About Us

New Hampshire Women's Leadership Institute - Board of Directors

Annabel Beerel, Execitive Director

www.annabelbeerel.com

Annabel-Beerel--sm

Dr. Annabel Beerel is a recognized expert in Leadership and Change Management as well as being an expert in analyzing and consulting to Ethical issues across a wide range of professions. Over the past twenty-five years, Annabel has assisted senior organizational leaders in becoming more astute decision makers and leading their organizations through change. Due to her experience with businesses on a global scale, Annabel is able to bring a global perspective to complex problems and is able to guide executives in systemic decision making. She is also a highly experienced executive coach.

Annabel is the founder of the New Hampshire Women’s Leadership Institute, an organization that helps women advance in their careers and advises on organizational leadership capacity building. The flagship event of the Institute is the New Hampshire Women’s Leadership Summit, a major leadership and professional skills development event for professional women across New England.

Annabel holds a Ph.D in Comparative Religion and Ethics from Boston University. She holds a Masters Degree in Theology from the Weston Jesuit School of Theology in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and has pursued Advanced Leadership Training at the J.F. Kennedy School of Management at Harvard University. Annabel holds an MBA with a focus on Corporate Finance and Strategic Management, and she is also a qualified accountant. She has worked with multinationals as well as being a Corporate Financier and Investment Banker in the City of London where she was actively engaged in business analysis, fund raising, merger and acquisitions and strategic planning. Annabel also founded and ran her own international business in Artificial Intelligence for a period of eight years.

A dynamic and entertaining presenter, accomplished panel host, and facilitator, Annabel travels and presents at numerous conferences. She is also the prolific author of articles and books. Her most recent book is entitled Leadership and Change Management by Sage Publications. Her passion is travel and the study of world cultures and religions, something she shares with executives interested in developing their global businesses.

www.annabelbeerel.com

www.nhwli.org

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.Read Complete Bio of Dr. Annabel Beerel Ph.D

Gemma Dreher, President

Gemma Dreher

Gemma is Senior Counsel for the BAE Systems Electronics Solutions. Gemma joined BAE Systems in August 2002. Recently, she received and Engineering Collaboration award for her work in the area of open source software management. She counsels the business and speaks frequently on the subjects of intellectual property management, licensing technology to the federal government, and open source software licensing.

Prior to joining BAE Systems, Gemma was Vice President and General Counsel for Pragmatech Software, Inc.

Gemma is a member of the New Hampshire and Massachusetts Bar Associations. She is also member of the Association of Corporate Counsel, the Licensing Executives Society, the American Bar Association and the New Hampshire Women’s Bar Association.

Gemma is from Newport, Vermont and received her BA in Political Science from Regis College and a JD from Northeastern University School of Law. She lives in Francestown, New Hampshire with her husband Rhon and five children. Read Complete Bio of Gemma Dreher

Liz Walker

Liz Walker is an award-winning television journalist, a documentary film producer, an entrepreneur and a humanitarian currently working in the war-torn country of Sudan. A 2005 graduate of Harvard Divinity School and an ordained minister in the African Methodist Episcopal Church, Liz has chosen to combine her communication skills with her passion for serving the world. To New Englanders she will always be known as Liz, after 32 years as a television news journalist, nearly 20 of those anchoring WBZ Television’s evening newscasts in Boston.

In the summer of 2001, Liz traveled to war-torn Sudan on a fact-finding mission on the controversial slave trade in southern Sudan. The experience changed her life. She was so outraged by the human rights atrocities in Sudan she co-founded My Sister’s Keeper, a grass roots initiative that advocates for women and children who are trying to rebuild their country and their lives. Liz returns to Sudan often, including the region of Darfur, the scene of the 21st century’s first genocide. My Sister’s Keeper has most recently completed the construction of a Girls’ School for more than 500 girls in southern Sudan.

Liz shoots her own video during her trips to Sudan and has produced several documentaries on the troubled country, including the most recent called “A Glory from the God” profiling the work of My Sister’s Keeper and its visionary, Boston humanitarian Dr. Gloria White-Hammond.

Liz began her broadcast career in her hometown of Little Rock, Arkansas. She has worked at television stations in Denver, Colorado, and San Francisco, California, before moving to Boston. In addition to her work on international education and women’s issues, Liz advocates for the homeless and survivors of domestic violence. She is on the “kitchen cabinet” of One Family Incorporated, a non-profit organization to end family homelessness in Massachusetts. In 1992, Liz helped co-found the Jane Doe Safety Fund, a multi-million dollar advocacy group for survivors of domestic violence. Liz sits on numerous community boards and is a spokesperson for people living with HIV-aids, breast cancer survivors, and at-risk youth.

Liz is the recipient of two Emmys, an Edward R. Murrow Award and special recognition from the prestigious Gabriel Awards for her on-air and documentary work. She currently sits on the Board of Trustees for Andover Newton Theological School, the Regional Advisory Board of the United Nations International Children’s Education Fund. She is a member of the Board of Trustees for the Tufts Health Foundation and the Board of Overseers for Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.

Liz is on the ministerial staff of Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Jamaica Plain, where she works with young people. She is the founder and principal of The Walker Group LLC,Communications Specialists, focused on corporate public engagement, non-profit capacity building and video production.Read Complete Bio of Liz Walker

Beth Faucher, Treasurer

Beth Faucher

Beth Faucher is Controller for Apollo Professional Solutions, Inc. in Salem, NH since November 2004 and owner of EGF Accounting and Tax Services.

Over the past 40 years, she acquired diverse accounting/tax background in the manufacturing, service, software and start-up industries. Her private practice is dedicated to the small business entrepreneurs, corporations and individual returns. Beth earned her BBS degree in accounting from New Hampshire College (k/n/a Southern NH University) and her MBA in Professional Accounting from the University of Phoenix. In addition to her degrees, she has passed her IRS agents exam and continues pursuing educational achievements in accounting, tax and information technology.

Beth is currently President of ABWA- NHCC (2008-2010), Top Ten Business Woman Candidate 2010 –ABWA, editor of Granite State Greetings, member of St. Patrick’s Centennial Committee and member of other charities. Nashua has been her home for the past 24 years.Read Complete Bio of Beth Faucher

Dawn Sime

Dawn Sime holds a Ph.D. in Organizational Psychology. She has 18-plus years of vast experience in human resource management. An experienced trainer and instructor Dawn is a full-time adjunct professor at Southern New Hampshire University, Department of Organizational Leadership and Continuing Education Professional Studies. Areas of instruction expertise include Organizational Leadership & Ethics, Human Behavior in Organizations, Group Dynamics and Conflict Management. Her profession is that of a Professional Coach in strategic career development and job sustainability. www.mylifecompasscoach.com

Dawn is a Director with the New Hampshire Women’s Education Institute. She is also on the steering committee for the 2010 Women’s Leadership Summit. She has served as facilitator of the SNHU Ethics Boot Camp and SNHU Student Advisor for the 2007 Eller Ethics Case Competition, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona.

Her professional affiliations include Center for Creative Leadership, Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM), National Career Development Association (NCDA), Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) and International Coaching Academy.Read Complete Bio of Dawn Sime

Gail Garceau

In November, 2009 New Hampshire Healthy Kids Corporation named Gail M. Garceau as President and CEO. With over 13 years of experience in non-profit leadership roles, Garceau will spearhead NH Healthy Kids’ efforts to build on its accomplishments of providing low-cost and free health coverage to uninsured children in New Hampshire.

Gail most recently served as vice president of Development and Alumni Affairs for Daniel Webster College where she provided vision and strategic direction for the College’s fundraising and alumni relations programs. She served as the Vice President of Senior Health Services for Elliot Health System where she was a strong advocate for the senior population, playing a key role in identifying the most critical needs facing seniors and developing programs and services to meet those needs. Gail is best known for her nine-year role as president of Heritage United Way during which time she provided strong, innovative, collaborative, and professional leadership

Gail shares a deep commitment to volunteerism and social responsibility. She is a member of the Board of Directors of Child and Family Services, the Board of Directors of the Manchester YWCA, and the Advisory Board of Independent Services Network. Gail has also served on the Board of Directors of the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce, the Board of Directors of the NH Symphony, the Advisory Council of the Currier Museum and the Commission on Charitable Giving & Volunteerism in New Hampshire.Read Complete Bio of Gail Garceau

Lucille Jordan

Lucille Jordan was appointed president of Nashua Community College in 1998. She has achieved national and state recognition for her commitment to community service, civic responsibility, developmental education, and business and industry partnerships with education. Most recently, she received the Dr. Carlene Riccelli Assembly Leadership Award from College Board New England.

Jordan has served as chair of Campus Compact for New Hampshire, a statewide association of four- and two-year college presidents and private sector partners who are committed to integrating service, leadership, and civic responsibility in higher education. She has also served as vice-chair of the national Campus Compact organization's board of directors. Jordan currently serves on the Greater United Way of Nashua board of directors, the New Hampshire College and University Council, the New Hampshire Postsecondary Commission, and the board of the Academy for Science and Design.

Jordan's personal and professional mission is to work toward a more civil society, one in which the worth of every person is recognized. As president of Nashua Community College, she creates an environment that not only develops academic skills, but also nurtures a sense of self-identity and acceptance. It is not unusual to see Jordan taking time from her duties as college president to help a student with a research paper or tutor an ESL student in English.Read Complete Bio of Lucille Jordan

Susan Duprey

Susan Duprey concentrates her law practice in zoning and planning issues, municipal law and commercial real estate. She specializes in obtaining approvals in difficult settings and for sensitive projects. She has represented numerous local, regional and national developers in obtaining zoning and planning approvals to construct complex and multi-use real estate projects. Her expertise in the municipal arena derives, in part, from the 6-year term she served as a member of the Planning Board and the Heritage Commission of the City of Concord, the State's capitol. As a Planning Board member, she led a significant community-wide effort to revise the Cities Master Plan. She was also twice elected and served as a City Councilor for the City of Concord for three years. Susan was recognized for her work in the municipal field when New Hampshire Magazine named her Ideal Lawyer in the Town Lawyer category in 2003.

As president of the firm from 1998-2005, Susan was instrumental in the development of the firms reputation and the specialization of its lawyers. During this time, she directed the firms continued growth throughout the region.

Susan's leadership role extends to the community, the Bar and Republican politics. She currently serves on the Boards of Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, Inc., the New Hampshire Business Committee for the Arts, and the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce Foundation. Susan also serves on the Advisory Board of Ocean Bank, a division of People's United Bank, and is a trustee of the New Hampshire Supreme Court Society. She is a past Board Chair of Heritage United Way, the State's largest United Way, and the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce. She was named one of the 30 Most Powerful Women in New Hampshire by New Hampshire Editions Magazine. Susan continues to serve on numerous Republican political campaigns on both the national and state levels. She recently served on the steering committee of McCain for President and formerly served as the New Hampshire Finance Committee co-chair of the Bush-Cheney 2004 Presidential Campaign and as a member of the Bush-Cheney 2004 Steering CommitteeRead Complete Bio of Susan Duprey

Cathy Provencher

Catherine A. Provencher was sworn in as State Treasurer on January 3, 2007 to begin serving her first two year term. As Treasurer, Catherine is responsible for cash management and investment of more than 40 million daily; banking relationships; debt management (issuance of notes and bonds); and trust fund management.

Catherine A. Provencher was sworn in as State Treasurer on January 3, 2007 to begin serving her first two year term. As Treasurer, Catherine is responsible for cash management and investment of more than 0 million daily; banking relationships; debt management (issuance of notes and bonds); and trust fund management.

Ms. Provencher is a certified public accountant who has been employed in New Hampshire State service for the past 24 years. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in Accountancy from Bentley College and a Masters in Business Administration from Southern New Hampshire University.

Before being elected State Treasurer, Ms. Provencher was employed by the New Hampshire Office of Legislative Budget since 1985. She served as the Office’s Director of Audits from 1997 through 2006.

In 2006, Ms. Provencher was awarded the prestigious Caroline Gross Fellowship for Persons Active in New Hampshire Public Service. This Fellowship afforded Ms. Provencher the opportunity to attend Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government Executive Education program for Senior Executives in State and Local Government.

Ms. Provencher serves on the Executive Committee in leadership roles of the National Association of State Treasurers as its Eastern Regional Vice President, and Chair of its Banking, Cash Management and Short Term Investment Committee. She also serves on the Executive Committee of the College Savings Planning Network, an affiliate of the National Association of State Treasurers.

Ms. Provencher is a member in good standing of the American institute of Certified Public Accountants and is actively involved in volunteer work in her hometown of Merrimack, New Hampshire where she lives with her husband and two children.Read Complete Bio of Cathy Provencher

Rajani Cuddapah

Rajani Cuddapah is a Senior Program Manager for the BAE Systems Electronics Solutions Business. Rajani joined BAE Systems in May 2001. She proudly leads teams to develop and produce leading edge technologies that benefit our US Soldiers. She holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Maryland and a master’s in electrical engineering from Johns Hopkins University.

Linda Landry

Linda _Landry

Linda Landry is currently Senior Director, Global Learning & Development at Nuance Communications, Inc., a technology company in Burlington, MA, that makes speech recognition software. She established Nuance's corporate education department in 2007 and has quickly built a full-service operation that includes performance management, sales training, employee communications, training fulfillment, orientation, and a corporate university. She recently won the distinguished 2008 Gold Vanguard Award from Chief Learning Officer Magazine for the impact she's made on her company over the last two years. Prior to Nuance, Landry worked as Senior Managing Editor, Microsoft Press, where she managed production of learning materials supporting Microsoft's worldwide certification business. Additionally, she spent a decade in Europe managing global education and publishing projects for IBM and RR Donnelley. Landry is an active member of her community and serves on the New Hampshire Commission on the Status of Women.