Bernadette Murphy is the Director of St. Joseph Social Service Center in Elizabeth, NJ. St. Joseph’s serves the materially poor and homeless community of greater Elizabeth, NJ by providing basic human needs such as food, medicine, clothing, and a wide range of services and programs to help people live with dignity. 

 

Bernadette’s early career was in Financial Services, beginning with Bankers Trust Company and Deutsche Bank, and culminating with a consulting role at Citigroup. She served on the Board of Literacy Volunteers of Union County for 10 years and was Board President for several years. Bernadette joined the staff of St. Joseph Social Service Center in 2013 as part of the Project Ready Computer Skills and Job Training program team. She was honored to be asked to become the Director when Sr. Jacinta Fernandes, center founder and Director, stepped down in July of 2017. Bernadette feels truly blessed to work alongside the dedicated staff and volunteers who lovingly serve our sisters and brothers experiencing poverty.

 

Bernadette is the grateful and proud daughter of the late Jane and Joe Murphy, whose love and commitment to their family, faith, and Irish Heritage was incredible to behold. They worked hard in their careers of Law Enforcement and Nursing to provide for their five children. The Murphy family lived in Long Beach, NY; Bowie, Maryland; Cherry Hill, NJ; and had an incredible two-year adventure living in Paris, France on assignment for the U.S Secret Service. Their home was often the location for extended family gatherings full of Irish music, dancing and laughter. Bernadette’s blessings continued when she met and married David Johnson and they had two amazing children, Mark and Kate. She and her family live in Westfield.