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20 Hartford Business Journal • April 7, 2014 www.HartfordBusiness.com Women In Business 2014 Sister Patricia McKeon Executive Director, Mercy Housing and Shelter Corporation By John A. Lahtinen Special to the Hartford Business Journal S ister Patricia McKeon, or Sister Pat as she's known, entered Sisters of Mercy of Connecticut with the expectation of being a teacher—that was what she always wanted to be. While teaching high school math at Middletown's Mercy High School in the late 1970's, however, McKeon spent time vol- unteering at St. Vincent DePaul Soup Kitchen in Norwich. It was an experience that dramatically changed her life. "I encountered a group of beautiful people struggling with the poverties of hunger, deinstitutionalization from state psy- chiatric hospitals, homelessness and loneliness," she said. "I realized that although I was unaware of a comparable popula- tion and problems in Middletown, they must exist. It's amaz- ing what you find when you look." The emotional experience prompted McKeon to reluc- tantly leave teaching in 1980 to devote her life and career to helping the impoverished. She started by opening a soup kitchen in Middletown called St. Vincent DePaul Place, and eventually became execu- tive director of Hartford's Mercy Housing and Shelter in 1998, a nonprofit organization—created by the Sisters of Mercy in 1983—that seeks to address the needs of people who are homeless, or on the verge of homelessness. Over the past 15 years, McKeon has not only served on numerous boards and committees throughout Greater Hart- ford and Middletown, but she has grown Mercy's budget from $2.9 million to more than $5 million. Last year, the organization provided housing, case manage- ment services and basic human needs to more than 5,000 indi- viduals and served more than 66,000 meals for people in need. "As the executive director, I have the privilege of work- ing with a dedicated board and devoted staff of close to 100 employees," says McKeon. "Together we meet the needs of women, men and families whether they are struggling with homelessness, mental health issues, addictions, poverty, joblessness, discouragement or hopelessness." Mercy is currently in the final phase of a $5 million renovation of its St. Elizabeth House, on Main Street in Hartford, which is the nonprofit's primary facility, housing 55 homeless people and providing meals and services to hundreds of people in the sur- rounding community. The renovations will improve the exterior and interior of the 200-year old building. "In her 15 years as executive director, Sister Pat has brought structure along with a higher expectation for provid- ing quality services," says Dave Martineau, Mercy's director of programs. "She has responded to emerging needs allowing the agency to grow and develop while remaining committed to ending homelessness." Martineau says one of the reasons he came to work for Mercy was his desire to learn from an exemplary leader. He says McKeon has taught him how to balance the needs of a business, while still having compassion for clients, so they are never lost in the agency. "During her tenure, Sister Pat saw the need to invest in the neighborhood, and rather than rent the buildings that housed our programs, she oversaw their purchase and sought the fund- ing to pay off the mortgages," Martineau said. "Sister Pat con- tinues to make sure that Mercy remains financially strong and that the programs and services are available to help homeless and at-risk individuals re-establish self-sufficiency and obtain stable permanent housing. "Her compassion to help people is what motivates her each and every day; but it is her business experience and acumen that ensures the sustainability of Mercy Housing and Shelter well into the future." McKeon says there are no "typical" days at the office for her and her Mercy team. "Ours is a dynamic environment dependent on getting and maintaining funding to keep programs financially sound and able to continue delivering services," she said. "In the current economic atmosphere funding seems to decrease as need increases. So the challenge is before us daily." [ Sister McKeon devotes life, career to helping others in need P H O T O | S T e v e L A S C H e v e r How do you balance your work life with your personal life? I have always found it difficult to balance my profes- sional life and find time for my personal life. Over the years I have found that I have to make the time for the important things in my life, or the work will consume all of my time. What's your advice for other profession- als on how best to balance work life with personal life? The balance is really a dance and when it gets out of step, you need to pull back and evaluate. What are some of the things you enjoy outside of work? I enjoy solitude where I can take some time to re- flect, read, learn, enjoy nature –especially orchids. McKeon and the UConn men's basketball team serve food at Mercy Housing and Shelter's St. Elizabeth House in Hartford.