits the Clean and Sober program and The Father McKenna Center for helping him reclaim his life over the past five years. Russell loves to cook and when the Kitchen Manager position at the Father McKenna Center became available he applied because he wants to give back, and help others who now walk the path he has walked. Russell comes to work early each morning because he finds peace here at the Center. “The McKenna Center is filled with loving people,’ he says. “I’ve never worked in an environment like this where my Christian values are supported. I am uplifted when one of the guests graduates from our Program and moves to a better life.”
Brian Graham, Assistant Case Manager
Brian joined the team at the Father McKenna Center in April of 2018. He is a “graduate” of the Father McKenna Center program to assist men struggling with homelessness. Brian moved to DC from South Carolina in 2017 when a friend encouraged him to move here for a job. When the job failed to materialize, Brian was homeless. He stayed in the New York Avenue Shelter (operated by Catholic Charities), and with the help of counsellors at Strive DC he found a temporary job. Brian then found The Father McKenna Center and asked Cortez McDaniel for help. Cortez mentored Brian through getting himself settled in DC and Cortez encouraged Brian to get into transitional housing at Emery House. Cortez identified Brian as someone who could be an effective part of his team, and when there was an opening on the team, Cortez invited Brian to join The Father McKenna Center. Brian says, “I like being able to help the guests overcome the obstacles they face. I can relate to their experiences.
Jhonny Daza, Janitor
Jhonny came to the Father McKenna Center as one of our guests and was a member of the 2016-17 Hypothermia / Transition Program community. Originally from Bolivia, Jhonny came to the US with a job in 2003. When that job ended, despite a degree in Economics from San Francisco Xavier University, Jhonny could not find work and became homeless. During the Hypothermia / Transition Program he distinguished himself as a hard worker and someone who paid attention to the details of keeping the Center clean and welcoming for others. He was hired as the Janitor in April 2017 and has done a super job of keeping the Center neat and clean. He has a special way with volunteers, getting them to work with him to sweep, mop, collect trash and some of the many little tasks that make up the work of the Janitor at the Father McKenna Center. “The environment at the Center is wonderfully supportive. I find a lot of kindness here, among the staff, volunteers and always for the men we serve.”
Austin Smith, JVC Volunteer (Full-time), Food Pantry Coordinator
Austin is the Father McKenna Center’s second Jesuit Volunteer. He is a 2017 graduate of Bucknell Univeristy and has deferred a position with PriceWaterhouseCoopers for one year to give that year in service to the poor. He coordinates two major programs at the Center, the Mail Distribution program and the Food Pantry. Mail is a very important role because we receive mail for more than 200 men at any one time. The mail must be sorted and filed so that the Reception volunteers can distribute it to the men. The Food Pantry, under Austin’s leadership, has grown and become a real support for many families in Ward 6 of the District of Columbia. “The sense of community here at the Center is what makes it special,” writes Austin. “We build a strong community among the staff, and between the staff and our guests. It is awesome to see community grow in the Food Pantry Program between the volunteers and our Food Pantry patrons.”
Stephanie Caban, Staff Assistant / Clothing Closet Coordinator
Stephanie is a native New Yorker, and proud of it! She first came to the Father McKenna Center as a volunteer through the Franciscan Mission Service. She has been a part of the FMC team since February 2018. She was hired to help Dr. Cox with a number of projects and she has assumed the responsibility for guiding the Clothing Closet, a major undertaking at the Father McKenna Center. Stephanie is a 2016 graduate of The State University of New York at New Paltz, with a degree in Communications and Theater. “My favorite thing to do at the Center is to have lunch with the guys, getting to know them a little bit better. This is much more satisfying than just giving them food and clothing,” she says. She is co-directing and co-producing a play about homelessness starring men in our Day Program.
Board Of Directors
We are guided by a volunteer Board of Directors. Board members give generously of their time, talent, and expertise. Many have been involved with the Center for more than a decade. These committed men and women came to us by many paths – their churches, Gonzaga College High School, their community or business relationships, and their other volunteer affiliations, such as Compass.
Executive Committee
Gerry Nolan, Chair
Principal, HB Products
Mary Forde, Secretary
CPA/Attorney (retired)
Kevin Curtin, Treasurer
Attorney, Law Office of Kevin Curtin
Board Members
Steven Backes
Portfolio Manager, The Capital Group
Rev. David Bava
Pastor, Holy Redeemer Parish
Geoffrey Brown
School Finance Specialist, Ed-Ops
Sr. Seton Cunneen, SND
Faculty, Gonzaga College High School (retired)
William Douglass
Public Affairs Officer, US Department of State
Gary Grandchamp
Principal, G2 Consulting
Walter Hill
Vice President, US Export-Import Bank
Harry Kettmer
President, Kettmer & Company
Rev. Gaspar LoBiondo, SJ
Superior, Jesuit Community of St. Aloysius Gonzaga
Maureen McCarty
Community Volunteer
Joyce Montemayor
Audit Supervisor, Gelman, Rosenberg & Freedman
Jerry O’Neill
Community Volunteer
Michael Onufrychuk
Senior Vice President, Fidelity Bank Mortgage Co.
Rev. Stephen Planning, SJ
President, Gonzaga College High School
Lisa Ryan
Attorney
Peggy Still
Community Volunteer
Paul Warren
Chairman and Publisher, Warren Communications
Fred Henry Zimmerman
Program Analyst, US Dept. of Veterans Affairs
Kelsey Zimmerman
Systems Engineer, The MITRE Corporation