Growing Nonprofit Bridgewell Appoints New Director of Development & Marketing

Lynnfield, Mass. – October 5, 2016 – Bridgewell, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting and helping individuals with developmental disabilities and other life challenges, is pleased to announce the appointment of Rita McAteer as Director of Development and Marketing. McAteer will be responsible for expanding Bridgewell’s successful effort to increase donor support and fundraising, as well as further elevate awareness around Bridgewell’s services and important role in the community.

“We are thrilled to welcome Rita to the team and look forward to tapping into her extensive skillset related to fundraising and marketing to support Bridgewell’s mission of helping individuals reach their full potential,” said Robert S. Stearns, CEO of Bridgewell. “With this addition, we look forward to amplifying our fundraising and marketing efforts to elevate Bridgewell’s profile in the community and propel our growth for years to come.”

McAteer is a seasoned executive with more than 20 years of marketing, communications and fundraising experience. Most recently at Harvard University, McAteer’s experience also includes leadership positions at Emerson College, Boston Lyric Opera and Huntington Theatre Company. She has led strategies around major donor programs and institutional giving portfolios, advertising and community engagement initiatives, as well as the strategic business partnerships.

For more than 50 years, Bridgewell has partnered with an ever-growing community of visionaries, leaders and front-line practitioners in Massachusetts and beyond to cultivate innovative ways to improve the lives of individuals with a wide range of disabilities. As Bridgewell enters a new chapter with its move to Peabody, it remains committed to delivering a quality continuum of care, including adult autism services, day habilitation and work programs, substance use disorder treatment, behavioral health care and homelessness.

Bridgewell has more than 1,400 employees at facilities in 25 towns on the North Shore and Merrimack Valley including Lowell, Chelmsford, Haverhill, Danvers and Lynn.

McAteer is a graduate of the University of Rhode Island and resides in Salem, Massachusetts. She volunteers with Salem Award Foundation.

ABOUT BRIDGEWELL

Bridgewell is a Lynnfield based nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting and helping individuals with developmental and psychiatric disabilities and other life challenges to direct their own lives, achieve personal and professional success, and remain active participants in society. Bridgewell services more than 6,250 individuals and their families in Massachusetts, providing residential and day services, affordable housing and homeless services, clinical services, substance use disorder treatment, recreational services, as well as employment training and educational services. For more information visit www.bridgewell.org.