Meet The Team
Dear YMCA Members and Participants,
Please meet our team at The Granite YMCA. Together, we are a dedicated group of individuals connected by a shared passion and commitment to serving our members and strengthening the foundations of our community through youth development, healthy living, social responsibility, and family strengthening. Our talented staff are well vetted through a thorough interview and reference checking process. All must pass a criminal investigative check and go through both formal and on the job training programs. Our association is very proud of all our team members, and invite you to ask any of them for assistance to better improve your Y experience.
Enjoy your YMCA.
Association Team
Michele Sheppard
CEO
Michele holds a BS in kinesiology from the University of Maryland. She began her career in 1986 as physical director at the Chambersburg Pennsylvania YMCA where she oversaw fitness, sports, gymnastics and aquatics. Michele then moved on to the Watertown NY Family YMCA as health and PE director in charge of all health, wellness, and sports programs. For a brief time, she worked in the private fitness sector as a personal trainer and group fitness instructor. She later returned to the Chambersburg YMCA as the program services director and was promoted two years later to associate executive director. While there, she earned her program and senior program director certifications from Y-USA, attended the Indiana University School of Fund Raising, and was certified in personal training, spinning, and yoga. Michele's unwavering commitment to health and wellness is so strong, that when she left the Chambersburg YMCA in 2009 they named their youth fitness facility in her honor. In 2009, Michele joined the Granite YMCA as the Allard Center branch director where she is delighted to be helping the Allard Center team provide a variety of high quality health and wellness options to the greater Goffstown community.
Josh Askew
Association Director of Membership
Josh grew up in a small town in the NH Lakes Region area called Melvin Village. He has had multiple stops with the YMCA. Josh was a summer camp participant at the YMCA Camp Belknap in Tuftonboro, NH. He did a two-year internship in college at the Marietta YMCA in Marietta, OH. Josh also worked for the YMCA’s in Chicago for 3 years and the DC Y for 2 years. Additionally, Josh had the opportunity to work for the YMCA National Headquarters in Chicago (YUSA). Josh has been with The Granite Y since May of 2020.
The Y played a big role for Josh as a child, being able to go to camp on financial assistance. The impact the Y creates on so many families is inspiring and the opportunity to do more is why he loves working at the Y.
In Josh’s free time, he loves to spend time with his family and friends. He also enjoys hiking on the weekends and watching sports.
Lisa Bernard
VP of Youth Development
With over 13 years of experience as a leader at The Granite YMCA, Lisa has a strong and successful impact on leading branch operations, board and community development, as well as fundraising success. She has a BA in therapeutic recreations from Lyndon State College and more than 15 years of managerial, camping, and program development experience. Earlier in her career, Lisa focused on providing integrated camping opportunities for children with disabilities, through collaborative programs in NH, VT and NY. For several years she served as the Executive Director at the YMCA of Greater Londonderry. Most recently in 2021, Lisa was promoted to District Vice President overseeing operations at the Londonderry, Portsmouth and Rochester branches.
Jamie Demetry
VP of Marketing and Communications
Ryan Gadow
Chief Operating Officer
Ryan began his YMCA career in 1994 and earned Y-USA certifications in Organizational Leadership and Fiscal Management. By 2005, Gadow was serving as a Senior Program Director/ Operations Director for the Tampa Metro YMCA where he successfully managed a multimillion-dollar budget for the first time. His steady leadership and success for the programs under his purview earned him positions as Director of Operations at the Desert Foothills YMCA and later a Senior Executive role at Valley of the Sun YMCA. Most recently, Gadow was asked to serve as a Senior Vice President for the Y in Central Maryland where he has served for the past six years.
Ryan has a deep commitment to servant leadership for the community, members, program participants, donors and volunteers. He is very excited to join the leadership team at The Granite YMCA and looks forward to having a positive impact across all six branches as we strive to enhance our connection to community and our offerings to meet the changing needs of the youth and families we are so privileged to serve.
Deb Galipeault
Executive Director of Early Learning
Deb grew up in Hudson, NH where she graduated from Alvirne High School. She graduated from Rivier College where she earned a degree in Early Childhood Education.
Deb started her Early Childhood career working with preschool students at Tollhouse Preschool. In 1998 she moved to Concord and stayed home with her children until 2001 when she began her YMCA of Concord journey. Deb taught pre-kindergarten, worked as the assistant childcare director, and for a short time worked as an assistant to the finance director. Then, in 2008, she was promoted to the Youth Development Director overseeing all of their Youth Programs to include childcare, afterschool and summer day camp. Having a background in Early Childhood Education and having young children of her own, it was important to her to find a child development center with the highest quality. A place that she could feel comfortable knowing her children were receiving the best educational foundation possible. When Deb interviewed at the Y and met the staff she knew the Y was the best place around. In 2006 She moved over an hour away to Moultonborough, NH. Despite the commute, and because the YMCA of Concord had become a home away from home, Deb stayed all these years commuting two hours each day. Her three now adult children have so many wonderful memories from growing up at the Y and Deb feels blessed that they were able to be part of the YMCA of Concord family.
In Deb’s free time, she enjoys walking with her dogs, watching sports and trail riding with her ATV.
Matt Hanson
District VP
Matt has worked for The Granite YMCA since 1998. Prior to working, Matt attended Mi-Te-Na as a camper before getting his first job as Lifeguard at the Downtown YMCA. Over the years he has held several leadership roles across our association. These roles include, Camp Director, Allard Center Aquatics Director, Teen Services Director for the Downtown branch and Association Training Coordinator. Matt is a certified trainer through the American Safety and Health Institute and YMCA of the USA. Through which he teaches various enrichment and safety courses for the northeast. Additionally, Matt is active with the American Camp Association where he serves as a standards visitor. Matt holds a Bachelor’s degree in Recreation Management from Springfield College.
While not at the Y, Matt enjoys traveling, golfing and spending time with his family. He met his wife Megan when she worked at YMCA Camp Foss and they currently reside in Concord NH with their son Teddy.
Sarah Harrington
Compliance & Risk Management Director
Kim Harty
Director of Strategic Initiatives
Kim Harty has over 20 years of experience working in the Y movement. She joined The Granite YMCA in July of 2019 and serves the association managing the strategic plan and building strong partnerships locally and state-wide. She is passionate about the Y's role in the community and helping youth grow to be healthy, well-rounded adults.
Prior to The Granite YMCA Kim ran the Mount Desert Island YMCA. She got her start at the Greater Hartford YMCA as a program director moving to executive director, then leadership at the association office. She also ran the Armory Art Center in West Palm Beach, FL. She has a B.S. in Business Administration from Wayne State University and a Master’s in Human Services Administration from Springfield College. In addition, she is an Organizational Leader with the YMCA of the USA, certified as a holistic coach and an Inside-First facilitator.
Kim loves hiking with her dog and friends, engaging in art, being a grandma, and is always learning and connecting with people.
Patrick "PJ" Joyce
Association Facilities Director
Kathy Kittle
Chief Financial Officer
Kathy Kittle, CPA, CGMA, has joined the leadership team of Granite YMCA as
Chief Financial Officer.
For the last nine years, Kathy has served as the Senior Vice President and Chief
Financial Officer overseeing finance, human resources and IT at Concord Area
Trust for Community Housing (CATCH). CATCH is a multi-entity non-profit
organization that specializes in affordable housing and property management.
Prior to CATCH, Kathy served in a variety of financial leader positions with both
non-profit and for-profit organizations. Kathy received her certification in
public accounting from PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), where her focus was on
non-profit and start-up organizations.
Kathy received her Masters of Business Administration and Masters of Finance
in International Business from Southern New Hampshire University.
In 2014, Kathy was recognized by New Hampshire Business Review as the Small
Non-Profit Business Executive of the Year.
Kathy is the treasurer of the Easter Seals Massachusetts Board of Directors,
along with serving as chair of the Governance Committee and an active member
of the acquisitions and mergers team. She is also a member of the New
Hampshire Woman’s Foundation finance committee.
Cindy Lafond
Executive Director of Health Interventions
Cindy Lafond is the Executive Director of Health Interventions for The Granite YMCA. For over 30 years, Cindy has been a leader in aligning the healthy equity needs of the communities they serve through bringing the power of YMCA evidence-based programs through collaborations with state public and private insurance payers to establish sustainable systems for program delivery.
Mara Martin
Executive Director of School Age Childcare
Mara Martin joined The Granite YMCA as Executive Director of School Age Child Care in July 2023. Previously, Mara has served as a Development Officer, Classroom Educator, Overnight Camp Senior Staff, Youth Group Advisor, and Education Administrator at a variety of sites throughout her 35-year career. She is passionate about Experiential Education, Project Based Learning and Community Building. Mara received her BA from Douglass College of Rutgers University, MA - Communal Service from Brandeis University, a MEd from Lesley University, and a MA - Creative Arts in Learning from Lesley University. She has also spent time abroad working in schools and camps.
Mara's previous involvement with the YMCA has been as a member of the Waltham YMCA in Waltham, MA, where her son attended day camp, the afterschool program, and participated in their sports programs. Mara lives in Manchester with her husband and is thrilled to be a part of The Granite YMCA!
Laura Nese
Association Director of Data Management
Laura is a graduate of Florida State University with a degree in Recreation and Leisure Administration. She began her career with the YMCA shortly after graduation, moving her to the northeast. Laura began her career at the YMCA of Greater Westfield where she was the Director of Outdoor Education/Aquatics Director. She was with this YMCA for 3 years where she then was hired at the Frost Valley YMCA where she remained for 9 years as the Group and Retreats Director. She has held many roles within the YMCA and is excited to join her skills and experience with the amazing team at the YMCA of Downtown Manchester and the entire Granite YMCA association. She considers herself to be a student of life, and recently earned her 200 hour Yoga Instructor Certification and is continuing to work towards becoming a Yoga Therapist.
Ryan Novo
Association Director of Day Camps & Teen Services
Elizabeth Pinard
People Team Director
Elizabeth received her MS degree in Human Resources and Employment Relations from Penn State University and holds a SHRM-SCP certification. Since beginning her career in HR in 2011, she has gained valuable experience in employee relations, onboarding, employment law, management, and talent acquisition.
Elizabeth is a strategic HR professional that is passionate for people centered engagement, diversity, equity, inclusion capacity building, and organizational planning and is dedicated to creating a welcoming and positive team culture and work environment. In addition to her extensive professional experience, Elizabeth and her family are active members of the Y and enjoy participating in programs at both the Allard Center and Downtown Manchester branches.
Katie Soule
Director of Social Emotional Wellbeing
Katie has been working in the field of childcare and education since 2007 and has been with The Granite YMCA since the summer of 2019. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Elementary Education from the University of Maine at Farmington, as well as a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership from Southern New Hampshire University. Additionally, Katie is a Certified Human Behavior Consultant in association with the Fitzgerald Institute of Lifelong Learning, an ACEs Master Trainer with ACE Interface, and a Youth Mental Health First Aid Instructor. Before joining The Granite YMCA, she has worked in many capacities within the youth services field, from being a preschool teacher and center director to being a behavior consultant and professional development trainer.
Katie's passion for working with children and the adults who love and take care of them is fueled by a desire to empower people to become captains of their own ships. She is a steering committee member for the Dover Mental Health Alliance and advocate for destigmatizing and raising awareness around mental health for youth and adults. Outside of work, Katie enjoys spending time with her husband, dog, and two cats, and getting outside as much as possible.
