Our Team

A woman smiling while kneeling beside a brown dog at a pumpkin patch with rows of orange pumpkins in the background.

Eileen Murphy

Eileen (she/her) served on Waysmeet's board as Fundraising Committee Chair 2024-2025, before becoming Waysmeet's executive director. She was raised in Lee, NH, and has been a Durham resident since 2017. She's a lifelong renter and is passionate about finding solutions to the housing shortage in the Seacoast area. She's a member of the Housing & Agricultural Lands Workgroup of the NH Food Alliance, and served on Durham's Housing Task Force for two years. She is excited to contribute to an organization that provides affordable housing to college students. Eileen's background is in human services and early childhood policy. Eileen holds a B. Architecture degree from Notre Dame and earned her M.S. in Human Development and Family Studies from UNH in 2023. While in graduate school she was involved in Grad Student Senate and Stonewall Grads. Among other things, Eileen enjoys gardening, needle felting, and carving wooden spoons.

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Smiling girl holding a small, gray, textured object on a beach

Anya Teehan

Anya (she/her) began as the Food Pantry Manager in 2025. She received her B.S in Environmental Conservation and Sustainability from UNH in 2024. Anya’s background is in higher education sustainability, including zero waste systems and campus decarbonization. Anya discovered her passion for sustainable agriculture and food systems while at UNH, and has been active in New Hampshire's local food system ever since. She enjoys volunteering at Gather, the Freedom Cafe, and the Zuri Wingi project. She is proud to work with sustainably minded chefs such as Evan Mallet at Black Trumpet and Nicole Nocella at Stalk. As the food pantry manager she is excited to support new volunteers and provide local food to her community. In her free time Anya enjoys cooking, gardening, and going to the beach.

FOOD PANTRY MANAGER

Board of Directors

  • A young woman with long red hair wearing a black hoodie and a blue helmet, smiling while taking a selfie outdoors on a dirt path with trees and houses in the background during fall.

    Katy Allen

    BOARD CHAIR

    Katy Allen (she/her) was a Waysmeet resident and volunteer from 2012 to 2018- during which time she fell in love with Waysmeet’s welcoming and inclusive community spirit. She joined the board in 2023 and stepped forward as Board Chair in 2024.

    Katy believes that true cultural transformation demands we integrate inner healing with outer social change. She’s been working at that intersection for the past decade as a Community Organizer and practicing Herbalist, Bodyworker and Yoga Teacher. She’s a graduate of trainings in Collaborative Leadership and Healing Justice and has been a lead organizer of multiple successful campaigns for housing and food system justice across VT and NH. 

    Katy’s intention is to hold space for all those who love and care for Waysmeet, to help foster an inclusive and healthy culture that can serve Waysmeet’s mission in the Seacoast and the world. She welcomes communication from the community and can be reached at katyallen92@gmail.com

  • A man with dark hair, a beard, and mustache wearing a white shirt and a dark green tie, smiling in a room with a window and some blurred furnishings in the background.

    I. Engin Taze

    BOARD VICE CHAIR

    Engin joined the board in October 2025 after volunteering for many hours in support of the summer furniture drive for international students.

    Engin is PhD candidate at UNH studying Civil & Mechanical Engineering, Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering and specializing in floating structures.

  • Smiling woman with long blonde hair wearing a light blue top.

    Kari (Karen) Allen

    MEMBER

    Kari joined Waysmeet's board in December 2024. Kari Allen came to know the Waysmeet Center through her daughter Katy who was a UNH student and Waysmeet resident. She came to feel the special heart-centered spark that makes Waysmeet so special and now wants to offer her time, energy and thoughtfulness to the center. Kari has 50+ years of experience as a nurse and nursing coordinator. She's currently spearheading a cutting edge project at Dartmouth Hitchcock offering follow up care to geriatric patients. She is graciously offering her project management skills and creative thinking to the Waysmeet Board. She is a proud mother of four children and 7 grandchildren and a few grand-dogs. She loves gardening and home decorating- with a super power of turning any space into a cozy sanctuary.

  • A man with short dark hair and a beard, smiling, wearing a gray button-up shirt with a green lanyard, standing next to a scientific poster presentation.

    Sandesh Lamichhane

    MEMBER

    Sandesh began serving on the board in June 2026. He is a current Waysmeet resident and a UNH PhD student in Wildlife Ecology and Acoustics. He loves volunteering during his free time and is passionate about filling a gap between communities and bringing people together for common causes. Besides academia and volunteering, he's interested in community engagement, outdoor activities, and promoting wildlife conservation within local communities. 

  • Person holding a small Christmas tree on a city sidewalk during evening, with cars and store signs in the background.

    Lena Romaldini

    MEMBER

    Lena (they/them) joined the board in December 2024. Lena graduated from UNH in 2016 with a bachelor's degree in Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems. While at UNH, Lena served as president of the Organic Garden Club and was introduced to Waysmeet during monthly community dinners hosted by the OGC. Since graduating, Lena has worked in many sectors of sustainable food systems work, including front and back of house at farm to table restaurants, program management at a food justice non profit, and most recently urban farming and edible education in NYC. Lena loves that Waysmeet is a space for bringing people together and sharing resources and is honored to give back as a member of the board. Lena lives in Brooklyn, NY and enjoys reading, going for walks, and sharing space with fellow queers.

Interested in joining our board? Fill out an application and Katy or Eileen will be in touch!