Regional Sales Director, The Hartford, Resides in Bedford, NH

Grant has been in Group Benefits sales with The Hartford since 2005. In his current role, Grant oversees the Hartford’s Group Benefits New England region. In addition to the regional responsibilities, Grant is the national sales lead for The Hartford's Public and Education vertical and provide sales support to our Paid Family Medical Leave product organizations.

Since 2010, Grant is involved in the CrossFit community and has participated in some small competitions around the region. Currently, Grant holds a CrossFit Level 1 training certificate. Grant resides in Bedford, NH with his two young sons and enjoys everything the Granite State has to offer. Grant holds a B.A. in Economics from Union College (Schenectady, NY).

Dr. Schlepphorst is a retired physician after practicing in the Concord and Manchester communities for over 20 years. Since retirement he has served on the boards of several area non- profits including Granite State Independent Living. He is active in the Hopkinton Rotary Club, serving as club President 2014-15 and is presently serving as the Rotary Foundation Chair. He enjoys spending time with his family, cooking, handcycling, travelling and camping.

NH Superior Court Associate Justice (Retired), Artist, Resides in Concord, NH

Larry was a NH Superior Court judge for 23 years before he retired in 2015. Since then, he has served in senior status and returned to school at Maine Media College, where he earned an MFA in 2019. Before his appointment as a judge, Larry was an attorney specializing in public utility law. In that capacity, he served as assistant counsel to the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission and counsel to the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities.

Following his relocation to New Hampshire, Larry was a research fellow at the Franklin Pierce Law Center (now UNH Law), general counsel to the New Hampshire Public Utilities Commission, Senior Assistant Attorney General, and Chairman of the New Hampshire Public Utilities Commission, where he was serving when he was appointed to the bench. Larry earned a BS in psychology and an M Ed in counseling from Penn State University, a JD (cum laude) from Temple University School of Law and an MFA from Maine Media College.

He is currently living with his family, pursuing a post-degree fellowship at Maine Media, and making art in Concord, New Hampshire.

Lisabritt Solsky Stevens

Lisabritt Solsky Stevens has made a career in the public interest. A lawyer by trade, she graduated from the University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law, a public interest law school and HBCU recognized for the diversity of its student body. After several years working in legal aid in Massachusetts, Lisabritt worked for 15 years for the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services in a variety of roles including Deputy Medicaid Director. More recently she has worked in Medicaid managed care, for GSIL and Easterseals New Hampshire. She has served on several boards since 2010. She was recognized by the Union Leader’s Forty Under 40 in 2010, and as Business NH Magazine’s Top Female NonProfit Leader in 2016 and honored as a Best Place to work in 2017 and 2018 while serving as Executive Director of Wellsense Health Plan. She is a proud mother of three, step-mom to one bonus daughter, and lives in Concord with her husband, children, and a menagerie of rescue animals. She is an avid gardener and crafter and loves live music.

Ken Traum

Ken Traum of Hopkinton was re-elected to the Board of GSIL, where he has previously served 3 years as Board Chair as well as several years as Vice Chair, and Treasurer.

Mr. Traum is in his 11^th year as a member of the Hopkinton Select Board.  He is currently Vice Chair and represents the Board on the Town’s Budget, Energy, and Community Power Committees.

He is a member and officer with the Hopkinton Rotary, as well as a member of the Concord YMCA Advisory Board.

Prior to retirement, after earning an MBA,  his career was spent in public utility regulation primarily on the consumer advocacy side.  He is also a former marathon runner.

He and his wife, Catherine have lived in Hopkinton for over 33 years.

Has led Granite State Independent Living since 2019, serving as its leader during one of the most challenging times in our history, preserving programs and serving clients as needed throughout the pandemic. During that timeframe, she worked with legislative leaders to target budget dollars towards essential services and helped secure one of the largest pay increases ever for workers in the disability services field. Deb previously served 2 ½ years on the Board of Directors holding several critical positions prior to her appointment as CEO.

This work is personal. Deborah has over 30 years’ experience working with and raising a son with disabilities. Her life’s path has steered her to this work as she has dedicated her career to improving the lives of those often left behind.

She began this effort like so many others, by volunteering to give back and help others, through her work with local state and national nonprofit organizations. Her goal was to help educate folks on living with a loved one with a disability, to be a voice for those who have none and an advocate for people who felt disenfranchised from our daily lives and routines. In finding her voice, Deb discovered a passion for working with other families in similar situations, and she taught them to advocate for their child’s right to an education. She has developed a reputation in the industry as passionate and tough, but kind-hearted and a team-builder.

During her career tenure in the healthcare industry, Deborah has worked in the Medicare and Medicaid space, improving the lives of program recipients. Deborah has a keen sense of what is needed for those living with a disability and to live as independently as possible, regardless of their abilities. She uses those instincts to improve programs, help individuals and affect change for the better.

While at Granite State Independent Living, Deborah is looking forward to improving the lives of folks using services with GSIL. Additionally, she is excited to bring new opportunities to grow the business while maintaining the mission of promoting quality of life with independence for people living with a disability.

Deborah resides in Derry, NH with her husband Doug, the memory of her son Matthew, and three dogs.

Jill joined GSIL as Chief Financial Officer in September 2019. Jill leads all aspects of GSIL’s financial, information technology and facilities functions. Throughout her career, Jill has established a reputation for leading and developing high functioning teams to improve performance and productivity and for driving cross-functional collaboration. Jill is committed to maintaining a high level of integrity and transparency.

Jill brings to the organization many years of leadership and versatile accounting, auditing and financial management experience in the private, public and nonprofit sectors. Prior to joining GSIL, Jill most recently held senior leadership positions in the nonprofit sector working in

community healthcare and in human services for individuals with developmental disabilities. This mission driven work led Jill to become very passionate about working to improve the lives of those living with a disability and underserved populations. Prior to this, Jill spent many years in progressive leadership positions in the public sector working in financial and investment management services for large banks and investment management companies. Outside of her responsibilities at GSIL, Jill serves on the Board of Directors, Finance Committee and Governance & Nominations Committee for Amoskeag Health in Manchester, NH.

Marcia has worked for the past fifteen years in the Nashua School District, most recently in the role of Special Education Director.  As the Director, Marcia oversaw special education programming for over 2000 students across eighteen schools. She collaborated with other district leaders to ensure all students received equal access to high quality educational opportunities. Marcia worked closely with school-based teams and created family partnerships to ensure positive outcomes for all. In December 2021, she was named one of two NH Special Education Administrators of the Year. Prior to the Director position, Marcia was Assistant Director and Preschool Coordinator.

Before joining the Nashua School District, Marcia was a special education teacher at private providers of special education in Maryland and New Hampshire.  While in college and graduate school, she was a Direct Support Provider and Community Living Manager for adults with disabilities living in community living houses.  This has always been her true passion.

Marcia obtained her Bachelor’s in Special and Elementary Education from Marywood University in Scranton, PA and her Master’s in Human Services Management from McDaniel College in Westminster, MD.

Marcia lives in Merrimack with her husband.  In her life outside of work, Marcia enjoys travelling and reading

Mike has been actively working on behalf of New Hampshire youth and families for 17 years serving as CEO of the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Salem for 12 years and the past 5 years at the Souhegan Valley Cub in Milford.  Prior to his time in Milford, he spent 5 years as the Executive Director of the Massachusetts Alliance of Boys & Girls Clubs where he was responsible for Lobbying, Corporate Relations, and Advocacy for all 42 Boys & Girls Clubs in the State of MA.

Mike earned his bachelor’s in Education & Health from Plymouth State College where he also played soccer.  He loves spending time boating, fly fishing and hiking in the Western Maine mountains with his wife Linda, their two sons Jack and Shea and dog Maddie.

In total, he has spent 37 years advocating and working to make a better life for youth, especially those from disadvantaged circumstances.  He looks forward to serving as the VP of Strategy and Business Development for Granite State Independent Living and working with the GSIL team to make a positive impact on the clients served throughout the state of NH.

While at GSIL, Cheryl has been improving the lives of Granite Staters for the past 14 years. She received her nursing degree from NH Technical Institute in Manchester in 1995 and has been working in a community-based setting providing nursing support for Seniors and those living with a disability throughout NH and Massachusetts for the last 25 years. As a believer in continued education, Cheryl received her Case Management Certification in 2017. She has been part of UNH Project ECHO since Feb 2022.

When not advocating for consumers or attendant care employees, Cheryl enjoys spending time with her chihuahuas and three granddaughters.

Valerie Kidder joined GSIL in 2012 and is currently the Director Administration. Prior to this role, Valerie also held various other leadership positions within GSIL. For the last 20 years, Valerie has devoted her career to the Health Care Industry and remains very passionate about her work in this area. She received her MBA from Rivier University. Valerie was a former Board Member for the NH Conference on Aging, was a committee member for the NH Caregivers Conference, and has worked as a back-up personal care attendant helping individuals remain independent in their home. She also volunteered at the Southern NH Rescue Mission, a homeless shelter in Nashua.

Mo brings thirty years of advocacy experience. She has worked with nonprofits and electoral campaigns on both the state and national levels. She is a former member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives and has been a board member of numerous organizations both locally and nationally. She works toward a world where there are no others, and everyone enjoys social and economic justice. When not working she enjoys spending time out of doors hiking and kayaking with her rescue dog.