January 15, 2026
With a nod to its founding father, Maybelle Center went back to the University of Portland and its Congregation of Holy Cross to tap its new board president.
Rev. John Donato, C.S.C., the University’s Special Assistant to the President for Mission, assumed the duties of President of the Maybelle Center Board of Directors on January 1.
Maybelle Center is a downtown Portland-based community health organization that promotes social health and a sense of belonging with adults pushed to the margins by economic poverty and mental health stigma. Through a relationship-centered 54-unit assisted living community, 42 affordable apartments, and neighborhood outreach based in its Old Town facility, Maybelle Center reduces isolation and supports health and well-being.
Maybelle Center’s roots trace to Rev. Richard Berg, C.S.C., former Dean of UP’s College of Arts and Sciences. In 1991, Fr. Berg and his sister, Mary Sue Richen, started a community room in the (St. Andre Bessette) Downtown Chapel—involving parishioners and UP nursing students to visit frail, socially isolated residents. By the end of that decade, they opened Macdonald Residence, the nation’s first assisted living facility to exclusively serve Medicaid-eligible adults.
Fr. Donato, who this past year led mission work around the University’s six core values—Dignity, Community, Inquiry, Ethics, Engagement, and Hope—has served on the Maybelle Center board since 2023.
“I am both humbled and honored to begin serving as Maybelle Center board president,” said Fr. Donato. “For over 30 years, the University of Portland has been a steady partner with the Center. I stand on the shoulders of giants like Fr. Dick Berg and his sister, Mary Sue, the brave visionaries who built this compassionate community in downtown Portland.”
“University of Portland has been part of Maybelle Center’s story since the very beginning, so having Father John step into our Board President role feels like a full-circle moment for us,” said Maybelle Center Executive Director Michelle Meyer. “His experience stewarding mission-driven work at UP will help guide Maybelle Center as we carefully balance honoring a strong founding mission while strategically adapting to the evolving needs of our neighbors in downtown Portland.”
In 2025, Maybelle Center’s neighborhood outreach connected 292 Portland residents through nearly 1,000 hours of group programming—from art classes and bingo to outdoor excursions.
“UP and Maybelle Center are two Portland institutions truly making a difference,” said University President Robert D. Kelly, PhD. “I am thrilled that Father John will follow in Father Dick’s footsteps as a leader of the Center, and I look forward to many more years of fruitful partnership.”
“My goal is simply to provide all the support I can to the Maybelle Center board and its wonderful team,” Fr. Donato said. “Theirs is a joyful, inspirational community that promotes belonging and celebrates dignity in countless ways.”
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