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Open Panel Discussion -
The Ruth Matthews Bourger Women with Children Program at
Misericordia University
Moderator: Katherine Pohlidal M.Ed., M.B.A., L.P.C., Director
8:00 - 9:00 a.m.
Overview
The program empowers economically disadvantaged single mothers by providing the opportunity to
complete a college degree, creating brighter futures for themselves and for their children. Paloma
Parreno, a student in the program, will share her story.
Learning Objectives
More information coming soon!
Biographies
Paloma B. Parreno (B)
Paloma B. Parreno (B) is a senior mass communications major at Misericordia University and a member of the Ruth Matthews Bourger Women with Children Program. In recovery since October 31, 2020, B
battled addiction to drugs and alcohol and now uses her story to offer hope and show that recovery is possible when people are given the chance. Originally from Southern California and now living in
Pennsylvania, she’s a student-parent, an award-winning communicator, and an active voice on campus
serving as web editor for the Highlander newspaper and a member of multiple student organizations, including; LASA, PHREE, and the Social Work Club. Her creative work has earned her a Silver Addy and a first-place Keystone award. B shares her journey to show others that their support matters and that people in recovery can thrive and make a difference with community, compassion, and the right opportunities.
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Katherine Pohlidal
Katherine Pohlidal is the Director of the nationally recognized, award-winning, Ruth Matthews Bourger Women with Children Program at Misericordia University. Katherine has 25 years of experience as a clinician, case manager, treatment provider and administrator both in clinical treatment settings and in higher education. She has led the Bourger WWC for over a decade at Misericordia University and through her leadership, has established the program as a best practice standard in higher education. She
holds a B.A.in Sociology as well as a M.Ed. in Counselor Education from The Pennsylvania State University and a M.B.A from Alvernia University. Katherine has worked extensively in the addiction
treatment field, including for the Caron Foundation as the director of the adolescent treatment center in Wernersville, PA. She is a Pennsylvania state licensed professional counselor (LPC). She has been featured in both regional and national news with the Today Show, NPR StoryCorps, Inside Higher Ed., the New York Times and the Associated Press for her work with the Bourger Women with Children Program and the FARMU initiative at Misericordia. The RMB Women with Children program’s two-generation programmatic model, inspired the new Parent Pathways initiative for the state of
Pennsylvania, launched by PA Governor Wolf in 2019; now sustained by PA Governor Shapiro in 2024. Katherine is also the lead developer for the new, Parent Pathways of Northeastern Pennsylvania
program, a national pilot funded through the Robin Hood Foundation’s Mobility LABs, to build sustainable solutions to lift families out of poverty, launched in 2022. She was named one of the 20 most influential women in Northeastern Pennsylvania through the Times Leader’s Distinctive Women of 2018 and in 2024, was the recipient of the Back-Mountain Chamber’s Women in Leadership Award.
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