Mount Mercy names new counseling, music and service members

Mount Mercy University has named Colleen Prendergast director of counseling services, Dr. Gerald Kreitzer coordinator of campus music and Brooke Oehme as coordinator of volunteerism and service learning.

In her role as director of counseling services, Prendergast will offer clinical services and short-term mental health counseling to students. Additionally, she will serve as referral source and point of connection for students, faculty and staff seeking professional mental health resources within the Cedar Rapids community. Prendergast holds a Master of Arts degree in Expressive Therapies and Mental Health Counseling from Lesley University in Cambridge, Mass. and a Bachelor of Arts in psychology from Coe College.

Previously, Prendergast worked for the Abbe Center for Community Mental Health in Outpatient Services as a school-based mental health therapist. Her extensive experience in mental health services also includes providing community-based mental health support services to adults with severe and persistent mental illness.

In his role as coordinator of campus music, Kreitzer will develop co-curricular music activities for students, advise student music performance clubs, oversee a music Summer Academy for K-12 students, and teach two academic music courses each year.

Kreitzer holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree with emphasis in choral conducting from the University of Iowa and a Master of Music degree and a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of South Dakota. For 13 years he served as the director of vocal music at Washington High School in Cedar Rapids. He has also taught at the college level at the University of Northern Iowa and the University of South Dakota.

In her role as coordinator of volunteerism and service learning, Oehme will be responsible for leading the campus' volunteer and service learning programs and will act as a liaison between Mount Mercy and local non-profit service agencies. She will also work with students to lead the Campus Pastoral Council to respond to local and global needs.

Oehme holds a Master of Arts in Theology from Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, Calif. and a Bachelor of Arts degree in religious education from Northwestern College in Orange City, Iowa. Previously, Oehme has served as an adjunct professor in world religions and philosophy at Muscatine Community College and the director of youth and family programs at Wesley Family Life Center in Muscatine.

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