Our Team


The Children's Alliance of New Hampshire is led by a dynamic, non-partisan, statewide board and a diverse, dedicated and experienced staff. Please read about the board and staff and learn more about the team behind the Children's Alliance.

Board
The Children's Alliance is fortunate to have an extremely dedicated and involved governing Board of Directors, led by a talented executive committee. The board meets six times per year, including a day-long retreat. In addition, board members each sit on at least two committees covering topics such as advocacy, planning and fund development.

Executive Committee

Douglas Hatfield, Esq. (dhatfield@upton_hatfield.com)) is board Chair and President and Treasurer of the law firm of Hatfield, Moran & Barry in Hillsboro, and a retired Justice of the Hillsboro District Court.

Andrea Johnstone, Esq. (ajohnstone@bernsteinshur.com) is an attorney for Bernstein, Shur, Sawyer & Nelson and was former board Vice Chair and Partner and Chair of the Labor and Employment Law Department at Gallagher, Callahan & Gartrell, P.a. She was named NH's leading labor and employment law attorney in a survey of the legal profession, is listed in Best Lawyers in America and Chambers USA's America's Leading Lawyers for Business. She is co-author of Labor and Employment Law in New Hampshire. She is chair of the Business and Industry Association of NH Human Resources Committee. She is a frequent speaker on state and federal employment law. She is a graduate of Wheaton College and Hofstra University College of Law.

Virginia Sheehan (vss@fstlaw.com) is board Treasurer and an attorney for the newly-formed firm of Flood, Sheehan & Tobin, PLLC.  As a former attorney for Orr and Reno, she worked in the areas of estate planning, federal estate and gift taxation, and probate administration. She serves on the NH Probate Court Forms Committee. She has worked for many years as a volunteer for the American Cancer Society fundraising events and other activities.

Board Members

Jim Doremus (jdoremus@whitebirchcommunity center.org) is Executive Director for White Birch Community Center in Henniker and was the former Director at the Friends Program in Concord.

Clark Dumont (cdumont@nvcancer.org) joined Blue Cross Blue Shield in 1981 and recently became Vice President of Communications at the Nevada Cancer Institute.  Clark served on the Board of Trustees of Crotched Mountain Rehabilitation Center; on the boards of NH Public Radio, United Way of Greater Manchester; Leadership NH, and the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce. He has been a member of the Children's Alliance Kids Count Advisory Cabinet for the past five years.

Ross Gittell (ross.gittell@unh.edu) is a University of NH James R. Carter Professor in the Whittemore School of Business and Economics; Vice President and board member of the New England Economic Project; Director of Exeter Trust Company;and member of the NH Task Force on Philanthropy.

Barbara Krysiak, Ph.D. (brysiak@hopper.unh.edu) is a Professor at the University of NH and the former Superintendent of the Claremont School District.

Representative Elizabeth Hager (lizh@unitedwymc.org) is the Executive Director for the United Way of Merrimack County and has been a legislator speaking on behalf of children and families in the New Hampshire House of Representatives for many years.  Liz is a NH CAN Steering Committee member as well.

James Milliken, (james.w.milliken@mwarep.org) is District Representative for Modern Woodmen of America and currently President of James W. Milliken Associates, Inc. - a management consulting firm providing a full range of management and training to both profit and nonprofit organizations. Previously, Jim was President of Jobs for New Hampshire's Graduates, Inc. and also served as Director of Administrative Services for MCT Telecom. From 1975 - 1986, he was Executive Vice President of the Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce. Jim has a long list of mrships, awards, and community service. He is a graduate of UNH, Whittemore School of Business.

John F. Modlin, (John.F.Modlin@Hitchcock.org) is Professor of Pediatrics at Dartmouth Medical School, and Medical Director of the Children's Hospital at Dartmouth.  He is a member of the Infectious Disease Section at DHMC in Lebanon, NH.  He has authored and co-authored more than 200 papers in medical literature.  He served as Vice Chair of Pediatric AIDS Clinical Trials Group Executive Committee and as a Chair of the FDA Antiviral Drugs Advisory Committee, and Chair of the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.  He has been at Dartmouth since 1991.

Walter Peterson (walterpeterson@monad.net) is a former Governor of New Hampshire as well as the former Acting President of the University of NH, and former Interim Commissioner at the NH Technical Institute.

John Rauh (JDRauh5@aol.com) is board Treasurer and Chair of Americans for Campaign Finance Reform. In addition, he is a former U.S. Senate nominee; Trustee of Community Economic Development School at Southern NH College, Trustee of Common Cause and is a former Trustee of Franklin Pierce College and former CEO of Clopay Corporation.

Bishop Gene Robinson (grinnh@aol.com) -- (posted soon!)

Mary Ruedig is a retired educator after 30 years of teaching in the Concord School District with her last position at Kimball School in Concord, NH. Previous to her retirement, she had a tutoring business for young school-age children.

Senator Kathy Sgambati (sgambati@metrocast.net) owns a consulting service in public policy including such issues as health care, children's health, developmental services, elderly services and foster care. She is lead staff for gthe Governor's Elderly Programs Task Force. Kathy is the former Deputy Commissioner for the Department of Health and Human Services and was acting Commissioner from August 2002 to February 2003. Kathy has worked in human services since 1977. Kathy has several publications, has received numerous awards, and has been appointed to many task forces, commissions, and boards.

Donald Shumway (Don.Shumway@crotchedmountain.org) is the board Chair and President and CEO of Crotched Mountain Foundation. He is a former Commissioner of the NH Dept. of Health and Human Services; former co-director of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation National Program of Self Determination for Persons with Disabilities; former Director of the NH Division of Mental Health and Developmental Services. Don has worked in health-care capacities throughout his career.

Peter Spaulding has served the citizens of Council District Two as Executive Councilor since 1983. He also served for 12 years as the Merrimack County Commissioner and chaired Senator John McCain's presidential campaign in the New Hampshire Presidential Primary in 2000. As Vice President for Community Relations with Providian National Bank in Concord since 1994, Councilor Spaulding has been active in addressing child care and related issues through Providian's Child Care Initiative which was established in 1997. Among his many affiliations and associations, Councilor Spaulding serves on the Board of Directors of PlusTime NH. Councilor Spaulding lives in Hopkinton, NH.

Mary Jane Wallner (mjwallner@juno.com) is Director of Merrimack Valley Day Care Services and is a long-serving member of the NH House of Representatives, where she serves on the Finance Committee.

Staff
The Children's Alliance prides itself on having a staff that is richly diverse in its experience and unified in its passion for children.

Maria White, Interim Executive Director (formerly Director of Public Affairs), has her BS in Child Development & Family Relations from the University of Maine and earned her MS in Community Psychology from Springfield College. Her professional experiences include working with youth in a residential treatment facility, working in community mental health and child and family services. For the past ten years, Maria has been working in the field of development. Maria lives in Deerfield with her husband and daughter and is currently pursuing a second Master's degree in Organizational Leadership with a certificate in Non-Profit Management from Southern New Hampshire University.

Mary Anne Broshek, Government Affairs Director, joined the Children's Alliance in March 2006 with a focus on family economic security issues. She brings over 30 years of experience as a former Family Assistance Director in the NH Department of Health and Human Services. In this role, Mary Anne led NH's effort to develop a waiver to AFDC and then implemented and headed the TANF program for three years. In addition, Mary Anne developed the original child support programs in NH based on federal regulations with staff from IV-D and implemented the federal JOBS program in NH. Mary Anne is playing an integral role at CANH as she crafts legislation that will bring it into compliance with recent federal changes to TANF.

Destie Hohman Sprague, Outreach Director, joined the Children's Alliance in 2006. She earned her BA in International Politics from Tulane University, and her MA in Public Policy from New England College. Her professional experience includes employment with New England College's Centers for Civic Engagement and Social Responsibility, and several years as a civics tutor to underprivileged students in New Orleans. Destie is active with several community organizaitons, including the Concord Young Professionals Network, and is on the board of the NH Women's Lobby. She lives in Concord with her husband.

Debbie Walsh, Director of Operations, has been with the Children's Alliance for 14 years. She earned her degree from Bryant College in Smithfield, RI. She previously worked at Aetna Insurance Company and also for a Manchester-based neurologist. Debbie uses her talents to work in fund development, as well as continue some of the administrative work of the Alliance. She lives in Concord and has two grown daughters.