Prescott College Board of Trustees Chair Kathleen Murphy Featured in The Daily Courier

Prescott College Board of Trustees Chair Kathleen Murphy was recently featured in The Daily Courier — “Prescott Palette: More Than a Statistic … Kathleen Murphy” — by Across the Street Columnist Barry Barbe. Kathleen’s work and volunteerism, which spans over four decades, has made a huge impact on the City of Prescott and Prescott College communities.

As highlighted in the article, her career in social justice began with the Maricopa County Court, “tasked with moving the juvenile-detention program from a Matron system to more forward-thinking to reduce the amount of recidivism and give youth an improved chance at success in life.”

“I’ve always used statistics to help guide me in decisions and prove outcomes. While I was working with the courts, I did research into the success rate of juveniles in the detention program, and what I learned from that, was that at the time, the only kids that were not coming back into the system were those that had a mentor, or a Big (Big Brother),” she said, adding, “It makes perfect sense, everyone needs someone to help guide them through life and to show they care for them, and help them learn the skills necessary for success.”

For 39 years, Kathleen served as director of Yavapai Big Brothers Big Sisters, with the organization growing exponentially over her tenure to a budget of over a million dollars, 30 staff and over 650 matches, including the Big Sisters program, the article highlights. Kathleen is also heavily involved in the Keep Prescott Safe, Prop 478 committee comes from the experience of having her son, Ryan, serve as a Prescott firefighter.

Since retirement, Kathleen remains very active in the community. She currently serves as Chair of the Prescott College Board of Trustees. “It really is amazing when you look at the contributions these folks have made, from the NoCo District on North Cortez, The Launch Pad and the trail system. The alumni of PC were leaders in the Save the Dells program, and without that facility, and their contributions, Prescott would be a different place,” she added.

“I love Prescott. I love the principles of Prescott that have always existed, that of a community always coming together.”