Interested in joining our board of directors? We are expanding our team and accepting applications. At Waysmeet we believe that we all have a need to serve our community….and we are happy to provide that space to take care of each other. Please read more details about the position here. Interested? Fill out an application and submit to our Board Chairperson, Katy Allen.
Katy Allen
Katy believes in reclaiming our connection to the earth and sacred ancestry, harnessing this energy to inform our political movements, social systems, and interpersonal connections. She’s a student and practitioner of healing arts, including herbal medicine and massage therapy and works as a political organizer, gardener and caregiver. Katy found a beloved home in Waysmeet during her undergraduate years, where she lived as a resident and worked as a volunteer. In her heart she knows the spirit Waysmeet embodies and the truth Waysmeet fights for are some of the most important in the world, and so she is honored to have joined the Waysmeet board with the hopes of bringing creative heart centered energy to the community.
Mahnaz Moallemi
Mahnaz Moallemi is a graduate of the University of New Hampshire, with a degree in business administration, class of 1982. For the past 10 years, she has been a dedicated service volunteer at Waysmeet, helping with food donation pickups from the area supermarkets and food pantry setup, among other activities. She enjoys her volunteer work very much and is committed to the organization’s mission and values. Previously, she worked at UNH as senior financial specialist for twenty years managing the accounts of seven departments on campus before retiring in April of 2019. Mahnaz has lived in Durham since 1980, with her husband Ahmad Etebari (Professor of Finance, UNH’s Paul College). They are proud parents of two sons, both Oyster River alum, Ali (Ph.D., biomechanics) and Mehrun (MA, international relations).
Avary Thorne
Avary Thorne is a UNH Alum of 2014 she completed her M.A in Community Development and Public Policy. She joined the Waysmeet board in 2019 and is honored to support the mission of Waysmeet through all the transitions.
Emily Briand
Emily is a UNH alumna, and in 2008 she helped create the social work internship program at The Waysmeet Center. After graduating, Emily continued to volunteer during the holiday food basket projects at Waysmeet. She is very pleased to be back in New Hampshire after working in Boston for the past 5 years. Emily is honored to serve on the Waysmeet board alongside such incredible individuals.
Sharon Tarleton
Sharon Tarleton (She/Her) is extremely grateful to once again be an active member of the UNH community. Sharon started her professional career in her hometown of Somersworth, NH. Having since served in multiple roles within the local non-profit realm, specializing in resource navigation (i.e. housing, public benefits, job readiness, emergency shelter, etc.), Sharon has maintained a connection to the broader Strafford county, NH community throughout her professional life. A proud graduate of UNH (the same year as Shanti – although they did not know one another at the time), as of December 2022, she is a double-alumn, having completed the Master of Public Administration (MPA) program through the Carsey School of Public Policy. Sharon looks forward to utilizing the practical skills she has picked up in the field and classroom to journey with Waysmeet into the future! Sharon loves spending time with family & friends, particularly at museums, theaters, dance halls, lectures, artisan fairs or really any other space of education or expression.
Grace Jose
Grace Jose is a UNH Alum, class of 2018, where she received a BS in Social Work with a minor in Women’s Studies. In her sophomore year, Grace began volunteering for the Waysmeet
Cornucopia Food Pantry after becoming a member of Alpha Phi Omega-a co-ed service fraternity affiliated with UNH. In the fall of 2017, Grace was elected by the members of APO to
be the Service Liaison for the Waysmeet Center. She also had the privilege of becoming a resident of Waysmeet in her final year at UNH. For over 5 years, Grace has held various roles within the field of social services. She began her professional career as a case manager and currently works as a Mental Health Specialist in the Admissions department of an inpatient psychiatric hospital. Grace is a fierce advocate for mental health and disability rights, women’s health, and accessible healthcare for all. She is beyond excited to once again be a part of the Waysmeet community as a board member.
Belle Vukovich Kenoyer
Belle Vukovich Kenoyer (she/her) has dedicated over 20 years to the field of education, with a background in experiential learning, project and event management, training, recruiting, student development, supervision, and team building. After receiving her BBA in Finance and MA in Student
Development in Post-Secondary Education from the University of Iowa, Belle worked for UNH’s Residential Life, as well as several other colleges and universities, as well as living and working abroad for Qatar Foundation, a non-profit NGO in Doha, Qatar. Belle currently works in UNH’s Peter T. Paul Entrepreneurship Center.
Belle has spent some time volunteering with Waysmeet Cornucopia from when it was in the UNH residence halls, to its current location today and food insecurity is an issue she is passionate about finding solutions for. Belle is an avid learner, constantly collecting knowledge from a variety of areas, making her a skilled conversationalist and a killer trivia player. Belle enjoys spending time with her partner and teenaged triplet boys and adventure dog, Herbie, volunteering in the community and in outdoor pursuits. Belle is delighted to join the Waysmeet board to give back to her community in a more systemic way.