Page 13 - 2025 Summer Our Hands

Bridgette Zappacosta Named

Chief Financial Officer for Samaritas

Samaritas is pleased to announce that Bridgette Zappacosta has been named
as the Chief Financial Officer for Samaritas, effective February 28, 2025.

Bridgette has shown a heart for human services, as she began her career,
working as a direct care staff and later as a supervisor in a residential group
home during college. After graduating, she spent more than 10 years with
public accounting firms in Pennsylvania and Virginia, working in tax and audit
with clients in a range of industries, from timber and cattle farms, schools and
city governments, for-profits, non-profits and trusts. She moved to Michigan
in 2019 and for most of that time served as the Director of Finance at Pioneer Resources. Located in Muskegon, Pioneer
serves by bringing accessibility and community to seniors and individuals with disabilities, through residential group
homes, independent living, affordable housing, vocational training, ABA services, camp and recreational programs, and
transportation.

Bridgette joined Samaritas on June 17, 2024 as Finance Director and began making immediate contributions to the
Finance team, which included filling some key positions and realigning some roles on the Finance team to put team
members in the position to be successful and to best support the organization. Bridgette also has demonstrated her
commitment to collaboration with leaders and programs across the organization to identify and implement process
improvement strategies to improve efficiency across the entire organization.

We are very excited to see Bridgette advance into this executive leadership position and look forward to her continued
work to help shape Samaritas’s future.

Sue Gifford Named Senior Director of

Philanthropy – West for Samaritas

Samaritas is pleased to welcome Sue Gifford, CFRE, as our new Senior
Director of Philanthropy – West. Sue brings over 30 years of experience in
relationship-building and 16 years in fundraising leadership. She has
successfully led several multi-million dollar fundraising campaigns
including:

The Secchia Center Campaign for Michigan State University College
of Human Medicine
The Vibrant Community Campaign for Clark Retirement Community
Foundation
Fostering Bright Futures Campaign for Child Crisis Arizona
Fundraising efforts for the University of Michigan Health–West Foundation, The New Foundation, and more
A Grand Rapids native and proud Aquinas College graduate, Sue returns to West Michigan with deep community roots
and a passion for service. She is a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) and a dedicated nonprofit leader known for
building strong donor relationships and advancing transformational missions. Please join us in welcoming Sue to the
Samaritas family—and back to the West Michigan community!

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