New members will assist Agassiz Village in carrying out its bold new strategic plan that focuses on expanding programming year-round, growing services to include serving kids in Maine, building best in class facilities and creating a plan for sustainable funding.
October 26, 2020, NORWOOD, MA- On Monday, October 26, 2020 Agassiz Village announced the appointment of three new board members and the reelection if its officer for a one year term.
Joining the Agassiz Village Board of Directors for a three-year term are:
Todd Goodwin, CEO of John F. Murphy Homes, Inc. Auburn, ME
Ben Kern, Tax Director, PwC, Boston, MA
Nimish Shah, DNP, CNS-BC, Founder and CEO, Tele-Therapeutics, Framingham, MA
“We are thrilled to welcome these talented and dedicated public servants to the Agassiz Board of Directors and look forward to working with them to advance our strategic plan,” said Leslie Hoyt, Board President. “This is a very exciting time for Agassiz Village as we make some bold moves to ensure our sustainability long into the future and we deepen our impact for kids who need us most by expanding our programming to year-round. I know the various expertise of these new board members will be critical in helping Agassiz fulfill its goals.”
The following Agassiz Village Board Officers were reelected to a one-year term:
Leslie Hoyt, President (Chief Commercial Officer and COO at Olaris, Inc, Waltham, MA)
Theresa M. O’Bryant, Vice President (Dean of Student Success and Engagement at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, North Adams, MA)
Jonathan Gillim, Treasurer (Chief Financial Officer at Randolph Engineering, Inc., Randolph, MA)
Ellen Corbett, Clerk (Realtor at Hillman Homes, Quincy, MA)
Agassiz Village is honored to have such dedicated and knowledgeable Directors leading our organization and working to advance Agassiz Village’s mission and strategic priorities.
Following are the biographies of Agassiz Village’s new board members:
Todd is a seasoned nonprofit leader with extensive experience in the disability, behavioral health and child welfare sectors in Maine and across the country. His work in service to others is rooted in a deep respect for and commitment to principles of integrity, quality and accountability. Todd has served on the Board of Representatives with the American Network of Community Options and Resources (ANCOR), a Washington DC-based national trade association for disability service providers. At the state level, he is also a past President of the Maine Association for Community Service Providers. He has held assorted Board of Director seats with multiple nonprofit service agencies. Todd holds a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Iowa and a Master’s degree from Indiana University. He lives in Auburn, Maine, enjoys all things outdoors, and values time with his two kids, 17-year-old avid mountain biker Jake and 21 year old political activist Grace.
Ben is a Tax Director within PwC’s Private Company Service Practice, based in Boston. Having spent a substantial portion of his childhood moving around the US along with a 3-year stint in Mexico, Ben attended Siena College in Albany, New York. He began his career with PwC immediately following and has been with the Firm for over 17 years. Upon moving to Boston in 2008, Ben obtained his Masters in Tax from Northeastern University, and more importantly met his wife Amanda. As a new father to an adorable little girl, his free time is now more limited, but he still makes time to go for runs with his dog, ski in the winter, and get out on the water in the summer. Ben’s passion for the Agassiz mission cannot be overstated. Throughout all the childhood moves and beyond, a summer lake trip to Maine has remained his only truly consistent annual staple. Those memories and lessons learned formed the very fabric of who Ben is today.
Nimish has a longstanding commitment to excellence in delivery of mental health care, starting from his nursing days managing patient care in long term care facilities and inpatient psychiatry units. Expanding his scope of practice by completing a Masters in Nursing quickly led to completing his Doctorate in Nursing Practice degree, a member of the first class of DNP graduates from Northeastern. While pursuing his doctorate, Dr. Shah created a cutting edge analysis of use and protocol for administration of Tele-Psychiatry for Mental Health. Co-founding Progressive Therapeutics in 2006 created the perfect platform from which to deliver high quality psychopharmacologic care to the community, use technology and best systems practices to efficiently manage a private practice, employ Tele-medicine to broaden patient’s access to care and teach Masters level nursing students from Northeastern the art and science of 21st century mental health care. An avid proponent of incorporating lifestyle interventions, based on clinical and empirical evidence, Dr. Shah strives to create treatment plans that include but go beyond traditional medicine. His focus on non-pharmacologic strategies to improve mental health is grounded in the belief that the brain is still a part of the body, and that to take care of the brain, the whole body must be healthy. Born and raised in Massachusetts, Dr. Shah loves exploring New England and the world with his family and friends, looking for new adventures and open to new ideas.