After a months-long search, the Lewes Rehoboth Association of Congregations’ (LRAC’s) Board of Directors hired Brenda Kasperzewski to serve as LRAC’s first Executive Director. She will be serving full-time as of October 1, 2024, based in a office in a building LRAC owns on Oyster House Road in Rehoboth Beach which also houses the Community Resource Center and Cape Henlopen Food Basket. Having recently moved to the area, Ms. Kasprzewski was excited about bringing her fiscal, personnel, and operational experience in government and non-profit agencies in Reading, PA to LRAC, a non-profit organization that pools the faith-inspired efforts of 11 area congregations to help people facing hunger or homelessness.
Board President Rev. Dr. Bo Gordy-Stith, Pastor of Community and Communication at Epworth UMC, notes that welcoming Brenda Kasprzewski as Executive Director culminates three and a half years of work he and the board have undertaken to restructure LRAC to meet the needs of a growing non-profit organization in a growing community with expanding needs. That process began with the formation of a Board of Directors and overhaul of the Bylaws in January, 2022.
“Brenda Kasprzewski brings to LRAC the spirit and experience both to oversee our day-to-day operations and guide us to a more faithful and effective future eradicating hunger and homelessness,” says Gordy-Stith. “The interview team was particularly struck by her collaborative style, passion for learning, and faith rooted in relationships, serving her neighbors, and refreshing her spirit in nature.”
Born and raised in Reading PA (60 mi NW of Philadelphia PA), Ms. Kasprzewski earned a Bachelor of Science in Applied Psychology/Organizational Behavior from Albright College, Reading PA and an MBA in Community Leadership and Human Resource Management from Alvernia University, Reading PA.
She worked in government (City of Reading, PA) in different capacities which included auditing, customer service, and lastly Community Development Fiscal Officer administering HUD (Housing and Urban Development) funds. Her tenure included many ancillary activities such as Charing the City’s Budget Manual Committee, Quality Improvement Steering Committee, and participating in and training workforce in High Performance Organization new workplace philosophy changes and other committees and groups.
Prior to leaving the City of Reading, Ms. Kasprzewski participated in a program called Leadership Berks, which exposed the participants to non-profits, their leadership, structure, missions, fiscal structures, and of course, the beneficiaries of these missions. The program concluded with each subgroup of participants working on a project and acting as consultants (pro bono) to an assigned non-profit group presenting findings and recommendations for a defined challenge to that organization. The program included a commitment to serve a 2-year term on a non-profit Board of Directors.
The next adventure of her career took her to a non-profit that served low to moderate income individuals by giving down payment assistance for first time homeowners, financial literacy counseling and home ownership counseling. Ms. Kasprzewski started in a newly created position of Fiscal Resource Specialist (seeking new revenue streams) and after the sad passing of the individual she was training, quickly moved to Fiscal Officer and on to Chief Financial Officer/Chief Operating Officer. The non-profit grew in collaboration and partnership with other housing agencies, different levels of government, financial institutions, and private citizens.
Outside of work, Ms. Kasprzewski enjoys reading, kickboxing and spending time with her husband, parents, four children and their families, including three grandchildren, and her two dogs. This includes walking on the beach and boating.
Ms. Kasprzewski and her husband moved to Millsboro DE to be close to my parents as they age. There she joined another start-up organization serving aging Delawareans as Business Office Manager forging relationships and contracts with the medical community and service providers as well as state and federal government agencies. As the business went through re-organization, she found herself in a position that she had never experienced, being unemployed.
Ms. Kasprzewski believes all things happen for a reason and bring us to our best and highest good in life. She has discovered a home with LRAC with all her experiences as steppingstones leading her to serve as their first Executive Director. “Pastor Bo’s statement that LRAC ‘helps people help people’ resonates with me. I am honored and excited to bring that to others, educating them on who and what LRAC’s mission is and making LRAC a household name.”