Laurie McIntosh, Board Chair
Executive Committee

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, PhD
Vice Chair,
Services Committee Chair,
Governance Committee,
Executive Committee

Leigh is a longtime resident of the New Hampshire Seacoast, raising her family in Nottingham. She now lives in South Hampton with her husband. Leigh retired from her position as an Associate Professor of Special and Early Childhood Education at Salem State University in 2024. She is mother to three adult children, including her son Peter, who has Down Syndrome, and grandmother to five young children. Peter lives at Lafayette House in Portsmouth and is thriving in the supportive and community-based home.Leigh serves on the Executive Committee as Vice Chair, the Services committee, and the Governance committee.

Janette Desmond, Treasurer,
Finance Committee,
Executive Committee

Janette, a lifelong resident of NH, opened Kilwins, a retail sweet shop in downtown Portsmouth in 2012.  She is also co-owner, with her husband Phil, of Argus Surveillance Technologies, LLC.  She currently serves on the board of the New Hampshire Retail Association.  She is a past board member of the Chamber Collaborative of Greater Portsmouth.  A long-time advocate for disability rights, Janette has two adult sons.  The elder is newly married and lives on the seacoast.  The younger son is on the Autism Spectrum and currently lives at home.

Maria Cousins, Secretary,
Development Committee Chair,
Governance Committee,
Executive Committee

Maria Cousins has served as Board Secretary since Our Place NH’s founding in 2019 and is Chair of the Development Committee. She brings deep commitment and leadership to advancing the organization’s mission.

A yoga teacher, Maria leads an Aging Gracefully class and substitutes for Yoga for Diverse Abilities with Yoga in Action. She has been an active member of the Exeter Area General Federation of Women’s Club since 2004.

Maria is a wife, mother of two adult daughters, and proud nonna to two grandchildren. Her dedication to inclusive housing is deeply personal—her youngest daughter, known as Our Chef Sam, was born with Down syndrome and lives at home with Maria and her husband.

Mike Bennett, Finance Committee Chair

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.  Mike and Sue’s adult son has special needs and currently lives with them in Dover.

Amy Ferris, Governance Committee Chair

Amy Ferris has been a member of the OPNH board since 2022 and serves as the chair of the Governance Committee. She is a life-long resident of the NH seacoast and graduate of UNH. She works in Early Supports and Services at Waypoint at the Richie McFarland Center. Amy lives with her husband and two adult sons, one on the autism spectrum. In her free time she enjoys spending time with her family, playing with her two dogs and watching her sons compete in sports.

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
Housing Committee Chair,
Development Committee,
Services Committee

Peggy is an active board member and Chair of the Housing Committee at Our Place NH, also volunteering on the Development and Services Committees. Her interest in floor plans and design stems from her residential renovation experience.

A Dover resident for 30 years, Peggy’s commitment to inclusive housing is deeply personal, shaped by her experiences as a mother of three. Her eldest son is a biomedical engineering scientist in Somerville, MA. Her middle son, who has a diagnosis of Down syndrome (DS), is thriving in his new-found independence, having recently moved into a downtown Dover apartment with a roommate who provides evening and weekend support. Peggy’s youngest, her daughter who also has a diagnosis of DS, lives at home and dreams of moving into her own apartment like her older brothers.

Peggy enjoys yoga, travel, and time with her family and pets. 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.