Staff
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Cathleen Murphy, Executive Director
Cathleen (Cate) Murphy, iHOPEoc's Executive Director, holds a unique perspective as both a consumer and a provider of homeless services. In 2001 Cate left an abusive marriage with full custody of nine children. Three years later she lost her job, her home and custody of her children. In 2006 - two years and three shelters later - Cate was reunited with her children and out of the shelter system.
As a result of her experience, Cate became a leader in the homeless provider community. As our PM, she is responsible for expanding services to the homeless and laying the groundwork to make our Day Resource Center a reality.
Cate works for iHOPE as an independent contractor, while maintaining her position as Program Development Director for American Family Housing, one of Orange County's largest providers of shelter and affordable housing. At AFH Cate obtains and administers funding that allows that organization to increase the number of people it serves every year.
In addition to her iHOPEoc responsibilities, Cate is currently Board President of the Project HOPE School Foundation (not affiliated with iHOPEoc), which raises funds to provide transportation, afterschool programs, counseling, and family assistance to students at a public school for homeless and motel children located in Orange, CA that serves children throughout North Orange County. She also serves on the board of Irvine Housing Opportunities, an affordable housing developer, and provides technical assistance on a consulting basis to other homeless provider agencies.
Cate's experience is wide-ranging and extensive. In 2009 she co-authored Orange County's first Ten Year Plan to End Homelessness which was approved by the Orange County Board of Supervisors in January 2010. In addition, Cate is a former licensed local minister with the Nazarene church and a founding Board member of Christian Church Network-OC. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Spanish from UC Riverside, where she graduated with highest honors. Cate has completed coursework towards a Master's degree in Public Administration. She is also a graduate of United Way's 12-week Multi-Ethnic Leadership Institute and earned a Core Competency Certificate in Nonprofit Management from the Nonprofit Resource Center of Orange County.
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Susan Parmelee, MSW, Director of Social Services
Susan has served with iHOPE since July 2010. Her graduate school internship experience was with Interfaith Community Services in Escondido CA, providing case management and therapy to homeless families and mentally ill adults. She also spent a year at Del Sol Academy in the San Diego City School system counseling children and teens with learning and emotional disabilities. Susan is part of the San Clemente Collaborative where she serves on the Advisory Committee to the Board of Directors her duties include chairing the mental health sub-committee to set up low cost and no cost mental health services at the soon-to-be-opened Community Resource Center. Her work experience also includes serving as a Mental Health Social Worker at Sharp Mesa Vista, an inpatient behavioral health hospital in San Diego. Susan earned her Bachelor's degree in Hotel Administration at Cornell University, New York, and her Master of Social Work at San Diego State University.