YWCA is on a MISSION
Rose Wong
Chief Executive Officer
Rose has 30 years experience in education and nonprofit management. She joined the staff at YWCA Princeton as Chief Operating Officer in January 2022 and was most recently promoted to Chief Finance and Operating Officer in December 2022. Beginning as an economics and history teacher in independent schools in Australia, Rose moved quickly into administrative roles to support teachers with their curriculum development and classroom management skills.
Upon moving to the United States, Rose continued to hold administrative positions in independent schools in New York and New Jersey including Middle School Division Head, Assistant Headmaster, Director of Curriculum and Faculty, Director of Strategic Initiatives and Head of School. Rose was instrumental in beginning the STEM programming and Finance and Economics initiatives at Stuart Country Day School of the Sacred Heart and has significant experience in capital campaigns and securing funding for new programs and scholarship funds.
Rose moved to the nonprofit sector to utilize her skills in fundraising, business management and education, to make a difference in the lives of children and families in Mercer County. Prior to joining the YWCA, Rose was the Executive Director of Princeton Nursery School and spearheaded the expansion of many of the programs including health and wellness, hunger prevention and preschool literacy. Rose led the school through its quality rating process with Grow NJ Kids, securing a 4-star quality rating. Rose developed comprehensive fundraising strategies to expand individual, corporate and foundation giving for both scholarship and capital needs. Additionally, Rose successfully coordinated and oversaw the completion of five capital projects in four years.
Tara O’Shea
Chief Operating Officer
In her newly appointed role, Tara O’Shea serves on the Executive Leadership Team as well as Co-Directs The Burke Foundation Early Childhood Center at YWCA Princeton and Youth Programs. Her responsibilities include the daily operation of the YWCA and childcare facility. She manages a staff of over 25, which includes the TBFECC, Robotics & EXPRESS Summer Enrichment and Tiger Camp for Princeton University’s Alumni Weekend. Tara’s responsibility, vast experience, and strong communication skills are just a few of the essential traits Tara possesses in this role.
Tara has served over 28 years as part of the childcare & youth programs team. She is a member of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), a professional membership organization that works to promote high-quality early learning for all young children, birth through age 8, by connecting early childhood practice, policy, and research. She is a member of the National After School Alliance (NAA).
Since 1996, Tara has been an active member of the YWCA. Her years of experience include aquatics both on site & satellite sites, working with young children, teens & seasoned adults in land & water health & fitness.
Tara’s educational/recreational experience includes over 28 years of working with the youth, from infants to school-age children. Tara stays focused on utilizing the most developmentally appropriate practices in cognitive development, exploratory play, and physical and motor development for children. Furthermore, the YWCA’s mission of eliminating racism and empowering women shapes both Tara’s childcare program as well as her leadership style. She values inclusivity and diversity in her classrooms—from students to staff and works to ensure anti-bullying and tolerance are practiced in each classroom.
Tara received a BA in Early Childhood Education and a Masters in Reading from Brooklyn College. She also holds certifications as an American Red Cross Instructor for First Aid, CPR/AED.
Karen Faiman
Chief Advancement Officer
Karen Faiman joined the YWCA Princeton in January, 2024. For the past seven years, Karen was the Executive Director of the Lawrence Township Education Foundation. The Lawrence Township Education Foundation (LTEF) was created to be a bridge between the Lawrence Township community and the public schools ~ to encourage private philanthropy to enhance public education for all students. Their mission is to foster educational excellence, creativity, and achievement in the Lawrence Township Public Schools. In addition to working for the YWCA, Karen teaches group fitness at New Jersey Athletic Club.
Karen also worked previously for the Mercer County Wildlife Center Friends and Womanspace, in addition to nonprofits in Maine, where she grew up. Before that, Karen was a high school Spanish teacher.
Karen earned a B.A. in Spanish from Colby College (Waterville, Maine), and a Masters of Public Policy and Non-Profit Management from the University of Southern Maine (Portland, Maine). Karen is a board member of the Lawrence Township Community Foundation and an active volunteer for many other nonprofits, including EASEL Animal Refuge League. Karen and her husband live in Lawrence Township with their two teenage boys.
Brigitte Jean-Louis
Director of Mission Advancement
Brigitte joins the Senior Leadership Team as the Director of Mission Advancement. In this role she looks forward to leading the organization in their “mission forward” approach to eliminating racism and empowering women. She joined the team at YWCA Princeton in May 2022 as the Administrative Coordinator before taking over advocacy and racial justice efforts for the organization. As Director of Mission Advancement, Brigitte also manages all external communication for the organization.
Prior to being employed by YWCA Princeton, Brigitte spent 6 years in early childhood education, most recently as the Assistant Coordinator for the Howell Township Police Athletic League’s Little PALs Preschool. In this role, she maintained covid protocols, curated the preschool’s social media pages, taught a Pre-K class, and supervised daily closing procedures for over 200 students.
During her employment with YWCA Princeton, Brigitte has attended the United Nations Commision on the Status of Women, is a voting member of YWCA USA’s delegation to World YWCA and was named a finalist for New America’s US@250 Fellowship.
Brigitte has a bachelor's degree in communication studies from Kean University and an associate’s degree in liberal arts with a concentration in humanities from Ocean County College. In addition to her work at YWCA Princeton, Brigitte coaches a 15U girls' team for Ocean Volleyball Club.
Melissa White-McMahon
Director of the Breast Cancer Resource Center at YWCA Princeton
Melissa joined the organization on September 5th, 2018, as the Support Services Coordinator for the Breast Cancer Resource Center program. In 2021, Melissa was promoted to the Director of the BCRC program where she led her team and the BCRC members through the uncertainty of the Covid-19 pandemic. During her time as the Program Director of the BCRC, Melissa spent her days and nights building complementary care programs, such as free wigs and support groups, healing arts and meditation classes. She also advocated for women’s health through seeking resources for low cost/free programs and presented to various groups throughout the community to educate them about preventable risk factors. Melissa is a passionate and avid student of integrative therapies for women with cancer and is equally passionate about empowering women and eliminating racism.
As a cancer survivor herself, Melissa is an extraordinary mentor for women and families facing challenging situations. She is a certified Patient Navigator and a dedicated lifetime member of the non-profit sector including working for national organizations such as the American Cancer Society and the Muscular Dystrophy Association (where she is excited to share that YES, she even met Jerry Lewis!).
Melissa is married to her husband Rick of 6 years and is the proud bonus mom to two smart and strong daughters and Grammy to a granddaughter and a grandson!
Joyce Chase
Director of The Burke Foundation Early Childhood Center at YWCA Princeton
Joyce joined YWCA Princeton in October of 2024, bringing with her 24 years of experience as a Director of Early Childhood Programs, including six years managing multiple sites. In her previous role, she oversaw the daily operations of the center and led a team of 37 staff members. Joyce implemented best practices across all schools, achieving NAEYC Accreditation, with the most recent score reaching 98%.
She fostered a vibrant learning community by providing ongoing training for staff, encouraging a commitment to lifelong learning in education. Joyce established strong community partnerships to ensure families had access to essential resources, identifying programs that helped stabilize families in need. She successfully wrote grants to secure funding for a number of company needs including computers for classrooms.
One of her notable initiatives was the creation of an annual holiday ornament sale, which engaged staff and community partners to donate to a pop-up store where parents could purchase affordable gifts for their children around the holidays. This initiative not only allowed families to celebrate the holidays but also generated funds to provide coats and clothing for those in need. Additionally, a mini free store was established at the schools to distribute coats, clothing, books and toys to families as needed.
After running three successful early childhood programs in the New Brunswick school district for six years, Joyce's efforts assisted with the expansion of the program to seven preschools. She holds a master's degree in Educational Leadership from Rider University and has collaborated with local universities to offer free, ongoing training for teaching staff.
Heledona Katro
Director of English as a Second Language and Literary Programs
Heledona brings over two and a half decades of educational expertise in nonprofit management. She joined the staff at YWCA Princeton as Director of English as a Second Language in 2015. She is also an Adjunct Professor of Education at Eastern University where she has been serving for over 12 years. Prior to joining the YWCA, Heledona was the ESL Center Director at St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia where she excelled in building partnerships locally and overseas.
Her roles as an international educator, curriculum developer and successful recruiter of international students, have been dedicated to the communities of linguistically and culturally diverse students and families. Her academic journey includes a Bachelor's degree in Economics and a Master's degree in Education with a track in Teaching English as a Second Language from Eastern University in PA. Heledona actively supports language minority communities through presentations and committee participation, driven by her dedication to building partnerships and commitment to linking theory and practice.
Maureen Fernandez
Director of Human Resources
Maureen Fernandez joined the YWCA Princeton in May 2024 as the Director of Human Resources. Prior to that, Maureen spend 17 years as a Human Resource Director in Houston Texas in the oil and gas industries and was part of the safety team as the Safety Manager.
Maureen relocated to New Jersey in 2019 and worked previously at private school in Montclair for children with disabilities as the HR Manager.
Maureen earned her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a focus in Human Resources at the University of Houston. She also received her Senior Professional in Human Resources at Chapman University. She is fluent in 3 languages (English, Spanish, and Portuguese) and has also completed training in Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Compliance, Recruitment, Wage & Salary Administration as well as Safety Regulation & Policies and Human Resource/ Employee Relations.
Maureen was born in New York but moved to Houston as a little girl and has travel and relocated to several countries including Brazil, Venezuela and Mexico where she lived with her parents growing up. She then made her way back to Houston where she raised her 3 beautiful children. Now that all 3 of her children have started their own families she is a proud grandmother of five.