Leadership
Executive Director
Deborah Ruhe has more than 25 years of business and non-profit experience. Before becoming Executive Director of HI-New England in 2002, she was the Director of Clinical Operations at the Harvard School of Dental Medicine and Executive Director of the Fenway Community Health Center in Boston and of Health Options in New Hampshire. Deborah was the board chair of Victory Programs, Inc. and has served on the board of several non-profit organizations and community service initiatives, including Our Bodies, Ourselves, the Ryan White Care Act and the New Hampshire Family Planning Council. Deborah has an MS in Management from Antioch/New England Graduate School and attended the University of Maine and the University of New Hampshire.
Board of Directors
Cate Adams is a Vice President at Citizens Bank, working as a relationship manager in the Commercial Enterprise Banking division. She has worked at Citizens Bank since she graduated from Bridgewater State College in 2001. Cate has worked her way up, from an analyst to portfolio manager to relationship manager and has worked in the Not-For-Profit, Middle Market and Commercial Enterprise Banking divisions. She currently works out of the Plymouth commercial office and services the South Shore, Cape and the Islands. Cate is a member of the South Shore Women's Business Network, the South Shore Chamber, the Plymouth Chamber and the Cape Cod Chamber.
David Breen has held various senior leadership positions in higher education, government and non-profit organizations for over 25 years. He is presently self employed and provides project management services to a variety of governmental and not-for-profit clients.
David Buxton (Treasurer) is a Vice-President at Citibank. Formerly a Sales Manager at AmeriCan Adventures and a staff member at HI-Boston, Mr. Buxton graduated from the Whittemore School of Business and Economics at the University of New Hampshire.
Art Canter is the President/Executive Director at Association of Strategic Alliance Professionals. He founded and was formerly President/CEO of the Massachusetts Lodging Association. He has over 25 years of management and leadership experience with a strong focus on strategic planning, marketing, sales, financial and resource management, education, program development, public relations, fund development and government relations. He has a B.A. from Northeastern University and a Masters of Public Administration from University of New Haven.
Stephan Chait is Director of Capital Projects for the University of Massachusetts Building Authority. He is responsible for capital projects and space management, as well as the oversight of operational departments at UMASS. He has served on the HI-ENEC Board from 2001 - 2010.
Neil Clark began his career as a middle school teacher and administrator before managing an environmental education program for the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority. He is now a communications consultant focusing primarily on environmental and conservation issues in the water and energy industries. He holds a B.S. from MIT and an M.Ed. from UMass Boston.
Kimberly Hirsh (Secretary) has extensive human resources management experience in various industries. She is currently with Management Sciences for Health, an international development organization headquartered in Cambridge, MA. She holds a B.A. in Psychology from George Washington University and an M.S. in Business from Johns Hopkins University. Travel for work and leisure has brought her to Europe, Latin America, Asia and Africa. Kimberly joined the Board in 2004 and has served as its Vice President from November 2005-November 2006.
Linda A. Moulton is the CEO of Ceralta technologies, Inc. She has over 20 years of experience in banking and corporate finance in Boston and New York. She has a B.S. from Brown University and a Masters of International Affairs from Columbia University.
Melissa Nott Davis (President) is an attorney in the Trial Department at McDermott Will & Emery LLP. She has practiced law at McDermott for the last six years and has represented non-profits before state and federal courts. Melissa is also a member of The Baylor School's Alumni Board of Directors and Northwestern University's Regional Council. She received undergraduate degrees in history and secondary education from Northwestern University and her juris doctorate from Boston University.
Richard Olken was born into Hostelling, on a family membership. He was a Boston Council trip leader in high school and college, and served on the National AYH board at age 15. He is now retired having been a bicycle retailer and importer/distributor. He served as general manager of Harvard Student Agencies where he also held the position of Dean of Harvard College's School of Bartending. In his last career, Richard was founding executive director of BikesBelong, a national bicycling advocacy organization. He was also a founder of America Bikes and BikesPAC, where he served as the bicycling industry's congressional lobbyist. He earned the Paul Dudley White Award for Lifetime Achievement in bicycling advocacy, and the BRAINY Award for Lifetime Achievement by the American bicycle industry. He is an avid cyclist and traveler.
Dean Papademetriou, Esquire (Vice President) is the Assistant General Counsel at the Boston Housing Authority, where he works on the redevelopment and preservation of affordable and public housing. Previously, he was in private practice as a real estate and corporate attorney. Before that, he worked for the City of Boston. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania and Boston College Law School.
Monica Roberts is the Director of Family and Community Relations for Randolph Public Schools. Prior to that she was Executive Director at Peace First Boston. She was the former Director of Federal and State Programs for Boston Public Schools where she was responsible for seeking and securing public grants for the district, as well as working with national educational organizations to shape federal education legislation. Monica holds a B.A. from Brandeis University and two graduate degrees from Boston College, an M.A. in Political Science and an M.B.A.
Julie Wingerter is a marketing strategy consultant with Phase Forward. Formerly, she was Vice President of Strategy, Marketing & Business Development at NetCracker Technology Corporation. Julie has an MBA from The Wharton School and an undergraduate degree from Princeton University. Julie has an extensive background in high tech, including enterprise software and telecommunications, biotech, and Fortune 500 management consulting.