Our CCRC Board of Trustees helps shape RiverWoods Durham into the type of independent living retirement community our residents and their families can be proud of. Our board members, many of whom you may know, serve as an experienced, voluntary group made up of lawyers, doctors, local politicians, business owners, and current residents.
Board Chair
Dave retired in 2003 from Tyco International (US), Inc. as Senior Vice President – Corporate Marketing and Community Affairs. His responsibilities included corporate marketing strategy and maintaining community relationships in the New Hampshire, New York City and Boca Raton, FL communities.
Dave had been with Tyco since 1984 and held numerous management positions in their divisions, as well as headquarters. Prior to Tyco, he had been with the General Electric Co. for 19 years. He was a member of the Board of Directors of Unitil Corporation (NYSE-UTL), Hampton, NH, serving on their compensation committee and chairing the nominating/governance committee. Dave received his Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Clarkson University, Potsdam, NY in 1965.
Dave regularly volunteers his time to various non-profit organizations in New Hampshire. Currently, he is the Co-Chair of the UNH Athletic Advisory Council. And is a member various committees at Stratham Community Church.
Previously, Dave has been:
Board Vice-Chair
Major General (Ret.) Susan Y. Desjardins served in the United States Air Force for more than three decades. She held leadership positions at every level during a highly-decorated career that included tours of duty at Major Command Headquarters, Headquarters Air Force, the Joint Staff, and US Strategic Command Headquarters. A command pilot, she accumulated more than 3,800 flying hours in transport and tanker aircraft. She also served as Commandant of Cadets at the United States Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colorado. Major Desjardins retired from the Air Force in 2012 as the Director of Plans and Policy, United States Strategic Command, where she was responsible for the development of the nation’s strategic war plan and for contingency planning for global strike missions. Since retiring, she has been a consultant for Project Air Force with the RAND Corporation and is a Governing Trustee and Nominating Committee member of the Falcon Foundation, which supports military prep school scholarships for young men and women desiring to attend the Air Force Academy. Susan served her community as past President of the Board of Governors of the American Independence Museum in Exeter, NH, and is currently serving as the National Defense Committee Chair of the Exeter Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. In addition, she is a member of the Board of Trustees of Exeter Health Resources whose affiliates include Exeter Hospital, Core Physicians, and Rockingham County VNA and Hospice. She is also a Director of the Board of Service Credit Union.
Board Treasurer
Mike grew up in Goffstown, NH, and graduated from UNH in 1973. From 1986-2010, Mike held a range of assignments with New England Telephone, NYNEX, Bell Atlantic, and Verizon in New Hampshire, New York, and Washington, DC. From 1997-2004 he served as President, Verizon-New Hampshire; during which time he chaired the Governor’s Task Force on the Operating Efficiency of State Government; the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce BOD; and the Greater Manchester United Way BOD and Campaign. From 2004-2010, Mike served as Vice President-Verizon, National Security Policy in Washington, DC; during which time he chaired the US Chamber of Commerce Homeland Security Task Force and the US Communications Sector Coordinating Council. Prior to his career at Verizon (1973-1986) Mike was a land use planner/economic development director in New Hampshire’s North Country, executive director of the Mt. Washington Valley Chamber of Commerce, and director of the State of NH Division of Economic Development. Following his career with Verizon (2014-2016), Mike served as interim dean, UNH-Manchester, where he led the creation of the college’s new campus and implemented a blueprint to reinvigorate the college During his career, Mike was recognized for his civic contributions, including NH Business Magazine’s “Business Leader of the Year” Award, Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce “Citizen of the Year” Award, and New Hampshire Business Review Magazine’s “Lifetime Achievement” Award. Mike and his wife Marilyn are active UNH alumni. Mike served on the UNH Alumni Association Board of Directors for 10 years, including two as president. He serves on the Dean’s Advisory Board of the Peter T. Paul College of Business and Economics and the UNH Athletics Advisory Council. Mike is a founding board member of Primary Bank and president of the Moody Point Waterfront Condominium Association where he and his wife Marilyn reside.
Board Clerk
Rebecca A. (Becky) Smith retired in February 2018 after 34 years of leadership and management of Continuing Care Retirement Communities (CCRCs). Becky provided leadership in strategic planning, resident relations and satisfaction, marketing, human resource management, staff training, budget development/fiscal management, board development and relations, facilitation of board and staff retreats, community operational assessments, and opening of new communities. In Becky’s numerous years of experience she served as CEO of Kendal at Hanover, Vice President of Management Services/Principal of New Life Management and Development, Inc., Executive Director of RiverMead and Senior Vice President of Havenwood-Heritage Heights (HHH). Becky is a former Music Educator and has led various church choirs and community choruses. Becky holds an Advanced Certificate in Health Administration from the New Hampshire College Graduate School of Business and a Master of Business Administration, New Hampshire College Graduate School of Business; Bachelor of Music Education, University of New Hampshire.
Resident Trustee, RiverWoods Exeter
Walter has spent most of his life learning and teaching mathematics, since he first began to see its wonderful simplicity and complexity early in his college years at Dartmouth. His other academic credentials include doctoral work in mathematics at Princeton and a Masters in Education at Harvard. He had early experience with research focused on artificial intelligence working at IBM. He taught briefly in a college but most of his teaching has been in independent secondary schools: his own (Mercersburg Academy in Pennsylvania), Philips Exeter, and finally Sidwell Friends School and Maret School after he had retired to Washington, DC. For twenty five years he worked at being successful in the classroom while also being Headmaster at Mercersburg. Since returning to Exeter seven years ago, he has tutored at Philips Exeter. For four years he was Executive Director of the Edward E. Ford Foundation, which serves independent schools, and for 20 more years he served on its Board, fifteen of those as Chair. Other commitments have been tied to his work in independent schools or the places where he and his family have lived: for the former – the Boards of the Pennsylvania, Greater Washington, and National Associations of Independent Schools; and for the latter – the Boards of the Mercersburg Development Council, California Court Condo Association, Sheridan Kalorama Call Box Committee, and Electric Earth Concerts; and an assortment of committees at RWE.
Kirsten is Dean and Professor, College of Health and Human Services, University of New Hampshire. Prior to her appointment in 2022, Dean Corazzini served as the Associate Dean for the PhD Program at the University of Maryland School of Nursing. Her academic administration leadership positions build upon almost 20 years as a faculty member at the Duke University School of Nursing, where she retains an emeritus faculty appointment. Dean Corazzini earned her doctoral degree in Social Gerontology from the McCormack Graduate School of Policy Studies at the University of Massachusetts-Boston. The focus of her research is on improving care outcomes of chronically ill older adults in residential long-term care settings, with a particular focus on person-centered care. Her research has been funded by the National Institutes of Health, the John A. Hartford Foundation, and the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN). She was awarded a Fulbright-Schuman Fellowship in 2015 for her cross-comparative research on professional nursing and nursing home care in the European Union. In recognition of her contributions to the field of gerontology, Dean Corazzini was appointed Fellow, Gerontological Society of America (GSA), in 2012, and currently serves as Vice Chair of the society’s Health Sciences section.
After serving a 10-year apprenticeship in bookselling and publishing in both St. Paul, MN and Boston and Cambridge, MA, Dan Chartrand came up to Exeter, NH in the spring of 1991 to open Water Street Bookstore, Inc. The mission of Water Street Bookstore remains “to build a vibrant and diverse community around the written word.” Together with his bookselling staff, Dan accomplishes this mission by expertly weaving together the bookstore’s patrons with the work of authors that are renowned locally, nationally and internationally. Dan has passionately and joyously served the beautiful town of Exeter as a volunteer on non-profits and in town government. Board memberships include service with the Squamscott Community Commons and the First Unitarian Universalist Society of Exeter. Dan just finished a six-year stint as an elected town official on Exeter’s Select Board in March of 2018.
Resident Trustee, RiverWoods Manchester
Ralph has been a part of the RiverWoods Manchester community since July 20128. His educational background includes graduating from Harvard University. Over the years, Ralph has held diverse roles in Manufacturing, Investing institutions, Banking, and State government, both in technical and managerial capacities, culminating as Chief Operating Officer and, later, Chief Information Officer. During his tenure as CIO, one of his responsibilities was defining the I.T. direction for the Commonwealth while devising a strategic plan to achieve objectives. Currently, Ralph is working as an Information Technology Consultant. In addition to his professional endeavors, Ralph is actively involved in various roles within the community, serving as the Resident Council Vice Chair and Chair of the Resident Finance Committee. As a New Resident Ambassador and Scholarship Committee member, he strives to welcome and assist new residents while promoting educational opportunities. Ralph is a presenter in Downsizing and Financial seminars and a speaker in Employee Onboarding and Orientation Programs. Participation in these committees allows Ralph to share knowledge and support the growth of the community.
Resident Trustee, RiverWoods Durham
Deborah Karmozyn welcomes the opportunity to serve as RiverWoods Durhahm’s Resident Trustee, bringing to the position over 45 years of experience in educational administration in non-profit and accredited international schools around the world, in New Hampshire public schools, and as an active participant on boards in non-profit organizations both in the United States and abroad. Deborah served as school principal of five prestigious K-12 international schools, all non-profit and accredited and offering the International Baccalaureate (IB) Program: American School of Milan, Italy; Copenhagen International School, Denmark; Shanghai American School, Pudong Campus, Shanghai, China; American School of Doha, Qatar; and the United Nations International School, New York City. She also served on the IB Primary Years Program Development Committee (Europe), on the EARCOS (East Asia Region Council of Overseas Schools) Conference Committee in Shanghai, and as co-chair of ECIS (European Council of International Schools) accreditation committees around the world. She also taught in and was a former principal in SAU 9 and SAU 13 (Mt. Washington Valley, NH). Deborah’s leadership included experience in strategic planning, educational program and curriculum development, budget development and management, accreditation standards and implementation, hiring and evaluation of staff, marketing, leadership and board training, school consultation, hiring and evaluation of staff, and school construction of and opening a new school campus in China. Deborah returned to the Mt. Washington Valley in 2010 to be a full-time caregiver for six years for her father who had Alzheimer’s Dementia. She continued to be active in the community, serving on boards including the Rotary Club of North Conway (secretary and BOD), Mt. Washington Valley Dollars for Scholars, OLLI (Osher Lifelong Learning Institute) in Conway, and the Community Advisory Board for the Memorial Hospital. She is a lifetime member of the Girl Scouts of the USA and cherishes her past experiences as a scout and leader/trainer. Deborah and Michael moved to RWD in March 2020, where she serves on the UNH Committee and the Employee Appreciation Fund Committee. Deborah holds a Master’s Degree in Educational Administration from UNH, a Master’s Degree in Early Childhood Education from Wheelock College, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education from Plymouth State College (summa cum laude).
Resident Trustee, RiverWoods Exeter
Mike spent the first third of his life going to school. He began practicing orthodontics in Newburyport,Ma in 1969. Forty years later he retired. In the early 70’s he was one of six local individuals selected by the Newburyport Redevelopment Authority to rehabilitate, in an historically correct manner, the Inn St. block Newburyport. This began what was the first HUD approved rehabilitation/restoration project in the United States.
In addition to running his practice,Mike was active in the Massachusetts Dental Society. He finished his Dental Society work as the President of the North Shore Dental Society. He also volunteered in West Newbury town government. His final position in town government was chairman of the Finance Committee.
John Prochilo received his undergraduate and graduate degrees from Boston University’s Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences. He is the CEO/Administrator of Northeast Rehabilitation Hospital Network (NRH) whose main campus is in Salem, NH. NRH consists of three inpatient rehabilitation hospitals and a network of over 20 outpatient centers located in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. He has served two terms on the Board of Directors of the New Hampshire Hospital Association and throughout the course of his career has worked with community groups who represent the disabled populations treated by Northeast Rehabilitation Hospital. John enjoys traveling and puttering around his yard and home.
Patrick Parisi is a Director at BMO Family Office, an integrated wealth management provider that serves ultra-affluent individuals, families and family offices across their tax, estate, investment, philanthropic, risk and family capital needs. Patrick’s primary responsibility is to assist clients with the management of their portfolios. Patrick is directly involved in developing and implementing long-term investment policies, analyzing client portfolios, recommending appropriate portfolio allocations, and advising on traditional and alternative investment managers.
Prior to joining BMO Family Office in 2004, Patrick was the director of manager research at a RIA, where he designed and implemented the manager research process. He has also worked as a senior research analyst, where he supported consultants and evaluated traditional and alternative investment managers. Patrick has been in the investments industry since 1995. Patrick lives with his wife and two daughters in the Seacoast of New Hampshire. In his time away from work, Patrick enjoys playing hockey, hiking, and spending time with the newest member of his family, Lucy (chocolate Labrador retriever).
Patrick is a member of Investments & Wealth Institute. He received a BS with honors in business administration from the Whittemore School of Business at the University of New Hampshire.
Resident Trustee, RiverWoods Exeter
William L. Stafford is an angel investor and consultant to early stage and midmarket companies. Most recently he has been the President and Chief Executive Officer of CRS Medical Diagnostics, Inc., an early stage medical device company and of Neurognostics, Inc., a manufacturer of fMRI systems. He has also served as Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra. Prior to that, he was with Merge Technologies Inc., where he began as Director of Sales, Marketing and Service and left as Senior Vice President, OEM and International Operations. At Merge Technologies, Stafford was responsible for global OEM sales and drove revenue growth averaging 30 percent annually. Prior to his positions at Merge, he served in various sales, marketing, and administrative positions at Marquette Electronics and GE Medical Systems. Although much of his career required extensive international travel, Stafford found time to serve on the lay board of the Presbyterian church he attended as well as on committees of the Presbytery within which that church was located. This included co-moderation of a commission of that Presbytery. Subsequently he was elected to represent the Presbytery at Synod and served as Vice-Moderator and then Moderator of Synod. Stafford received his bachelor’s degree in Economics from Yale University. After spending several years in the United States Navy, Stafford left, with the rank of Lieutenant, returned to school and obtained a Master of Business Administration Degree from Harvard Graduate School of Business Administration.
Tom Donovan is a New Hampshire lawyer who spent most of his career as a partner at McLane Middleton, the state’s largest law firm. His practiced focused on commercial and intellectual property litigation. He was also engaged in the management of the firm.
Outside of work, Tom has been actively engaged in community activities. He has served on the boards of directors of many nonprofit organizations, and has chaired the boards of Waypoint, Leadership New Hampshire, Norwin & Elizabeth Bean Foundation, Palace Theatre, and the Foundation for the Development of Democratic Rights (Hungary). As an elected member of the Manchester School Board, he chaired its finance committee. He chairs the finance council of St. Anne-St. Augustin parish.
In 2014, Tom and his wife joined the United States Peace Corps, serving for more than two years in Botswana. They were principally engaged in HIV prevention activities at rural secondary schools. Tom also taught math and coached softball and track.
Upon his return from the Peace Corps, Tom spent seven years as the Director of Charitable Trusts in the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office. Tom led a bureau responsible for the oversight of more than 10,000 charitable organizations. He instituted enforcement actions relating to management and governance failures within charities, reviewed merger transactions for health care organizations, and trained many boards of directors in their fiduciary responsibilities.
Tom is a New Hampshire native. He graduated from Phillips Exeter Academy, Harvard College, and the University of Pennsylvania Law School.
Chief Executive Officer
Graduate of Rutgers University School of Business with a B.S. in Accounting. Justine began work at RiverWoods as part of the pre-opening team in June 1994. Her tenure at RiverWoods began as the Director of Accounting, with growth into the role of CFO in 1997, COO in 2005, and President/CEO in 2007. Ms. Vogel’s prior experience includes several years in auditing and financial analysis with Arthur Andersen & Co., Ernst & Young, and Chubb Life Insurance Company. Ms. Vogel is a certified public accountant in the state of New Jersey and serves as a Trustee and Treasurer of the Board of Directors for Leading Age of Maine and New Hampshire. Ms. Vogel has lectured at the University of New Hampshire and is a frequent speaker at local, regional, and national industry conferences on topics including strategic management, growth planning, culture development, and financial oversight.
Susan holds an MBA from The Amos Tuck School of Business Administration at Dartmouth College and a BA from Colby College and brings over thirty years of corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions, and venture capital experience to the RiverWoods Group Board of Trustees. Her industry experience was acquired in companies spanning insurance, reinsurance, healthcare, direct marketing, and technology. She is currently Principal of Chartworth, LLC strategy consulting and investment banking for business owners in northern New England. Susan serves on the Board of Directors of the Delta Dental Plan of New Hampshire, Associated Grocers of New England, and the New Hampshire High Technology Council.
Jason Smith is the Senior Director of Long Term Care Services of Rockingham County Rehabilitation and Nursing Center and Assisted Living Community, one of Rockingham County’s largest aging services operators. The community consists of skilled nursing, assisted living and memory care.
Jason has over 25 years of experience leading healthcare organizations. He is a forward-thinking executive with a proven track record of transforming vision, culture, and strategy. Two years into his tenure at Rockingham County, Jason received the NH Nursing Home Administrator of the Year Award for guiding the community from a 2-star rated nursing home to 5-star. With his focus on resident centered care, he has partnered with community agencies to add resources and improve delivery of care and services.
Prior to joining Rockingham County Rehabilitation and Nursing Center and Assisted Living Community in 2020, Jason served as the Director of Health Care Services of Kendal at Hanover a Life Plan Community, where he led operations for primary care, home care, skilled nursing, assisted living, and memory care. Before his role at Kendal at Hanover, he was the Executive Director for the Courville Communities.
Jason formerly served as an independent consultant, providing interim leadership to senior living, independent living, assisted living and skilled nursing communities. He was the past President of the NH Chapter of American College of Health Care Administrators.
Jason received his bachelor’s degree in business administration and psychology from Southern New Hampshire University, and an MS in project management from Granite State College. Jason has furthered his educational studies pursuing an MBA in project management and Doctor of Business Administration in Quality Management Systems.