Board of Directors
Lee Rigby, MHS Board Chair
Lee grew up with a love of animals including her trusted golden retriever Mack and mischievous cat Misto during her high school years. After being accepted into graduate school, Lee decided to temporarily pursue her love of animals as a vocation. Lee interned at a dog training school on the north side of Chicago and fell in love with the animals and working with them. She deferred graduate school and ultimately decided that she had found her calling and in 2002 founded her own business: Dog’s Best Friend Training. After moving to Vermont in 2004 Lee continued to operate her business but also dedicated a significant amount of her time volunteering at the Humane Society of Chittenden County in South Burlington, VT. After the birth of her son Gavin, Lee decided to stay home and raise him but remained active in the Keene community. She served as Class Parent at the Monadnock Waldorf School, MWS Crafts Fair Organizer (major fundraiser) and served on the board of Sophia’s Hearth Family Center from 2012-2015. Lee began her volunteer work at the Monadnock Humane Society in 2013 and has performed a variety of volunteer work – from walking and training shelter dogs to training other volunteers. She is currently co-chair of the Walk for Animals committee and helped establish the shelter dog training class. Lee was a key team member in the MHS HIVE (high impact volunteer engagement) program from 2017-2019. Lee was awarded the MHS Volunteer of the Year Award in 2019. Lee graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a B.A. in Psychology and minor in Germanic Studies. She is a certified Level 1 instructor of Kundalini Yoga. She hikes daily with her husband Graham and two MHS rescue dogs – Winston and Lulu.
Susan Wyckoff, MHS Vice Chair
Susan is a resident of Walpole and has spent the majority of her adult life in beautiful New Hampshire, earning her Master’s degree from Keene State College and Ph.D. from UNH. Susan has devoted her 35-year professional career in higher education to serving in campus senior leadership positions and most recently as a professor in the area of university administration at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She has held leadership positions in multiple higher education professional organizations at state and national levels as well as serving locally as a member of the Walpole Historical Society and The Women of Walpole organizations. Susan has experience in myriad key areas which she brings in service to the MHS Board: strategic planning; program development and implementation; budget development and fiscal oversight; and community outreach. On a personal level, Susan’s experiences with animals began early and she has been a life-long animal lover since childhood. Her first animals (guinea pigs, fish, and collie “Lady”) taught her much about empathy, responsibility, love, and dedication to animals in her care. In adulthood, she and her husband Bill have adopted countless dogs and cats from shelters and have gladly opened their home to them. During the pandemic, Susan and Bill fostered and then adopted 10-year old “Shaggy” from MHS. The staff at MHS declared this an official “foster fail” situation, and Shaggy settled in beautifully as a family member surrounded by love and care in his remaining years. More adoptions to come in the future!
Kathy Settipane, MHS Board Secretary
Kathy was born and raised in Keene and graduated from Keene State College with a BS in Safety Studies. She has held multiple analytical and leadership positions and currently holds the position of Customer Resource Center Officer at New Hampshire Mutual Bancorp in Keene. Kathy has always had a love for animals and grew up with rescued cats and dogs from MHS. Kathy has participated in the Walk for Animals for many years and served on the Walk for Animals Committee in 2021. Kathy resides in Swanzey with her husband, Joe, and two dogs, Archie and Edith. In her spare time, she enjoys being with her family and friends. Kathy is excited and honored to be a part of the MHS Board of Directors.
Chris Bowen, MHS Board Treasurer
Chris Bowen, MHS Board Treasurer
Scot Ward
Scot was a long time collegiate athletic trainer and educator. He was previously employed at Seton Hall University, New England College, Keene State College (KSC), and Trinity College, and was instrumental in establishing an endowed scholarship at KSC. Scot is a proud Keene State College and Indiana University graduate, and returned to Keene in 1999 where he has lived since. In 2018, Scot joined the firm of Edward Jones as a financial advisor and till this day continues his calling of helping others achieve their goals (now with a different demographic).
Scot grew up in a household of cats – Windy, Max and Dusty. In the spring of 2000 Scot and his wife Jennifer adopted their first dog, Copper (a Lab mix), from MHS. She was orange like a golden retriever so they decided she was a “special breed”, a golden Labrador. They were very pleased with the adoption process, Puppy Kindergarten, and Focused Fido training classes. Jennifer is part of a therapy dog team with their 10-year-old golden retriever Haleigh. Scot has been happy to come and observe their training with Monadnock Therapy Pets at MHS. Their new puppy, Mackinley (also a golden retriever) is a therapy dog in training.
Scot is a member of the Keene Kiwanis Club and is currently working on the annual golf tournament committee. He is an avid skier and has been a volunteer ski patroller for over 20 years at Pats Peak in Henniker, NH. He has also volunteered as part of the finish line medical team at the Boston Marathon since 1999. His wife of over 25 years, Jennifer, was the “magic in the back room” at Creative Encounters until the store owner retired in 2021. Their son CJ is a college student attending Hobart and William Smith Colleges in Geneva, NY. Scot is eager to help Monadnock Humane Society and is honored to serve on the board.
Candi Dionne
Candi Dionne was born and raised in Keene, NH. She currently lives in Keene with her husband, son and 2 dogs Winston and Ed. She is the Human Resource Manager at Timken Aerospace. Candi has over 10 years of experience in human resources. Candi holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Mount Washington College and an MBA from Boston College of Business. Candi is SHRM-CP and PHR certified in Human Resources. She is currently on Rise for Baby and Family board of directors and is a past president for Greater Monadnock SHRM. In her free time Candi enjoys outdoor activities including walking, running and biking.
John Algeo
John was born and raised in Central New York and brought home his first dog from the SPCA at the age of ten. “Happy” was always with him until he went away to college in Colorado. He received his Bachelor of Architecture from Syracuse University. After 39 years practicing architecture in California John retired returned to the Northeast and found Keene, NH.
John spent the majority of his career with Walt Disney Imagineering as the Lead Architect for attractions in Anaheim, Tokyo, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Paris and Orlando. Prior to Disney, John was a partner at Viniegra &Viniegra Architecture, project architect at RAW Architecture, a designer at Neptune & Thomas and a restoration specialist at Syracuse Model Neighborhood.
John has served on the South Pasadena Design Review Board, Church of Our Savior building committee, and the City of Los Angeles Neighborhood planning committee.
Through a ‘small world’ chance meeting with Dan Dodge, John was introduced to the MHS mission and knew this would be a place where he could continue to contribute his skills and experience.
John can be seen hiking through the many trails around Keene with his black Labrador Retriever, Snowball.
Stephanie Guitard, MHS Board Member
Stephanie Guitard
Stephanie has been a resident of Jaffery for the past 15 years with her husband Michael and mixed pup Stella. Prior to that she has lived in New Jersey, New York, Georgia and Massachusetts but loves New England the most! After pursuing her undergraduate degree in Speech Pathology and Audiology at Ithaca College she moved to New England pursued her graduate degree in Human Service Administration at UMass Boston while working in the field of Human Services. She has worked in the Human Service field for almost 30 years with Adults and Children with Developmental Disabilities and Autism from direct care positions to various leadership roles. She currently works at HMEA in MA as the Vice President for Business Development and Family Supports as well as part owner of Frogg Brewing located in Marlborough with a future site in Swanzey.
In her spare time she loves traveling throughout the United States and abroad, vacationing on the Cape, kayaking, hanging with friends and of course activities that include Stella!
Stephanie has always had a love for dogs and grew up with them around her. She believes in and supports adoption of animals through rescue leagues. She is very excited to be part of the Board where she hopes to bring her skills from the Human Service to the Humane Society.
Heather Daniels, MHS Board Member
Heather Daniels
Heather is a longtime resident of Swanzey where she lives with her husband Bill, their two children, William and Haley, as well as their three rescue dogs Winnie, Miah and Vinny. Heather has lived her life surrounded by animals from growing up on a small farm in Sullivan to as an adult adopting a wide range of animals in need of a home. Heather wholeheartedly believes having animals in one’s life truly enriches it.
Heather has worked in the banking industry in a variety of capacities for nearly 20 years, she is currently employed by New Hampshire Mutual Bancorp. When not at work, Heather can be found on a variety of sporting fields supporting her children in their active lives. Heather herself plays soccer on a women’s indoor soccer team and also spends her time volunteering for the Keene Rebels Little League as well as for the Town of Swanzey’s Recreational Advisory Committee.
Joy Fletcher, MHS Board Member
Joy Fletcher
Joy grew up in Westmoreland, NH where animals always had a significant presence in her life. Her most cherished childhood pet was a mother tuxedo cat which had been abandoned on the doorstep of her family’s vet clinic. Joy and her siblings named her “Mother Kitty” and she was the first of several rescue pets that have held a special place in Joy’s heart.
After finding herself drawn to process efficiency and organization, she ventured into the world of facilities operations in the Boston area. Joy has worked on multi-million-dollar space planning projects, renovations, and new construction, and has helped build companies from the ground up. Joy is also passionate about creating positive, mission-driven company cultures.
After returning to Westmoreland in 2022, Joy started volunteering at MHS. She quickly realized what a special place MHS is and wanted to contribute in a greater capacity.
Ted Davis, MHS Board Member
Ted Davis
Ted, originally from New York, now calls New Hampshire home. He and his wife Jessica discovered the Monadnock region during a fall weekend in 2020 and instantly fell in love with the area, leading them to buy a house in Peterborough that very weekend. Growing up with at least one furry companion, Ted is a strong advocate for giving shelter animals a second chance. He has welcomed several rescue pets into his life, including his last dog, Finn, a pit bull mix rescue, who sadly passed away shortly before their move to New Hampshire.
In 2021, Ted retired after a distinguished 26-year career in law enforcement. As a Lieutenant and Executive Commander, he managed over 100 officers and 50 civilian staff members on a daily basis. He also served as the Union's 1st Vice President, representing more than 1,000 officers in various roles, including contract negotiations. In addition, Ted is a New York State-certified academy instructor and a certified litigation specialist. Before embarking on his law enforcement career, he worked for a major defense contractor and briefly for a large financial institution in New York.
Ted earned a BS in Marketing from SUNY, an MBA in Finance from Dowling College, and a Doctor of Business Administration from Liberty University.
Currently, Ted is an active member of both the Development Committee and the Events Committee. He also volunteers at MHS, engaging in various tasks from dog walking to facility maintenance.
With a deep passion for promoting responsible pet ownership and educating the community on animal welfare, Ted draws inspiration from MHS and its dedication to the well-being of animals and their mission to find loving homes for every animal that comes through their doors.
Lifetime Vice Presidents
Dr. Carla Folkert
Carla has been in Keene for 20 years and joined the Park Place Veterinary Hospital team in 2009. She grew up in Rochester, Minnesota and attended Iowa State University graduating with a BS in1982 and Veterinary School in 1986. She practiced in Topsfield, Massachusetts until 1991 when she moved to Keene. She has been active with the Monadnock Humane Society since 1992, twice serving as the Chairperson of the Board of Directors. Carla and her husband have two children. She enjoys gardening, kayaking, crafts and any activity with her family.
Linda Guinane
Linda is a long time supporter of the Monadnock Humane Society. She and her late husband, Jim, were instrumental in creating the beautiful facility we currently enjoy. Linda continues to serve MHS as an honorary Lifetime Vice President of the board.
Board Compensation
Monadnock Humane Society does not compensate their board members. Board members may be reimbursed for reasonable and necessary expenses incurred in connection with their service to the nonprofit as a volunteer board member, such as reimbursement for materials purchased for events or travel expenses directly related to the organization (although the board member may choose to deduct mileage on his/her personal income taxes as volunteer-related expenses.)
Any reimbursement should be in line with the nonprofit’s policies for staff on travel and meeting expenditures and should also be consistent with the nonprofit’s articulated policy on compensation for board members.