St. Vincent de Paul’s new CEO Brad McMonigle is ready to serve

Brad McMonigle is bringing over 25 years of experience in behavioral health in his new CEO position at St. Vincent de Paul in Cincinnati.

“Many of the individuals that we serve at St. Vincent de Paul, and in the community, have behavioral health challenges and oftentimes the individuals that I would serve in my past career certainly needed the services of St. Vincent de Paul,” McMonigle says. “So I’m very familiar with the needs of this community and the population after spending so many years in behavioral health.”

Most recently, McMonigle served as the chief clinical officer at the Talbert House, where he worked since 2013. He holds a master’s in counseling from Cincinnati Bible Seminary and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Cincinnati. He has been a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC) since 2000, according to St. Vincent de Paul.

McMonigle says St. Vincent de Paul lines up with his career of helping others—through various services, like mental health or substance abuse.

“My passion has always been in the social service arena, so St. Vincent de Paul really fits very well with my personal goals, my personal values, and it’s a very nice fit with who I am and what I’m able to do,” McMonigle says. “And the additional beauty of St. Vincent de Paul is being able to do those things with an emphasis—and a really kind of a focus on faith—which is a big part of who I am and how I like to lead.”

According to St. Vincent de Paul, McMonigle will provide leadership in “the planning, design, implementation and evaluation of all program components of St. Vincent de Paul, including the Don & Phyllis Neyer Outreach Center in the West End, eight Greater Cincinnati thrift stores and donation centers, the Deaconess Health Check/Charitable Pharmacy, the Becky & Ted Catino Choice Food Pantry in the West End, a network of 12 parish-based food pantries, and 52 volunteer groups at local Catholic parishes, consisting of over 1,200 members.”

Just in the past year, St. Vincent de Paul distributed over $2.5 million in rent assistance, fed over 55,000 people through its food pantries, dispensed over 70,000 free prescriptions and provided over $572,000 worth of clothing and household goods to neighbors at zero cost.

McMonigle says St. Vincent de Paul is continuing to see needs in the community to rise, which is why the organization is continuing to increase the support in volunteers.

“We’re working hard to find ways to increase their ability to serve. We are also working with—internally and externally—to secure increased food supplies for our pantry as the need rises,” McMonigle says. “And we’re working, as well, to be able to access funds and increase funds to assist individuals with their rental assistant needs as well as utility costs—and all of those things, all in the effort of getting them on their feet, so they can then move forward.”

We spoke with McMonigle about his goals for the organization and how local residents can assist the nonprofit.

Cincy Magazine: “What are some of your personal goals in your new position? What do you hope to do this year at St. Vincent?”

Brad McMonigle: “Well, right now, my personal goal is to learn all that we do—meet as many, if not all, of the tremendous people that we have in our network of care. And then, you know, longer term than that, it really is around how I, as the CEO here at St. Vincent de Paul, can support our team and our volunteers to meet the increased needs of our community. So it’ll range from working within our board and in our network to find improved technology opportunities for our providers, to working with organizations that can increase our donations for our pantry or pharmacy. And just really trying to enhance and grow the resources that we have here because the demand is just going to continue to go up.”

CM: “What are some areas that you feel either need more donations or more volunteer work? What are some areas that St. Vincent works on that the general public could help out more with?”

BM: “First and foremost is our food. You know, we work really hard to secure as much donation as we can. We also raise money to purchase food to try to bridge the gap. So that is one. And then it’s the incidentals, so your toilet paper, soaps, deodorant, feminine products, diapers—those kinds of things that individuals that are on food stamps cannot access with those food stamps. I’ve been told that our highest expense in our pantry is toilet paper. And so those types of donations are in high demand right now.”

CM: “What is something that you’d want the public to know about SVDP?”

BM: “I know I’ve learned a lot that we do that I had no idea we did. And so, you know, a couple of things, if I may, one … So we have the thrift stores. And that’s what most individuals [think of] when they think of St. Vincent de Paul. They’re like, ‘Oh, yeah, I know their thrift stores.’ We actually take just under 90% of all of our budgeted bottom line return back to our services, which is a large portion of our net revenue. And that’s sent back to provide direct care, whether it’s food supplies, pharmacy supplies, our social services and our ability to support the individual through rental. So, I think, our thrift store is helping the public understand the amount of funding that we give back. It’s not something that we are sitting on, it’s something that we turn right around for great use.

And then our pharmacy; it’s an incredible pharmacy. It’s a charitable pharmacy. We do not charge for the medication. We do not charge for the amount of time that our pharmacists spend with an individual to review all their medications, their complexities, their challenges with taking the medication. And it’s just a tremendous service that this community has and it truly is a gift to those who do not have the means to get medication that literally keeps them alive.”