Agency Leadership
David Hirshberg, Executive Director
Deni Howley, Deputy Executive Director
Michael Leach, Business Manager
Pam Nourse, Director of Institutional Advancement
Ann Horgan, Director of Residential Services
Beth Everts, Director of Clinical Services
Rebecca Altepeter, Principal
Bowie Johnson, Director of Administration
Victor Tremblay, Director of Human Resources
Kristin Vander Els, Director of Admissions
Veteran Staff Bring Experience and Lead Innovation
by David Hirshberg, Executive Director
During the past two years Germaine Lawrence has improved many of its practices, adopted innovative techniques, and developed new services. Most importantly, as a result of these changes, our success rate has increased by over 20% - we have been able to help turn around the lives of over 85% of the girls we serve.
Making so much progress takes strong leadership and over the past two years Germaine Lawrence has been blessed with a group of veteran leaders all of whom have worked at Germaine Lawrence for over ten years – the most experienced and talented leadership team ever. Because of their years of experience, they have learned how to solve many of the problems that arise cyclically, and they know how to motivate staff during stressful times. I want to introduce our most veteran leaders to you.
Maureen Romanik has provided nursing leadership at Germaine Lawrence for 20 years. She has seen our medical services grow from one nurse to five nurses, two psychiatrists, a visiting dentist, and a consulting adolescent pediatrician from Children’s Hospital. She coordinates the work of all these professionals to ensure that over 100 girls in our care receive state-of-the-art medical care.
Rudy Troutman has served as the school’s lead Crisis Counselor since
1980! His infectious enthusiasm and belief in each girl’s potential has made him invaluable for students and staff. He mentors new school counselors and teachers, and provides a foundation of safety throughout the day.
Susan Wilder, like many leaders at Germaine Lawrence, started as an entry level residential counselor and worked her way up to being the Director at our Harriet Tubman program while also earning her Masters in Social Work. Susan is highly organized, and provides her staff with clear structures and systems to simplify their work. She is expert at anticipating challenges and developing plans pro-actively. She is especially respected for the way she trains interns and new staff, always preparing them for new responsibilities and promotions. Susan is currently our program director at the Hirshberg Treatment Center.
Elaine Harrington was one of the founders of Germaine Lawrence in 1980. She has served in many leadership roles including opening our program in Boston in 1998. She led our Snowden program which was highly successful with the most oppositional and distrustful girls we serve.
Michael Leach has been our Business Manager for over 25 years. He provides us with the financial information we need to manage our incredibly tight budgets without losing money. He also oversees our rapidly expanding information technology systems. Mike brings with him a passionate commitment to residential treatment that grew early in his career as a counselor for troubled teens.
Ann Horgan and Beth Everts both started as residential counselors at Germaine Lawrence’s most intensive program in the 1980s and earned their Masters in Social Work while moving up the ranks. Both worked as highly effective Program Directors before becoming component directors.
Ann is the Director of Residential Services, responsible for overseeing milieu therapy – the foundation, and largest component, of our treatment programs. She is constantly evaluating the quality of our residential services and helping programs make improvements. She is also highly skilled in mentoring new Program Directors and repeatedly has provided critical help to programs experiencing transitions or other challenges.
Beth is our Director of Clinical Services, responsible for medical, psychiatric and social work services. Her major focus is the individual therapy, family work and case coordination provided by our social work staff. She not only maintains our high clinical standards but also leads changes to keep us at the cutting edge. Right now, for example, she is reviewing our assessment process, expanding support services to parents, and supporting the introduction of Dialectic Behavioral Therapy (DBT).
Deni Howley is our Deputy Executive Director. She joined Germaine Lawrence in 1989 as a Program Director and then served as our Director of Clinical Services before becoming the Deputy in 1997. As the Deputy, she supervises our Program Directors and is responsible for the daily operations of the entire agency. One major focus of her work is to ensure effective team work in a multi-disciplinary environment. Another focus is holding everyone accountable to our high standards. Direct and energetic, Deni is always pushing people to do a better job for the girls we serve.
Germaine Lawrence is lucky to have such a great group of leaders. Their experience and talent is the basis for our excellence. They are why we can help girls and families turn their lives around and have hope for the future.