Step Up Parents Welcomes Two New Board Members

Step Up Parents welcomed two outstanding new board members to its Board of Directors this month. John Moynihan and John Sheedy bring professional expertise as leaders in their fields and personal experience with kinship care and substance misuse.

John Moynihan is the Executive Director at Firehouse Center for the Arts and a previous Managing/Producing Director at Prescott Park Arts Festival. He holds an Executive Certificate in Nonprofit Leadership and Management from Notre Dame.

“Step Up Parents spoke to me from the moment I first learned of the organization,” Moynihan said. “Not too many years ago, I was on the brink of losing my family due to my own substance misuse. If not for the support of my family and friends, things could have turned out very differently for me. Coming out of COVID, I found myself drawn towards advocacy and working towards destigmatizing mental health and substance misuse disorders. I’m honored to step into this role and play a part in making a difference for the families and children Step Up Parents serves.”

John Sheedy is the Senior Product Manager at B2W Software, where he has worked for over ten years. He holds an MBA from Plymouth State University. Sheedy brings his personal experience as a kinship caregiver to Step Up Parents.

"After learning about Step Up Parents from a friend (and fellow board member), its mission immediately struck a chord for me," said Sheedy. "My wife and I have raised our niece whose parents were unable to provide her with a stable home environment, and we have experienced firsthand the challenges and personal rewards of providing kinship care for an extended family member.

While we have been fortunate to be able to raise our niece and our three daughters without financial assistance, I know many families face financial struggles that make kinship caregiving much more difficult. I am excited to join Step Up Parents' mission to help ease families' financial burdens and to provide support to caregivers in oftentimes difficult situations."

Welcome, John Moynihan and John Sheedy! We are thrilled to have you both on the Step Up Parents team.