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Interview with Melissa C. Prince

Melissa C. Prince, a Philadelphia attorney and Lumberton, New Jersey, resident, is the newest board member of Volunteers of America Delaware Valley. “This is a really great fit for me,” she says. “I feel it is particularly important for me to give back to the South Jersey community where my family lives.”

A litigator at the-20 lawyer business boutique of  Kleinbard, Bell & Brecker LLP in Center City,  Ms.Prince grew up on the West Coast. She earned her law degree from Rutgers-Camden School of Law and is continuing to deepen her South Jersey roots.  She became interested in Volunteers of America Delaware Valley after her service on a Pennsylvania non-profit ended as a result of a merger; she was looking for other public service opportunities. 

Ms. Prince appreciates the scale and scope of the more than 40 programs of Volunteers of America Delaware Valley, which annually serves the needs of about 12,000 men, women and children. “VOADV really cares about serving as many individuals in our community as possible and the breadth of the programs offered really demonstrate this,” she says, adding, “I think the VOADV board in particular is different from a lot of other nonprofits in that Dan (our President and CEO, Daniel L. Lombardo) encourages all board members to jump into the trenches with the people who run the programs. This makes a huge difference because it helps the board members to understand how things work and what resources are needed.

“The first time I met with Dan, he took me to all of the program locations in Camden, so I could see first hand how things work and what it’s like on a day-to-day basis in the halfway houses and the shelters. I not only saw the needs of the people and how they are affected by their situations, but the staff’s devotion to trying to meet those needs with limited resources.  It was a truly amazing experience.”

Ms. Prince sees herself at the beginning of a long-term commitment. “For me,” she declares, “this will be a marathon, not a sprint.  I intend to be actively involved in the organization for many years to come.”