Leadership/Board

Cecilia Rupell

Director of Communications/PR

Sisters of St Joseph of Philadelphia

CWR Chair — Cecilia’s 30-year career as a communications professional includes employment in both for-profit and non-profit sectors. She has worked in the civil engineering, transportation, health care, recreation/hospitality and health insurance industries. Her professional career has provided many opportunities including the development and management of internal/external marketing and communications programs, corporate identity plans, strategic planning, writing, social media, relationship management, facilitation, special events, video production, graphic design and advertising.

A native of Pittsburgh, Cecilia was educated by the Sisters of Charity and is a graduate of Duquesne University. She has previously served as President of the American Society of Highway Engineers—Franklin Section, as a Wilkinsburg, PA Borough Council Member and on the Borough’s Zoning Hearing Board.

Jane Strittmatter

Director of Public Relations

Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill

CWR Vice Chair — Jane Strittmatter is the Director of Public Relations for the Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill, Greensburg, Pennsylvania. She earned a bachelor of science degree in business from Seton Hill University.

Jane’s communications experience began with marketing efforts for an entrepreneurial venture in the floor covering business. When her children entered college, Jane’s interests turned to helping others navigate the financial aid system. She used her communication skills at the Financial Aid Office of Seton Hill University to provide student service and assist with the development of financial aid publications and website information. Jane was a member of the Mission Effectiveness Committee, which fostered an understanding of the University’s Catholic traditions and the Setonian spirituality of its founders, the Sisters of Charity.

In 2008, Jane was appointed Assistant Director of Financial Aid at the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg. There she provided financial aid counseling to students and parents, analyzed financial aid data for federal reporting, wrote manuals for financial aid processes, developed web content, and managed the work-study employment program. She chaired the United Way campaign for the Pitt Greensburg campus for two years running.

Jane has been a member of Communicators for Women Religious since 2011, having served on both the CWR Communications and Marketing Committees. She is an active member of the Collaborative Communications Committee for the Catholic Sisters Leadership Council of Western Pennsylvania.

Jean Merry

Communications Director

Sisters of St Francis of Assisi

CWR Treasurer — Jean Merry has been a member of CWR since 2003, when she became the communications director for the Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi, St. Francis, Wisconsin. Jean previously served two terms on the CWR board and chaired the 2010 CWR Conference (Denver) Committee. Jean has also served on the CWR Marketing Committee, CWR Finance Committee, and three conference committees.

Jean has been involved in communications and/or marketing since 1970, first as an English and communications teacher for 11 years, and then in marketing and PR positions for a manufacturing company and an employee benefits foundation. From 1989 to 2003, she was in charge of marketing and communications for Prudential’s agricultural divisions. In addition to her position with the Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi, Jean also does communications and design work on a part-time basis for her husband’s marketing company, which serves agricultural clientele.

Kim Westerman

Congregational Communications Coordinator

Sisters of St Joseph of Carondelet

CWR Corporate Secretary — Kim Westerman is the congregational communications director for the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, based in St. Louis. She has worked in the nonprofit sector for a decade with varied experience in volunteer management, human resources, development, and communication. Kim holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Truman State University and a master of public affairs degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. In addition to her work with the sisters, she is a dedicated community volunteer with groups such as Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, Gateway Pet Guardians, and the Migrant and Immigrant Community Action Project.

Jennifer Brandlon

Director of Communications & Administrative Services

Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary

CWR Chair — Jennifer Brandlon manages communication and administration for the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary, U.S-Ontario Province. Since 1980, she has worked in journalism, marketing and communications, including reporting for The Associated Press, editing magazines, directing marketing programs for an investment research firm, and serving as brand manager for an international musical instrument manufacturer. She graduated from the University of California-Berkeley, where she focused on American immigration history. She also studied Spanish at the University of Durango in Mexico and theater at Portland Community College. With an incurable love for writing, she is involved in the Portland songwriting community and serves on the editorial board of the Episcopal Café, an online forum for the Episcopal Church.

Tricia Buxton

Director of Communication

Sinsinawa Dominicans

For two decades years, Tricia has worked with the Dominican Sisters of Sinsinawa—the first three years as a writer/editor/photographer/public relations rep, and then as a communication director. She graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville in 1998 with a BS in Communication Technologies Management with an emphasis on both public relations and publications and a minor in journalism. In 2017, she graduated with an MS in Organizational Change Leadership from UW-Platteville. She enjoys the diversity in her daily work that can range from helping a Sister figure out how to use an app on her iPad to leading the charge to create a new logo and brand style guide for the congregation.

Robert Cogswell

Director of Communications

Sisters of St Joseph of Orange

Robert Cogswell is the director of communications for the Sisters of St. Joseph of Orange, California, a role he has served in since 2007. He credits the wisdom and generosity of successive congregational leadership teams, and experiences through CWR, in building congregational communications from a part-time function to a three-person department. He helped guide the transformation of a print-only operation to a department that collaboratively creates and manages content across multiple media channels.

Prior to his current role, Rob simultaneously served as communications manager for the congregation while acting as assistant director for one of its sponsored ministries, the Center for Spiritual Development (CSD). In 10 years with CSD, Rob was responsible for creating, marketing, and operating programs that people paid to attend. In 21 years with the Sisters of St. Joseph of Orange, he has served on more than 100 committees, including the congregation’s sponsorship transition of its healthcare ministry and the congregation’s 100th Jubilee year.

Rob earned a bachelor of arts degree in communications from California State University, Fullerton. He and his wife, Shannon, have been married for over 26 years and have two daughters in college. Rob has been a CWR member since 2005.

Tammy Townsend Denny

Director of Communications

Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth

Tammy is the communications director for the U.S. province of Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth. During her her time in this position, she has led the redesign of the province’s tri-annual publication and directed the redevelopment of the province’s logo, website, and internal communication distribution system. She previously worked in tourism marketing for a visitor’s bureau where she created and pitched marketing ideas in a tough political climate. Under her direction, the bureau’s 40-page annual magazine was awarded the State of Illinois’ “Best Visitors Publication.” She has a B.A. in English and an M.A. in liberal studies. But her greatest career achievement is the decade she devoted to homeschooling her two—now grown—children.

Joanne Gallagher, CSJ

Director of Communications

Sisters of St Joseph of Boston

Sister Joanne Gallagher, CSJ, is a Sister of St. Joseph of Boston and has been a member of CWR since 2001. She served on the CWR [then NCNWR] board from 2003–2008 and is currently on the Membership Committee. Joanne is the director of communications for the Sisters of St. Joseph of Boston. She graduated with a BA in English from Regis College, Weston, Massachusetts, and a master’s in theology from the University of Notre Dame, Indiana. For more than 20 years, Joanne was an English and theology teacher as well as a high school campus minister.

Joanne has served as communications coordinator on the 2011 and 2016 planning committees for the U.S. Federation of the Sisters of St. Joseph and the Anti-Trafficking Coalition of the Boston Unit of LCWR. She has coordinated many immersion retreats to Mexico and Ecuador for high school students and adults as well as several CSSJ Heritage Pilgrimages. Joanne currently serves on the board of directors for the CSJ Boston Corporation for Sponsored Ministries and the Fontbonne Academy Board of Trustees.

Spalding Hurst

Communications Specialist

Sisters of Charity of Nazareth

Spalding Hurst manages the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth's communications efforts in design and technology. He has a background in film production and television. He began working with the Sisters in 2008 and enjoys inspiring the involvement in furthering their mission. His passions include traveling with his wife and two children and many glorious pursuits of paddling rivers.

Maxine Kollasch, IHM

A Nun's Life Ministry

Sister Maxine Kollasch is a member of the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (IHM) of Monroe, Michigan. In 2006, she co-founded A Nun’s Life, an internet-based ministry at aNunsLife.org and on social media that engages with people in 150 countries about discernment and calling. Maxine has master’s degrees in theology and advertising. She has extensive experience in online community building, the online culture, and web and social analytics. She is also a former director of communications for her congregation. Sister Maxine is also an accomplished martial artist, avid biker, and history buff.

Patricia Lenihan

Leadership

Religious Sisters of Charity

Sister Patricia is a Religious Sister of Charity originally from London, England but now living in Dublin, Ireland. At present, she serves on the General Leadership Team of her congregation. She has a B.A. in Theology for Ministry from the University of London; an M.A. in Learning Disability Studies from Salford University, and a post-graduate Diploma in Web Design and Development from the University of London.

Patricia joined the Religious Sisters of Charity in September 1991. After completing her initial formation she was missioned to Scotland to work in a housing estate in Glasgow as a Pastoral Assistant in one of the local parishes. After studies she was missioned to Birkenhead in North-West England, where she worked as the Disabilities Co-ordinator for the Diocese of Shrewsbury. During this time she also served as the Vocations Co-ordinator for the English/Scottish Province of the RSCs and was responsible for designing, launching and maintaining the Province’s website.

In 2007 she was elected to serve on the General Leadership Team of the congregation. In her current position she co-ordinates the electronic communication for the congregation through Facebook, Twitter, managing the international website and editing the eNews. She also has the privilege of visiting the sisters of the congregation in many parts of the world.

For the past year Patricia has worked with the Association of the Leaders and Missionaries of Ireland (AMRI) on their “Web Group,” a team of five sisters advising AMRI on the most effective way to have an online presence.

In January 2016, Patricia initiated the CWR in Ireland because of her belief in all that the CWR stands for in serving women religious. She is very interested in how we might forge links with the members of CWR internationally and to explore how CWR can grow more as an international organization.

Stephanie Manseau

Director of Communication

Congregation de Notre-Dame

Stephanie Manseau is director of communication for the Congrégation de Notre-Dame in Montreal, Canada. She is responsible for public relations, web and social media, marketing strategy, and internal communication. She oversees a team of translators as most of the congregation’s documents are published in four languages.

After receiving a master's degree in history from the Université de Montréal, Stephanie worked in advertising for a magazine editor prior to taking the position with the Congrégation de Notre-Dame in 2007. Stephanie is also a wife and mother of three teenagers.

Janice Parrott

Director/Development Coordinator

Foundation for Religious Retirement

Jan has worked with the Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi in St. Francis, Wisconsin for more than 23 years. As with many of the members of CWR, she wears a number of hats in her role for the sisters, but primary duties for the last several years have been in the area of Fund Development—communicating needs for funding for the retired sisters and ministry works. Jan also serves as executive director of the Foundation for Religious Retirement (FRR), which serves all the religious congregations of women with motherhouses in the Milwaukee Archdiocese in a collaborative fundraising effort for retirement needs of sisters. FRR has been in existence since the year before the National Religious Retirement Office.

Linda Romey, OSB

Web Development and Design/Marketing

Benedictine Sisters of Erie/Monasteries of the Heart

Sr. Linda has been with the the Benedictine Sisters of Erie since 1994 where she has worked mainly in publishing and communications ministries. She briefly left that work for a five-year stint at the National Catholic Reporter as marketing and advertising manager. Immediately prior to moving to Erie, she lived and worked in Colombia for seven years, first under the auspices of the Archdiocese of Denver and then with the Colombian Jesuit Community. She joined the mission team in Colombia after five years living in Colorado Springs in an intentional community that followed the Catholic Worker model. She graduated from Rockhurst College in Kansas City (where she grew up) with BA in French and theology. Later she earned an MBA at DeVry. Sr. Linda is a fiber artist and enjoys reading, cycling and working out.