Workshop Facilitators

Patricia M. Altomare is a 1986 graduate of Suffolk University Law School.  Her primary areas of practice in the last 30 years have been probate, estate and real estate law. She enhanced her years of experience by obtaining a Legal Masters in Estate Planning and Elder Law from Western New England Law School in 2012. Through her competent and compassionate legal counsel, she aims to bring peace of mind and familial harmony to her clients.

Tracey Brennan-Reale is a financial advisor with Axial, with over 25 years in the financial services industry. Tracey takes great pride in providing unique, personalized financial planning services to individuals and their families. A believer in providing solutions, Tracey enjoys guiding her clients through savings plans, retirement planning, college-planning portfolio construction, and more.

Jim is a graduate of the Catholic University of America, with a degree in Psychology. He began his professional career in Washington, D.C. as an intern on Capitol Hill and then worked for several years as a legal recruiter at Williams & Connolly LLP and Fannie Mae. ​ Moving to Cape Cod in 2010, Jim worked at the Wequassett Resort & Golf Club in Harwich for eight years before embarking on his new career in banking. He joined Cape Cod 5 in 2018, working in the Bank’s Management Trainee program for two years before taking on his current role of Financial Know-How Program Manager in 2020.  He also attended the New England School of Finance, hosted by the Massachusetts Bankers Association at Babson University, graduating in 2021. ​ Active in the community, Jim serves as Vice President on the Board of Directors at Pause-A-While Inc. and on the Barnstable High School Business Innovation School steering committee. He lives in Plymouth with his wife Brigid, an ESL teacher at Plymouth Community Intermediate School.

Julie has extensive experience in executive search, management consulting, and as a senior manager in healthcare organizations. She has reviewed thousands of resumes, coached numerous candidates on resume development and interviewing skills, and worked with client organizations to assess their leadership needs. As Principal of Julie DeSorgher Consulting, she assists professionals in creating customized, professional resumes and online profiles, tailored to meet their needs and career goals, and helps them learn how to best present themselves in any interview setting.

Attorney Harney was admitted to the Bar in 2002 and is locally recognized as one of the top litigators on Cape Cod. She is a 1994 graduate of the University of Massachusetts Amherst and graduated Cum Laude from New England Law in 2002.  She worked for the District Attorney’s office for the Cape and Islands and then began her private practice in 2010 at Carter and DeYoung in Hyannis, before opening her own practice in 2017. In addition, Attorney Harney is on the Board of South Coast Legal Services and is the current President of the Barnstable County Bar Association; she has served on the school council for the Mullen Hall School and Morse Pond schools in Falmouth and is member of the Falmouth Fund Advisory committee. Attorney Harney has been recognized with the 2016 “Unsung Heroine Award” from the Commission on the Status of Women; was recently named one of Lawyer Weekly’s “Top Women in the Law;” and is a four-time recipient of the “First Justices Award” for her Pro Bono work through South Coast Legal Services and WE CAN.

Kim is a seasoned business leader, entrepreneur and coach with a history of success managing and guiding small businesses and non-profits. As a trusted, practical advisor to business owners and CEOs, she has a track record building dynamic, profitable organizations. Kim provides CFO/COO and Business Manager services on an interim and part-time basis, as well as business coaching and mentoring to business owners. She is committed to community, local leadership and her roles include Past Chair of SCORE, Cape Cod & the Islands; Past President of Dennis Chamber of Commerce; Past Secretary, Town of Dennis Tourism Committee; WE CAN volunteer, and facilitator and Marsh Monitor for the Association to Preserve Cape Cod.

Julie is an employment attorney and Human Resources consultant. She specializes in workplace investigations, training on harassment prevention and other issues, policy development and drafting employee handbooks, counseling on employer-employee issues, and providing expert witness testimony on workplace issues. She also works with educational institutions on Title IX compliance and investigating sexual misconduct complaints.

Attorney Cindy Nuzzolo was admitted to practice law in Massachusetts in 2002, and she is also admitted to the Massachusetts United States District Court, District of Massachusetts, and the Massachusetts Appeals Court. She earned her LLM in Taxation at Boston University Law School in 2002 and graduated from University of New Hampshire Law School (formerly known as Franklin Pierce Law) in 2001 earning both Juris Doctor and Master of Intellectual Property degrees. She graduated summa cum laude from Northeastern University in 1996 where she earned a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Criminal Justice. Attorney Nuzzolo has worked in the Boston area handling contractual and other transactional business legal matters in private practice; at a large investment company in New York where she provided complex personal, business and investment planning, and tax planning; in private practice at Carter DeYoung, and finally transitioned to her own practice at Nuzzolo Law. ​ Attorney Nuzzolo brings her years of experience and knowledge of financial, tax, and business matters to transactional planning for both personal and business matters.  Her knowledge and experience assist her to preserve her client’s legal rights regarding estate, trust, guardianship/conservatorship, and business litigation matters in and out of court and she strives to resolve disputes in a manner that best serves her clients. Her approach is personal, sensitive, practical, creative and collaborative.  ​ When not spending time with her family, Attorney Nuzzolo gives back to her community by providing volunteer legal consultations for WE CAN.  Attorney Nuzzolo is a member of the Estate Planning Council of Cape Cod and the Barnstable County Bar Association.

Olympia Ramos started with Cape Cod 5 as a Financial Services Representative in 2013 and quickly rose to positions of increased responsibility as part of the Banking Services team. Prior to joining the Bank, she served as a Teller Operations Specialist and a Lead Teller for two national banks. ​ She holds a Bachelor of Business Administration Degree from the Isenberg School of Management at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, with a concentration in Operations and Information Management. ​ Olympia is a Banking Center Manager with 16 years of experience in the financial industry. She delivers, everyday, excellent customer service and operational skills, and provides this value by getting to know her customers well, helping them achieve their goals and personally building rapport.  She thrives on challenge and is always seeking to learn more. ​ When not on the job, Olympia loves going to the beach, working her way through every recipe in the family cookbook, and indulging her love for seeing new places.

Kristen was born and raised in Plymouth. In 1997, Kristen graduated from New York Law School with honors and distinction as the sole recipient of the Dr. Max Reich Award for Excellence in Civil Trial Advocacy. Kristen also served as the Managing Editor of the Journal of Human Rights and earned the New York Law School Journal of Human Rights Award for Outstanding Editorial Contribution. Kristen served as a Law Clerk to the Judges of the Connecticut Superior Court for one year before joining the Law Office of George H. Romania in Hamden, Connecticut where she concentrated her practice in family law and civil litigation. Kristen joined La Tanzi, Spaulding & Landreth in 2009, where she concentrates her practice in the area of family law. Kristen became a partner in the litigation department in 2014.

Monalisa Smith is the Founder and President of Mothers for Justice and Equality, a non-profit grassroots organization in Roxbury that aims to eliminate youth violence in Boston neighborhoods by bringing together families and communities through education and engagement. Monalisa founded MJE in 2010 following the loss of her nephew to local violence. Skilled in Nonprofit Organizations, Budgeting, Coaching, Youth Development, and Banking In 2014, Monalisa published her first book, titled “Reflection to My Sisters” and in 2015 published “Kindred Souls, the Journey of two beautiful Sisters”. Monalisa is a Dorchester native who has used her corporate background as Director of Community Investment for Citizens Bank, Massachusetts, to help drive this movement. She is also a local civic leader who was recognized in Boston Magazine Power of Ideas, as an idealist- one of 75 bold thinkers that are shaping our city (and world). Monalisa earned her B.A. in Business Administration and Management from Simmons College.

Naticia Thorpe-Reid is the owner of MiniMe Clothing boutique and online store in Hyannis. She also runs an administrative concierge service, which offers graphic design, logo design, social media marketing, administrative assistance, appointment scheduling, customer service, and more. She has worked in customer service and healthcare for most of her life, is an EforAll Alumni, and now a mentor in the EforAll program. She is a 40 under 40 recipient and holds a bachelor’s degree from Southern New Hampshire University. Natacia believes women of color can make a difference here on the Cape, one step at a time.

Attorney Muska Yousuf opened her own law firm as an affordable alternative to the traditional high-cost experience that most people face when going through the Family Court.  Instead of requiring a large retainer and then charging her clients hourly, she uses an innovative flat-fee model based on the specific legal services that each client needs.  This approach has lead to many people gaining access to high quality legal services where they normally would have to represent themselves.  Attorney Muska Yousuf was recognized as a Rising Star in the field of Family from the SuperLawyers organization.  The Rising Star designation is only awarded to 2.5% of the attorneys in Massachusetts.  She specializes in complex custody cases, division of marital assets and debts, alimony, and child support.  Attorney Muska Yousuf also does a significant amount of work in the arena of domestic violence and represents survivors in restraining order/harassment prevention order cases.  She is very active in the local community.  She is on the board of Amplify POC and B Free Coaching.  She is the founder of the Access to Justice subcommittee of the Barnstable Bar Association and an active member of the Diversity, Inclusion and Wellness subcommittee of the Barnstable Bar Association.

Pamela Andersen is the Director of Business & Credit Programs at Community Development Partnership. She has a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Northeastern University and worked in the field for twelve years before relocating to Cape Cod to raise her family. She spent 9 years as the owner and manager of the Inn at the Oaks, a bed and breakfast in Eastham. Pam lives in Eastham with her husband, Don, and their two children. She can be found taking walks in the early morning darkness armed with a flashlight.  She volunteers as a Girls Scout Troop leader. Pam brings a wealth of technical expertise to her role as Director of Business & Credit Programs as well as first-hand experience on the needs of local business owners.  She coordinates planning, administration and implementation of CDP business initiatives and lending programs including local fishing initiatives. By working directly with individual businesses through the loan and leasing application process, Pam ensures that businesses successfully enter CDP programming.

Gabriella is a graduate of the Boston College Law School. She has 15+ years of experience as an attorney both in Brazil and in the United States and concentrates her practice in Family Immigration. Gabriella focuses on providing the highest possible level of legal services both in Portuguese and English. She has volunteered with WE CAN in the areas of Family and Immigration Law.

Curt Curry is the Director of Cybersecurity & IT Support at Cape Air/Nantucket Airlines. Curt has been a member of the IT team there for 13 years. Curt is a certified Cybersecurity Analyst and has been doing IT Support and Electronics work for 33 years. Prior to Cape Air, Curt had several positions in network consulting and computer care including the Geek Squad and Oncall PC Services. Curt also served in the US Naval Submarine service as a Sonar Technician. Curt has lived on Cape Cod for almost 24 years now. Curt has volunteered for many volunteer organizations, including Habitat for Humanity, Land Stewardship (Town of Dennis), and as a workshop leader for WE CAN. Curt is looking forward to a potential teaching opportunity at Cape Cod Community College next year in their IT department.

Erica Dunn is co-owner of The Pheasant and Littlenecks, both along historic 6A in Dennis. Erica runs The Pheasant, formerly The Red Pheasant, with her husband, Adam. They bought the restaurant in 2018 from long-time owners, Bill and Denise Atwood. At The Pheasant, they work closely with local farmers and fishermen to source seasonal ingredients to create dynamic and bold flavors and made-from-scratch menus. The style of service at The Pheasant can be best described as casual fine dining: refined and inventive food, with a relaxed attitude. ​ Erica also co-owns Littlenecks. After having her first child, Erica realized how quickly children out-grow clothing. To save on costs, she turned to buying resale clothes. But she noticed something: Not many options for shopping. Tapping into her love for vintage and a desire to shop more sustainably, Erica wanted to find a way to offer a collection of mom-approved hand-me-downs that are accessible and affordable. That’s when Littlenecks was created. ​ Littlenecks is a new and pre-loved, high-end children’s boutique, carrying an array of children’s items from clothing and shoes to gifts. The inventory is always changing, based on seasonality. ​ Erica grew up in Millburn, New Jersey, and went to the University of Vermont. In 2014, Erica and Adam married at the Cape Cod Museum of Art. Adam spent his summers vacationing with family on the Cape, so when they started thinking about starting their own family, Cape Cod was a natural fit. The couple have two children, Leo and Charlie.

Acqua has been a professional artist and jewelry designer for three decades.  Her passion for jewelry began at a young age, finding inspiration in the pages of National Geographic and in her mother’s jewelry box where, at the age of three, she took apart and redesigned earrings and necklaces to her liking.  It appeared to be in her blood.    She learned to silversmith in high school and weld after college.  She created her first line of jewelry “Wire Works” after listening to the wants and needs of women who came into the craft gallery she was managing in Sausalito, California, searching for adornment that was playful, lightweight, fun, and made a statement.  She bought a coil of Sterling silver wire and went to work making spirals and geometric shapes with splashes of colorful handblown glass.  She sold her first batch of creations in one week and within the year her business had grown from the one small store to over 40 shops across the country.  With the passage of time, and the change in styles, Acqua began exploring other materials to use in her work.  She attended a gem show with a fellow jewelry designer and was forever transformed by the soulfulness of gems and crystals and the healing wisdom they innately carry from their creation in the earth.  It was as if the stones were calling to her, “Over here” she would hear like a whisper that would guide her through a maze of tables heaped with gemstones to one small spot where the exact stone that she needed to help and support where she was on her journey would be waiting for her with a little bit of an extra twinkle.  This began her love affair with healing gemstones and helped her create a new line of jewelry, “Acqua Divine” where she designs to let the stones shine.  Empowering women and helping them heal themselves is what drives her to create pieces with purpose.  She believes every piece she makes has an “owner” and puts beautiful intentions into each one.  Her love of positive healing energy, empowering women, and being expressive are her muses. Three decades have taken her from the shores of the West where she lived for twenty years, to Mexico where she split her time between island and jungle life in Yelapa and the colonial heartland of San Miguel de Allende for two years, and then back to her family, and her roots, in New England where she has been for the last ten years raising her most amazing creation of all, her daughter Esme.  Each of these places has inspired her work and adds to the depth and beauty of her creations.

Deb is fun, grounded, and full of life. Her professional life began as a social worker, her job focused on issues of trauma, abuse, addictions. She did not get a lot of sleep during those years but wouldn’t trade that work for anything. What she learned was that the resilience and the power of the human spirit is unmeasurable and indescribable. She was honored 6 years ago to be asked to become a Livestrong group facilitator at the YMCA, to help cancer survivors by guiding them and offering encouragement as they travel through their journey with strength, dignity, and grace. As a result of this work, she has joined forces with Cape Wellness Collaborative, an amazing organization that services not only cancer survivors and their families, but the medical professionals as well.  ​ Deb has had yoga in her life for many years but more recently, when she made it a daily practice, she saw how much it was impacting her personal life experience, and she knew it was something she wanted to share. Deb holds a 200-hour Zen Yoga certification through Zen Wellness/Medical QiGong; a 300-hour Yoga Alliance certification from Jacqui Bonwell’s Sacred Seeds Yoga School; certifications in Hatha Yoga and Clinical Informed Restorative Yoga; and is a certified Livestrong group facilitator at the YMCA, a wellness program servicing cancer survivors on Cape Cod. Deb’s studio, Yoga of Yarmouth Port, is beautiful, bright, and welcoming. Its walls and floors are full of history and rich in stories. Deb is honored to be the owner of this studio, and she can’t imagine filling this space with anything but community and yoga. She sees yoga not as an exercise, but as a way of creating a more balanced life. ​ At the end of day, relationships are what Deb values most, and she is filled with gratitude and love for her family and amazing friends, who are truly the most genuine, kind, and authentic human beings and they make the world a better place to live. She hopes that her studio provides a place where people are able, through yoga and community, to recognize the personal power in their lives as they venture down their path.

Daniela Morais joined Cape Cod 5 in 2014 and became a Mortgage Loan Officer in 2022, serving Cape Cod. Prior to her current role, Daniela served as Internet Lending Coordinator, and previously worked in retail banking for a national bank.  ​ Daniela moved from Brazil to Cape Cod with her parents and siblings in 2005. After graduating from Barnstable High School in 2009, she attended Cape Cod Community College. Daniela is multilingual and very passionate about serving the Latino Hispanic community on Cape Cod. As an immigrant herself, she understands the challenges and circumstances that immigrants may face and is dedicated to helping her community with their home financing needs.

Tracy has more than 20 years marketing experience, starting in ’98 as a marketing specialist for New England Financial (now Met Life). Luckily for her, the rise of electronic communication was happening right then, and that’s what allowed her to give up the commute from the Cape to Boston and start freelancing.  ​ Tracy’s first clients were in the financial sector, but she quickly developed relationships on the Cape and took on projects for local businesses. Simultaneously, her passion for wine and the realization that Cape Cod didn’t have many “marketing department” jobs led her to create and open The Wine List, a boutique wine shop in Hyannis. The Wine List was open until 2011, during which Tracy continued to hone her marketing skills. ​ After 18 years as an independent marketing consultant, Tracy did her own rebrand in 2018 with the launch of Two Crows Creative Group. Today, she and Silvi Johnson run the agency, which serves local small businesses and nonprofits. Their clients include the Cape and Islands United Way, Snow’s Home and Garden, Cape Kid Meals, Housing Assistance Corporation and WE CAN. Tracy has a B.S. in journalism from Syracuse University and lives with her family on Cape Cod. The best advice she can give to fellow small business owners? “Focus your energies on what you do best, and hire awesome people to do the rest.”

Karyn brings many years of senior-level experience in human resources best practices to Complete Payroll Solutions, where she serves as Vice President/Director of Complete HR Solutions. She is a national and regional speaker and contributor to business magazines on HR related topics.  She has appeared on several TV and radio shows in the Northeast.  She specializes in all areas of human resources, including strategic planning, employee and labor relations, recruiting, compliance, training and development, compensation and benefits, policies and procedures, organizational development, executive coaching, workforce planning, and affirmative action plans. Karyn has worked as an instructor for Bryant University and Cape Cod Community College. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Women’s Development Center and has served on the Board of Directors for RI SHRM, and NEBA.  She holds a BS in Business Administration from Northeastern University, an advanced certification in Human Resource Management from Bryant University, and is a certified HRCI Senior Professional in Human Resources and SHRM-Senior Certified Professional.

Laurel Ryan is the owner and designer behind Nautically Northern. At first, jewelry making was just a hobby. Each piece was a one-off design made for friends or family at her dining room table. As word spread and more requests came in she decided to see if she could take her jewelry to the next level. After 6 years in business, Nautically Northern has a healthy online retail presence and can now be found in over 250 stores across the country, Canada, and the Virgin Islands. Laurel also has been featured on Made in Mass on Chanel 5, Chronicle, the Boston Globe and has won the Cape and Plymouth Business Magazine's 40 under 40 award.

Beth Suereth founded Caregiving Pathways to help families manage the hospital stay and prepare for the end of life. She cared for her father through five years of hospitalizations, dementia, and diabetes. She loves to share what she learned and how she kept her father out of the hospital through his cancer and the entire last year of his life. Beth’s clients include the AARP Public Policy Institute and The Caregiving Years Training Academy, where she’s a Skills Consultant for the Certified Caregiving Consultant program. She’s also a former volunteer family caregiver coach at a hospital-based caregivers center.

Katie Townsend is co-founder of Brand Accomplished, a Hyannis, Massachusetts based marketing agency. Founded in 2014, Brand Accomplished helps small to medium sized businesses, privately held companies and nonprofits effectively communicate with their clients and customers through creative digital marketing campaigns, innovative social media management, unique website design and distinctive copywriting. Although they consider themselves a small, locally-owned business, Katie and her team of professionals maintain long lasting client relationships nationally, as well as world-wide. ​ Born and raised in Potomac, Maryland, Katie received her Bachelors of Science from Elon University. In 2005, Katie moved to the shores of Cape Cod and started her own remodeling business, and a year later started working toward her MBA, which she achieved in 2008. Katie then launched her own marketing company, Acorn Services, which enjoyed a successful six year run. ​ In the beginning of 2014, Katie decided to switch gears and launched Brand Accomplished with her now business partner, Matt Kais. Katie and Matt's combined marketing and sales talents pushed Brand Accomplished into an early success story, and with a hands-on and personable approach to each and every client, they and their small team of experts cater to just about every aspect of their client's marketing needs. As Katie will attest, "When it comes to your business getting noticed, we've got your back!" ​ Katie has been involved with several organizations on Cape Cod including: WE CAN, Cape Cod Young Professionals (CCYP), the Sandwich Mom’s Club, the YMCA Golf Committee, and was a Charter member of the National Association of the Remodeling Industry Cape Cod Chapter (NARI). Within each of these organizations, Katie served on their Board of Directors or as a Committee member.  In her free time, Katie enjoys spending time with her two kids, DJ and Emily, running her black lab, Amos, on the beach and reading.

Johanna Zarra began her residential lending career with The Cooperative Bank of Cape Cod over 10 years ago. She started off as a Loan Processor and quickly advanced into the roles of Loan Closer, Loan Underwriter and Sales Assistant. In November 2018 she became a Residential Mortgage Loan Officer. Since that time she has assisted hundreds of borrowers achieve their home ownership goals. She volunteers her time by helping out at her daughter’s Elementary School and local non-profit organizations, sharing her knowledge of the banking and lending industry. Johanna was born and raised in Falmouth and currently resides there with her husband and two young children.

Ruth is a retired clinical social worker.  She received a Masters’s of Arts in Teaching from the University of North Carolina and taught English and history in a high school in Atlanta before moving to Ann Arbor, Michigan where she obtained a Master’s of Social Work from the University of Michigan.  While living in Michigan, she worked in a mental health clinic and then on a psychiatric unit at the University of Michigan Hospital.  After moving to western Massachusetts, she worked at a community mental health clinic in Greenfield for 17 years as a therapist, supervisor and administrator before going into private practice in Greenfield and Amherst.  She has been a We Can volunteer since 2015, running support groups, conducting workshops for the PathMakers program, helping with outreach and events and as a bike rider in the Gasp fundraiser.

As a skilled positive psychology life and relationship coach Lisa Brown helps others thrive and succeed by tapping into their innate strengths. Lisa’s practice is mainly focused on helping women develop a stronger relationship with themselves, enabling them to create the life of their dreams. Through focused education, she helps clients understand why they are prone to reacting and functioning in certain ways. Using homework assignments along with other enlightening tools, her coaching helps others dig deeper into important subjects in a safe and nurturing space. This environment allows for open sharing for both women and couples, leading to genuine personal growth. Working with Lisa will help you to understand yourself better, and aid in identifying cycles and patterns that fail to support you and the life you want to achieve. Together, you will discover how to replace these behaviors with a healthier, more productive, and ultimately more satisfying approach. Lisa is committed to helping her clients gain positive forward movement through increased confidence, a renewed sense of self, and the empowerment to realize their goals and dreams.

Prior to launching Kain DeFoe Communications in 2013, Jennifer Kain DeFoe was the editorial and content director of Lighthouse Media Solutions. She also worked in sales for several years, and as a freelance writer for local, regional, and national publications. Jen combines her experience in publishing and sales to create authentic social media strategies for KDC’s clients.

Savannah lives in East Falmouth with her husband Jay and is a Mortgage Loan Officer for Shamrock Home Loans in Osterville. Prior to this she was an Assistant Vice President and Branch Manager for The Cooperative Bank of Cape Cod and Assistant Manager at Citizens Bank. Savannah volunteers with WE CAN as a financial consultant, teaches first-time home buyers’ classes, and is involved with several other non-profits throughout the Cape. She was honored as a recipient of the 40 under 40 award given by Cape and Plymouth Businesses and the first Leadership Award from The Cooperative Bank of Cape Cod.

Stacey Jordan was born and raised in Waltham and, has lived in Massachusetts her entire life. She spent 19 years in Plymouth and now lives in Duxbury. She attended college at UMASS at Amherst studying Psychology and Early Childhood with the intention of becoming an elementary school teacher. Early on in her mortgage career, Stacey worked as a HUD Counselor for the town of Plymouth where she taught and educated first time home buyers and assisted in preparing them for home ownership. With over 23 years of experience in the mortgage industry, Stacey is well-equipped to assist with a purchase or refinance. She was a Branch Partner for over 5 years at Benchmark Mortgage, opening their first MA offices, VP of Sales for Advanced Mortgage Services, and was also a Branch Manager and Mortgage Loan Originator for Wells Fargo Home Mortgage. She obtained a CSR Designation & Certificate as a Reverse Mortgage Specialist. ​ Stacey purchased her first home at age 23 and bought her first investment/flip at age 25. She has been flipping and investing in real estate for 18 years and has never lost sight of the importance of purchasing real estate. She has owned several Commercial and Residential properties over the years and currently retains a portfolio. ​ In her spare time, Stacey has taken annual humanitarian trips to Nicaragua and Haiti with a group of doctors. She currently sits on the board for the Plymouth Chamber of Commerce and serves on the Veterans Committee. She has participated in the MS Bike Ride for the past few years and actively raised money for Beat NB, which is Neuroblastoma (Brain Cancer) in children. Stacey currently co-hosts a radio show on 95.9 and hosted her own show for many years, Talk of the Town. Lastly, Stacey is a breast cancer survivor.

Kristen A. Menard is the founder and owner of Menard Lawyers, LLC, in Barnstable, MA, where her practice is focused on domestic relations, where she has primarily specialized in divorce and custody litigation for the last several years. Attorney Menard graduated from Suffolk University (B.A.) in 2003, and received her J.D. from the University of Massachusetts School of Law, formerly known as Southern New England School of Law, in 2006. Attorney Menard was admitted to the Massachusetts Bar in 2006. ​ Attorney Menard is also routinely appointed by the Court as a Guardian ad Litem in complex custody situations in various counties across the Commonwealth, and is a trained Court-Appointed Conciliator in the Barnstable County Probate & Family Court and Dukes County Probate & Family Court. Attorney Menard has also been appointed in various courts as a Discovery Master, Special Master and Master for Facts Final. She has participated in MCLE programming, and is an active volunteer for various agencies thorough Cape Cod and the Islands. She is an active member of the Barnstable Bar Association, where she served as President for the 2018/2019 year after serving on the Executive Board and Chairperson for the Family Law Committee since 2011. She is also a member of the Dukes County Bar Association, the Massachusetts Bar Association and the Women’s Bar Association, Cape Cod and Islands Division. ​ Attorney Menard is a member of The Global Directory of “Who’s Who”, (top lawyers) and is routinely named as a Top Rated Lawyer as published by the Boston Globe, and the American Institute of Family Law Attorneys. In 2018, she was named a Super Laywer, Rising Star, and has maintained that prestigious designation ever since.

Neila is an accomplished workforce development professional who provides recruiting and training services and coordinates funding resources for Cape and Islands’ industry sector leaders and business owners.  Prior to joining MassHire Cape and Islands Career Center, she held senior marketing and management positions in retail with Saks Fifth Avenue and Simon Property Group, healthcare with Tufts/New England Medical Center and UMass Memorial Health and the arts with New York City Ballet, owned a successful café and catering business, and established her own marketing and fundraising consulting firm. Neila earned an MBA from New York University after graduating Simmons College in Boston. She is a Certified Professional Resume Writer, Certified ACT Job Profiler, HubSpot Certified. and former Certified Professional Fund Raising Executive.

A self-proclaimed “Insurance Geek,” Colleen Ormsby began her career at a Cape Cod Insurance Agency in 1987 and soon figured out that she could really have a lot of fun with insurance! After remaining with that agency for nearly twenty years, Colleen was offered the opportunity to move the Company side of the insurance industry and leapt at the change. During her tenure there, she developed an understanding of various types of insurance risk, how insurance can be used to transfer the risk to another party, and how the insurance consumer can take steps to mitigate and absorb risk as a tool in their overall financial strategy.  Colleen realized that working directly with consumers to build an insurance program based on an understanding of exposures, identification of gaps in coverage, and a commonsense approach to premium allocation is really where it’s at!  That realization brought her back to the Agency side of the business in 2015 when she joined the team at Safe Harbor Insurance Agency to offer insurance solutions to a select market of personal and commercial clients. After three years at Safe Harbor, Colleen teamed with Donna Barr to purchase the agency and has now fulfilled a long-time dream of being an agency owner.

A Cape Cod native, Chantal Hayes Rice, Esq. was a member of Hayes & Hayes Attorneys-At-Law, P.C. for over ten years before starting Cape Cod Divorce & Mediation, P.C.  While she also practices in the area of real estate, probate and estate planning, she concentrates her practice on general family law, divorce mediation, collaborative law, limited assistance representation (LAR) and parenting coordination.

Tim Schnelle has consulted and taught community workshops for over thirty years, specializing in debt relief. Tim works to provide debt elimination alternatives to his clients through his business, Debt Free Tonight, which serves Barnstable/Bristol/Norfolk Counties.

Virginia Auciello Sullivan began her professional career as a public-school teacher and health educator.  She served as Executive Director for a nonprofit public health alcohol and drug abuse prevention center in Worcester Massachusetts in the early 80s. Virginia started a communication skills training business in 1986, providing training in customer service, facilitation and presentation skills. Clients included: NStar, Fidelity, John Hancock and others. At the request of her clients, she began to offer consulting and executive coaching services after completion of the New Ventures West Integral Coaching program in 2014. Since then, the focus of her work has been executive coaching and personal development. She currently divides her time between nonprofit and corporate clients including Senior Aerospace Metal Bellows, Calmer Choice, SOAR Management Consulting Group and WE CAN. “My greatest joy is giving back to my community by assisting in leadership and personal development and entrepreneur support through the GROW program at WE CAN and training volunteer consultants working with nonprofit clients in the greater Boston area through the SOAR Management Consulting Group.”

Joni Traficante, First Vice President and Commercial Relationship Manager at The Cooperative Bank of Cape Cod, has over 25 years in the banking industry. She has several years of experience as a lender on the South Shore and Plymouth, having worked for small and large commercial banks. ​ Joni holds a B.A. in Marketing and Finance from the University of South Florida. She is also active in the community, serving on multiple boards and committees, including South Shore Chamber of Commerce, The Plymouth Chamber of Commerce, Real Estate Finance Association – Boston GBREB, and the Plymouth Coalition for the Homeless. In her spare time, Joni enjoys hiking, kayaking, reading, and spending time with friends and family. ​ “I am excited to be a part of a bank that thrives on collaboration, is invested in philanthropic giving and the communities it serves, and is laser focused on its business clients."

Carmela has been in the mortgage business for the last 30 years, and has worked for a small brokerage/owned her own business and managed a team of 16 loan officers. Carmela likes working for a national company as it gives her more resources and she can do loans in most of the 50 states. With 30 years of real estate and financial experience, she educates women in transition and helps answer questions about how to increase credit scores, budget, navigate foreclosure or bankruptcy and rebuild credit after. Carmela enjoys giving a woman the power of knowing that she can make financial decisions on her own and wants to take her experience and knowledge to help women feel that they can get through financial hardship and make it to the other side.

Patti Anglin is a Certified Life Coach and specializes in individual and group coaching for women. She is the author of Power Within Her, a guide toward self-discovery and personal growth. Patti speaks about the importance of building who you are from the inside out and has developed an interactive and engaging program that builds the confidence and courage needed to create change. ​ After writing her book, Patti discovered there were many women who were dealing with the same emotions she had. It was this discovery that led her to her passion which is to help women navigate the challenges of life, love and loneliness. Patti’s passion began while working with High School students on the effects of bullying, she began volunteering at women’s support organizations and spent 20 years working with incarcerated men and women. She has mentored and counselled a variety of people who struggle with life crisis. She is now committed to helping others help themselves. She knows from experience that each and every person is stronger than anything that can happen to them. She believes the most important relationship you can build is the one you build with yourself.

Catherine Cullen is a graduate from the Albany Law School of Union University. She has 34 years’ experience as an attorney and concentrates her practice in all areas of Domestic Relations and Family Law. Catherine focuses on providing the highest possible level of legal services and personal attention to clients' needs. She prides herself of working to do everything in her power to meet her clients’ expectations and most importantly, to always tell the truth about what to expect. She has been volunteering with WE CAN for over nine years.

Delia has been with the Social Security Administration for over 30 years. She currently handles Public Affairs outreach in Southeastern MA, South Shore and the Cape & Islands, with a focus on Retirement, Disability, Survivors & Medicare benefits, and Social Security On-line Services. She has also been an agency Claims Representative and Technical Expert. Delia, who is fluent in Portuguese and Spanish, has been a presenter speaker at many conferences, is a frequent guest on local radio and television, and is a regular contributor on Social Security topics to the South Shore Senior Newspaper. She holds a B.A. from University of Massachusetts in Dartmouth. Delia is married and has two children. She resides in Dartmouth.

Shayna Ferullo is a partner at Tidal Marketing and an entrepreneur who owns Snowy Owl Coffee Roasters in Brewster. Shayna has a background in economics, business development, and nonprofit management.

After several years as a librarian, in both public and college libraries, Deb had an opportunity to join the investment firm founded by her father. The firm doubled in size when Deb joined the firm, as her Dad was a one man operation. Over the years, the firm developed into a full-service financial planning and investment management practice, serving families, individuals, and non-profit organizations. The management of the firm is now in the capable hands of her son. Deb has always been involved with her professional associations and community. She has served on the boards of the Financial Planning Association of Massachusetts and the YWCA Malden. She is a Certified Financial Planner and a volunteer coach with the FPA’s Dana Farber initiative. She has an MBA in Finance from Marywood College, and a Certificate in Financial Planning from Boston University. Now retired, Deb plans to spend more time at her home in Harwich, gardening, biking on the CCRT, and sharing the insights gathered from 40 years of listening to people and having discussions about money and other important things.

Jean Mojo has extensive experience in marketing, having owned a marketing services company in New York and also worked in product management and advertising for Fortune 500 companies. She had the good fortune to work with clients such as IBM, AT&T, Unilever, Mars and Feeding America, developing successful marketing programs. ​ In retirement, Jean has focused her time on sharing her marketing knowledge by teaching at Boston College’s Carroll School of Management and Cape Cod Community College. She is an active volunteer at WE CAN, facilitating GROW groups for women business owners and serving as a business support mentor at both WE CAN and SCORE.  ​ Jean graduated from the Newhouse School of Communications at Syracuse University and earned an MBA from Boston University.

Nicole’s legal practice is focused on all aspects of family law and domestic relations, including contested and uncontested divorces, guardianships, post divorce contempt and modifications, and custody and visitation issues. ​ Prior to going into private practice, Nicole served as a judicial law clerk for the Massachusetts Probate & Family Court in Bristol, Plymouth, and Barnstable Counties where she conducted research on complex and emerging legal issues while working closely with the Justices of the Probate and Family Court. ​ Nicole volunteers as the Lawyer of the Day on a regular basis in both Barnstable and Plymouth County.  She is also a court-appointed Conciliator and an ARC (Attorney Representing Children) Attorney and has received the First Justices’ Award for Pro Bono Publico Excellence for her services.

Sarahbeth Persiani is the author of Run, Walk, Crawl- a Caregiver Caught between Generations. For five years, while working full-time and taking care of her own family, Sarahbeth was the primary caregiver for her father, who had dementia. As the founder of We Are Sharing the Sun, her focus these days is to help provide education, support, and encouragement for family caregivers from all walks of life.

Thomas A. Rockwell is a partner at Nutter McClennen & Fish, LLP i their Private Client Department, and works out of the Hyannis and Boston offices. His practice includes sophisticated estate planning, with a focus on minimizing estate, gift and generation-skipping transfer taxes. Tom also advises personal representatives and trustees in the areas of estate and trust administration. He counsels clients on charitable planning and the creation and administration of charitable foundations. In the probate court he has successfully handled reformation cases, the preparation and allowance of complex and contested accounts and guardianship matters. ​ Tom serves on the Board of Trustees of Heritage Museums and Gardens and the Board of Directors of the Estate Planning Council of Cape Cod and the Sandwich Legacy Foundation. He is also an active member of Cape Cod Young Professionals and is a leader of Sandwich Cub Scout Pack 46.

Attorney Tracy Shaughnessy, of Shaughnessy Law, has served on the Board of Directors for UMASS Dartmouth School of Law Alumni, Cape and Islands Red Cross chapter, Cape Cod Community Media Center, in addition to her volunteer work with WE CAN. Tracy is also a Town Councilor for the town of Barnstable.

Liz Theresa helps entrepreneurs find clarity and market themselves online with confidence. She’s been in business for more than a decade creating powerful, high-converting websites, memorable brands, and coaching business owners on how they can be more visible online. She wants every entrepreneur to rise and be the star of their own business because let’s face it – a big break isn’t something you wait for – it’s something you make. Be sure to listen to Liz on Biz, her Forbes-acclaimed podcast every Monday for fresh, inspiring, and often hilarious stories of running a business.

Linda has worked as a psychotherapist in many settings, with individuals, families, and groups for over thirty years as part of her private practice on the Cape. Since retiring she's enjoying volunteering for WE CAN providing support to women managing the challenging issues of divorce. In her spare time, she enjoys playing in a ukulele group, and kayaking for fun.