Dr. Jessica Harney, DPT, PT, OT, President
A full-time faculty member in the Department of Occupational Therapy at Tufts University, Jessica has a BS from Boston University and a DPT from MGH-Institute of Health Professions. She is an International Alpine Skiing Medical Classifier for the International Paralympic Committee and Head of Alpine Medical Classification for the US Paralympics. Jess has been involved in NEDS since the age of eight, when her sister, Kim, became a student and her parents began volunteering as coaches. She began coaching when she was old enough and now volunteers as a PSIA Level I Alpine and Level III Adaptive coach. Jess has stated, “over 25 years ago, NEDS gave my family a sense of hope and joy through the avenue of adaptive sports. Today, I continue to see the same dedication, compassion, and hope from our volunteers to every student and family.”
Sarah Everhart-Skeels, MPH, Vice President
A teaching associate in the Behavioral and Social Sciences department at Brown University, a lecturer in the Department of Occupational Therapy at Tufts University, and a part-time administrator at the New England Regional Spinal Cord Injury Center, Sarah has a BS from University of Virginia and a MS in Public Health from George Washington University. In addition to her work with NEDS, Sarah is a commissioner on the Rhode Island Governor’s Commission for People with Disabilities, and Chairperson of the United States Sailing Committee for Sailors with Disabilities. She is a member of the US Disabled Sailing Team and, an avid cyclist. Sarah learned to ski at NEDS in 1997 and never left. In 1998, she became a volunteer coach, and joined the Board of Directors in 2004.
Philip Lembo, 2nd Vice President
Currently the Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Eversource Energy, New England’s largest energy company, where Phil has had a 30 plus year career. Phil is an active member of his community, serving as a board member in multiple capacities at Melrose Wakefield Healthcare Inc. and the Massachusetts Business Roundtable, in addition to his role at New England Disabled Sports. Previously, Phil served on the Board of Directors for the Northeast Gas Association, the Melrose Arts & Cultural Association, Melrose LAUNCH, and the Roosevelt Elementary School Council. He was also past President and board member of the Greater Boston Chapter of The Institute of Internal Auditors.
Phil is a recipient of the Whittier Street Health Center’s Men’s Health Champion Award and Institutional Investor’s All-American Executive Team Award.
Phil is Chair of the NEDS Golf Classic Fundraiser and a member of the Finance Committee.
Robert (Bob) F. Mulhall, Jr., CPA, Treasurer
Bob is currently an Independent Trustee and Audit Committee Chair of the Advisors’ Inner Circle (AIC) Funds. Bob is also on the President’s
Advisory Council of Villanova University, a member of the Advisory Board of Xylyx Bio and a Board Member of New England Disabled Sports.
Bob retired from EY in June 2018 after a 30-year career with the Firm. Bob’s area of concentration was in asset management, where his clients were mutual funds, hedge funds, and private equity funds.
Bob received a BS in accounting from Villanova University.
Bob is married (Kathy) with 3 grown children and many grandchildren. Bob is an avid golfer and skier.
Kari Christiansen, Secretary
Currently a Senior Director of Institutional Large Client Transition Servicing at TIAA, Kari has over 30 years of financial services and benefits consulting experience. Prior to joining TIAA in 2014, Kari held a number of leadership roles at Fidelity Investments in customer facing organizations over a 20-year period. Kari has a passion for the outdoors, volunteering, and traveling and has been a NEDS volunteer since 1990. She earned a BS in Mathematics and Economics from the University of New Hampshire. She has served on a number of committees and lead fundraising events as a NEDS board member. She is a current member of the Executive Committee and Governance Committee.
Bruce Booth, Director
A partner at Atlas Venture, where he focuses on healthcare investing. Bruce received his PhD in immunology from Oxford University and a BS in biochemistry from The Pennsylvania State University.
Bruce is currently chairman or board director of ten public and private biotechnology companies and also serves as an advisor in various capacities to UCB, Takeda, and the Gates Foundation along with serving on the boards of the National Venture Capital Association and the Pennsylvania State Research Foundation.
Bruce blogs about biotech and venture capital topics at LifeSciVC, which is also syndicated on Forbes. He has been a volunteer instructor with NEDS since 2016 and loves sharing his passion for the mountains and snow sports. Bruce joined the NEDS board in 2019.
Timothy J. Connelly, Director
A partner at Brown Brothers Harriman for more than 30 years, Tim has a BA from Williams College and an MBA from Northeastern University. He is a Chartered Financial Analyst, an overseer at Northeastern University, a member of the Investment Committee of the Cotting School, and has served as chairperson of the capital campaign for the United Way of Massachusetts Bay. Tim serves as a member of the New England Disabled Sports Foundation Board of Trustees and has been involved in NEDS for over ten years as a parent of a student athlete and coach.
Michael J. Cummings, Director
Vice President of Operations for Cambrian Innovation (Watertown, MA), a clean water start-up with roots in Boston’s cleantech sector, Mike earned a BA from Cornell University, and an MBA from Harvard Business School. During his 30-year business career, Mike has held CEO, COO and other leadership positions for manufacturing and industrial service firms. Mike served five years as an active duty U.S. Army officer, commanding the Army’s first Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) battery. He began his involvement with NEDS as a parent in 1998, and has been a coach since 2011. Mike’s leadership involvement with NEDS includes organizing volunteers for the White Mountain Cycling Classic, interviewing and mentoring Pre Adaptive Coach (PAC) members, co-chairing (with Jess Harney) Loon’s hosting of the U.S. Paralympics National Alpine Championships, and chairing the Annual Winter Challenge fundraising activities. Mike’s wife Louise is one of NEDS’ PSIA-certified lead trainers. Their sons Andrew and Christopher are active NEDS coaches as well.
Claudine DeJoie-Stanton, Director
A Post-Hospital Transition Specialist for the Coverdell Stroke Program, a division of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Claudine previously worked as a Program Coordinator at New England Regional Spinal Cord Injury Center, and as a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant at Boston Medical Center. Claudine has an AS in Occupational Therapy from North Shore Community College and a BS in Health Management from Northeastern University. She previously served on the Board of Registration in Allied Health Professionals for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Division of Professional Licensure, as well as a member of the New England Steering Committee for the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation, and is a member of the OT Practice Magazine Editorial Review Board. Currently, she chairs the NEDS Grants Committee and serves on the Human Resource Committee. Claudine has been involved in NEDS since 2000, as a PSIA Level I Alpine and Adaptive coach. She served on the NEDS Kostick Kup Committee for five years, working as co-chair for three of those five years.
Christopher Ellms, Ex-Officio, Bretton Woods Ski Resort
Director of Ski Operations at NEDS’ partner, the Bretton Woods Omni Mount Washington Resort and serves on the Board of Directors for Ski New Hampshire. Prior to his 30 years in the ski business, Chris enjoyed an eclectic business and management career, working in varied industries from nuclear safety research to steel erection. He has served on the NEDS Board of Directors since consolidating the Bretton Woods Adaptive Program into NEDS in 2012.
Margie Gozdiff, Director
Margie Gozdiff offers over 20 years of experience in, coaching, facilitation, and workshop design. She creates an honest learning environment that both challenges and supports individuals and groups as they work on leadership development, relationship building, presentation skills, and coaching skills. Margie has worked with organizations such as Bain Capital, Bank Of America, Boston Consulting Group, Fleet Bank, Bristol Myers Squibb, Boston Scientific, Charles Schwab, Fidelity Investments, J Jill, Metro Lacrosse, Merrill Lynch, MIT, and Tufts University. Her design and facilitation expertise are grounded in the essential principles of learning and human development.
Margie is passionate about helping people be their best. Her goal is to help her clients be more confident, productive, motivated and creative in their roles. Her energy, enthusiasm for learning and her unwavering commitment to engaging participants in a lively and informative day of learning is what differentiates her from other facilitators. She brings thoughtful discussions and relevant activities to the classroom allowing participants to connect learning concepts to their world.
Margie is a certified coach from International Coach Academy. She is certified in DISC, MBTI, Crucial Conversations, Emotional Intelligence, and a member of International Coaching Federation.
Dr. Brian Holub, DVM, Director
Chief Medical Officer of VetCor, a national network of 265 veterinary hospitals in 28 states, headquartered in Hingham, Massachusetts. Prior to joining VetCor, Brian owned and operated Countryside Veterinary Hospital in Chelmsford, Massachusetts for 27 years where under his leadership, Countryside was recognized as the #1 practice in the USA and awarded the 2010 AAHA Practice of the Year. Dr Holub’s veterinary hospital was also awarded the 2000 Practice of Excellence Award, and was twice honored as a National Veterinary Design Merit Award recipient. He is a part-time clinical instructor at Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University. Dr Holub holds a BS in Biology from the University of Cincinnati, and a DVM degree from Ohio State University. Dr. Holub serves as a board member for the Winn Feline Foundation, and is a medical advisor and grant reviewer for both the Winn Feline Foundation and the Canine Health Foundation. Brian has served four years on the NEDS Board of Directors, and serves as President of the New England Disabled Sports Foundation. He is in his 16th season as a NEDS coach and is a PSIA Level II Certified Adaptive Ski Instructor.
John Imbrescia, Director Emeritus
A real estate developer, John owns/manages commercial real estate. He is a certified Real Estate Broker in New Hampshire and Massachusetts and has a BS in Civil Engineering from University of Massachusetts, Amherst. John has served on the Board of Trustees for the Arthritis Foundation, in addition to his 20+ years as a coach and Board Member of NEDS having served as both Vice President and President. He also serves on the New England Disabled Sports Foundation Board of Trustees.
Cathal McGloin, Director
Cathal is a successful technology entrepreneur with over 30 years experience working in business and technology around the globe. He is currently CEO of his latest tech startup, ServisBot Inc. following the successful sale of his last company in 2014 to Red Hat Inc. Cathal’s experience as a successful businessman, coach, parent of a child with a disability, and ability to see things clearly and rationally brings a valuable asset to the Board that also increases its diversity. He has nine years coaching experience with NEDS and achieved his Level 1 Adaptive Coach certification. He has served on the boards of several technology start-ups and was a member of the North American Advisory Board of the Michael Smurfit Business School for seven years. Cathal holds an MBA from the Smurfit Business School and a BE from UCD, Ireland.
Steven Picardo, Assistant Treasurer
Retired from Bank of America as Senior Vice President after a thirty-year career in government finance. He has served on the adjunct faculties of Suffolk and Boston Universities. He holds a BS, cum laude from Boston College and a MBA from Babson College. Steve has served on many boards including Our Lady Of Nazareth Academy, Melrose Massachusetts Red Cross, Jose Mateo Ballet Theatre and currently is also on the board of New England Disabled Sports Foundation. Steve has been involved in NEDS for the past twelve years as a coach, ten years as a board member, six of which he has served as Treasurer. He continues to volunteer as a PSIA Level 1 Adaptive coach. In addition to coaching he enjoys skiing with friends, family and his grandchildren.
Jay Scambio, Ex Officio, Boyne Resorts
For over 20 years Jay has been a leader in the ski mountain resort industry. Beginning as a snowboard program developer at Loon Mountain, Jay moved into management of Boyne Resorts. As the Director of Mountain Sports Development at Boyne, Jay oversaw the operations of all terrain parks, snowsports and at 11 properties. Now, Jay leads Loon Mountain as President and General Manager providing guidance and direction for the entire resort. Serving as a director of the ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials) F27, Jay is part of an international team focusing on snow and water sports, bi-annually reviewing the newest statistics regarding ski injuries and latest advances in ski safety. Jay remains current in ski mountain trends and active in the local community as a director of Ski New Hampshire, Western White Mountain Chamber of Commerce, Loon Mountain Community Fund, along with other leadership roles with National Ski Area Associations.