Hardy Girls Healthy Women is guided by the wisdom of our 15 members of the Board of Directors, 11 members of the National Advisory Committee, 7 members of our Girls Advisory Board, two full-time staff, and one full-time AmeriCorps VISTA.
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Hardy Girls Healthy Women's Board of Directors is made up of 15 dynamic women from around the state as well as members from Massachusetts and New York. These women are responsible for the financial health of the organization and for providing organizational oversight through participation in sub-committees on programming, development and business.
Anne Brennan Belden has been a community activist in child and family issues for many years. With a BS in Child Development and an MS in Human Development, her focus has been non-profit management and she currently works at the Children's Museum of Maine as a Special Projects Coordinator. She has been a board member of several organizations including the Cape Elizabeth School Board, YWCA, Maine Families with Children from Asia, and most recently is passionately involved as Co-Founder of Pihcintu, a multi cultural children's chorus in Portland. In her free moments she enjoys weaving, boating, and cooking for her family and friends to share time around the table as often as possible.
Monica Bowman is the Director of Development for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southern Maine. She grew up in Skowhegan Maine and obtained both her Bachelor and Master of Communications degrees from the University of Maine in Orono. Since completing her education, Monica has focused solely on serving nonprofit organizations as a public relations and fundraising professional. After living and working for 10 years in Washington, DC, Baltimore, MD, and Harpers Ferry, WV, and after completing thru-hikes of both the Appalachian Trail and the Pacific Crest Trail, she now resides in Cumberland Foreside and is pleased to help Hardy Girls Healthy Women improve the lives of girls in her hometown and beyond.
Lyn Mikel Brown Ed. D. is a mom, professor, and community activist. She is Professor of Education at Colby College in Waterville, Maine and co-creator of Hardy Girls Healthy Women. She has been an American Association of University Women Educational Foundation Scholar-in-Residence and a winner of a National Academy of Education Spencer Postdoctoral Fellowship for her research on girls. She is a member of the APA's Psychology of Women Executive Board and was a member of the APA's Task Force on Adolescent Girls. She is the author of four books, including Meeting at the Crossroads: Women's Psychology and Girls' Development (co-authored with Carol Gilligan and also the 1992 New York Times Notable Book of the Year), and most recently Packaging Girlhood: Rescuing Our Daughters From Marketer's Schemes (co-authored with Sharon Lamb and a 2006 Books For A Better Life Award winner). Her curricular materials proactively address concerns about girlfighting in schools across the nation.
Lynn Cole is a Capital Gifts Officer at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine. She has a BS in Community Health Education from the University of Maine and an MS in Communications Management from Simmons College. With more than 25 years of nonprofit direct service and executive experience, Lynn is a co-creator of Hardy Girls Healthy Women and a past president of the Hardy Girls Healthy Women Board of Directors. She is also a member of the University of Maine Alumni Association and serves on the Equiforum Board of Directors. Lynn is chair of the Development Committee and a member of the Nominating Committee and Executive Advisory Committee.
Karen Heck is a program officer for the Bingham Program and consults part-time for Hardy Girls Healthy Women. She has 25 years of experience in non-profit administration and a long standing interest in the healthy development of women and girls. During that time she has been instrumental in starting the local rape crisis assistance and prevention program, the statewide abortion loan fund, and the statewide women's policy center as well as Hardy Girls Healthy Women. Her connections to the community range from her leadership in such main-stream organizations as the Waterville Rotary Club, the Waterville Main Street Program and the local Boys and Girls Club to statewide organizations focusing on women's reproductive health and social change including the Maine Women's Lobby, the Maine Women's Fund, the Maine Choice Coalition and the Women's Policy Center. She is currently working on the business plan and also works with the golf committee planning Hardy Girls' annual Fore the Girls golf tournament.
Nancy Gilbert Brenner is the Special Projects Director in New York State. She lives in Chappaqua, New York. An attorney currently retired from the practice of law, Nancy was most recently the owner/director of Tripp Lake Camp, a residential girls' camp in Poland, Maine. Nancy is currently working on developing trainings for summer camps, directing HGHW Girls' Coalition Groups in Westchester County, NY and increasing HGHW's visibility in her state.
Susan MacKenzie, Ph.D. is Program Director at Living Water Spiritual Center. She earned her doctorate from the University of Michigan in natural sciences and created "EarthWorks" a ministry of ecology and spirituality for youth. An ecumenical retreat leader, she is a registered Maine Guide and leads outdoor adventures and retreats throughout New England. Susan has a private practice of companioning women and men who desire to become more attentive to the spiritual dimension of their lives, and is currently training to become a certified Yoga instructor.
Kate O'Halloran is the Associate Director of Planned Giving at Colby College. A native of Waterville, Kate moved home to Maine in September 2003 after 15 years of living and working in Boston. She spends an hour in the woods every morning with her yellow lab, Tucker, and enjoys most every sport -- especially soccer, skiing, golfing and she has recently started fly fishing. Kate attended Brown University where she majored in Economics and Organizational Behavior and played varsity ice hockey; she earned an MBA from Babson College in 1998. Kate is the Vice President of the Hardy Girls board and, in addition to leading our efforts on the annual golf tournament, Kate lends her insights and expertise to our business plan development committee and to planning Hardy Girls annual Fore the Girls golf tournament.
Ruth Jacobs is the Associate Director of Communications at Colby College and lives in Oakland. Trained as a journalist, Ruth began as a consumer magazine editor. Recently she has turned to media relations, writing and editing at Colby College, where she especially enjoys working with budding journalists. She's currently advising the Hardy Girls Healthy Women Girls Advisory Board in the creation of a 'zine written for girls, by girls and she chairs the nominating committee.
Pierrette Kelly has served as Vice President and General Manager of CVS.com where her responsibilities included marketing, merchandising, technology and the company's ecommerce P&L. She has held executive positions in manufacturing and logistics, global sales, and human resources for CVS Corporation, Digital Equipment Corporation (now Hewlett Packard) and Manufacturers' Services Ltd. Pierrette holds a BA, MA and is a graduate of Columbia University's International Management Program. She currently serves on AdvizeX Technologies Board of Directors as well as the Education Committee for the National Retail Federation's online organization, shop.org. Pierrette is on the Business Development and Golf Committees for Hardy Girls Healthy Women.
Linda Riley is a mom, wife, and clinical social worker. She currently works at Good Will-Hinckley in an educational day treatment program as a clinician. Linda has a Masters in Social Work from the University of Maine. She came to Maine in 1994 and worked along as a family teacher for adolescent females with her husband, which inspired her to pursue further education to meet the needs of at-risk youth. She went on to work as a social worker guiding and supporting adolescent pregnant and parenting teens for HealthReach Community Health Centers. After obtaining her masters, she chose to return to GWH and serve children and families. She is committed to team work and is also responsible for developing different approaches that best serve individuals' unique situations. Linda is driven to utilize her abilities to the betterment of others in her family, job, and community. In her free time she enjoys spending time doing active things with her family. Linda currently lives in Waterville with her husband, Dan, and their two children MacKenzie and Jaymes.
Tobi Schneider, Esq. is owner and principal of the Law Office of Tobi L. Schneider and lives in Waterville. Tobi Schneider has been practicing law with an emphasis in family law for 30 years. She is a past President of the YMCA, past Vice President of the Alfond Youth Center, past President of the Kennebec Valley Community College Advisory Board, past President of the Family Law section of the Maine State Bar Association, past Board member of Hospice Volunteers and a current member of MaineGeneral Hospital Board, and a Board member of the KVCC Advisory Board and the KVCC Foundation Board. In addition, Tobi is a member of the Advisory Council of Professional Responsibility and a member of the Grievance Commission of the Board of Overseers of the Bar Association. She also works as a Guardian ad litem in the court system working with children. Tobi serves on the business development committee and is working with the finance committee.
Debbie Shannon is a CPA at Nicholson and Associates. She lives in Waterville and joined HGHW four years ago as the treasurer. With two teenager daughters of her own and two belonging to her fiance, the mission of HGHW is extremely important to her. Originally from Oklahoma, Deborah graduated from Oklahoma State University with Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration with an accounting major. She received her Certified Public Accountant license in 1990. Living in Waterville for the past 15 years, she has been on several boards of non-profit organizations. Deborah currently serves as the treasurer and chair of the Finance Committee.
Hardy Girls Healthy Women's National Advisory Board (NAB) consists of 11 women from around the country who provide distinction, knowledge, and experience to HGHW in our efforts to expand nationally, with the goal of creating a world in which all girls and women experience equality, independence and safety.
Dr. Jessica Henderson Daniel is an assistant professor of psychology in the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and director of training in psychology and associate director of the LEAH (Leadership Education in Adolescent Health) Training Program at Children's Hospital--Boston. She is adjunct associate professor of psychology in the Clinical Psychology Program at Boston University. Her career has primarily focused on instruction, training and mentoring. She has interests in diversity training, the development of adolescent girls and media images of women.
Deborah Slaner Larkin is the former executive director of the Women's Sports Foundation where she developed a broad-based advocacy network to increase female participation and equity in sports and developed National Girls and Women in Sports Day. Larkin served on the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports from 1994 to 2002, where she chaired a national task force on girls and minorities in sports. She is the author of a national research study titled, "Physical Activity & Sport in the Lives of Girls: physical and mental health dimensions from an interdisciplinary approach. For the past 10 years, she has served as chair of the Westchester Fund for Women and Girls and is a member of the National Coalition of Girls and Women in Education specializing in Title IX equity issues with the National Women's Law Center. Currently, she also runs two websites: www.TitleIX.info and www.SaveTitleIX.com
Dr. Deborah L. Tolman is the Director of the Center for Research on Gender and Sexuality and Professor of Human Sexuality Studies at San Francisco State University. Before relocating to San Francisco, Deborah Tolman was a Senior Research Scientist and Director of the Gender and Sexuality Project at the Center for Research on Women at Wellesley College. Dr. Tolman is a developmental psychologist whose research has focused on adolescent sexuality, gender development, gender equity and research methods. Her book on adolescent girls' sexuality, Dilemmas of Desire: Teenage Girls Talk about Sexuality, published by Harvard University Press in 2002, was awarded the 2003 Distinguished Book Award from the Association for Women in Psychology. Dr. Tolman is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association and has received wide recognition for her contributions to female adolescent development.
Dr. Janie Victoria Ward is Chair of the Africana Studies Department at Simmons College in Boston, MA. Professor Ward, a contributor to Essence magazine, is a co-editor of Mapping the Moral Domain: A Contribution of Women's Thinking to Psychological Theory and Research (1988), edited with her thesis advisor, Dr. Carol Gilligan. Most recently she authored Gender and Teaching, with Frances Maher (2001), which provides teachers with an overview of important gender issues in education today. For over fifteen years her professional work and research interests have centered on the developmental issues of African American adolescents, focusing on identity and moral development in African American girls and boys.
Dr. Doris Capello is the executive director of CARAS (the Child Advocacy Resource Association) and assistant professor of Kean University's Department of Social Work. CARAS is dedicated to increasing the number of Hispanic families in New Jersey who are available to foster Hispanic youth. Her experience growing up in a caring Puerto Rican family along with several children her mother fostered and her D.S.W from Fordham inform her work with emotional, theoretical and practical experience.
Peggy Orenstein is the author, most recently, of the New York Times best-selling memoir, Waiting for Daisy: A Tale of Two Continents, Three Religions, Five Infertility Doctors, An Oscar, An Atomic Bomb, A Romantic Night and One Woman's Quest to Become a Mother (Bloomsbury USA). An internationally recognized writer, editor and speaker about issues affecting girls and women, her previous books include Flux: Women on Sex, Work, Kids, Love and Life in a Half-Changed World (Doubleday/Anchor), and the best-selling SchoolGirls: Young Women, Self-Esteem and the Confidence Gap (Doubleday/Anchor). A contributing writer for The New York Times Magazine, Orenstein has also written for such publications as Vogue, Elle, Discover, More, Glamour, Mother Jones, Salon, Parenting, "O: The Oprah Magazine," and The New Yorker. Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Orenstein is a graduate of Oberlin College and lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband, filmmaker Steven Okazaki, and their daughter, Daisy Tomoko.
Jin In believes every girl and young woman has the leadership potential within herself to transform her life, her community and the world. She is the founder of 4Girls GLocal Leadership 4ggl.org, an NGO dedicated to girls and young women's leadership, globally and locally. She is also the co-founder of a women and girls-empowering organization in Lima, Peru; and she works with governments, UN Agencies, and global NGOs to advance girls' leadership. Prior to 4GGL, she created the very first girl advisory group at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office on Women's Health; and she spearheaded the highest leadership community service award at Global Action, Girl Scouts USA. As a champion for girls, Jin speaks frequently at conferences and events. She has also written and contributed to publications, including the International Museum of Women, Peace X Peace, One World Perspectives, and Our Bodies Ourselves. Additionally, she is a member of UN & NIKE Foundations' Coalition for Adolescent Girls, International Women’s Health Coalition's New Leadership Council, and Global Women's Leadership Network. Jin was recognized at 2008 BT Executive Women and Ogunte Women's Social Leadership Awards and was named one of the 2006 REAL Hot 100 young women for breaking barriers, fighting stereotypes and making a difference in the world.
Sage Salzer is a top plus-size model who has appeared in top-tier publications including The O Magazine, Real Simple, Good Housekeeping, Glamour, People, and in advertisements for Eddie Bauer, JCPenney, Land's End, Lane Bryant, Macy's, Nordstrom's and Tommy Hilfiger. A native of Ventura, CA, Sage started modeling at the age of 15 around the world. While in college at Sarah Lawrence, Sage found it challenging to keep her weight low enough to continue straight-size modeling and subsequently shifted her goal to advocating for healthy lifestyle choices for women and decided to pursue a career in plus-size modeling. Because of her dedication to this healthier approach to living, Sage has become one of the most successful plus-size models in the country. Sage's website is www.sagesalzer.com
Nancy Gruver is the founder and CEO of New Moon Girl Media, and former executive director of Dads & Daughters. Inspired by her twin daughters, Mavis and Nia, in 1992 the family founded the groundbreaking international publication, New Moon: The Magazine for Girls and Their Dreams. She is still the publisher and is a national leader in the movement to empower girls and foster their creativity and self-confidence. Her husband Joe Kelly co-founded Dads & Daughters, the national advocacy non-profit for fathers and daughters, which owns the newsletter Daughters: For Parents of Girls. Nancy is frequently asked to speak about girls� issues and communication strategies for adults with 8 to 15 year-old girls in their lives. She lives in St. Paul, Minnesota with her husband.
Our Girls Advisory Board (GAB) is made up of nine fabulous girls in 8th-12th grade. GAB works with our board of directors and staff to engage in opportunities for leadership experience, social action projects, and of course, to keep HGHW current on what's going on in girls' lives today.
Beth is the current GAB president and she lives in China. As a junior at Erskine Academy, she enjoys being on the girls' tennis team. Beth owns a horse and has been riding for about ten years. She also got involved in Hardy Girls by coming to a bunch of Unlimited conferences. When she was in 8th grade her English teacher let her know about GAB. She signed up immediately. She has made friends at GAB meetings and has really enjoyed it. This will be her 3rd year in GAB and her first year as president.
Renee is 16 years old a junior at Erskine Academy. She loves to go horseback riding, play tennis, and read. Renee has been involved with Hardy Girls Healthy Women since she was in 6th grade when she started going to the Girls Unlimited conferences. Renee was an 8th grader when she joined GAB and has been instrumental in recruiting girls for programs and launching G-WAVE, the Girls Advisory Board 'zine. Renee currently serves as the vice president of the Girls Advisory Board.
Devan is one of the newest members of the Girls Advisory Board. She is 14 years old and an eight grader at Noble Middle School in Berwick. She first learned about Hardy Girls through her attendance at the Girls Unlimited Conference. Being a member for only a few months doesn't change the fact that Devan already feels like she's doing something to help girls feel comfortable in their own skin. She likes reading, playing field hockey, surfing and just chillin' with her homegirls.
MacKenzie is a freshman at Waterville Senior High School. She proudly played on the State Championship winning Field Hockey team and also plays basketball. She loves to curl up and read a good book and hang out with friends. She first got introduced to Hardy Girls Healthy Women when she went to the Girl's Unlimited Conference when she was in elementary school and then she recently learned about GAB when her mom joined the Board of Hardy Girls.
Thalia is 18 and a senior at Messalonskee High School in Oakland. She has been very involved with Hardy Girls Healthy Women ever since 7th grade when she was in one of the first girls' coalition groups at Winslow Junior High School. Thal also attended several of the Girls Unlimited conferences. Currently in her 3rd year with the Girls Advisory Board, Thal loves to help others, volunteer, and meet new people. She stands up for what she believes in. Thalia and former GAB member Deahna were the 2007 recipients of the Maine Women's Fund Leadership Award for their successful protest of a Kmart t-shirt that made light of domestic violence.
Alyssa is 18 and a senior at Messalonskee High School in Oakland. She has been involved with Hardy Girls along with her sister Thalia since the 7th grade when she was in one of the first girls' coalition groups at Winslow Junior High School. Alyssa has been a member of GAB for 2 years. She has also attended and volunteered at the Girls Unlimited Conference for the last 5 years. She aspires to be a Marine Biologist when she graduates from high school.
Katherine is a 16 year old junior attending Erskine Academy. This will be her first year of involvement with GAB, and she heard about the program through enthusiastic classmates. In her spare time, Kate is interested in playing the French horn, reading, writing, and performing on her speech team.
Kalyn is an 8th-grader at China Middle School. She's been coming to Girls Unlimited conferences for 3 years. She loves acting, singing, the arts, ice skating, and having fun with friends. She is the president of her school's Civil Rights Team, and the historian for the Student Council. She's also in chorus and the drama club. Kalyn is looking forward to meeting new people, and getting "real" body shapes represented in the media.
Amelia is an 8th grader who has been homeschooled her whole life and lives in Vassalboro. She's been involved in Hardy Girls Healthy Women for about two years through the Girls Unlimited Conference and this is her first year with GAB. She learned about Hardy Girls from her mom and immmediately loved the whole idea of it, and later on went to the office and picked up a application for GAB. She loves art of any kind, playing the violin and chocolate. Amelia has found that joining GAB was the perfect way to widen her community of friends and her awareness of the world around her.
Hardy Girls Healthy Women's staff is made up of four young women who have a passion and talent for working with girls. They're working hard alongside both girls and women to create hardiness zones throughout Maine and across the country.
Megan Williams, Executive Director, is a graduate of Colby College with a B.A. in Sociology and Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies (WGSS). While at Colby, Megan was the program assistant for the WGSS program and served on the WGSS Coordinating Committee. In 2004, she received the Founder's Prize for academic excellence and commitment to the activist roots of the Women's Gender and Sexuality Studies Program at Colby College. She was an intern at the Maine Coalition Against Sexual Assault in 2004-2005. She began volunteering at Hardy Girls in January 2003 and helped Lyn Brown pilot the first girls' coalition groups in 2004. After graduation, Megan served as an AmeriCorps VISTA volunteer at Hardy Girls. She was then hired as Hardy Girls' first staff person and executive director in August 2005.
Jackie Dupont, Programs Coordinator, is also a graduate of Colby College and holds a B.A. in Human Development with a concentration in Psychology. Currently, Jackie is a student in the MSW program at the University of Maine. While at Colby, Jackie was one of the original coalition facilitators for Lyn Brown's pilot program in 2004. After graduation, Jackie served as an AmeriCorps VISTA at the South End Teen Center while continuing to facilitate coalition groups in the greater Waterville area. She then served as Programs Coordinator through another VISTA year with Hardy Girls Healthy Women. Jackie is now a full time employee of Hardy Girls, where she continues to oversee HGHW programming.
Gemma Laser, Outreach Coordinator, is a graduate of Mount Holyoke College with a B.A. in Peace and Conflict Studies. Before starting her current AmeriCorps VISTA position at HGHW, Gemma worked as Educational Programs Assistant at the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association. Over the past three years, Gemma's focus on international peace building has shifted to a deep interest in working with women. She is thrilled now to be back in her home state working to empower girls and women!
Laura Webb, Office Manager, is finishing her final year at Colby College where she majors in Women's, Gender & Sexuality Studies. Beginning as a Hardy Girls Intern in 2005, Laura has spent the last 3 years combining academic pursuits with practical applications through Hardy Girls' programs.
HGHW staff from left to right: Jackie Dupont, Megan Williams, Gemma Laser.
HGHW Girls Advisory Board members from left to right: Devan, Alyssa, Beth, Thalia, and Renee (Not pictured: Mackenzie, Kathryn, Amelia and Kalyn).
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