Dr. Alie Redd joined the Covenant House Georgia (CHGA) team in March 2018, bringing 28 years of experience in the field of social work. Alie previously served as vice president of placement services at CHRIS 180, overseeing the organization’s therapeutic group homes, street outreach, community housing, permanent supportive housing, transitional living programs, drop-in center, and supportive services. Prior to that, Alie worked for Lutheran Services of Georgia. She has served various populations as a direct-service provider, clinician, clinical supervisor, advocate, advisor, administrator, and executive leader. 
 
Alie earned a bachelor’s in psychology from the University of Memphis and a master’s in social work and a doctorate in social work policy planning administration and social science with a cognate in public administration from Clark Atlanta University. She has been continuously licensed as a licensed clinical social worker since 2000. Her areas of research interest include: social and child welfare policy; commercial sexual exploitation of children; secondary trauma of social workers; refugees and immigration; racial identity; youth homelessness; and military families.

Alison Kear moved to Alaska in 1994 and discovered her purpose when she began volunteering with Covenant House Alaska (CHA). Her tenacity, ability to make connections, and her refusal to take no for an answer ultimately propelled Alison to the position of executive director in 2012. In a time of recession, in 2010, Alison successfully raised enough capital to construct a new building and youth center for CHA, inspiring many with her conviction, courage, and leadership. 

Alison values learning and has a master’s degree from Alaska Pacific University. In 2019, she was among 15 leaders selected from across the U.S. for the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s Children and Family Fellowship, a 21-month leadership program. 

Alison’s interests include Special Olympics Alaska, Soroptimist International of Cook Inlet, Alzheimer’s Association, and YWCA Alaska. She also loves to spend time with her devoted labradoodle, Lucy. At CHA, she inspires her staff by throwing 30-second dance parties for anyone with good news.
 

Angela has over thirty years of experience in the field of Real Estate and Construction Management. Prior to her tenure at Covenant House International, she was the Managing Director of the Culture, Health and Education Practice of Jonathan Rose Companies. Her experience has largely been with the public sector and non-profit entities to strategically plan, program, design, finance, construct and asset manage civic, cultural, institutional, and educational buildings.

Prior to rejoining Jonathan Rose Companies, Ms. Howard served as the Senior Director of Project Management for the Battery Park City Authority with responsibilities for capital planning, budgeting and project management for its large capital projects. She has also worked in the Capital Projects Department at Columbia University as well as for the Dormitory Authority of the State of NY and as a Construction Manager for Skanska and AJ Construction.

Her portfolio of projects includes restoration of the Irish Hunger Memorial and Battery Park, Post-Sandy restoration of the Athletic Fields at Battery Park City, Columbia University’s Butler Library, Starr East Asia Library and Lenfest Hall (Law School Residence), Safe Horizon 50 Court Street Project, Safe Space Jamaica and Rockaway centers, OWN Charter School, FDR Four Freedoms Park, Rockefeller Center Concourse renovation and the renovation of the Public Catalog and Main Reading Rooms at the New York Public Library among many others.

She also serves as a founding Board member of Academy of the City Charter School, board member at WIN NYC and TAWAH Tanzania and education advisor to the 14+ Foundation , as well as Parish Council member at St. Augustine’s RC Church in Park Slope.

Angela Jones Hackley is a servant leader with 24+ Years of successful leadership in non-profit management, resource development, policy analysis, philanthropy, program development, and relationship building.   Most recently, Angela was named the Executive Director of Covenant House Greater Washington, the DC area’s leading organization working to transform the lives of youth ages 18-24 experiencing homelessness, disconnection, and exploitation.    Previously,  Angela was the Interim CEO for the Wayfinder Founder, where she developed and led the foundation’s investment strategy focused on invests in women of color activists across the country who are in closest proximity to social justice issues.

Prior to joining the Wayfinder Foundation, Angela served as the Interim Executive Director of the DC Children and Youth Investment Trust Corporation (DC Trust) where she led the organization through a difficult transition period and worked closely with the District of Columbia government to responsibly wind-down the organization.  Additionally, before her time at the DC Trust she held several leadership positions during her 9-year tenure at the Community Foundation for the National Capital Region, including Interim President and Vice President of Philanthropic Service.  

Angela’s commitment to the well-being of children youth and families has extended beyond her professional positions, as she has proudly served as a member of many appointed commissions and board of directors for causes that feed her soul and passion for serving.  Some of her current and past board service includes Taproot Foundation, Grantmakers for Children, Youth and Families, Voices for America’s Children, and the DC Health Coordinating Council, and the United Way of the National Capital Area.

A native Washingtonian, Angela grew up in Anacostia in SE, Washington DC.  She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Virginia.  Angela also holds a Master’s degree in Urban Planning and Policy from the University of Virginia, as well as a Certificate in Leadership Development and an MBA from the John’s Hopkins University Carey School of Business.    Additionally, she is a graduate of Leadership Washington Class of 2000.

Angela’s greatest joy is to see the light and the promise of her 13- year old daughter, Landon.  This light and promise is what she wishes for all children, as she believes it is her calling and privilege to serve.  

Bill Bedrossian has been CEO of Covenant House California (CHC) since 2014. With  25 years’ experience in child welfare and homeless services, Bill attributes his passion for working with youth to his parents. They were foster parents for over 30 years and adopted eight of his 11 siblings through the child welfare system. 

Bill began his social work career in street outreach, residential care, and behavioral modification therapy in Chicago, Illinois, in the mid 1990s. He then spent 13 years with the L.A. County Department of Child and Family Services as South County regional director. Bill became executive director of Olive Crest, Los Angeles, in 2010 and executive director of Olive Crest’s Southern California operations in 2012. 

He has a bachelor’s in business administration and finance from Taylor University and a master’s in social work from Loyola University. He has been an adjunct professor in USC’s Graduate School of Social Work since 2012. Bill enjoys spending time with his family and rooting for his hometown sports teams.
 

Candida Sauceda is the Interim National Director at Casa Alianza Honduras and brings with her nearly 25 years of experience in a senior leadership role at the organization. Throughout the years she has been an integral part in establishing Casa Alianza Honduras as one of the premier children's social service organizations in Honduras. In addition to holding a Masters Degree in Education and Psychology, she has extensive expertise in leading non-profit human resource teams and sits on the board of the Honduran Christian Foundation.

Carlette started her career at Covenant House Alaska as an intern 25 years ago. She is a second-generation Covenant House employee; her mother worked at Covenant House Alaska as a case manager for 13 years. Her passion and dedication to serving youth led her to positions such as Program Coordinator for Rights of Passage, Director of External Affairs for Covenant House Washington. In 2017, Carlette served as Interim Executive Director of Covenant House Illinois, helping establish Covenant House’s newest site in Chicago. For the past eight years, Carlette has served as Chief Operating Officer for Covenant House Alaska.

Carlette is a trained clinical therapist with a primary focus on therapy with children and teens, having received her bachelor’s degree in Psychology and her master’s in Counseling Psychology, both from Alaska Pacific University. She is recognized for innovative program development and implementation, strategic planning, is a driving force behind agency collaboration with local partners, and has demonstrated management and leadership skills. She has strong integrity, and a passion for ensuring the well-being and quality of life for youth experiencing homelessness.

Carlette’s nickname is “Quiet Thunder” but do not let her quiet demeanor fool you – she loves talking about Covenant House and working to find solutions to better the lives of the young people we serve! Her favorite quote is: “I maintain the power to define who I am.

Dr. Carolina Escobar Sarti has been the national director of Asociación La Alianza since 2010. She is one of Guatemala’s most recognized poets, authors, and national newspaper columnists and writes regularly on human rights issues. Carolina is devoted to the children and youth in La Alianza’s care. She holds a doctorate in sociology and political science from the University of Salamanca, Spain; a master’s in Hispanoamerican literature from Rafael Landivar University in Guatemala; and degrees and diplomas in psychopedagogy, education, and research. She teaches at the university level and is engaged in social research. Guatemala’s president named Carolina the country’s Ambassador for Peace in 2011. On November 5, 2019, Carolina Escobar Sarti (National Director of La Alianza) receives the Olof Palme Medallion from the Olof Palme International Foundation in Barcelona, Spain.  The Medal is bestowed in recognition of those who have fostered Olof Palme's legacy to the world: the defense of human rights, commitment to peace, resolution of conflicts, and sustainable development. 

Daniel Karp joined the staff of Covenant House International (CHI) in 2019. For nearly 20 years, he has partnered with domestic and international agencies to save lives, lift communities out of poverty, promote human rights and the arts, and safeguard health. 

Daniel comes to Covenant House from the USO, where, as vice president for direct response, he helped connect the men and women of the U.S. armed forces to family, home, and country throughout their service. With a strong foundation and personal commitment to social justice, Daniel joins Covenant House seeking to address the immediate needs of young people experiencing homelessness. He envisions a world where no child is without a home. 

Daniel grew up in Connecticut. He and his wife have two children. 
 

David B. Howard, MSW, PhD, has more than 20 years of professional experience in the nonprofit sector, including senior management, program planning and evaluation, data management and analysis, fundraising, and direct care. David currently serves as the Senior Vice President of Research, Evaluation & Learning, leading our strategic efforts to achieve positive outcomes for and with youth facing homelessness. David’s team oversees our performance management initiatives and has helped Covenant House become a learning organization that embraces and implements rigorous performance measurement, continual quality improvement, and program excellence.

Prior to his work at Covenant House, David was the Director of Research and Innovation at The Doe Fund, one of the most successful nonprofit housing and workforce development providers working with homeless and formerly incarcerated individuals in the United States. He was also a researcher at the UCLA Center for Civil Society, where he co-authored numerous reports on the nonprofit and philanthropic sector. David has presented research findings to diverse audiences at national and international conferences. David has taught graduate-level coursework on program planning, design, evaluation, and grant writing, with current adjunct appointments at Columbia University and NYU.

David is a graduate of the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs, where he earned his doctorate and a master’s in social welfare, and University of California, Berkeley, where he received his bachelor’s degree.

Deirdre Cronin joined Covenant House in 1990 as a member of our Faith Community. She served in various positions at Covenant House New York, including intake coordinator, program services coordinator, and quality assurance director, until March 1995. Sr. Mary Rose McGeady, then president and CEO of Covenant House International, subsequently appointed her executive director of Covenant House Alaska (CHA). 

Deirdre's many accomplishments in Alaska during her 18-year tenure set a very high bar for effective leadership. The number of young people facing homelessness whom CHA served annually grew sixfold, the agency's budget quintupled, and CHA achieved the single largest capital campaign success in Covenant House history. Those funds allowed Deirdre to bring to fruition the construction of a new, purpose-built, 40,000-square-foot Covenant House for young people facing homelessness and human trafficking in Alaska. 
 
Deirdre achieved in Alaska what Covenant House aspires to achieve across all six countries where we work: a movement. Business leaders, volunteers, mentors, coaches, politicians, philanthropists, and youth all responded to her central message that every young person has a right to shelter.

A graduate of Seton Hall University, Gina Butler VonDerHeide began her career as a real estate paralegal at Sills Cummis in Newark, New Jersey. During her tenure at the firm, she acquired her master’s degree in public administration at Rutgers University, where a referral from a professor to Covenant House changed her life. She made a phone call to inquire about an internship she needed to complete her degree and never looked back! Gina started at Covenant House New Jersey in 2008 as a development manager, learning the ropes of fundraising and strategic planning. She found herself inspired and motivated by both the staff and youth she worked with (and still does). In 2011, Gina was given the opportunity to lead an initiative called "Peer to Peer Fundraising" at Covenant House International. After years of countless Sleep Outs and Home Team races, she moved into the role of senior vice president for development operations in 2018. Gina lives in New Jersey with her growing family.

Iraiz Castillo Cuadra is a native of Nicaragua, she is a psychologist with a Master’s degree in Management and Administration for Rural Development, in Project Formulation; with a specialty in Social Education, and Reading Skills Development for Primary Education. She is also trained in Emotion Management focused on mindfulness, holistic development and psychosocial care for children, adolescents, and youth. 

Iraiz has more than 20 years of work experience with the most vulnerable girls, boys, adolescents, and young people, in conditions of extreme poverty, abandonment and lack of protection. Iraiz spent most of her career working at international organizations that defend the rights and guarantee the social, family and educational insertion of this group at risk.

She worked with World Vision Nicaragua, Save the Children, Ayuda en Acción and was a consultant for SOS Children's Villages, Comunica and Educo. Iraiz has experience in effectively leading the partnership with organizations, local foundations, universities, and government agencies to achieve the mission and vision of the organizations she has represented.

She considers herself an empathetic professional, who is open to change, highly resilient and capable of leading her team with efficiency, quality and warmth, to continue serving the most vulnerable children, adolescents and youth in Nicaragua.

Jen Weikert joined Covenant House Philadelphia is December 2019 coming from College Possible Philadelphia, a college access and success nonprofit. At College Possible, Jen worked to make college admission and success possible for low-income students through an intensive curriculum of coaching and support. Her expertise and passion for helping young people will open more doors of opportunity for the resilient young people at Covenant House Pennsylvania.”

Before College Possible, Weikert served as chief development officer for Children’s Literacy Initiative (CLI), vice president at MCL Consulting, an adjunct professor at Temple University, and executive director of the YWCA of Philadelphia.

She was a board member and officer of Green Woods Charter School from 2014 to 2018; she currently serves on the boards of Coded by Kids and The Support Site Foundation.

Weikert holds a bachelor’s degree from La Salle University, a master’s from the National University of Ireland, Cork, and a certificate in fundraising from the University of Pennsylvania.

Before joining the team of devoted staff at Covenant House Missouri (CHMO) as chief executive officer in 2018, Jessica Erfling served for four years as chief operating officer for Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri. There, she guided the organization to substantial growth, transforming the Eastern Missouri Council into the sixth largest of 112 Girl Scout councils across the United States. She doubled resident-camp enrollment and significantly increased community collaboration and investment. Prior to that, Jessica served as vice president of operations for Sunnyhill, Inc., an organization that provides residential support, recreation, and educational opportunities for youth and adults with disabilities. 
 
Jessica received her master’s in social work from St. Louis University and a bachelor’s from Southern Illinois University. She serves on the executive committee of the board of directors of Rainbow Village, a community nonprofit that provides neighborhood homes for people with developmental disabilities in the St. Louis area.  

Since 1993, Jill Vorndran has focused her energies on missions and movements that support young people to harness their considerable power and affect change. As a founder of Do Something, she organized and taught alongside other young people to create community development in Newark, NJ. Thereafter, she joined Covenant House's movement to support young people to overcome homelessness and live their lives dreams. After a variety of leadership roles within the organization since 1999, she now serves as Covenant House's Chief Development Officer, leading the movement's efforts to grow support, financial stability and brand awareness. A lifelong Jersey girl, Jill is a graduate of Rutgers College and Seton Hall University School of Law and lives in Kenilworth, NJ with her husband Sean and their four teenagers.

Jim White has devoted his life to helping young people in crisis overcome their circumstances and move forward to a life and a future that are good. He has been executive director of Covenant House New Jersey (CHNJ) since 2013. 
 
Jim began his career with Covenant House in 1982 and has held executive positions at Covenant House International as well as at CHNJ. In 1985, he co-founded Rights of Passage, Covenant House’s transitional living program for youth overcoming homelessness. He is co-author of the groundbreaking study, “Recognizing Trafficking Among Homeless Youth,” and helped develop a tool for quickly identifying the trafficking experience among young people facing homelessness and getting them the trauma-informed care they need in a timely manner. 
 
Jim holds a master’s in social work from Stony Brook University and a Master of Business Administration from Long Island University. 

John Ducoff currently serves as chief legal officer for Covenant House International (CHI). For the past five years, through March 2019, he was executive director of Covenant House Pennsylvania (CHPA), the affiliate responsible for operating programs in Pennsylvania. During his tenure, CHPA increased the size of its emergency shelter program in Philadelphia by 50%, created a new permanent housing program for youth, and expanded outside Philadelphia for the first time in CHPA’s 20-year history, opening a 10-bed shelter, drop-in center, and street outreach program in the city of York. 

This is John’s second service at CHI. Previously, he served as senior vice president for strategic planning, where he led an initiative across all Covenant House affiliates to deploy a common programmatic database and use data as a management tool to achieve better outcomes for young people. 

Before coming to Covenant House, John was deputy commissioner for child welfare reform at the New Jersey Department of Children and Families, where he was responsible for leading a statewide initiative to reform New Jersey’s child welfare system and for the development and deployment of an agency-wide information technology system to 7,000 caseworkers. An attorney by training, John previously practiced law at Latham and Watkins, L.L.P., and clerked for the Supreme Court of New Jersey.
 

Joiel leads an ambitious effort to sustain and grow Covenant House International’s major and planned giving programs. In addition, Joiel helps engage and retain donors with a commitment to cross-channel collaboration.

Joiel joins Covenant House from Centene Corporation where she served as the Director of Marketing and Communication. In this role, she led the sales marketing outreach and events team across three U.S. regions. As a champion of strategic partnerships and personal transformation, Joiel is highly skilled at bringing people and teams together for the greater good. As a leader at designing large scale campaigns, she pioneered innovative lead generation, sales, and member engagement tactics in several industries.

Her career spans from a health insurance startup to Fortune 100 and 200 companies and higher education. Previous leadership roles were held by Joiel at Centene Corporation, a large multi-line managed care company and the State University of New York, the largest public university system in the United States.

Joiel holds a Master of Science degree from Fordham University in Strategic Marketing Communications and is certified in Thoughtful Leadership Coaching from The Gabelli School of Business. Joiel resides in Manhattan, NY with her husband Thomas. They have three adult children and a family dog, Samba.

Julie Farber has dedicated her career to opening doors of opportunity for children, youth and families, with more than 25 years of experience working at the local and national levels in the nonprofit sector and in government.  

Before joining Covenant House New York in September of 2022, Julie spent the past seven years as the Deputy Commissioner of the New York City Administration for Children’s Services (ACS), where she oversaw the foster care system, managing a $25M annual budget and 300 staff at ACS, and overseeing 26 nonprofit agencies with $500 million in annual contracts. Under Julie’s leadership, ACS reduced the number of children in foster care, reduced length of stay in care, increased foster home recruitment, significantly expanded education and employment services for youth, and increased supports for parents and families. Julie also implemented key strategies to improve race equity outcomes, including significantly increasing kinship care and launching an initiative in which parent advocates with lived experience of the child welfare system provide support for parents of children in foster care.  

Julie is a graduate of Duke University, earned an M.S.W. from Howard University in Washington, D.C. and completed the Coro New York mid-career fellowship program. 

Kevin Ryan has served as president and CEO of Covenant House International since 2009. Under his leadership, Covenant House has employed research, data, proven experience, and best practices to refine and advance the work to end youth homelessness; heighten the agency’s understanding of trauma and resilience; and build a strong focus on advocacy to promote just laws to protect young people facing homelessness and survivors of human trafficking. During Kevin’s tenure, Covenant House has seen the largest period of expansion, renovation, and renewal in our history: Covenant House now stretches across more than 30 cities in 6 countries and reaches tens of thousands of children and youth annually. Covenant House has been recognized with several of the world's most distinguished human rights awards, including the Conrad Hilton Humanitarian Award, the WOLA Human Rights Prize and the Olof Palme Peace Prize. 

Kevin initially served youth at Covenant House as an attorney-advocate from 1992 to 2002. He returned in 2009 to serve as the agency’s first lay president. He is the co-author of the national best seller, Almost Home, and has a J.D. degree from Georgetown Law School, a Master of Laws (LLM) from New York University Law School, and a B.A. from the Catholic University of America. He is a former Skadden Fellow and Wasserstein Fellow at Harvard Law School, and was the first public Child Advocate and the first Commissioner of Children and Families nominated by the governor in New Jersey. He also served as a member of President Barack Obama’s Advisory Council on Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships; an advisor to Major League Baseball on human trafficking; Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Human Services; and has been appointed by federal judges across the United States to monitor efforts to reform child welfare systems. 

He is the father of six children and describes himself as chief roadie to their musician-mother. They live at the Jersey shore with their two dogs.

Coming to Covenant House International in 2017, Leslie is responsible for integrating the site-facing and support functions at our headquarters, overseeing the Program, Research, Evaluation & Learning, Child & Youth Protection and Site Support departments as well as leading our enterprise risk management work. Leslie brings nearly 25 years of non-profit leadership and program experience both nationally and internationally at organizations serving vulnerable populations. Leslie graduated from Lafayette College with a degree in Psychology and earned a Master’s Degree in Social Work from University of Michigan.

Leslie Bourne joined Covenant House Texas (CHT) as executive director in January 2017. Previously, she was the CEO of Ronald McDonald House Houston for nine and a half years. She worked at The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, developing and implementing programs for the Children’s Cancer Hospital. 
 
Leslie is a graduate of the University of Texas Health Science Center at Dallas. She has done graduate studies in social work and holds a master’s in health care administration from Texas Women’s University.

Lori Maloney joined Covenant House International (CHI) in January 2016 and became senior vice president for program operations and advocacy in December 2017. 

Prior to joining Covenant House, she was an executive vice president and partner in JANUS Solutions, one of the mid-Atlantic region’s most respected human services consulting firms. The firm works with nonprofits and government leaders, turning ideas into results. 

Lori has more than 25 years’ experience advocating for social change and implementing cutting-edge programs that result in positive outcomes for children, youth, and families. At CHI, she provides programmatic and operational support to our affiliate sites as a site liaison. In addition, Lori leads our federal advocacy agenda, advancing our mission, and fostering our international movement to prevent and end youth homelessness. 

Lori graduated from Kean University and received her master’s from Rutgers University, where she was an Eagleton Fellow at the Eagleton Institute of Politics.
 

Mark Aston, a passionate and well-respected not-for profit leader, assumed the post of Covenant House Toronto Executive Director in July 2019.

Mark has dedicated his career to taking action against poverty and homelessness and brings a unique passion and specialized knowledge to Canada’s largest agency serving youth who are homeless, trafficked or at risk.

Mark has more than 20 years’ experience in the not-for-profit sector. First as Executive Director and, later, as CEO of Fred Victor, he transformed the organization into one of the leading agencies addressing homelessness and poverty in Toronto. He has extensive and varied experience in public policy development, system change initiatives, Board and sector leadership, revenue development and volunteerism.

Mark is committed to improving the quality of life and providing opportunities for people experiencing hardship, poverty and homelessness. To this end, he founded and leads the Toronto Alliance to End Homelessness, a volunteer organization comprised of 50 organizations—including Covenant House—focused on ending chronic homelessness in Toronto.

Mark brings a shared focus of respect, compassion and unconditional love to the work we do supporting youth who are transforming their lives and exploring their potential.
Our previous Executive Director, Bruce Rivers, retired in 2019 after eight years.

Meagan Dunn is a passionate advocate for vulnerable youth and families with over 15 years as a successful non-profit leader. Throughout her career, Dunn has focused on improving health outcomes for marginalized families across the state of Michigan. She has successfully managed community health programs that focus on the social determinants of health, particularly affordable housing and workforce development.

As the Chief Executive Officer at Covenant House of Michigan, Meagan provides strategic leadership in the areas of development, strategic planning and leadership, and fiscal management.

Prior to joining Covenant House of Michigan, Dunn served as the Vice President of Programs at the YWCA of Kalamazoo. In this role, Meagan was responsible for providing leadership for the agency’s programs. The agency’s focus areas include: advocacy and systems change; improving the lives of children; caring for victims of abuse; promoting maternal and child health and program evaluation and monitoring. Prior to joining the YWCA, Dunn was the director of community outreach and partnerships for Detroit based Henry Ford Health System. Dunn was responsible for the health system’s community investments and led stakeholder engagement for all of Henry Ford’s community/economic development projects. 

Dunn is a proud native Detroiter, where she and her husband and their three children reside. She is an avid runner and is passionate about community and economic empowerment. Meagan is a graduate of the University of Michigan – Ann Arbor and holds a MBA from Michigan State University’s Eli Broad School of Business. 

Nupur is recognized within the human resources field for her expertise in talent management, driving organizational improvement and change management. She leads our organizational human capital management strategy.

With experience in both Canada and the US, in profit and nonprofit sectors, Nupur brings extensive domestic and international experience in talent management, leadership training and development, corporate culture, HR metrics, organizational design and business transformation.

Having spent the early part of her career in Social Work, she brings a tremendous understanding and compassion for the mission and work of Covenant House. Nupur has a Masters in Leadership & Adult Learning and a Bachelors of Science in Psychology.

Pamela Kournetas is recognized as a finance leader with a strong for-profit foundation and eight years’ experience in large, complex global nonprofit organizations. At Covenant House International (CHI), Pamela determines, drives, and delivers the organization’s financial strategies, supporting CHI’s overall strategic direction for growth. Her responsibilities include day-to-day management of CHI’s finance and business management operations to ensure a sound financial structure and safeguard the assets of the organization.  

Pamela comes to Covenant House from Girl Scouts USA, where she served as deputy CFO. Prior to this, she was senior director for budget and financial planning and acting CFO at International Rescue Committee, where she was responsible for a budget of $700 million.  In addition, she repositioned the budget unit as a strategic analytic financial planning function and increased financial visibility, allowing for improved investment of the organization’s cash flow.  

Pamela started her career in the nonprofit world at New York University, where she served as associate director for budget and financial planning. Before pursuing a career in the nonprofit sector, Pamela worked for a number of prestigious financial management firms, including Steinberg Asset Management and Gabelli & Co.

Pamela’s strong finance background includes an MBA from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. She earned her undergraduate degree in political science at Duke University. 
 

Pam Sandonato joined Covenant House in 2014 as a member of the Peer to Peer (P2P) fundraising team. In January 2018, Pam became Senior Vice President of Marketing & Growth - her team is charged with establishing and expanding new enterprises, including digital, social, special events and P2P. Additionally, Pam is leading Covenant House International's rebranding work, which includes overarching articulation, messaging and visual identity. Pam loves and embraces the simplicity of Covenant House's unwavering mission since 1972: to provide a bed tonight and a better tomorrow.

Pam originally hails from south Jersey and is a graduate of University of Delaware. She has been a part of the NYC nonprofit community for over 15 years. Prior to Covenant House, Pam spent six years at the National Down Syndrome Society where she served as Vice President of Development. Pam lives in Jersey City with her husband and two kids. She loves good coffee, good jokes and good people.  
 

Patricia Secunza Schott has dedicated her career to the defense and promotion of the human rights of vulnerable children. Through her work in residential programs, she has advocated for children who have been abused or neglected and is a prominent advocate for policy changes that will improve the lives of young people in Mexico. Patricia earned a Master’s degree in Human Rights Education and is recognized as a Training Specialist for adult education in Latin America and the Caribbean. She is also recognized for developing an intervention model with a focus on human rights education, gender perspective and interculturality; focused on strengthening families and promoting participatory and informed processes of girls, teenagers, and young women.

Rheneisha Robertson, MPH,  joined Covenant House New Orleans in January, 2021. Rheneisha is a passionate advocate and demonstrated public health professional with over 20 years’ experience in Nonprofit Leadership and Community Public Health. Her extensive resume reflects a successful career and dedication to positive youth development and adolescent & women’s health.

Rheneisha has spent the last 15 years with the Institute of Women and Ethnic Studies, a national non-profit health organization domiciled in New Orleans. Her various leadership roles at IWES have included Chief Programs Officer and Chief Operations Officer. She considers herself a servant leader and has been actively engaged in the New Orleans community. Rheneisha is also a past member of Off the Field Players’ Wives Association, a national association of wives of active and retired professional football players.

Rheneisha earned a master’s degree from Tulane University’s School of Public Health and a bachelor’s from Xavier University of Louisiana. She is a graduate of the Brian Bell Metropolitan Leadership Forum and the Rockwood Leadership Institute’s Art of Leadership program. She is a proud native of New Orleans, wife, and mother of two teenagers.

Reneé Trincanello began as a master’s-level intern in the Covenant House Florida (CHF) Addiction Management Program. She has served in a variety of clinical roles, including family counseling therapist, residential floor therapist, clinical services coordinator, and director of special services. Reneé became a licensed clinical social worker in 2007. 
 
Formerly the chief operating officer at CHF’s Fort Lauderdale house, Reneé currently serves as chief executive officer for all of CHF, with direct oversight of program services, clinical services, training, grants administration, human resources, and the finance and development departments.  
 

Susan is a respected local leader with more than 30 years of Health and Human Services experience in the Chicago community.  Susan joins Covenant House from Children’s Place Association where she served as Chief Program Officer. In this role, she was responsible for the operations of the organization’s domestic programs, including the Early Learning Center, Family & Community Services, Foster & Adoptive Care and the Residential Center.  She spent 16 years of her career at the Beacon Therapeutic Diagnostic and Treatment Center where she served as Chief Executive Officer. Her career has been spent focusing on helping to systematically advance the issues surrounding homelessness and its resulting impact on children and young adult’s mental health, physical health, and overall well-being.

Susan is a licensed clinical social worker and holds a master’s degree in Social Work from Loyola University.  She is a first-generation Mexican American with strong Chicago roots where she lives with her husband and three adult children.  Susan is an avid runner. She completed two triathlons and for a fundraiser has rappelled down the Witt Hotel in Chicago twice!

Tod Monaghan joined Covenant House in September 2000 as an assistant to Sr. Mary Rose McGeady, then president and CEO of Covenant House International (CHI). Inspired by the work of direct care that he witnessed at Covenant House New York (CHNY), Tod attended Fordham University, earned a master’s in social work, and became a licensed master social worker (LMSW). He spent the next six years at CHNY providing direct care to minors, young moms and babies, and young people struggling with substance use. He then turned to fundraising and spent two years writing foundation and government grants to support the full spectrum of Covenant House programs.

In 2011, Tod became vice president of individual giving and corporate partnerships at CHI. He was part of the leadership team that created the major gifts and corporate partnerships programs and was involved in launching Covenant House’s Sleep Out movement.

For the past 10 years, Tod has been a major gift officer. As senior vice president of development since 2015, he works with donors to raise the largest gifts in support of CHI’s capital campaign and strategic plan. He is energized by the individuals and families who support Covenant House and whom he feels privileged to embrace as family. He is moved by their unique life experiences and their choice of Covenant House for their philanthropy. “The greatest poverty kids facing homelessness suffer is their aloneness. The families I work with realize that. They get it. They want to address that,” Tod says.

Tod lives with his wife and two children in New York City. He attended SUNY Binghamton as an undergraduate and Fordham University for his MSW.