YWCA is on a MISSION
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 external communication and marketing 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 served as a voting member of YWCA USA’s delegation to World YWCA’s World Council, was selected as an Emerging Leader for YWCA USA, 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 is the Junior Varsity volleyball coach at Notre Dame High School and coaches 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, is the proud bonus mom to two smart and strong daughters and Grammy to a granddaughter and a grandson!
Heledona Katro
Director of English as a Second Language and Literary Programs
Heledona brings over three decades of educational expertise in Adult Ed and nonprofit management. She joined the staff at YWCA Princeton as Director of English as a Second Language in 2015. She is also Adjunct Professor of Education at Eastern University, where she has been teaching for over 20 years. Prior to joining the YWCA, Heledona was the IELP Center Director at Eastern University and St. Joseph’s University in PA, where she excelled in building partnerships locally and overseas.
Her roles as an international educator, curriculum developer and successful recruiter of international students, are a testament to her dedication to linguistically and culturally diverse communities. Her academic journey includes a Bachelor's degree in Economics, and a Master's degree in Education with a concentration 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.