Co-founders
From left to right: Maria Szemplinski, Betty Breuder, Monica Rahilly, Liz Neville
Board of Directors
From left to right: Rachel Veilleux, Liz Neville (co-founder and president), Mike Redding (treasurer), Tara Bishop (secretary), Melissa Kalpakgian, Kevin Cronin
Board Member Biographies
Liz Neville: Liz is a founding member of St. Gianna’s Place. After spending time in a maternity home as a young adult, she dreamed of one day giving back to God by helping other women who find themselves in a similar situation.
Liz has been a member of the St. Gianna’s Place Board of Directors since its beginning in 2016. After hearing God’s call to retire from a 35-year career as a speech pathologist, she is now able to dedicate even more time to the ministry. She volunteers at the house, helping with anything related to building and grounds.
Liz is wife to Bill, mother to 6 adult children, and a devoted grandmother to Robi and Gloria. She is an active communicant at St. Thomas Aquinas Parish where she is a lector, leads the fundraising committee, and helps run parish events.
Mike Redding: Mike lives in Merrimack, NH with his wife Janis and their two daughters. He is an active parishioner of Our Lady of Mercy Parish where he is a member of the Life Matters and the Men of St Joseph ministries. He has been a Knight of Columbus since 2015 and currently serves as the Grand Knight for Council 6752. Mike holds a Bachelor of Science in Engineering from Roger Williams University. He is a professional civil engineer licensed in seven states. He currently serves as the Director of Civil Engineering for a solar energy developer.
Tara Bishop: Tara is the communications director for the Diocese of Manchester and has 25 of experience in nonprofit and corporate marketing communications. Specializing in media relations, public relations strategies, and copywriting, she has created and executed successful campaigns for nonprofit organizations and clients in the healthcare, higher education, technology, and real estate sectors.
Tara earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications, with a minor in Irish Studies, from Boston College. She is a founding and current member of the Pennacook Pregnancy Center Board of Directors in Manchester.
She and her husband, Tim, have four children who attend local Catholic schools. They are parishioners of St. Catherine of Siena Parish in Manchester.
Kevin Cronin: Kevin has lived in Londonderry for many years and is a husband and a father to five children. Over the course of his career, Kevin has gained senior financial and operational management experience in both large public companies as well as private early stage organizations. He has maintained leadership positions in a variety of key finance areas such as accounting, planning, contracts, facilities, public and private financing, SEC reporting, Sarbanes – Oxley compliance, and information technology.
Kevin holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Hartwick College in
Oneonta, New York and an M.B.A from Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and is a Certified Public Accountant. He currently serves on St. Mark the Evangelist Parish Finance Council.
Melissa Kalpakgian: Originally from Texas, Melissa brings to New England her southern hospitality and her “y’all.” Melissa has worked in evangelization efforts for the Church in different parts of the country since 2003. Her fascination with St. John Paul II’s philosophical works led her to pursue a B.A. in Philosophy from the University of St. Thomas in Houston and an M.A. in Thomistic Philosophy from the Center of Thomistic Studies. She is also certified in Catechesis of the Good Shepherd in Levels 1, 2, and 3. In her free time, she and her husband strive to discover the meaning of “taste and see that the Lord is good” (Psalm 34:9) in various facets of life.
Rachel Veilleux: Rachel lives in Salem, NH with her husband Rick where they are members of Saints Mary and Joseph Parish. Together they have three married daughters and four grandchildren. In addition to being a board member, Rachel has been a volunteer at St. Gianna’s Place since June of 2022. She has participated in the direct care of residents, providing support in whatever ways are needed, and has also coordinated the Baby Bottle Drive in her parish. Rachel is a past area coordinator for the Chernobyl Children’s Project, has taught CCD, and was a Girl Scout Leader.
For the past 20 years, Rachel has been a fourth-grade teacher specializing in “Newcomers and English Language Learners” at an inner-city school in Lowell, MA. She holds a master’s degree in education from the College of St. Rose and a bachelor’s degree in rehabilitation from Springfield College.
St. Gianna’s Place Staff
Director Biographies
Director of Operations, Celeste Horan: Celeste lives in Candia, NH with her husband, Daniel, and is a member of St. Peter’s Parish in Auburn NH. She served at St. Gianna’s Place as a volunteer, resident services staff, and board member before taking on her current position.
Celeste’s professional experience includes over 20 years of working with families at risk through emergency shelter work and domestic violence advocacy. She previously worked as a childcare center director within a transitional housing program where she created and implemented parenting programs, educational and social emotional curriculum, and behavior modification programs, all targeted at dealing with the problems of trauma and toxic stress.
Celeste also works with her husband running their family auction company. On her days off she enjoys exploring local farmer’s markets and spending time with friends and family.
Director of Resident Services, Donna Meade: Donna is a native of Lawrence, Massachusetts. She moved to New Hampshire over 30 years ago, married, and raised her two boys there. A member of St. Joseph’s Parish in Epping, she has served on several parish ministries.
Donna completed her studies in Social Work in 1989 from Springfield College. She has served the children and families of the Lawrence, Lowell and Haverhill areas for the past forty years. Her work has focused on supporting parents in raising young children as well as providing support to daycare staff. She was a program director of a child abuse prevention program and spent seven years as a director of a satellite mental health clinic for young children in Lowell. She spent the last twenty years in an Early Intervention Program where her knowledge of child development was expanded by the multi-disciplinary teams with whom she worked.