May 21, 2025 • 27 mins
Susanne Cole, President & CEO of Pressley Ridge, has devoted over 35 years to helping vulnerable children and families thrive. Adopted at birth, her personal story fuels her passion. Under her leadership, the nonprofit has grown significantly, serving 8,000+ annually with innovative, community-based child welfare programs across seven states. https://www.pressleyridge.org/
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:03):
Hey, and welcome man. This is the CEOs You Should
Know podcast. I'm your host, Johnny Heartwell, let's say hello
to Suzanne Cole and Matt Millett of the nonprofit Presley Rich.
Thank you for being with me.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
Great to be here.
Speaker 1 (00:14):
So tell us everything we need to know about your organization.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
Well, Presle Ridge is a large organization that serves children
and families across seven states, and we're headquartered right here
in Pittsburgh. And so really our mission is to do
whatever it takes to create success for kids and families.
And all that means is that we have lots of
kids and families in our communities every day that face
some significant challenges in their lives, and we're here to
support them and help them however we can.
Speaker 1 (00:38):
And how do you do that?
Speaker 2 (00:39):
We have over seventy different programs we really try to
work with keeping kids and families in their home. So
think about like coming into someone's home and just trying
to address any challenges through counseling or supports, linking them
to services. If kids and families can't stay together, we
do foster care services and adoption, but our goal was
really to keep kids and families together. We also have
(01:01):
some holly specialized services for children that need a little
bit more supports. We run some private academic license schools,
and we have some specialized residential programs for kids and families.
Speaker 1 (01:12):
And you have a big event coming up. Tell us
a little more about that.
Speaker 3 (01:15):
Matt, Yeah, we're really excited. We have partnered with Permanny Brothers.
On June thirteenth, out at the Harmerville location, we're going
to have a drive box there where fans can come
out either of the morning show and try their chance
at a closest to the pin contest and they can
win tickets to the Trophy Club over at Oakmont on Sunday.
(01:37):
So we're really looking forward to that, not only exposing
people to Primanny's great food, but also to the important
needs that you know, Presley Ridge fundraises for.
Speaker 1 (01:48):
Now, if somebody wants more information on the organization or
the event that's happening at Te Primanny's, what's.
Speaker 2 (01:53):
Your website Presseridge dot org.
Speaker 1 (01:56):
All right, so let me dig a little deeper into
your story, because I think that's a good way to start.
Is you have a fascinating story, So tell us a
little bit more.
Speaker 2 (02:06):
Well, I grew up in Charleston, West Virginia. I was
adopted at a very young age by two parents. One is,
you know, a school teacher. The other was a manager
of a shoe store. And so growing up, I mean,
my parents always just kind of instilled the values in
me that get a good education and try to give
back to the community. And so over the years, I thought, well,
(02:28):
I'm not sure what I want to do with my life,
although my mother was really pushing you've got to go
to college, and so I did. When I was in school,
I thought I wanted to go into federal law enforcement,
and so I got a criminal justice degree. And then,
like every other kid, when you get out of school,
you think, uh, oh, I got to get a job.
And so Presley Ridge was hiring, and I thought, you know,
(02:50):
I like kids. This is kind of a little bit
like law enforcement. Kids were court ordered to a residential
facility in West Virginia. They needed some treement services and
we need to really kind of help them be able
to manage behaviors and then get back home. So I interviewed,
I got the job. I really liked it. It was difficult.
(03:11):
I didn't think that I would stay there. I thought
that I would really, you know, go back to law enforcement.
But what ended up happening was I ended up being
a supervisor there, getting promoted running that program, went back
to school, got my master's degree in special education, thought
(03:31):
maybe I'll stick it out a little bit longer, and
then eventually became the executive director over all of our
services in West Virginia and moved on up the chain,
became the CEO in twenty eleven.
Speaker 1 (03:43):
So you really started from the bottom and worked your
way all the way to the top of as a CEO.
So how is that How has that helped you with
your management style?
Speaker 2 (03:57):
Yeah, you know, I think that by working in the
direct care position and really working directly with the kids
and working in lots of different environments. So I worked
in you know, what's called residential services where kids live
in a facility for twenty four hours a day and
get treatment. And then I worked in foster care services,
and then I worked with families in their homes, and
(04:17):
then I worked in the community doing things, and then
oversaw some of our schools. I think being able to
see all these different aspects of different service delivery has
really helped me be able to get a perspective of
what employees face on a daily basis. You know, this
is challenging. I mean, kids and families are hurting. Kids
and families are trying to find ways to help themselves
(04:40):
and overcome these challenges. But a lot of times that
comes out in behaviors that we don't like to see
and that we're trying to correct, and so staff have
to really help the kids and families work through the
trauma that they've experienced in their life, and therefore staff
are exposed to a lot of trauma. And so I
think by me doing that work, myself understood the feelings
(05:03):
and emotions that I had going through all of that
at work, taking work home, trying to separate work from
personal life, and just really realizing the stress that it
puts on everybody. When you're trying to help someone in
a challenging situation.
Speaker 1 (05:18):
You know exactly what the frontline troops are facing, and
so you have a little bit more of a perspective
of what they need to do.
Speaker 3 (05:26):
Right.
Speaker 2 (05:26):
Yeah, now, I'll ever want to forget that. I mean,
I think that's the one thing that as a good
leader and as a strong leader, that I always want
to keep in perspective, is you know, as leaders, we
have to make management decisions, we have to make business decisions.
But at the end of the day, this is about
the kids and families that we're serving, and it's about
our staff who are sacrificing each and every moment to
(05:47):
help somebody else. And it's challenging. So I never want
to forget that.
Speaker 1 (05:51):
You when you were talking about the different positions that
you held at Presley Ridge, it kind of shined the
light of how many things your organization really does. So
let's dig a little deeper. Can you can you tell
us a little bit more about what Presley Ridge does
from a you know, from a from a not just
(06:13):
you know, a big picture, but the micro vision of
what you guys do.
Speaker 2 (06:17):
Sure, so, kids and families get referred to us from
the Department of Social Services in various states or juvenile
probation sometimes the.
Speaker 1 (06:27):
Social kids with with you know that have issues and
problems exactly right, exactly, and all of it usually is
just rooted in some trauma that has happened.
Speaker 2 (06:35):
Right, We all experienced traumatic events, we all deal with
those differently, and so the kids and families that we
serve have had problems, and so what Pressle Ridge does
is we meet them where they are. We come in,
we have conversations with them, We look at what issues
they're facing, and then we create different types of treatment
plans and services to address those to really help them
(06:57):
be successful and to not have to have formal intervention
like Presley Ridge in the future, or to know how
to get it from their communities and through their natural supports.
So we're doing things like counseling, we're doing things like
crisis management and intervention, going in and making sure that
when things are out of control that we can settle
it down, help kids and families through the chaos, and
(07:19):
find better ways to handle challenges that come their way.
But really our mission here is to keep kids and
families together and help them understand what a healthy family
looks like and to get the services and supports they
need to continue to be successful.
Speaker 1 (07:34):
Without naming names, can you give us an example of
maybe how you've helped a child in their family.
Speaker 2 (07:40):
Sure, so, you know, let's just take a situation where
and we had this we all know, we went through COVID.
It was a really challenging time really when was yeah,
and so lots of stress on kids and families, you know,
We're not meant to be isolated from other people. And
so when we're in these types of situations. We had,
you know, a family that mom was home, there were
(08:05):
you know a number of kids in the home. They
were trying to do school online. You know, think about that,
remember those days. We have three kids trying to use
one computer to get through school. Dad loses his job
during the process, creates a lot of stress. Kids are
acting out, kids getting involved in drinking and getting involved
in problems in the community, and so family is starting
(08:28):
to really experience a crisis, not know what to do,
and at that time, it's not like you can go somewhere.
So during that time, our staff we're still just like
you know, first responders, masking up and going into homes
and trying to help manage situations. So we would take
a counselor into a home, versus you having to come
(08:49):
to us. We would sit down, we would go through
what's happening with your family, and then we would talk
about what are the things that we can do to
try to put things back together. So, how do we
help the child deal with their feelings of isolation and
depression and not use drugs or alcohol? How do we
help manage the stress that mom's facing around trying to
(09:11):
just manage the household, put food on the table, get
the kids through school while she's dealing with her own depression.
How do we help dad, you know, not feel awful
about losing his job and get back into the job
market in the future. So really taking this holistic approach
to helping a family and not being judgmental and understanding
(09:34):
that we all have different challenges. And so that's just
one type of in home what we call a.
Speaker 1 (09:41):
Thousand different kind of examples for that. How many individuals
do you generally help in any given year?
Speaker 2 (09:48):
About eight thousand? Wow, Yeah, And that's you know, I
always say it's really hard to measure this because those
are really folks, that are people, kids that are referred
to us. But we don't just work with the individual
that's referred to us. We work with the entire family.
You can't just you know, if a kid comes referred
to Presley Ridge because they're acting out, fighting at school,
(10:10):
going out and you know, being true at doing things
they shouldn't be doing. We can't just work with a kid.
We need to be able to work with the whole
family situation. That's happening and what's going on in the community.
So that's just the individuals, but I would tell you
we touched tens of thousands of people.
Speaker 1 (10:25):
We're talking with Suzanne Cole Presley Ridge a special event
coming up on June thirteenth and fourteenth at Primanni Brothers
Restaurant in Harmerville celebrating the US Open. If you want
more information, what is your website again.
Speaker 2 (10:37):
It is Presleyridge dot org.
Speaker 1 (10:38):
That's pretty easy, all right. So you talked about, you know,
the father and the mother in the and the and
the child and dealing with the family. Do you deal
with stigma quite a bit?
Speaker 3 (10:48):
We do?
Speaker 2 (10:49):
We do. I think that, you know, I think over
the years, mental health stigma has improved. We've seen athletes
come out and talk about it more openly. We've seen
artists come out and talk about it more openly. But
in the news still, when you hear about a situation
where a kid has done something in the community that
(11:10):
you know, can be pretty horrific. I mean, we hear
about kids taking guns to school. We hear about, you know,
suicidality a lot. We hear about all these different things
that are problems that are impacting our community, and I
think our initial reaction is to just blame somebody instantly
and to look at the problem, the behavior at the
surface of what's in front of us. And what we
really needed to do is to take a moment and
(11:32):
take a step back and really evaluate what god us
to this point. And if you go back and you look,
a lot of times what we'll find is significant trauma
in someone's past, you know, physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional
abuse that has not been addressed at the right place
and time in that person's life that has caused them
(11:54):
to then you know, display behaviors that are just unacceptable
and are causing more challenges than anything else. But it's
not to excuse behavior, but to help people understand that
mental health is real and it is something that we
need to normalize talking about, and it's also a part
of our overall health and well being. So how we
feel mentally, you know, impacts us physically, how we feel
(12:17):
emotionally impacts us mentally. All of those things kind of
connect And I just wish that we would have more
conversation about or at least continue our conversation, increase our
conversation about mental health and wellness right.
Speaker 1 (12:30):
I think as a community we need to be more
empathetic about what those situations. Now, you know, you named
a number of things that may be a little extreme,
but we all as individuals and families and loved ones,
we all face difficulties that made me be as difficult
as the ones that you mentioned. But I think it's
important as a community that we empathize with individuals who
(12:53):
are going through this process because if they're coming to you,
they're looking for solutions, they're working to better their situation.
Speaker 2 (13:02):
Yes, yes, and I think too. Again, it's not to excuse.
I don't want you to hear me say that I'm
excusing criminal behavior or our behaviors that are unacceptable in
our communities. What we have to think about is what
are the services that we need to have in place
in our communities to prevent these things from happening in
the future.
Speaker 1 (13:21):
Well, what kind of services and programs does Presley Redge provide?
Speaker 2 (13:25):
So you know, a lot of our services, like we
talked about our family preservation, so being able to catch
things early when we start to see families and kids
having challenges at a young age, being able to go
in when they're young and provide those services versus waiting
till they're fifteen so or sixteen or when things have
gotten completely out of control. A lot of times our
(13:47):
systems are challenging to get into or challenging to find
a resource. So really trying to help get the word
out about what resources are available to kids and families,
you know, through what beat your pediatrician's office, or whether
it be through school systems, because what Presorage offers are
those services that I mentioned earlier around being able to
(14:08):
come in and do counseling, supports, crisis intervention, and if
there is a situation, because we do this as well,
where kids have been abused, we're neglected and have to
be removed from their homes, we get them out and
we get them in a family that can nurture them,
provide safety to them, provide counseling and supports, and then
(14:32):
we also can work with our biological family if that's
still an option for them, to help return them back
home as long as there hasn't been severe abuse in neglect.
Speaker 1 (14:41):
And where do you find these families. Is it through
the local police, is it through the doctors, that through
schools or.
Speaker 2 (14:47):
All the above, So kids and families are referred to
us through the Department of Social Services or Department of
Human Services. Different states call them different things, but they're
always referred to us through Department of Social Services. So
could have been police intervention, could have been child Protective
Services intervention, could have been school intervention. But they can
(15:07):
come to us through all of those different mechanisms.
Speaker 1 (15:10):
All right. So if somebody is listening now and maybe
they're facing a family situation that they are looking for help,
how do they reach you? How do they contact you?
Speaker 2 (15:20):
Yeah, I mean they can reach out to us on
our website at Pressurridge dot org. They can call our
office and even if Presley Ridge doesn't provide the service,
we can link them to other services or we can
link them to supports to help them get what they need.
We don't turn people away even if we can't provide
the service.
Speaker 1 (15:37):
Tell us a little bit about the organization as far
as you're headquartered here in Pittsburgh, but you said seven
different states, So tell us about the organization itself.
Speaker 2 (15:48):
Yeah, So we started here in Pittsburgh on the North Side.
I'm really proud of that history. And we started as
an orphanage here and then as Tom's changed and we
saw the needs of kids and families change, evolved into
this organization that provides a wide variety of services that
help kids and families. But we are headquartered here in Pittsburgh.
And then because of the good work that we did
(16:10):
in our outcomes, we started to see referrals from other
states to our programs here in Pittsburgh. And what that
led to was other states saying, well, could you just
come to our state and provide a service so that
we can keep our kids and families close to home,
because that is ideal, And so we expanded into mostly
(16:31):
east coast states West Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, Ohio, Virginia, and
then most recently we have started this new venture in Texas.
Speaker 1 (16:46):
Is that here.
Speaker 2 (16:48):
We are in deep East Texas border in Louisiana. We've
got a region in Texas of about fifteen counties in
which Presley Ridge actually acts as an extension of the
Department of Human Services there and we provide and take
and placement for children that are no longer in their homes.
(17:10):
So we take them into care and then we manage
a network of providers to help them get their needs
met through foster care or through residential care. And we
also do some what's called kinship, so going in and
supporting kids and families as well. It's a different type
of a service in Texas and it's actually a future
vision for Presley Ridge.
Speaker 1 (17:30):
Well, that's my question is that because you've expanded in
different states, what do you do what does Presley Ridge?
What do you do as an organization that those other
states weren't providing? What do you do that is different
than what other states were providing for those situations?
Speaker 2 (17:48):
Yeah, I mean, we're really just trying to fill gaps
in services. So one of the things that we do
really well is come in and meet with our community
partners like the Department of Human Services, child Protective Services,
could be, the police, could be, the community and think about,
you know, what are the most challenging things that are
facing kids and families and what services do you not
have available to you, and then Press Ridge will create them.
(18:09):
We've been really innovative over the years in trying to
match the needs of the community with what we can
provide in the services to ensure that kids and families
are successful. And so for us, we've been very fortunate
that Presley Ridge we have a strong foundation, we have
a lot of different expertise, and when there are gaps
(18:30):
and services that maybe other providers in the community can't fulfill,
we'll take that risk and we'll develop a program or
service and we will provide that if the state or
the community wants that service.
Speaker 1 (18:43):
Okay, I do have other questions about funding, especially from
a local in the state wise, but let's bring matt
in back in talking about funding. Fundraising has to be
a priority for you guys as well.
Speaker 3 (18:56):
Yes, it's a major priority. We're in the midst of
a twenty five million dollar campaign called the we Are Campaign.
As Suzanne said, we have a lot of complicated programs
that are hard to understand sometimes, so the campaign serves
as twofold. It also allows us to define who we
(19:16):
are in terms of programs. We have a couple things
that Susanna's covered. We are foster care, we are trauma
in foreign programs in schools, which really help us to
find who we are as an organization as well.
Speaker 1 (19:31):
Tell us a little bit more about the fundraiser that
is coming up on June thirteenth and fourteenth, Can you
shed some light on.
Speaker 3 (19:37):
Yeah, So we've partnered with Primani Brothers and we will
be out at their Harmerville location on June thirteenth and
fourteenth with a drive box setup, which is a golf simulator,
and fans can come out and try their luck at
hitting golf balls closest to the pen and winners will
go over to the Trophy Club at Oakmont for the
(19:58):
final day of the US.
Speaker 1 (20:00):
Now, for those who aren't familiar with the Trophy Club,
what is that?
Speaker 3 (20:03):
The Trophy Club is an indoor area right on the
famous third hole, which is the Church Pews. So you
know anybody that's played it or seen it on TV.
It's a famous hole nicknamed the Church Pews I think
by Arnold Palmer. So we're really excited about giving.
Speaker 1 (20:19):
Any chance of a meeting or seeing some celebrities at the.
Speaker 3 (20:23):
You never know, you know, I know, the US Open
brings out tons of people to the Pittsburgh area, So
we're just excited to be partnered with not only Permonny's
and showcase all the great programs that Presley Ridge has.
Speaker 1 (20:36):
So got the Pittsburgh Classic food and you help out
a great worthy cause.
Speaker 3 (20:40):
Absolutely, and for more information on that, you could go
to Presley Ridge dot org slash Open to learn more.
Speaker 1 (20:48):
We're talking with Suzanne Cole and Matt Millet of the
nonprofit Presley Ridge. When Matt was talking, it occurred to
me that you do so many things. Do you have
difficulty explain to people what Presley Ridge does because you
have so many programs and so many services.
Speaker 2 (21:07):
It's the biggest challenge that we have, and honestly, we're
working on that. As an organization. We kind of bucket
our services into four or five categories and those are
ones that I've mentioned kind of family preservation, residential care,
foster care, adoption, and then some transition age services, just.
Speaker 1 (21:24):
Small little programs that you know that.
Speaker 2 (21:27):
Yeah, but we are trying to really kind of get
a better way to discuss in detail what we do
and streamline our language so that people, in the simplest
of terms, we help kids and families who face challenges.
Speaker 1 (21:41):
So tell a little bit about the background, because you
started out as an adopted agency. And how long have
you been CEO.
Speaker 2 (21:49):
I've been CEO since twenty eleven.
Speaker 1 (21:51):
Okay, so you've been there a while. What has been
your mission or vision for Presley Ridge?
Speaker 2 (22:00):
Really kind of where we're headed right now with our
expansion in Texas and when we just started, But the
vision for us would be that we can create a
system that is a lot more for lack of a
better word, us your family user friendly for kids and
families that we can start with earlier intervention. We can
get in and offer those supports at the right time
(22:23):
for kids and families so that that we don't have
these kids and families lingering in the system for longer
than what they need to that we.
Speaker 1 (22:30):
Can Why is it, Why does that happen?
Speaker 2 (22:33):
Yeah, I think it's just the way that government systems
are structured sometimes that you know, we have to prove
that we've tried all these other things before we get
the service that we need. And I think it's just,
I mean, it's it's it's a failure on our part
to really look at how we individualize services for kids
(22:56):
and families that are facing challenges. Not everybody can fit into,
you know, the same bucket. Just because I have depression
and you might have depression, it doesn't mean it's displayed
the same way, and it doesn't mean we need the
same service, And so that can be challenging me. It's
a complicated issue that you know, we have to face
and let's face it, we all have different access to means.
(23:17):
Some people may be able to afford private insurance and
can get connected with a counselor very quickly. Other people
may not have that type of a resource and they're
just worried about putting food on a table and so
for me to try to find money to go see
a counselor is not going to happen. I need to
feed my kids and so, you know, I think we
have to understand that to your point earlier, funding and
(23:40):
how people get access to services can be very complicated.
Speaker 1 (23:45):
So what is your biggest challenge?
Speaker 2 (23:49):
My biggest challenge is it's always going to be there
is a need for services and how do we fund them?
That's always our biggest challenge. And then the other challenges.
Sometimes we have to say no and that is hard.
We can't be all things to all people, and we
have to keep a healthy organization moving forward so that
(24:10):
we can serve as many people as we possibly can,
and so that can be challenging for me at times.
Speaker 1 (24:15):
How can we help as a community help Presleybridge?
Speaker 2 (24:18):
Yeah, I think if the community starts to get involved
and understand that, you know, government funding and that's how
pressor Ridge is funded. We have government contracts, whether they
be state or county contracts that fund a particular service,
and usually it funds the treatment service or the education service.
What it doesn't fund are all the ancillary things, like
(24:39):
sometimes kids and families just need help with maybe getting
a new bed in their house, or maybe help with transportation,
or help with if somebody could just, you know, if
I could just get an additional few hundred dollars to
pay for groceries for this month, then I'll be okay
next month and I won't be teetering on this line of,
(25:00):
you know, being stressed out about not having money, and
so through donations and through support like that, and by
really just understanding that sometimes a little bit goes a
long way. If a community can wrap themselves around an
organization or a cause, that's helpful to us. So we
do take donations, and it's helpful if they are unrestricted,
(25:23):
because then we can put the money where it needs
to go for whatever situation that we have with a
kid and family.
Speaker 1 (25:30):
You need help in recruiting quality employees.
Speaker 2 (25:33):
Always need help in recruiting employees because it's a challenging field,
it's a challenging feel, it's high stress and so we
need people that you know, are interested in working with
kids and families, who understand mental health challenges, who understand that,
you know, helping others is probably the greatest gift that
somebody can do, even though it's really challenging at times.
(25:54):
And so recruitment of staff is absolutely an area that
we need help them. How about volunteers, Yeah, we do
use volunteers and our development department does a great job
with that. There's lots of different activities to get involved in,
you know, I think everybody focuses on the holidays. People
want to give during you know, Thanksgiving and Christmas and
all of those things, but we need help year round
(26:14):
and it can be all different kinds of help. We
have campuses where we do planting of flowers or cleanups,
We do activities with kids and families, and just coming
out and helping us with those is always a good time.
We do fundraising events where we need volunteers to help
us at the fundraising events. So all of those ways
are you know, fantastic help for us.
Speaker 1 (26:35):
And what is the one thing the one thing you
want people to know about Presley Ridge.
Speaker 2 (26:41):
I want people to know that we're here to help
that when you're in a time where you feel hopeless,
Presley Ridge can help you.
Speaker 1 (26:48):
I mean we can help you.
Speaker 2 (26:49):
I don't want anybody to ever feel hopeless. And so
for us, if you are struggling, just give us a call,
reach out to us. And again, if we can't help,
we will help.
Speaker 1 (26:58):
Get you help. And I'm gonna leave it with Matt.
Matt has the fundraiser that is coming up in just
a few days, so tell us everything we need to know.
Speaker 3 (27:08):
Yeah, once again, we're really excited to be partnered with
Primani Brothers. We'll be out at the Harmerville location on
June thirteenth and fourteenth with an opportunity to support these
great programs that Presley Ridge provides. For more information, Presley
Ridge dot org, slash open.
Speaker 1 (27:26):
Very good, Suzanne, Matt. It's been a pleasure and I
wish you all the luck with your event and good
luck in the future. Thank you so much.
Speaker 2 (27:33):
Thank you for having us. We appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (27:35):
This has been the CEOs you should know podcasts showcasing
businesses that are driving our regional economy. Part of iHeartMedia's
commitment to the communities we serve. I'm Johnny Hartwell, thank
you so much for listening
Hey, and welcome man. This is the CEOs You Should
Know podcast. I'm your host, Johnny Heartwell, let's say hello
to Suzanne Cole and Matt Millett of the nonprofit Presley Rich.
Thank you for being with me.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
Great to be here.
Speaker 1 (00:14):
So tell us everything we need to know about your organization.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
Well, Presle Ridge is a large organization that serves children
and families across seven states, and we're headquartered right here
in Pittsburgh. And so really our mission is to do
whatever it takes to create success for kids and families.
And all that means is that we have lots of
kids and families in our communities every day that face
some significant challenges in their lives, and we're here to
support them and help them however we can.
Speaker 1 (00:38):
And how do you do that?
Speaker 2 (00:39):
We have over seventy different programs we really try to
work with keeping kids and families in their home. So
think about like coming into someone's home and just trying
to address any challenges through counseling or supports, linking them
to services. If kids and families can't stay together, we
do foster care services and adoption, but our goal was
really to keep kids and families together. We also have
(01:01):
some holly specialized services for children that need a little
bit more supports. We run some private academic license schools,
and we have some specialized residential programs for kids and families.
Speaker 1 (01:12):
And you have a big event coming up. Tell us
a little more about that.
Speaker 3 (01:15):
Matt, Yeah, we're really excited. We have partnered with Permanny Brothers.
On June thirteenth, out at the Harmerville location, we're going
to have a drive box there where fans can come
out either of the morning show and try their chance
at a closest to the pin contest and they can
win tickets to the Trophy Club over at Oakmont on Sunday.
(01:37):
So we're really looking forward to that, not only exposing
people to Primanny's great food, but also to the important
needs that you know, Presley Ridge fundraises for.
Speaker 1 (01:48):
Now, if somebody wants more information on the organization or
the event that's happening at Te Primanny's, what's.
Speaker 2 (01:53):
Your website Presseridge dot org.
Speaker 1 (01:56):
All right, so let me dig a little deeper into
your story, because I think that's a good way to start.
Is you have a fascinating story, So tell us a
little bit more.
Speaker 2 (02:06):
Well, I grew up in Charleston, West Virginia. I was
adopted at a very young age by two parents. One is,
you know, a school teacher. The other was a manager
of a shoe store. And so growing up, I mean,
my parents always just kind of instilled the values in
me that get a good education and try to give
back to the community. And so over the years, I thought, well,
(02:28):
I'm not sure what I want to do with my life,
although my mother was really pushing you've got to go
to college, and so I did. When I was in school,
I thought I wanted to go into federal law enforcement,
and so I got a criminal justice degree. And then,
like every other kid, when you get out of school,
you think, uh, oh, I got to get a job.
And so Presley Ridge was hiring, and I thought, you know,
(02:50):
I like kids. This is kind of a little bit
like law enforcement. Kids were court ordered to a residential
facility in West Virginia. They needed some treement services and
we need to really kind of help them be able
to manage behaviors and then get back home. So I interviewed,
I got the job. I really liked it. It was difficult.
(03:11):
I didn't think that I would stay there. I thought
that I would really, you know, go back to law enforcement.
But what ended up happening was I ended up being
a supervisor there, getting promoted running that program, went back
to school, got my master's degree in special education, thought
(03:31):
maybe I'll stick it out a little bit longer, and
then eventually became the executive director over all of our
services in West Virginia and moved on up the chain,
became the CEO in twenty eleven.
Speaker 1 (03:43):
So you really started from the bottom and worked your
way all the way to the top of as a CEO.
So how is that How has that helped you with
your management style?
Speaker 2 (03:57):
Yeah, you know, I think that by working in the
direct care position and really working directly with the kids
and working in lots of different environments. So I worked
in you know, what's called residential services where kids live
in a facility for twenty four hours a day and
get treatment. And then I worked in foster care services,
and then I worked with families in their homes, and
(04:17):
then I worked in the community doing things, and then
oversaw some of our schools. I think being able to
see all these different aspects of different service delivery has
really helped me be able to get a perspective of
what employees face on a daily basis. You know, this
is challenging. I mean, kids and families are hurting. Kids
and families are trying to find ways to help themselves
(04:40):
and overcome these challenges. But a lot of times that
comes out in behaviors that we don't like to see
and that we're trying to correct, and so staff have
to really help the kids and families work through the
trauma that they've experienced in their life, and therefore staff
are exposed to a lot of trauma. And so I
think by me doing that work, myself understood the feelings
(05:03):
and emotions that I had going through all of that
at work, taking work home, trying to separate work from
personal life, and just really realizing the stress that it
puts on everybody. When you're trying to help someone in
a challenging situation.
Speaker 1 (05:18):
You know exactly what the frontline troops are facing, and
so you have a little bit more of a perspective
of what they need to do.
Speaker 3 (05:26):
Right.
Speaker 2 (05:26):
Yeah, now, I'll ever want to forget that. I mean,
I think that's the one thing that as a good
leader and as a strong leader, that I always want
to keep in perspective, is you know, as leaders, we
have to make management decisions, we have to make business decisions.
But at the end of the day, this is about
the kids and families that we're serving, and it's about
our staff who are sacrificing each and every moment to
(05:47):
help somebody else. And it's challenging. So I never want
to forget that.
Speaker 1 (05:51):
You when you were talking about the different positions that
you held at Presley Ridge, it kind of shined the
light of how many things your organization really does. So
let's dig a little deeper. Can you can you tell
us a little bit more about what Presley Ridge does
from a you know, from a from a not just
(06:13):
you know, a big picture, but the micro vision of
what you guys do.
Speaker 2 (06:17):
Sure, so, kids and families get referred to us from
the Department of Social Services in various states or juvenile
probation sometimes the.
Speaker 1 (06:27):
Social kids with with you know that have issues and
problems exactly right, exactly, and all of it usually is
just rooted in some trauma that has happened.
Speaker 2 (06:35):
Right, We all experienced traumatic events, we all deal with
those differently, and so the kids and families that we
serve have had problems, and so what Pressle Ridge does
is we meet them where they are. We come in,
we have conversations with them, We look at what issues
they're facing, and then we create different types of treatment
plans and services to address those to really help them
(06:57):
be successful and to not have to have formal intervention
like Presley Ridge in the future, or to know how
to get it from their communities and through their natural supports.
So we're doing things like counseling, we're doing things like
crisis management and intervention, going in and making sure that
when things are out of control that we can settle
it down, help kids and families through the chaos, and
(07:19):
find better ways to handle challenges that come their way.
But really our mission here is to keep kids and
families together and help them understand what a healthy family
looks like and to get the services and supports they
need to continue to be successful.
Speaker 1 (07:34):
Without naming names, can you give us an example of
maybe how you've helped a child in their family.
Speaker 2 (07:40):
Sure, so, you know, let's just take a situation where
and we had this we all know, we went through COVID.
It was a really challenging time really when was yeah,
and so lots of stress on kids and families, you know,
We're not meant to be isolated from other people. And
so when we're in these types of situations. We had,
you know, a family that mom was home, there were
(08:05):
you know a number of kids in the home. They
were trying to do school online. You know, think about that,
remember those days. We have three kids trying to use
one computer to get through school. Dad loses his job
during the process, creates a lot of stress. Kids are
acting out, kids getting involved in drinking and getting involved
in problems in the community, and so family is starting
(08:28):
to really experience a crisis, not know what to do,
and at that time, it's not like you can go somewhere.
So during that time, our staff we're still just like
you know, first responders, masking up and going into homes
and trying to help manage situations. So we would take
a counselor into a home, versus you having to come
(08:49):
to us. We would sit down, we would go through
what's happening with your family, and then we would talk
about what are the things that we can do to
try to put things back together. So, how do we
help the child deal with their feelings of isolation and
depression and not use drugs or alcohol? How do we
help manage the stress that mom's facing around trying to
(09:11):
just manage the household, put food on the table, get
the kids through school while she's dealing with her own depression.
How do we help dad, you know, not feel awful
about losing his job and get back into the job
market in the future. So really taking this holistic approach
to helping a family and not being judgmental and understanding
(09:34):
that we all have different challenges. And so that's just
one type of in home what we call a.
Speaker 1 (09:41):
Thousand different kind of examples for that. How many individuals
do you generally help in any given year?
Speaker 2 (09:48):
About eight thousand? Wow, Yeah, And that's you know, I
always say it's really hard to measure this because those
are really folks, that are people, kids that are referred
to us. But we don't just work with the individual
that's referred to us. We work with the entire family.
You can't just you know, if a kid comes referred
to Presley Ridge because they're acting out, fighting at school,
(10:10):
going out and you know, being true at doing things
they shouldn't be doing. We can't just work with a kid.
We need to be able to work with the whole
family situation. That's happening and what's going on in the community.
So that's just the individuals, but I would tell you
we touched tens of thousands of people.
Speaker 1 (10:25):
We're talking with Suzanne Cole Presley Ridge a special event
coming up on June thirteenth and fourteenth at Primanni Brothers
Restaurant in Harmerville celebrating the US Open. If you want
more information, what is your website again.
Speaker 2 (10:37):
It is Presleyridge dot org.
Speaker 1 (10:38):
That's pretty easy, all right. So you talked about, you know,
the father and the mother in the and the and
the child and dealing with the family. Do you deal
with stigma quite a bit?
Speaker 3 (10:48):
We do?
Speaker 2 (10:49):
We do. I think that, you know, I think over
the years, mental health stigma has improved. We've seen athletes
come out and talk about it more openly. We've seen
artists come out and talk about it more openly. But
in the news still, when you hear about a situation
where a kid has done something in the community that
(11:10):
you know, can be pretty horrific. I mean, we hear
about kids taking guns to school. We hear about, you know,
suicidality a lot. We hear about all these different things
that are problems that are impacting our community, and I
think our initial reaction is to just blame somebody instantly
and to look at the problem, the behavior at the
surface of what's in front of us. And what we
really needed to do is to take a moment and
(11:32):
take a step back and really evaluate what god us
to this point. And if you go back and you look,
a lot of times what we'll find is significant trauma
in someone's past, you know, physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional
abuse that has not been addressed at the right place
and time in that person's life that has caused them
(11:54):
to then you know, display behaviors that are just unacceptable
and are causing more challenges than anything else. But it's
not to excuse behavior, but to help people understand that
mental health is real and it is something that we
need to normalize talking about, and it's also a part
of our overall health and well being. So how we
feel mentally, you know, impacts us physically, how we feel
(12:17):
emotionally impacts us mentally. All of those things kind of
connect And I just wish that we would have more
conversation about or at least continue our conversation, increase our
conversation about mental health and wellness right.
Speaker 1 (12:30):
I think as a community we need to be more
empathetic about what those situations. Now, you know, you named
a number of things that may be a little extreme,
but we all as individuals and families and loved ones,
we all face difficulties that made me be as difficult
as the ones that you mentioned. But I think it's
important as a community that we empathize with individuals who
(12:53):
are going through this process because if they're coming to you,
they're looking for solutions, they're working to better their situation.
Speaker 2 (13:02):
Yes, yes, and I think too. Again, it's not to excuse.
I don't want you to hear me say that I'm
excusing criminal behavior or our behaviors that are unacceptable in
our communities. What we have to think about is what
are the services that we need to have in place
in our communities to prevent these things from happening in
the future.
Speaker 1 (13:21):
Well, what kind of services and programs does Presley Redge provide?
Speaker 2 (13:25):
So you know, a lot of our services, like we
talked about our family preservation, so being able to catch
things early when we start to see families and kids
having challenges at a young age, being able to go
in when they're young and provide those services versus waiting
till they're fifteen so or sixteen or when things have
gotten completely out of control. A lot of times our
(13:47):
systems are challenging to get into or challenging to find
a resource. So really trying to help get the word
out about what resources are available to kids and families,
you know, through what beat your pediatrician's office, or whether
it be through school systems, because what Presorage offers are
those services that I mentioned earlier around being able to
(14:08):
come in and do counseling, supports, crisis intervention, and if
there is a situation, because we do this as well,
where kids have been abused, we're neglected and have to
be removed from their homes, we get them out and
we get them in a family that can nurture them,
provide safety to them, provide counseling and supports, and then
(14:32):
we also can work with our biological family if that's
still an option for them, to help return them back
home as long as there hasn't been severe abuse in neglect.
Speaker 1 (14:41):
And where do you find these families. Is it through
the local police, is it through the doctors, that through
schools or.
Speaker 2 (14:47):
All the above, So kids and families are referred to
us through the Department of Social Services or Department of
Human Services. Different states call them different things, but they're
always referred to us through Department of Social Services. So
could have been police intervention, could have been child Protective
Services intervention, could have been school intervention. But they can
(15:07):
come to us through all of those different mechanisms.
Speaker 1 (15:10):
All right. So if somebody is listening now and maybe
they're facing a family situation that they are looking for help,
how do they reach you? How do they contact you?
Speaker 2 (15:20):
Yeah, I mean they can reach out to us on
our website at Pressurridge dot org. They can call our
office and even if Presley Ridge doesn't provide the service,
we can link them to other services or we can
link them to supports to help them get what they need.
We don't turn people away even if we can't provide
the service.
Speaker 1 (15:37):
Tell us a little bit about the organization as far
as you're headquartered here in Pittsburgh, but you said seven
different states, So tell us about the organization itself.
Speaker 2 (15:48):
Yeah, So we started here in Pittsburgh on the North Side.
I'm really proud of that history. And we started as
an orphanage here and then as Tom's changed and we
saw the needs of kids and families change, evolved into
this organization that provides a wide variety of services that
help kids and families. But we are headquartered here in Pittsburgh.
And then because of the good work that we did
(16:10):
in our outcomes, we started to see referrals from other
states to our programs here in Pittsburgh. And what that
led to was other states saying, well, could you just
come to our state and provide a service so that
we can keep our kids and families close to home,
because that is ideal, And so we expanded into mostly
(16:31):
east coast states West Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, Ohio, Virginia, and
then most recently we have started this new venture in Texas.
Speaker 1 (16:46):
Is that here.
Speaker 2 (16:48):
We are in deep East Texas border in Louisiana. We've
got a region in Texas of about fifteen counties in
which Presley Ridge actually acts as an extension of the
Department of Human Services there and we provide and take
and placement for children that are no longer in their homes.
(17:10):
So we take them into care and then we manage
a network of providers to help them get their needs
met through foster care or through residential care. And we
also do some what's called kinship, so going in and
supporting kids and families as well. It's a different type
of a service in Texas and it's actually a future
vision for Presley Ridge.
Speaker 1 (17:30):
Well, that's my question is that because you've expanded in
different states, what do you do what does Presley Ridge?
What do you do as an organization that those other
states weren't providing? What do you do that is different
than what other states were providing for those situations?
Speaker 2 (17:48):
Yeah, I mean, we're really just trying to fill gaps
in services. So one of the things that we do
really well is come in and meet with our community
partners like the Department of Human Services, child Protective Services,
could be, the police, could be, the community and think about,
you know, what are the most challenging things that are
facing kids and families and what services do you not
have available to you, and then Press Ridge will create them.
(18:09):
We've been really innovative over the years in trying to
match the needs of the community with what we can
provide in the services to ensure that kids and families
are successful. And so for us, we've been very fortunate
that Presley Ridge we have a strong foundation, we have
a lot of different expertise, and when there are gaps
(18:30):
and services that maybe other providers in the community can't fulfill,
we'll take that risk and we'll develop a program or
service and we will provide that if the state or
the community wants that service.
Speaker 1 (18:43):
Okay, I do have other questions about funding, especially from
a local in the state wise, but let's bring matt
in back in talking about funding. Fundraising has to be
a priority for you guys as well.
Speaker 3 (18:56):
Yes, it's a major priority. We're in the midst of
a twenty five million dollar campaign called the we Are Campaign.
As Suzanne said, we have a lot of complicated programs
that are hard to understand sometimes, so the campaign serves
as twofold. It also allows us to define who we
(19:16):
are in terms of programs. We have a couple things
that Susanna's covered. We are foster care, we are trauma
in foreign programs in schools, which really help us to
find who we are as an organization as well.
Speaker 1 (19:31):
Tell us a little bit more about the fundraiser that
is coming up on June thirteenth and fourteenth, Can you
shed some light on.
Speaker 3 (19:37):
Yeah, So we've partnered with Primani Brothers and we will
be out at their Harmerville location on June thirteenth and
fourteenth with a drive box setup, which is a golf simulator,
and fans can come out and try their luck at
hitting golf balls closest to the pen and winners will
go over to the Trophy Club at Oakmont for the
(19:58):
final day of the US.
Speaker 1 (20:00):
Now, for those who aren't familiar with the Trophy Club,
what is that?
Speaker 3 (20:03):
The Trophy Club is an indoor area right on the
famous third hole, which is the Church Pews. So you
know anybody that's played it or seen it on TV.
It's a famous hole nicknamed the Church Pews I think
by Arnold Palmer. So we're really excited about giving.
Speaker 1 (20:19):
Any chance of a meeting or seeing some celebrities at the.
Speaker 3 (20:23):
You never know, you know, I know, the US Open
brings out tons of people to the Pittsburgh area, So
we're just excited to be partnered with not only Permonny's
and showcase all the great programs that Presley Ridge has.
Speaker 1 (20:36):
So got the Pittsburgh Classic food and you help out
a great worthy cause.
Speaker 3 (20:40):
Absolutely, and for more information on that, you could go
to Presley Ridge dot org slash Open to learn more.
Speaker 1 (20:48):
We're talking with Suzanne Cole and Matt Millet of the
nonprofit Presley Ridge. When Matt was talking, it occurred to
me that you do so many things. Do you have
difficulty explain to people what Presley Ridge does because you
have so many programs and so many services.
Speaker 2 (21:07):
It's the biggest challenge that we have, and honestly, we're
working on that. As an organization. We kind of bucket
our services into four or five categories and those are
ones that I've mentioned kind of family preservation, residential care,
foster care, adoption, and then some transition age services, just.
Speaker 1 (21:24):
Small little programs that you know that.
Speaker 2 (21:27):
Yeah, but we are trying to really kind of get
a better way to discuss in detail what we do
and streamline our language so that people, in the simplest
of terms, we help kids and families who face challenges.
Speaker 1 (21:41):
So tell a little bit about the background, because you
started out as an adopted agency. And how long have
you been CEO.
Speaker 2 (21:49):
I've been CEO since twenty eleven.
Speaker 1 (21:51):
Okay, so you've been there a while. What has been
your mission or vision for Presley Ridge?
Speaker 2 (22:00):
Really kind of where we're headed right now with our
expansion in Texas and when we just started, But the
vision for us would be that we can create a
system that is a lot more for lack of a
better word, us your family user friendly for kids and
families that we can start with earlier intervention. We can
get in and offer those supports at the right time
(22:23):
for kids and families so that that we don't have
these kids and families lingering in the system for longer
than what they need to that we.
Speaker 1 (22:30):
Can Why is it, Why does that happen?
Speaker 2 (22:33):
Yeah, I think it's just the way that government systems
are structured sometimes that you know, we have to prove
that we've tried all these other things before we get
the service that we need. And I think it's just,
I mean, it's it's it's a failure on our part
to really look at how we individualize services for kids
(22:56):
and families that are facing challenges. Not everybody can fit into,
you know, the same bucket. Just because I have depression
and you might have depression, it doesn't mean it's displayed
the same way, and it doesn't mean we need the
same service, And so that can be challenging me. It's
a complicated issue that you know, we have to face
and let's face it, we all have different access to means.
(23:17):
Some people may be able to afford private insurance and
can get connected with a counselor very quickly. Other people
may not have that type of a resource and they're
just worried about putting food on a table and so
for me to try to find money to go see
a counselor is not going to happen. I need to
feed my kids and so, you know, I think we
have to understand that to your point earlier, funding and
(23:40):
how people get access to services can be very complicated.
Speaker 1 (23:45):
So what is your biggest challenge?
Speaker 2 (23:49):
My biggest challenge is it's always going to be there
is a need for services and how do we fund them?
That's always our biggest challenge. And then the other challenges.
Sometimes we have to say no and that is hard.
We can't be all things to all people, and we
have to keep a healthy organization moving forward so that
(24:10):
we can serve as many people as we possibly can,
and so that can be challenging for me at times.
Speaker 1 (24:15):
How can we help as a community help Presleybridge?
Speaker 2 (24:18):
Yeah, I think if the community starts to get involved
and understand that, you know, government funding and that's how
pressor Ridge is funded. We have government contracts, whether they
be state or county contracts that fund a particular service,
and usually it funds the treatment service or the education service.
What it doesn't fund are all the ancillary things, like
(24:39):
sometimes kids and families just need help with maybe getting
a new bed in their house, or maybe help with transportation,
or help with if somebody could just, you know, if
I could just get an additional few hundred dollars to
pay for groceries for this month, then I'll be okay
next month and I won't be teetering on this line of,
(25:00):
you know, being stressed out about not having money, and
so through donations and through support like that, and by
really just understanding that sometimes a little bit goes a
long way. If a community can wrap themselves around an
organization or a cause, that's helpful to us. So we
do take donations, and it's helpful if they are unrestricted,
(25:23):
because then we can put the money where it needs
to go for whatever situation that we have with a
kid and family.
Speaker 1 (25:30):
You need help in recruiting quality employees.
Speaker 2 (25:33):
Always need help in recruiting employees because it's a challenging field,
it's a challenging feel, it's high stress and so we
need people that you know, are interested in working with
kids and families, who understand mental health challenges, who understand that,
you know, helping others is probably the greatest gift that
somebody can do, even though it's really challenging at times.
(25:54):
And so recruitment of staff is absolutely an area that
we need help them. How about volunteers, Yeah, we do
use volunteers and our development department does a great job
with that. There's lots of different activities to get involved in,
you know, I think everybody focuses on the holidays. People
want to give during you know, Thanksgiving and Christmas and
all of those things, but we need help year round
(26:14):
and it can be all different kinds of help. We
have campuses where we do planting of flowers or cleanups,
We do activities with kids and families, and just coming
out and helping us with those is always a good time.
We do fundraising events where we need volunteers to help
us at the fundraising events. So all of those ways
are you know, fantastic help for us.
Speaker 1 (26:35):
And what is the one thing the one thing you
want people to know about Presley Ridge.
Speaker 2 (26:41):
I want people to know that we're here to help
that when you're in a time where you feel hopeless,
Presley Ridge can help you.
Speaker 1 (26:48):
I mean we can help you.
Speaker 2 (26:49):
I don't want anybody to ever feel hopeless. And so
for us, if you are struggling, just give us a call,
reach out to us. And again, if we can't help,
we will help.
Speaker 1 (26:58):
Get you help. And I'm gonna leave it with Matt.
Matt has the fundraiser that is coming up in just
a few days, so tell us everything we need to know.
Speaker 3 (27:08):
Yeah, once again, we're really excited to be partnered with
Primani Brothers. We'll be out at the Harmerville location on
June thirteenth and fourteenth with an opportunity to support these
great programs that Presley Ridge provides. For more information, Presley
Ridge dot org, slash open.
Speaker 1 (27:26):
Very good, Suzanne, Matt. It's been a pleasure and I
wish you all the luck with your event and good
luck in the future. Thank you so much.
Speaker 2 (27:33):
Thank you for having us. We appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (27:35):
This has been the CEOs you should know podcasts showcasing
businesses that are driving our regional economy. Part of iHeartMedia's
commitment to the communities we serve. I'm Johnny Hartwell, thank
you so much for listening
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If you eat, sleep, and breathe true crime, TRUE CRIME TONIGHT is serving up your nightly fix. Five nights a week, KT STUDIOS & iHEART RADIO invite listeners to pull up a seat for an unfiltered look at the biggest cases making headlines, celebrity scandals, and the trials everyone is watching. With a mix of expert analysis, hot takes, and listener call-ins, TRUE CRIME TONIGHT goes beyond the headlines to uncover the twists, turns, and unanswered questions that keep us all obsessed—because, at TRUE CRIME TONIGHT, there’s a seat for everyone. Whether breaking down crime scene forensics, scrutinizing serial killers, or debating the most binge-worthy true crime docs, True Crime Tonight is the fresh, fast-paced, and slightly addictive home for true crime lovers.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.