Two staff recognized by Wichita Business Journal

Keri McGregor, program director for Harbor House Domestic Violence Shelter, and Mary Beth Chambers, director of marketing and communications, have both recently been recognized by the Wichita Business Journal.

Keri McGregor – 40 Under 40

McGregor has been selected as one of 40 young professionals for the Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 recognition program for 2022.

A Wichita State University graduate who holds a bachelor’s in social work, McGregor has been part of the Harbor House team since 2011. She first joined Catholic Charities as a domestic violence advocate, then developed an outreach program called SAFE Project and served as its first coordinator. SAFE Project is an outreach program for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault focusing on safety, advocacy, finances and employment. McGregor was promoted to program director in 2016, providing leadership and oversight for all Harbor House operations and outreach programs.

“I feel blessed and humbled to have had the opportunity to help so many people,” McGregor said of her time at Harbor House. “Walking alongside people experiencing some of their darkest moments in life is a cold reminder of how cruel this world can be. However, it is that darkness and cruelty that motivates me to be kind, work hard, and to listen.”

In addition to her day-to-day responsibilities for Catholic Charities, McGregor represents Harbor House in partnerships with law enforcement, the district attorney’s office and other like-minded organizations to better understand domestic violence in the community and to seek solutions for lowering the number of cases, helping victims and holding offenders accountable.

Mary Beth Chambers – Women Who Lead in Marketing and Communications

Chambers, who has been with Catholic Charities for nearly three years, was honored in the “Women Who Lead” series in the area of marketing and communications.

Originally from St. Louis, Chambers graduated from Benedictine College with a bachelor’s in communications and is now capping her 35+-year career by leading the marketing and communications efforts for Catholic Charities. After spending the first 10 years of her career in sports communications at the NAIA and Washburn University, she served 21 years in corporate communications at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas.

She shifted gears to non-profit work in May 2019 after taking an early retirement from Blue Cross.

“The best stop on my career path is where I am now,” Chambers said. “I was fortunate to be able to take an early retirement from Blue Cross to join Catholic Charities, a role that allows me to give back; to ‘work for God’ as we like to say. It’s so easy to see the direct correlation between the work that my team and I do, the generous response from donors and volunteers, and the life-changing impact for the people that we serve.”

Her leadership at Catholic Charities has enhanced and expanded the overall brand awareness for the organization and its 13 ministries as well as its multichannel, multifaceted fundraising initiatives.