Development Guild DDI is pleased to announce Kathleen (Kathy) Marchi will join Samaritans, based in Boston, as their new Executive Director and President. In this leadership position, Kathy will represent Samaritans’ life-saving suicide prevention mission and its values, to external audiences, at city, state, regional, national and international levels. As Executive Director and President, Kathy will help design and implement a strategic plan to expand services across Massachusetts and help save more lives in the Commonwealth. She will collaborate with other organizations in the suicide prevention community, corporate partners and legislative leaders in MA, to further raise awareness that suicide can be prevented, and to garner more support for the critical mission of the organization. As Samaritans approaches its 50th Anniversary, Kathy will work with the Chief Development Officer and members of the Board of Directors and Samaritans Council, to develop a case for support that will energize current and future donors and set the stage for a potential capital campaign. Kathy will lead a 25-person staff and is responsible to the Board of Directors, through its chair, Mr. Mark Horgan.
Kathy comes to Samaritans 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, and actively collaborated with departments school wide. 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 the 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 brings over 30 years of leadership, advancement, corporate and management skills to Samaritans and will greatly contribute to their ongoing success.
About Samaritans
For 45 years, Samaritans, Inc. has been devoted to reducing the incidence of suicide by alleviating despair, isolation and suicidal feelings among individuals in their community through a process known as befriending. Volunteers, who are selected, trained and supported by a dedicated professional staff, provide compassionate and non-judgmental support free of charge 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, through the statewide crisis helpline via call or text at 877-870-HOPE (4673). Samaritans is known for its innovative approach to serving the community and provides a full range of suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention services.
The organization has made four initiatives a major priority:
- Continually serving more people – ensuring the capacity exists to support every person in need
- Leverage technology to deliver more services – ensuring efficiencies and enhanced quality throughout all services
- Continue to partner and collaborate to increase service delivery and educate the public
- Build a strong financial foundation to support the growth required to meet the ever-increasing demand for services
