Meet Our Board
Dedication. Expertise. Passion.
President
Kerry Laufer
Kerry Laufer is a higher education administrator with over twenty years of experience in strategic planning, consulting project management, business development, international education, and experiential learning design and delivery. She is currently Acting Executive Director of the Dartmouth-American University of Kuwait program at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire. Kerry joined the Board in August 2021 and has been Board President since October 2022
Vice President
Joseph Deffner
Joseph Deffner works at Thetford Academy, an independent school which serves as the public school for Thetford, Vermont and surrounding communities. Joe has been on the faculty and coaching staff there as an English/social studies teacher and cross-country coach since 1994. His past teaching lives include working in Kenya as a Peace Corps volunteer, in inner-city schools as a substitute teacher, in a residential school for students with learning disabilities in Massachusetts, and in Fukuoka, Japan (2011-2012) during a sabbatical year as a part of the community of Fukuoka International School (FIS).
Treasurer
Thomas Hudson, CFA
Thomas Hudson, CFA joined Ledyard Financial Advisors in 2023 as a Senior Portfolio Manager and Investment
Strategist Tom has more than 20 years of experience in the financial services industry. His primary
responsibilities include investing client portfolios and working with clients to help them meet their
objectives. He also helps develop investment strategy for Ledyard including asset allocation, manager
diligence research, security analysis and client communications.
Secretary
Nate Hill
Nate Hill has worked as a banker for many years and is currently an AVP Branch Manager at Rockland Trust. Nate brings vast institutional knowledge to the board, having worked at Maynard House as a Resident Manager for five Years and then as the Executive Director for one year. Nate has served in many leadership roles with numerous nonprofit boards, ranging from a volunteer to a member of the Executive Committee.
Board Member
Andrew Grimson
Andrew Grimson is a retired engineer and executive living in Hanover. He spent 25 years in engineering and leadership roles at GE, Magna International, and Graham Packaging, followed by a decade in academic and leadership positions at Dartmouth and Harvard Business School. A dedicated community volunteer, he has served as Executive Director and board member for Habitat for Humanity. Andrew holds a BASc in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Waterloo and an MBA from Tuck. He enjoys woodworking, travel, and hiking with his wife, Anne.
Board Member
Margot Stephens, M.D.
Margot Stephens, MD is a Board-Certified Family Physician who has lived in the area for 26 years. She is in the primary care practice at Alice Peck Day Hospital where she enjoys delivering care to all ages. She is on the Peer Review Committee and the Provider Operations Council at the hospital and participates in teaching medical and nurse practitioner students on their clinical rotations. She was previously on the Maternal and Infant Care Committee at APD, and also on the same committee at Springfield Hospital where she was a staff physician prior to coming to APD. She was also a founding physician of Family Medicine Associates in Worcester MA just after completing her residency at U Mass Medical Center and before the family moved to Vermont.
Board Member
Patty McIlvaine
Director of Advancement at Thetford Academy, where she has led the school’s fundraising and communications efforts since 2015. Before joining Thetford Academy, Patty contributed to development communications, annual giving, and grant writing at Vermont Law School.
In addition to her professional work, Patty is a dedicated peer navigator with FORCE (Facing Our Risk of Cancer Empowered) and volunteers as a coach for Girls On the Run in her hometown of South Royalton. She is a graduate of Vital Communities’ Leadership Upper Valley program, class of 2024.
In her free time, Patty enjoys hiking with her dogs and spending quality time with her husband and college-aged son.
Non-Voting Board Member
Kate Schlinke
Kate Schlinke is an MBA Candidate at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth. She is currently an equity research intern for Thornburg Investment Management.
Prior to Tuck, Kate worked for three years at the Wallace Foundation as an Investment Officer and for two years at VCU Investment Management Company as an Investment Analyst. Kate received a Bachelors of Science in Business Administration from the University of Richmond in 2019. She is also a CFA charterholder.
Outside of work, Kate enjoys staying active through tennis, running, and skiing. She also enjoys spending time with her orange polydactyl cat, Koi.
Board Member
Laurie Levin, Esq.
Laurie, a former Maynard House board member, is an attorney in Norwich, VT, engaged in the practice of law in New Hampshire and Vermont. Laurie focuses on out-of-court negotiated settlements. Laurie represents individuals and works collaboratively with the attorneys who represent the other parties to achieve fair and reasonable negotiated outcomes. Laurie also serves as a mediator in New Hampshire and Vermont.
Board Member
Eryne Jenkins
Eryne Jenkins is a Project Manager in Dartmouth College’s President’s Division with a background in public health program administration, evaluation, and community-based research. She has worked with the Division of Institutional Diversity and Equity and the Sexual Violence Prevention Project, and is committed to advancing evidence-based, systems-level change that expands opportunities for individuals underserved by health care and higher education institutions. Originally from Magnolia, Delaware, Eryne holds bachelor’s degrees in biology and environmental studies from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and a Master of Public Health from Dartmouth College. She is active with the Red Cross and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., and enjoys exploring nature trails, learning languages, and traveling with family and friends.
Board Member
Lawrence J. Dacey, M.D., M.S.
Dr. Dacey received his undergraduate degree in Electrical Engineering from Washington University in St. Louis, and his M.D. from the University of Cincinnati in 1984. He did his General Surgery residency at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center and his Cardiothoracic Surgery residency at the University of Rochester. He joined the Hitchcock Clinic in the Department of Surgery, Section of Cardiothoracic Surgery in 1993. He received his MS from the Center for Evaluative Clinical Sciences at Dartmouth College in 1997. He has served on numerous committees at Dartmouth-Hitchcock. From 2003-2009, he served on the Board of Governors and Board of Trustees. He served as Acting Chairman, Department of Surgery 2008-2009, as Chief Medical Officer 2010-2012, and worked in the Office of Patient Experience 2016-2022. He is Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Hitchcock Foundation, and Chair of the Board of Hamden Assurance, Dartmouth Health’s self-insured corporation.