Passionate about medical administration, Mary Patricia Garrahan-Masters dedicated more than two decades to the field before retiring. She started her journey as a geriatrics caseworker at the Schuylkill County Office of Senior Services, after which she advanced to become the social services director at the Dowden Nursing Home and the director of admissions for the St. Francis County House. Ms. Garrahan-Masters then obtained roles like teacher at Delaware County Community College in Pennsylvania and medical social worker for both the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Lebanon, Pennsylvania, and the Philadelphia Veterans Affairs Medical Center. The latter two are part of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
Although Ms. Garrahan-Masters retired in 1990, she continued to lend her services to her community. She was a part-time social worker for Delta-T Group from 1992 to 1997 and an associate member and representative of the National Committee in Washington, DC, from 1992 to 1999, as well as a volunteer for George Brooks School, Disabled American Veterans, the Diocese of Allentown and the Bob Edgar Campaign. Further, she has served as a part-time coordinator for Garrahan Equipment Inc., a Eucharistic minister at St. Richard’s Roman Catholic Church, and a member of the National Active and Retired Federal Employees Associations and the National Association of Social Workers.
To prepare for her endeavors, Ms. Garrahan-Masters earned a Bachelor of Arts in sociology, with honors, from Villanova University in 1973 and a master’s degree in social sciences, law and social policy at Bryn Mawr College in 1983. While she was at the former school, she contributed poems to its publication, Lynx Magazine. Ms. Garrahan-Masters also completed coursework at Georgetown University and obtained a Facultad Filosofia y Letras in Madrid, Spain. She credits her parents and grandmothers to her career choice and to her long and successful career. Her father had always been interested in social work and social justice, and he taught her to come up with solutions to problems that worked. Her mother and grandmothers helped her integrate herself into what was old and new in the world. Their advice was invaluable.
When Ms. Garrahan-Masters has free time, she enjoys pursuing interests like astronomy, cats and Greek-American culture. Additionally, she enjoys visiting Dutch County, Pennsylvania, and supporting charitable organizations like the American Diabetes Association, the Society of Friends of the Touro Synagogue, the Ladies of Mount Vernon and Animal Cat Rescue.
