
Pamela Henshall, the new Executive Director of The Community House of Moorestown, hopes to launch several initiatives in the new year as the center marches toward its 100th Centennial celebration in 2026.
“2025 is going to pave the way to the road to 100,” Henshall said in an interview earlier this month to lay out her vision.
Henshall shared her “To Do List” for CHM:
- Expand its offerings to become the premiere hub of the Moorestown community and surrounding neighborhoods.
- Gather MCH’s rich history that began in 1926 by having residents share their fondest memories of the center and relaunching a history committee.
- Showcase this history in a yet-to-built museum on the second floor of the Community House of Moorestown, complete with rotating exhibits for the public.
- Create a multi-sensory, handicap-accessible Children’s Garden within a fenced-in plot of land behind the CHM building.
- Launch a lecture series – with each series tied to CHM’s history. There are also plans to host horticulture workshops, bring in other local organizations to make a larger impact, and incorporate some senior programs.
- Continue nurturing other nonprofits by giving them a 50 percent discount on rental space. Three nonprofits currently have offices at CHM: Family Promise (serving the homeless of Burlington County), NAMI Burlington County (a mental health nonprofit group), and H.O.P.E. (to assist widowed men and women through the grieving process).
- Start a volunteer committee at CHM for the younger generation so they can replenish the dwindling ranks of volunteers for nonprofits in general.
Henshall was named Executive Director of Community House last July 1, returning her to her South Jersey roots.
As she enters her first full year in the new role, Henshall is all in on making CHM the preeminent central hub for Moorestown and the surrounding areas.
“I feel truly blessed,” Henshall said. “This is my dream job.”
Members of the former Women’s Club of Moorestown approached Eldridge Johnson, a former RCA executive, to build a community center for nonprofits to meet.
After making a generous donation himself to build it, Johnson granted them their wish, and the community provided the rest through fundraisers. Thus, the Community House of Moorestown debuted in 1926.
It has since become the institution on 16 East Main Street. The deep connection and attachment among its residents was on full display at last month’s Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony.
Hundreds poured onto the center’s front lawn that Dec. 2 evening as if on a pilgrimage, and Moorestown Community House was their mecca.
Revving up the crowd that night was Henshall. “This is the best crowd I have ever seen!” she exclaimed behind a microphone on a raised stage.
“What I’m passionate about is making an impact in somebody’s life in some respect,” said Henshall in this month’s interview. “To be that connector of the community – of making sure that everybody is working together with the same mission and the same goal, and it’s collective.“

In her LinkedIn profile, Henshall quotes Greek philosopher Heraclitus: “There is nothing permanent except change.” This is something she’s quite adept at.
Henshall’s professional background includes Director of Development at the United Cerebral Palsy of Philadelphia and Vicinity (2012-2015), president of the Greater Northeast Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce (2015-2023), and Executive Director of Women In Transition in Center City Philadelphia (2023-2024), where she helped transition women from abusive relationships into independent living.
She’s now fully committed to taking Community House of Moorestown to the next level.
“I’ve been moving us in the direction as a wonderful events venue,” said Henshall. “But we have an opportunity to move beyond, and we are entering in more programming to get more people through the door.”
Henshall wants all ages and demographics walking through the Community House door.
“We can really blossom in a lot of areas. We are always evolving,” Henshall, a Delanco resident, said.
But “there’s a misconception that we are owned by Moorestown Township. We are not. We do not receive any tax dollar funds. We are 100 percent, self–driven, an independent 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization,” said Henshall.

George Schulman, President of the 16-member Board of Trustees for Community House of Moorestown that handpicked Henshall, said she stood out because of her experience with nonprofits.
Henshall has been organizing events and working with donors for 36 years.
“She’s one that just really dived in and is super excited to make our nonprofit successful and profitable,” Schulman said. “She seemed to really care with what we’re doing with our facility. She’s a really driven person.”