Laurie McIntosh, Chair

Laurie attended Boston University and got her Master of Science in occupational therapy from the University of New Hampshire. She was certified as an assistive technology professional through the Rehabilitation Engineering and Technology Society of North America. Laurie recently retired after 38 years as a school occupational therapist. Laurie is the mother of two adult children with developmental disabilities. She loves sailing and is a member of the Great Bay Yacht Club.

Leigh Rohde, Vice Chair, Chair of Services Committee

Leigh is a longtime resident of the New Hampshire seacoast, receiving her Master of Education and PhD in Teacher Education from UNH. She worked at the Institute on Disability, focusing on inclusive education. She lives in South Hampton and is retired from her position as an associate professor at the School of Education at Salem State University. She is a mother to three adult children, including her son Peter, who has Down syndrome. Leigh also serves on the governance committee.

Janette Desmond, Treasurer

Janette is the owner of Sunshine Sweets LLC, known as Kilwins, a sweet shop in downtown Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and alongside her husband, Phil, co-owns Argus Surveillance Technologies, LLC.  She is currently a board member of the NH Retail Association and a past board member of the Chamber Collaborative of Greater Portsmouth.  Janette is the mother of two adult sons, one of whom has a developmental disability.

Maria Cousins, Secretary, Chair of Development Committee

Maria has been the Our Place board secretary since its founding in 2019 and chair of the development committee. She is a wife and mother of two adult daughters and a nonna to two amazing grandchildren. Maria is a yoga teacher, leading an aging gracefully class and subs for a Yoga for Diverse Abilities class for Yoga in Action. Maria also volunteers for Yoga in Action and has been an active member of the Exeter Area General Federation of Women’s Club since 2004. Maria enjoys cooking, being outside and spending time with her family and friends. Maria’s youngest daughter, our Chef Sam, was born with Down syndrome and currently lives at home with Maria and her husband. 

Mike Bennett, Chair of Finance Committee

Mike Bennett is a retired United Church of Christ pastor, having served congregations in Connecticut, Massachusetts and, most recently, First Parish Church in downtown Dover. He is married to Sue Frost, pastor of the Hampton United Methodist Church. Mike and Sue have an adult son with special needs.

Amy Ferris, Chair of Governance Committee

Amy is a life-long resident of the NH seacoast and a graduate of the University of New Hampshire. She works in early supports and services at Waypoint at the Richie McFarland Center. Amy has two adult sons, one of whom is on the autism spectrum. In her free time, she enjoys swimming, watching her son play baseball, spending time with her family and volunteering.

Daniel Richard

Dan was born and raised in the New Hampshire seacoast area and has lived here most of his life. Dan attended Saint Thomas Aquinas High School, followed by Syracuse University and then Boston University.  

The first half of his career was in the enterprise software field with Lotus Development and, later by acquisition, IBM, managing a small team of engineers across the globe. Dan has extensive experience shuttling large complex projects from definition and funding to completion. 

The second half of his professional life has brought him back into the family business that he grew up in, which has served the seacoast community since 1932.  Dan has been married for almost thirty years and is the proud father of two wonderful young men.  Dan's oldest is on the autism spectrum and currently lives at home.  Like many of us, he fully understands the challenges of living with a disabled adult and the concerns for their housing and wellbeing as we all get older.  

Patrick Shannon, Services Committee

Patrick Shannon, Ph.D., is an associate professor and chair of the department of social work at the University of New Hampshire (UNH). He obtained his bachelor's degree in health and human services and master's degrees in social work from the University at Buffalo in 1990 and 1993, respectively, and his doctorate in social work from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2000. He has worked with individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities since 1986. He has both direct care experience in residential programs in Buffalo, New York, administrative experience as the director of research and evaluation at the Virginia Institute for Developmental Disabilities, and research and teaching experience at the University at Buffalo and UNH. He brings expertise in the areas of advocacy, direct care, grant writing, policy analysis, program evaluation and research. He has numerous publications in child welfare, disability and social work journals. He is the coordinator of the Graduate Certificate in Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities program and is a faculty member on the New Hampshire/Maine-Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities program at UNH. Finally, Dr. Shannon is a former member of the State of New Hampshire’s Governor’s Commission on Disability.

Peggy Mace, Services Committee & Chair of Housing Committee

Peggy has found home and a welcoming community for her three children in Dover, New Hampshire, for the past 27 years. She has experience with residential renovations, and poring over floor plans and designs is a favorite pastime. She also loves hiking, yoga, traveling and spending time with her family and pets. Peggy's two youngest children, now 20 and 24, have Down syndrome and live with her. She brings a passion and energy to helping Our Place NH build creative housing solutions for individuals with disabilities to live and thrive inclusively within their community and reach their full potential.