Board Members
Anna Demarco
Anna Demarco is the first graduate of the Kismet program to be accepted onto the board of directors. After completing an internship this summer, Anna applied to be on the board in hopes of becoming the voice of the students. She is a local to the White Mountain Valley, graduating from A. Crosby Kennett Sr High school in 2007. Anna is an artist in her free time, she enjoys painting as well as photography. She hopes to continue her education in the field of psychology in order to pursue her dreams of helping children.
Brian Fowler
Brian and his wife Betsy (a retired teacher & current Kismet Volunteer) live in Madison, NH. Brian has a degree in Geology and is a retired consulting engineering geologist. He is currently involved in research on the late-glacial geology of northern New England and southeastern Quebec and has published more than 20 professional papers, including the only scientific treatment of the collapse of the Old Man of The Mountain. He is a former President and current Life Trustee of the Mount Washington Observatory. He and Betsy are active mountaineers and have been members of the American Alpine Club since 1978. Brian is a co-founder of the Mountain Rescue Service.
Brian Irwin
A local family and travel medicine physician, Brian has been committed to underserved communities since his early medical training. He first learned medicine in urban, underserved areas of Philadelphia. Later, he designed a medical outreach program in a rural Andean village and finally settled in the Mount Washington Valley where he practices at Tamworth Family Medicine. He is active in the local search and rescue community and serves on two ski patrols. Brian is also a climber and writer for many climbing, skiing and medical publications and North Conway’s local newspaper. He recently published his first book, Recompense: Streams, Summits and Reflections. His greatest passion is raising his two sons, Andy and Reid.
Richard Katzman
Dr. Richard Katzman, from Waterbury Vermont, has been practicing general and family medicine since 1972, and teaching as a clinical assistant professor at the University of Vermont. Before graduating from Yale Medical School, he began climbing with work boots, swami belt and hemp rope, and has made a little progress over the years in the Northeast, the West, the Andes and Nepal. His love of climbing, teaching and the outdoors has led to his work as a board member of Vermont’s Climbers’ Resource Access Group, the America Nepal Medical Foundation and Kismet, a passion he shares with his grown children and growing number of grandchildren.
Pete Masterson
I have been a supporter and fan of Kismet since volunteering with Mike Jewell to help guide the kids when the program was in it’s infancy. As a result I was able to watch as Mike challenged himself and the program to become what it is today – an amazing opportunity for underprivileged children to glimpse into a world that many of us take for granted. This world of self empowerment. I could not be more proud to be a part of this foundation as I have seen the profound affect it has on the students that go through it. As a professional I work in the world of entertainment and am a cinematographer by craft and a co-founder of a production company with my sister. We are currently developing content to produce through the next 10 years. As a high school student I volunteered with several non-profit groups that worked to help the homeless in New York City. I always reveled in the fact that I could see the immediate affect my work had on the people we were trying to help. KIsmet works in the same capacity, and does so because it is not solely about teaching kids how to climb. It is precisely this characteristic of Kismet’s philosophy that makes it so successful, I think. I am honored and proud to be a member of the solid team that is Kismet.
Brian Post, Chairperson
Brian has been involved with Kismet for several years in areas such as programs, event planning, and website development. He especially enjoys spending time with the students and documenting their program week with a camera. Brian concentrated on the sciences in college (BA in Geology 1997 – Colby), but has switched his focus to photography in recent years. He currently lives in Jackson, NH and enjoys the rock, ice, and snow of the White Mountains.
Maureen Soraghan
Sharing a love of the Mt. Washington Valley with her family, Maureen Soraghan moved here from Massachusetts 13 years ago. As a local school administrator, Maureen’s focus was on the education of disabled students. After practicing law with a Concord-based firm, Maureen embarked on a solo practice which assists those with limited resources in obtaining legal representation. Maureen is also a certified Guardian ad Litem and shares with Kismet Rock Foundation the vision that teamwork and decision-making in a natural environment will make successful leaders of the participants. Maureen enjoys tennis, skiing, kayaking, and watching others scale mountains.
Matt Stearns
Matt Stearns has a genuine enthusiasm for the outdoors and education. Currently, he serves as a Vice President at TD Bank in North Conway in addition to being a freelance landscape photographer and owner of Summit Photo of NH. Matt spent his childhood in Canaan, just a few miles from where the Appalachian Trail crosses the Old Grafton Turnpike. During that time, Matt adventured, hiked, and climbed on local peaks like Mount Cardigan and Holt’s Ledges, and eventually became an avid all-seasons hiker. He feels a deep-rooted connection to New Hampshire’s landscape, and says he owes that bond to the thousands of miles that he’s hiked in the State. As a graduate of the University of New Hampshire, Matt holds a degree in Anthropology (magna cum laude). He holds the firm belief that to comprehend and eventually elevate humanity, one must first seek to understand behavior as a function of culture. He resides in East Wakefield with his wife Holly, his son Carter, and their two dogs, Nola and CJ.
Jack Tracy
Jack has had over 30 years of business experience. Most recently, he has been a Managing Director with Morgan Stanley based in London, since 1996. Now, semi-retired, he has just permanently relocated to NH. Jack has four daughters. It was through his daughters that he discovered the joy and benefits of rock climbing. Three daughters have been British Champions. He was an active contributor to “Youth Climbing” under the auspices of the British Mountaineering Council. He believes passionately that climbing empowers kids with an enormous range of skill sets, a sense of achievement, responsibility, and trust.
Ted Wroblewski, Past Chairperson
Ted is a graduate of Suffolk University (MBA) and can be best described as an entrepreneur. He is cofounder of White Mountain Puzzles, a publisher of educational and entertaining resort and historic fact puzzles. Ted was a partner in creating Big Bear’s Place and The Whittier House restaurants in N.H. He is the past owner of the Bernerhof Inn and created The Taste of the Mountains Cooking School. Ted is also past director of the Berlin City Bank, MWV Chamber of Commerce, Ham Arena, and World News Crews.
Sarah Garlick, Past Chairperson
Sarah Garlick is a science writer and educator based in North Conway, New Hampshire. Sarah’s writing can be found in Rock and Ice, Alpinist, Urban Climber, Climbing, and Patagonia, and her first book, Flakes, Jugs & Splitters: A Rock Climber’s Guide to Geology was the recipient of the 2009 Banff Mountain Book Award for mountain exposition. Sarah is the founder and director of GeoReach, a company dedicated to improving earth science education and public outreach, and she serves as an editor for the Wyoming State Geological Survey and for the scientific journal Rocky Mountain Geology. She has been an avid rock climber for over ten years.
Our sincere gratitude and appreciation to our past board members:
Steve Bamsey
Danielle Connolly+
Eileen Conway
Steward Dunlop
Sasha Eisele
Danielle Gelinas
Chris Graham
Michelle Jenkins
Janina Lamb
Ken Lydecker
Donna McCluskey
Rand McNally+
Cheryl Rocheleau
Claudine Safar
Jessica Soroka
Holly Weber
Clint Willis
+In Memoriam