Our people make us great! Learn more about the team that keeps Zebra Crossings going.
Executive Director
Deb Taylor is Zebra Crossings third executive director, and joined with 30 years of not-for-profit experience, working and volunteering for health care organizations in Maine. After living and working in Southern Maine her entire life, Deb and her husband moved to the Lakes Region of New Hampshire, ready for a change of pace and new professional endeavors. With a long history of commitment to working with and providing leadership for mission driven organizations, Deb is excited to be a member of the Zebra Crossings team.
Deb’s first job was as a counselor-in-training at a summer camp, and she eventually worked as the waterfront director at two different summer camps. Deb loves the Zebra Crossings mission and believes in the importance of youth social and recreational opportunities and the long-term, positive impact they can have on a child’s life.
Deb holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Maine and a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Southern Maine. She presently serves as Chair of Mercy Hospital’s Board of Trustees and as a trustee for Northern Light Home Care and Hospice. Deb loves spending time with family and friends, especially her husband, two adult children and three dogs, and enjoys a good road trip, golfing, walking on trails, and being out on the lake — winter, spring, summer or fall. Deb is passionate about helping people and organizations achieve their fullest potential and looks forward to engaging the Seacoast NH community (and beyond) in Zebra Crossings’ mission.
Program Director
Emily spent much of the past two decades advocating for and working with children and vulnerable populations. Her background includes education, the non-profit sector, and law. She grew up in Southern Maine and, after nearly a decade of wanderlust experiencing the beauty of California, Louisiana, Iowa and Alaska, returned to her hometown to raise a family of her own. She is a strong proponent of social emotional learning and the importance of a safe community where children and their families can explore, connect, and grow.
Emily currently serves on the Board of Directors of 240 Strings, a Portland-based non-profit providing free classical music education for students. She holds an undergraduate degree in English Literature from Pomona College and a Juris Doctor from the University of Iowa College of Law.
In her free time, Emily loves creating with her children, hiking, running, photographing bugs in her garden, and reading. She is delighted to be part of the Zebra Crossings community and promote its mission.
Administrative Coordinator
Kristen comes to Zebra Crossings with extensive experience in administrative support and bookkeeping. In recent years she has focused on helping streamline administrative tasks and billing for a few small businesses to allow them to focus on and expand the services they provide. She enjoys helping others be successful and looks forward to opportunities to learn new things in the process.
Kristen lives in NH with her husband and children. She enjoys spending her free time at home with her family, gardening when the weather is nice and relaxing on the couch when it is not. Kristen is excited to be a part of the Zebra Crossings team.
Volunteer Medical Director
Dr. Ryan Johnson is affiliated with Dover Pediatrics and Wentworth Douglass Hospital. As Zebra Crossings volunteer Medical Director, Ryan provides standing orders and guidance for our medical volunteers and he serves on our Health Network Committee.
Are you interested in being part of our mission as a Committee or Board Member? Please contact us! We would like to speak with you and share more about ways you can make a difference in the lives of our kids and families!
Branding Matters
Tim Guen is the Principal of Branding Matters, a branding and marketing strategy consultancy. Over the course of his career, Tim has held leadership positions in many different organizations ranging from large multi-national corporations (Procter & Gamble, Mars Inc., Irving Oil) to small entrepreneurial companies. He strongly advocates Peter Drucker’s wise counsel that “businesses have only two functions – marketing and innovation” and has built a consulting practice on these pillars for the last 10 years. Reflective of his teaching style, Tim has served as adjunct faculty in the Marketing Communications department at Emerson College and been a guest lecturer at several Higher Ed institutions in the Boston area.
Since moving to New Hampshire in 2003, Tim has worked with many non-profit organizations including RiverWoods (two-term Board of Trustees) and the Children’s Museum of NH (Board of Directors). As a consultant he has recently worked with the Dover Adult Learning Center, Land For Good, and the Asian-American Civic Association.
Tim is a graduate of Bowdoin College with an executive MBA certificate from Babson.
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Sharon Delaney is a recent escapee from corporate America where she spent 20 years in leadership and senior leadership roles in real estate franchising and marketing. In her early career, she worked at Easter Seals in NH and the national HQ in Chicago managing vocational rehabilitation programs and then leading development work. Locally, she was the VP Client Services at Calypso Communication in Portsmouth and a graduate/board member of Leadership Seacoast. Sharon has also been a marketing and management consultant.
During high school Sharon was a camp counselor in her home state of Vermont and a Freshman Camp Counselor at her Alma Mater – go Wildcats! Camping, the ocean, love for hiking and the outdoors has been a big part of her joy…although now adventures must include a proper bed and bathroom at the end of the day. She has a nephew with Autism who has benefited greatly from summer camps and inclusive sports which is why the mission of Zebra Crossings is very important to her.
Sharon has her B.A. in Communications from UNH and her M.A. in Rehabilitation Counseling from Assumption College along with many other leadership, training and management certifications. Currently she is a certified Infinite Possibilities Trainer, Reiki practitioner and Portsmouth Team Building Facilitator. She has led corporate fund raising for Special Olympics and is currently involved with GoodWork and Brigid’s House of Hope in addition to Zebra Crossings.
Traveling the world is a personal passion with 37 countries explored and many more to come. She lives in Rye with her husband Darin and two “furry kids” Bruschi and BellaChick and can often be found wandering along Jenness Beach or the Rt 1A seaside path.
Ken Schleicher is a Connecticut native who moved to Salem, MA in the early 1980’s and finally transitioned to Exeter, NH twenty-four years ago. Ken has been married for 39 years and has two sons in their twenties (and two dogs). He enjoys mountain biking, motorcycles, golf, tennis, skiing and pretty much anything outdoors. He especially loved being involved with school programs for his two sons from Grammar through High School and looks forward to becoming involved in the Zebra Crossings programs. While Ken has spent time helping other non-profit organizations, specifically the United Way, Destination Imagination, Hobb’s House in Hampton and Executive Service Corps, he now has the flexibility to join the Board of Zebra Crossings as our newest Board member.
Ken’s background is in accounting and finance. He graduated from the University of New Hampshire with a Bachelor of Science in Business degree and he subsequently obtained his MBA from Boston College. During the last three+ decades, Ken has been a Senior Director of Finance for Lechmere (a major east coast retailer through the early 90’s), Assistant Controller for The Timberland Co. and currently (and happily) self employed as a finance and accounting consultant.
(She/Her/Hers)
Mass General for Children at Wentworth-Douglass Hospital; Camp Meridian
Leigh is thrilled to join the Board of Zebra Crossings, and has worked with our organization since its inception. She is currently the Executive Director of Camp Meridian, a camp for children with congenital heart conditions, and has been a volunteer for camp for 20 years. Over the years, Leigh has collaborated on many projects with the Zebra Crossings team in which she has seen the beauty of Zebra Crossing’s impact on children with chronic medical conditions.
Leigh is also the Practice Manager of Mass General for Children at Wentworth-Douglass Hospital. This is a multi-disciplinary specialty practice (formerly Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth) with the exact population to benefit from the work of Zebra Crossings. In her work at the hospital, she is on the committee to promote diversity, equity and inclusion throughout the organization, volunteers at PRIDE events and has spent a decade on the committee to assess community health needs for the hospital to focus on. She also volunteers for the Seacoast Community Fridge in Kittery, ME which reduces food insecurity for people in the community. She loves living on the Seacoast and enjoys spending time with family and friends, going to the beach, traveling and cooking for others.
Barb Petersen has spent more than 15 years in the health and wellness sector encouraging and developing communities around healthy living and wellness. Whether working with individuals with Parkinson’s disease, inspiring beginner runners, or motivating high school athletes, she has made creating community around healthy living a priority. She even attempted an exercise program for dog owners and their dogs! For the last five years, Barb also has worked within the technology sector and has witnessed the potential of technology to further and better understand individual health and wellness goals – an area she is eager to continue exploring.
Barb recently spent several years volunteering on the regional advisory committee for Comfort Zone Camp, a non-profit that supports children and their families through the grief process. Through doing multiple fundraising events, marketing, networking and attending camps, Barb developed a passion for nonprofit causes and a knowledge base of nonprofit operations that she looks forward to applying at Zebra Crossing to help further its impact.
In her free time Barb can be found hiking, biking, kayaking, skiing and, well… anything active and outside. She also enjoys landscape photography and spending time with friends and family.
(She/Her/Hers)
Realtor – Keller Williams Realty, Portsmouth, NH
Eileen is a Realtor in Maine and NH and is also the Operations Manager for a Team of Real Estate Agents. Eileen has an environmental degree from Rutgers University and prior to entering the real estate profession was a Town Planner in York, Maine; an environmental regulatory manager; and a community outreach professional for The Museums of Old York. She is also currently a volunteer with the York Public Library Association.
Eileen’s first association with Zebra Crossings was in the organization’s first year, when her daughter, Lila, born with serious congenital heart defects, became a participant in Zebra Crossings programs. She attended Zebra Crossings camps over an 8 year period and later was part of Zebra Crossings’ first leadership training program for teens which she considers a formative experience in her life.
Eileen loves the history of the Seacoast area and its maritime roots which is visible everywhere in the old houses, lobster boats, and water vistas. As part of a commercial fishing family, Eileen is passionate about the preservation of the natural environment, both land and marine. Eileen considers herself a lifelong learner and enjoys history, museums, reading, and Googling everything for more information!
Eileen loves spending time, especially family game nights, with her two children. Her son, Sam, is a 4th generation lobsterman in York Harbor, Maine. Her daughter, Lila, a recent graduate of Culinary Institute of America, is a pastry chef.
Ph.D., C.A.P.E.
Michelle Grenier, Ph.D., is an internationally recognized expert in the field of inclusion and physical education. She has co-authored several publications including Physical Education for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Comprehensive Approach; Physical Education for Students with Moderate to Severe Disabilities; and Universal Design for Learning in Physical Education. Dr. Grenier is faculty emerita at the University of New Hampshire, having served as coordinator of the Adapted Physical Education program and is currently an adjunct faculty at the University of South Carolina in the M.S. in Adapted Physical Education. Dr. Grenier is past president of the National Consortium of Physical Education for Individuals with Disabilities (NCPEID) and a board member of the New Hampshire State Health and Physical Education Association. She is thrilled to be working with Zebra Crossings and looks forward to hands on engagement with participants in upcoming programs.
Mark brings his energy and enthusiasm to Zebra Crossings, following an extensive career in commercial real estate investment management. A convert to the lifestyle of the NH Seacoast for over 30 years and, despite a largely 9 – 5 residency schedule (PM – AM on account of high commuting demands), Mark has been active in the community with service on the Rye Recreation Committee, Rye Little League umpiring crew and various Town of Rye committees. Mark’s non-profit volunteering activities involve time and service given to Seacoast organizations, including NHSPCA, Families First, Gather, The Gundalow Company. and Operation Blessing.
Mark hopes to leverage his career and community networking aptitudes in drawing attention to the Zebra Crossings mission and program work One particular attraction to the mission is the non-profit’s work with individuals and families experiencing the lifestyle challenges of diabetes. Having lost his mother from complications of Type 1 Diabetes, at her all-too-young age of 53, Mark carries a dedication to the advancement of efforts and programs to treat and, someday, cure the disease.
Mark is a graduate of Bowdoin College (B.A) and Northeastern University, D’Amore McKim School of Business. (MBA). he is a resolute and spoiled Boston sports fan. His sub-amateur level athletic endeavors include golf, tennis, skiing and rec level hockey. He appreciates the pursuit of sports and recreational activities as a unifier, able to bring many into a positive atmosphere of self-discovery, personal development, and adaptability.
We rely on volunteers to help run our programs. We are always looking for great folks to donate their time. screened and trained to ensure the safety and wellbeing of our participants.
The efforts of Zebra Crossings are supported by our generous sponsors, both individual and business. Want to join the ranks?