The Mercy Partnership Fund Subcommittee, a subcommittee of the Social Responsibility Committee, is responsible for implementing the Mercy Partnership Fund (MPF) operating guidelines as adopted by the board. The subcommittee reviews and approves investments that meet the MPF criteria. It also monitors and reports on the portfolio's performance.
The Mercy Partnership Fund Subcommittee includes members of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas and others with expertise in social justice, community investing, and community development.
Theresa Blaquiere, RSM
Karen Donahue, RSM
David Lollis
David Raynor
Rose Marie Tresp, RSM
Kathy Tyler
Theresa Blaquiere, RSM, is on staff with the Jesuit Formation Team for the Detroit/Chicago/Wisconsin Provinces. She is responsible for ministry placements in the city of Detroit for 21 Jesuit novices. Prior to this, Sr. Theresa was the founder and executive director of Core City Neighborhoods (CCN), a neighborhood-based economic and housing development organization in Detroit. As a founding member of the Michigan Housing Trust Fund, she also served as program consultant to the Detroit Community Funders’ Collaboration under the leadership of the Kresge Foundation, which designed and implemented a strategic plan that distributed $10.5M to nonprofit community housing and economic development groups in Detroit. Prior to this, Sr. Theresa served on administration teams with the Sisters of Mercy and was the first executive director of McAuley Institute. She currently chairs the board of the Mercy Education Project in Detroit.
Karen Donahue, RSM, a member of the West Midwest Mercy Community Justice Team, has been active in local, national and international justice ministry for almost 40 years, serving on the Institute Justice Team, Mercy International Justice Network and local justice coordination in Chicago and Detroit. She serves on the steering committee for the Catholic Caucus of Southeast Michigan, chairs Mercy Investment Program’s Social Responsibility Committee and works with many other groups, including the LCWR Region VII justice promoters, Coalition for Corporate Responsibility for Indiana and Michigan (CCRIM) and Michigan Peace Team. Sr. Karen has traveled widely and has participated in international efforts to promote peace in the Middle East.
David L. Lollis is the past president & CEO of Appalbanc, the Federation of Appalachian Housing Enterprises (FAHE), the Human/Economic Appalachian Development Corporation (HEAD), and the Appalachian Federal Credit Union (AFCU). David’s federal government experience includes positions in the Commerce Department’s Office of Business Economics; the Labor Department’s Employment and Training Administration; and the Office of Economic Opportunity/Community Services Administration. David has also served in the Kentucky Governor’s Office, the Office of Policy and Management, and the Department for Human Resources. He served as director of the Christian Church’s Mt. Beulah Center in Edwards, Mississippi, doing civil rights work, and was an associate professor in New York University’s Center for the Study of the Unemployed.
David C. Raynor has been the executive director of the Leviticus 25:23 Alternative Fund, a community development loan fund in Elmsford, New York, since 1999. Prior to joining Leviticus, he worked in community development in the Bronx and in Venezuela with the Maryknoll Lay Missioners. Early in his career he worked in sales, sales management, and marketing with the Xerox Corporation. David holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Fordham University.
Rose Marie Tresp, RSM, is the director of justice for the Sisters of Mercy, South Central Community. Sr. Rose Marie has served as the director of ethics for hospitals in Texas and Arkansas, as well as in leadership for the Sisters of Mercy, Regional Community of St. Louis. Sr. Rose Marie earned her bachelor’s degree from Fontbonne College in St. Louis, and her master’s degree in religious studies from Boston College. She also completed graduate work in ethics and philosophy at Georgetown University. Sr. Rose Marie is active in social justice work at the local and national levels. She has more than 20 years of experience serving on the boards of hospitals and nonprofit organizations.
Kathy Tyler has worked in the affordable housing development and finance field for more than 30 years, in neighborhood, urban, rural, and farmworker settings. She currently directs farmworker housing programs for Motivation Education & Training Inc. She worked with McAuley Institute focusing on women's leadership in housing while providing training, financial help, and capacity-building assistance. She serves on the boards of the National Rural Housing Coalition, HousingWorks of Austin, Austin Gray Panthers, and Expanding Horizons Foundation. She has a bachelor's degree and a master's degree in social work from the University of Texas at Austin.
