PITTSBURGH, PA – In early September, Pressley Ridge rolled out the welcome mat to Portugal’s Secretary of State José Conde Rodrigues and two of his close associates. The visit, hosted by Pressley Ridge President and CEO B. Scott Finnell and Pressley Ridge Portugal Director General Katia Almeida, included stops at several Pressley Ridge programs and at the Allegheny County’s Court of Common Pleas. Secretary Rodrigues was interested in learning about the United States Justice System and services to troubled children and youth in America.

Secretary Rodrigues spoke with the Honorable Joseph James, president judge; the Honorable Dwayne Woodruff, juvenile court judge; Jim Rieland, court administrator; and other Court of Common Pleas staff about the juvenile and family court justice system. In Portugal, Secretary Rodrigues reports to the Minister of Justice.

“It is in this role that he was interested in learning about our justice system and how we help troubled children and youth,” said Dr. Finnell. “We were delighted to host his visit to our country and community. I think we learned a lot from each other even as we strengthened the ties that already existed between us.”

Secretary Rodrigues visited Pressley Ridge programs on the Marshall Avenue campus to learn more about how our organization works with children and families. While visiting Pressley Ridge’s headquarters, he participated in a virtual tour of all of our sites and met staff and board members at a reception at corporate headquarters.

“We hope to expand our working relationship in Portugal with Secretary Rodrigues and his peers,” said Jim Doncaster, senior director of organizational development. “This was a great opportunity for us to showcase some of the fine work we do here with troubled children and families. It also was a chance to explore programming possibilities in Portugal where we’ve been providing training and consultation for 20 years.”