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As a developer and presenter for Granite State Ambassador’s front-line volunteer and staff programs, Kelly brings with her extensive marketing and entrepreneurial experience. At the age of 20, Kelly started her first successful business, which was sold 16 years later to an employee who still makes her living off it today. After a short stint working for the county’s economic development council, she founded an award-winning tourism marketing company which she operated full-time for 14 years prior to becoming Granite State Ambassador’s executive director 6 years ago. In that short time, Kelly grew the organization by using grass roots entrepreneurial practices, bringing together industry partners to create unique educational opportunities that benefited and inspired both businesses and volunteers, and by putting her love of marketing and creating guest experiences to task.

Emily currently serves as the Operations and Communications Director for NHGSA.  She started with the organization as an intern, and then transitioned to Volunteer & Events Manager, prior to her current role.  Her undergraduate degree is in Communications (and music), and she received a Master of Science in Global Studies and International Relations from Northeastern University.  In the past several years, she has worked to develop skills in event planning and management, communications, marketing, program coordination and design, teaching, and project management.  Emily also helps several other local organizations with Communications projects.

Emily has a passion for both domestic and international travel, as well as exploring NH.
She enjoys outdoor activities during all four seasons, including hiking, biking, and cross-country skiing.  She also plays the piano for local performances and a local church.

Michelle Demirjian is the Chief Financial Officer for Granite State Ambassadors and a proud graduate of the Mt Sunapee Lodging.com class of 2011. She is co-owner of Innovision Realty Group, a property management and real estate investment company located in Goffstown. Michelle is a partner and Director of Finance at Morgan Legacy Partners focusing on real estate investments in North and South Carolina. She has several other real estate investment companies that she is part of in NH, NC, and FL. Michelle is on the Board of Directors and Treasurer for NH Granite State Games and is Co-Founder and Treasurer of the Board of Morgan Franklin Fellowship, a NH non-profit focusing on financial literacy. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Illinois State University. She is working on completing her MBA – Leadership Program at Southern New Hampshire University. A native of Illinois, Michelle has loved making New Hampshire her home for over twenty years. She is a two-time Boston Marathon finisher where she raised over $20,000 for her sponsoring charity. She loves all sporting activities, and her favorites are golf, running, and biking.

Ashlee Rowley is dedicated to promoting the Lake Sunapee Region as the best kept secret of the state. She has found a passion in assisting small businesses connect with local and state resources, other like-minded businesses, residents, and travelers from all across the globe. Originally from Massachusetts, Ashlee received her business and leadership degree from New England College in Henniker, NH and never looked back.

Ashlee also owns and operates her own local business – Dance Arts Academy in Sunapee, NH. Connecting with many students and families throughout the Lake Sunapee Region helps Ashlee stay in tune with the local communities. Owning a NH small business has also helped Ashlee stay in touch with what the Lake Sunapee Region local economy and businesses need to survive and thrive.

Ashlee is the 2020 Lake Sunapee Region Young Professional of the Year as well as the recipient of the 2020 Center Manager Award through the esteemed Granite State Ambassadors. Through committee work, board seats and volunteerism with numerous state and regional organizations, Ashlee consistently finds ways to give back to not only her local communities but the Lake Sunapee Region and ultimately the state of NH.  Ashlee lives in New London, NH and enjoys exploring all the attractions, fairs, festivals and events across the state of New Hampshire.

White Mountain Attractions Association
Charyl Reardon is a New Hampshire native, born and raised in Lincoln, a graduate of Lin-Wood Public School and Plymouth State University where she graduated with a degree in Business with a focus in marketing. She is the current President of the largest New Hampshire based Destination Marketing Organization, White Mountains Attractions Association in North Woodstock.

Charyl and her team at the White Mountains Attractions Association (WMAA) serve as the source for travel planning to visitors worldwide passionately promoting everything that makes their beautiful region a tourist destination.Charyl has over 20 years in the tourism industry, starting her career at WMAA in 1999 as their brochure distribution and marketing assistant. She learned from some of the tourism industry’s best and has experience in customer service, sales, marketing, and management.

Charyl has a strong connection and love for her community. She continues to live in her hometown with her husband and son. She sits on the Town of Woodstock Board of Selectmen, the board for the Lincoln Woodstock Alumni Association, is President of the Lincoln-Woodstock Friends of Recreation, and a Littleton Hospital Board Trustee.  She enjoys spending time with family and friends, traveling, and of course “playing” in the mountains of New Hampshire.

Monadnock Travel Council

Gretchen has been active as a traveler (starting at 2 months on a camping trip) and tourism professional most of her life.  Since she moved to New Hampshire in 1977 (she’s one of the “smart ones”), she owned/operated a campground for 35 years, served as the Board President/Chair of the New Hampshire Campground Owners Association, the New Hampshire  Travel Council, the Monadnock Travel Council (which she helped co-found), the Cathedral of the Pines, and the Granite State Ambassadors where she has also been involved as a trainer.  She loves working with the GSA Board, the Staff, and particularly the Ambassadors–so many friends, so little time!!  She also taught Recreation Management, including Commercial Recreation, Tourism, Facility Management, and Recreational Law and Liability. Gretchen has been coming to New Hampshire all her life, and loves exploring the back roads and hidden gems she finds.

All Saints Episcopal Church

Bill’s experience in hospitality and tourism ranges from three summers cruising Lake Sunapee on the MV Kearsarge restaurant ship, to management roles with Sheraton Hotels, serving as senior hotel inspector for Sonesta International Hotels, developing a campus Bed & Breakfast for Lasell University, and opening the Babson (College) Executive Conference Center. After spending seven years as a college professor in Massachusetts, Bill served as associate professor and dean of the School of Hospitality, Tourism and Culinary Arts at Southern New Hampshire University for a dozen years.  He has served as Rector of All Saints’ Episcopal Church in Wolfeboro, NH since 2014.

In addition to co-founding Granite State Ambassadors in 1996, Bill has served the larger community via chambers of commerce, Southern New Hampshire Convention & Visitors Bureau, New Hampshire Philharmonic, chairperson of the New Hampshire Advisory Council on Travel and Tourism (a Governor and Executive Council appointment), and community economic development and town master plan committees. He has continued to teach as a lecturer in the Tourism Management and Policy program at Plymouth State University.

Bill holds degrees in Hotel and Restaurant Management, Education, and Divinity. Recipient of several community leadership awards, he has consulted for businesses, religious and non-profit organizations with a focus on product/program development, strategic planning and leadership. He and his wife Kay live in the Lakes Region and enjoy the abundant recreational opportunities, natural beauty, and quality of life the Granite State offers.

Lakes Region Tourism Association

Jim has an extensive background in Travel & Tourism and graduated from New Hampshire College, now University of Southern New Hampshire, and holds a BS in Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism Management. He has been involved with Granite State Ambassadors since 2003, starting with the Old Man of the Mountain Class.  He was GSA of the Year in 2006 and served as a GSA board member.He has participated and co-produced special events in the Monadnock Region over the years including the Keene Ice & Snow Festival. He is past President and Secretary of the Monadnock Travel Council and has worked in inns and hotels for many years. He managed the Super 8 Motel/Days Inn in Keene, NH for 23 years. He has a strong interest in the arts and has been a member on the board of Arts Alive in Keene, NH.

He has a concern for the area’s history of where he was born – Bellows Falls, VT. His interest is in the Adams Grist Mill to keep its richness in history alive and to share it with visitors of the mill as a docent. He is also active in the restoration of the mill and being part of the mill’s 200th anniversary celebration in 2031. He now lives in Tilton, NH, works in Trust Management and has rejoined the GSA Board. In his spare time he likes to travel, especially in the State of New Hampshire. Jim’s license plate says “TourNH”.

GSA of the Year 2014

Sue Geyer grew up in the Buffalo NY area and moved to NH in 1976. She joined the GSA organization in 2010 after retiring as an Engineer from Cisco Systems. In her professional life she wore different hats over the years including Software Test, Software Development and Management. She is very happy exchanging those hats for the retirement-colored ones.

Sue is the Currier Museum of Art Class of 2010.  She dove right into all the GSA organization had to offer and got very involved immediately. She loves NH and treasures the opportunities to explore and learn and try to help make other people’s experiences better. In 2011, she started the Lunch Bunch / Social Committee, setting up visits to NH restaurants and businesses with fellow GSAs.As GSA of the Year in 2014, Sue joined the Board of Directors for 3 years and thoroughly enjoyed being a part of the behind-the-scenes efforts. When she was asked in 2018 to rejoin as Treasurer, she accepted.

Judi has spent many years volunteering and teaching through various organizations, including the Nackey S. Loeb School of Communications, Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce, and Holy Cross Family Learning Center. Judi also spent 20 years on the board for the Selective Service System, retiring that position in 2018.

Peter Morgan has been involved in creating, developing, and managing business enterprises for over 45 years. One of his largest enterprises was the development and ownership of the Highlander Inn and Highlander Airport Parking facility at the Manchester-Boston Regional Airport.  Peter’s focus, Morgan Legacy Partners, Inc. (formerly Highlander Airport Parking, Inc.) has made key investments in commercial real estate in the Carolina markets including two commercial retail properties, two industrial buildings, and an affordable housing initiative. In 2014, he founded Morgan Franklin Fellowship to guide young people toward the goal of financial independence.

Peter Morgan has been involved with a large number of community organizations and chapters including: The Exchange Club, Boys Club, United Way, Elliot Hospital, Federated Arts, Londonderry Chamber of Commerce, NH State Arts Council, Manchester Chamber of Commerce, Fidelity Health Alliance, Southern NH Convention and Visitors Bureau, co-founder of Granite State Ambassadors, New England Innkeepers, Governor’s Task Force on Travel and Tourism, Board of Overseers – Hanover Inn, and the New Hampshire Hospitality Worker’s Compensation Trust.

Peter is a graduate of the U.S Naval Academy and served on active duty until 1970 including time as a navy instructor. After leaving active duty in the Navy, Peter attended and graduated from the Amos Tuck School (Dartmouth) with a master’s degree in Business Administration (MBA) in 1972. Peter has resided in the Northeast of the United States for most of his life and recently added Southwest Florida as his permanent residence.

Monadnock Travel Council

Virginia ‘Ginks’ Leiby has worn many hats over the years – physical therapy assistant in New Jersey, physical education instructor for the North Kansas City Schools, gymnastics coach and swim instructor for the YMCA in Kansas City, Aquatics Director for the Manchester YWCA, composition artist and corporate trainer for New England Business Services, event coordinator volunteer in and around Hillsborough, and more recently the Executive Director for the Hillsborough Chamber of Commerce and the Administrator for the Peterborough Chamber of Commerce.

In her spare time, she likes to garden, seek out interesting antiques, take day trips throughout New Hampshire and New England, and think up projects to volunteer her husband John for around their hobby farm. A member of the Board of the Greater Hillsborough Senior Services, Ginks enjoys connecting with the community and pursuing graphic design as a hobby now that she is retired. She is thrilled the New Hampshire Granite State Ambassadors have asked her to serve on their Board.

Patty was born and raised in New Hampshire, graduating from Manchester Central High School, and the University of New Hampshire. While attending UNH, she met her husband, Jeff. They live in Manchester where they raised their three children.

Patty majored in Education and taught school in Salem, NH. She has volunteered at many non-profits over the years. Patty believes that New Hampshire is the best place to raise a family and appreciates the beauty of nature and the changing seasons. Her experience with Granite State Ambassadors has greatly enhanced her knowledge of all our state has to offer, as well as keeping up with what’s new. With four grandchildren now, she has a whole new generation to enlighten and make sure they get to learn to appreciate the state they call home.

Patty is the 2020 GSA of the Year, Concentra Urgent Care Class of 2009.

Maureen Holland Walsh became a Granite State Ambassador in 2014, Class of McAuliffe Shepard Discovery. She received her AS degree from Fischer College in Boston, and graduated from the Boston School of Cytotechnology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in 1968. She received her ASCP Certification and worked in Cytology until her retirement in 2011. Maureen was an active member of the Massachusetts, Vermont and New Hampshire Cytology Society’s.

As a GSA, she loves volunteering at the State House, Manchester-Boston Airport, Poetry Out Loud, the Governor’s Conference and the many expos that take place here in New Hampshire. The outdoor opportunities like Ribfest, Beer & Bacon and Merrimack concert series are just pure fun!  Maureen is the 2021 GSA of the Year.

Maureen enjoys New Hampshire’s four seasons of recreation by hiking the local forest trails and the White Mountains, as well as cycling the great rail trail system.

As the son of an American diplomatic family assigned to various US embassies, Nick spent the first twelve years of his life overseas in Paris, France; Belgrade, Yugoslavia; and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Once stateside, he attended Berkshire School in Sheffield, Massachusetts.

After one semester at UNH, Nick joined VISTA where he met and married his wife Mary Jane in 1967. He returned to UNH and obtained a degree in International Relations and soon thereafter began his career with the American Automobile Association of NH in 1972. He was the Concord NH branch manager until his retirement in 2018.Not wanting to stay home all day eating Cheetos and watching Andy Griffith reruns, Nick signed up to become a GSA (Bridges House Class of 2018) through the urging and recommendation of Marty Wagner. He currently spends most of this GSA time volunteering at the NH State House having done over 1,000 tours. He has also spent quite some time on the secure side at the Manchester airport greeting and assisting travelers.

Nick stays active in his community in various forms, to include: member and past president of the Kiwanis Club of Concord; he is currently a member of Concord’s Zoning Board; he chairs the Concord Arena Committee, and he is the elected clerk for his ward. He enjoys hiking and has recently completed all 48 four thousand-foot mountains in NH, and he also spends time looking for forgotten plane wrecks in NH and has been on the OLLI Lecture circuit to speak on these crashes. Nick is an active soccer referee going on 39 years and currently is Chair of the NH Soccer Association Disciplinary Committee.