Board of Directors

As a charitable non-profit, the role of our volunteer community board is essential to our well-being and direction.  We appreciate the time and support our Board of Directors provides us.

Bob Brown

Born and raised in Ohio, Bob Brown is a graduate of The University of Vermont where he studied geography, and Michigan State University from which he received a degree in college and university administration.  A veteran cyclist with more than 40 years of touring and racing experience, Bob operated Adventure Bound Bicycle Tours, conducting summer bike trips for teenagers in the northeastern USA, France, and Canada. Bob’s experience operating Adventure Bound during his college years inspired his 30-year career in college admissions and secondary school guidance. Between jobs and during vacations, Bob hit the road, completing solo cross-country bike tours in the USA, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. A lifelong cycling enthusiast, Bob has joined or established cycling clubs wherever he has resided and he is the founder of a community bicycle program in central Ohio. Since moving to Maine, he has been a volunteer mechanic and instructor at the Portland Gear Hub. In addition to cycling, Bob and his partner enjoy hiking, kayaking, and snowshoeing from their base in Freeport.

 

Peter Cain

Peter grew up in western Massachusetts and spent his summers at his family’s cottage on Higgins Beach. Over the years most of Peter’s six siblings and their families have settled in or near Scarborough, and he and his wife Donna followed suit and bought their home here in 2017. Peter had a 30-year career in finance, based in New York and London. A big focus was on financing not-for-profits. He has volunteered and worked for Acumen, a global impact investing pioneer, for the past 20 years. He currently serves as an advisor and on investment committees. Peter has also served on the boards of several social enterprises as well as local not-for-profits. Peter and Donna love spending time with their daughter Sophia, and their large extended family (and their two dogs and two bunnies). They are avid hikers and love the outdoors.

 

Ken Kacere, Vice-President

Recently retired from L.L.Bean, Ken served as the Sr. Vice President of Retail for 17 years. He was responsible for developing and executing the retail growth strategy. He was also responsible for the Outdoor Discovery Programs helping thousands of adults and children learn and enjoy outdoor activities. He is the Board Chair for Gardener’s Supply Co. out of Burlington, VT. Ken and Penny have lived in Scarborough for over 36 years and reside at the other end of the trail from Camp Ketcha. They enjoy hiking, snowshoeing and biking.

 

 

Erica Nelson, Treasurer

Erika is a CPA and a Manager in the Finance Transformation practice at Grant Thornton. She lives in Scarborough with her two children and husband. She served on one other board for an art gallery in Kansas from 2017 – 2020. Erika’s 6-year-old daughter attends our summer camp, aftercare, and vacation camp programs. Erika is interested in volunteering her time and professional experience to help Ketcha Outdoors and has specific expertise in finance and governance. Erika is interested in arts, education, and outdoor activities and wants to become more involved with the local community and build a deeper network in Maine.  

 

Cathy Nugent

Cathy brings over 20 years of HR experience to the Ketcha Outdoors board, with a keen interest in talent acquisition, employee relations, and talent development. She has held HR positions at Martin’s Point Health Care, Specialized Bicycles, L.L. Bean, CIEE, and Hannaford Supermarkets, where she built, led, and scaled a wide variety of strategic HR programs. Now, as the owner of Catherine Nugent HR Consulting, LLC, she continues to help organizations grow and thrive.

Cathy holds an M.A. in the Management of Human Resources from the University of Gloucestershire (England) and a B.A. in Communication from the University of Southern Maine. When she’s not busy with work, you’ll probably find her outside—she’s a registered Maine Guide who loves stand-up paddleboarding, cycling, running, and pottering in her garden with her partner Peter. She is also a proud volunteer with Portland Wheelers, where she helps bring joy to individuals with disabilities through special cycling experiences. Inclusivity and wellness are her passions, both in her professional work and her community involvement. Cathy and her daughter Zoe share a special connection to Camp Ketcha, which they both attended.

 

 

Robby Perkins-High, Secretary

Robby’s love for the outdoors started as a kid growing up in Massachusetts, where he spent his time on his parents’ farm, in the nearby conservation land, and at a local nature camp. After attending Tufts University, he spent several years working at the East Boston YMCA in after-school and summer programming. He holds a Master’s in Public Administration from the University of Washington and currently works in affordable housing and community economic development at Evernorth. He is passionate about building community, youth development, and outdoor access, which led him to a role on the Ketcha Board. In his free time, you can find him biking around town (on his purple Soma from Gear Hub), playing frisbee, and adventuring outside with friends and family.

 

 

Camrin Rivera

Camrin is a native of Utah, which is where he developed his love for the outdoors and outdoor education.  While living in Utah, Camrin spent his time as a children’s ski instructor, mountain biking in the Wasatch Mountains, and backpacking through Utah’s deserts and national parks.  After graduating from Maine Law in 2022, Camrin clerked for the Maine Supreme Judicial Court.  He is now an attorney at Perkins Thompson, where he practices employment and labor law, and litigation.  In his free time, Camrin enjoys hiking, mountain biking, and cross‑country skiing with his husband and hound dog.

 

 

Abbie Robinson

Abbie has worked in the education field for most of her life. Abbie is The Statewide Higher Education Coordinator for Maine Roads to Quality PDN. Prior to her current role, Abbie was a staff advisor for the Free College Programs at SMCC and a workforce development adjunct faculty member. Additionally, Abbie was a Preschool Director at Spring Point Children’s Center and at Breakwater for 7 years and is excited to share her experience as an educator with Ketcha Outdoors staff to support the growth and enhancement of our current programming. She served on the Board of Catherine Morrill Day Nursery and the Maine Association for the Education of Young Children and has a level 7 Maine Roads to Quality rating. Abbie has a strong interest and knowledge in early childhood education as well as nature-based programming and a general love for the Maine outdoors. Abbie lives in Portland and is the mother of 2 grown children, Annabelle and Bobby.

 

 

Claudia Shedd

Originally from Boston, Claudia moved to Maine with her husband Jeff in 1982 after graduating from Williams College and never left. She worked 18 years in clinical practice as an orthopedic physician assistant and then another 14 years as the administrator of an orthopedic practice group. She was Compliance Manager for a large multi-specialty group and assisted the Maine CDC as a contact tracer before retiring in 2021.As a student in the Gear Hub bike mechanic class, she learned more about GearHub’s mission and soon became an enthusiastic volunteer.Claudia loves all things outdoors- whether biking, hiking, Nordic skiing, camping, kayaking, foraging for mushrooms, or creating a pollinator-friendly food forest in her backyard. Claudia is the mother of 3 grown children, 2 of whom attended Camp Ketcha.

 

Karen Stanley, President

Karen began the role of Executive Director for CARITAS in 2000 and took the organization from a 22-week winter-only emergency shelter to one of Richmond’s largest and most effective human services organizations. CARITAS provides a continuum of services which include a year-round, housing-focused emergency shelter, Virginia’s only furniture bank, a 300+ bed residential recovery program called The Healing Place, a workforce development and life skills program for men and women with significant barriers to employment, and 47 sober-living apartments.

In 2007, Karen took on the dual role of Executive Director for The Healing Place and guided the efforts to combine the organization with CARITAS in 2012. As President and CEO, Karen lead the successful $15.5M capital campaign and the development of a complex tax credit model including historic and New Market tax credits, CARITAS moved into the new $28M CARITAS Center in December 2020, which consolidated three locations and added a 140-bed recovery program for women and the 47 sober-living apartments.

Under her leadership, CARITAS has grown to have more than 100 employees and a $7.5M budget. She is a 2007 graduate of Leadership Metro Richmond, a recipient of the Stettinius Award for Non-Profit Leadership, a YWCA Outstanding Woman Award winner, the 2010 Better Housing Coalition’s “Creative Collaborator,” and was inducted into the Virginia First Lady’s FLITE Hall of Fame for Women in Business in 2012. In 2020, Karen was a Richmond Times Dispatch “Person of the Year” honoree and in 2022, she was the Ukrop Community Vision Award winner.

She has served on the boards of Homeward, Leadership Metro Richmond, the Governor’s Advisory Board for Volunteerism and National Service, and the Vestry of St. James’s Episcopal Church. Karen and her partner moved to Biddeford, Maine in 2023 and she is stepping into the role of ED for United Recovery Fund that supports MaineWorks part-time this summer. Additionally, Karen is a Portland Gear Hub 2023 Bike Mechanics class alum!

 

Laragh Kavanaugh, Executive Director

Laragh brings over 20 years of leadership experience, both as an outdoor educator and director at an international non-profit to the role of Executive Director. From guiding youth wilderness expeditions for Outward Bound to leading international programs in India and Ghana to directing operations for CIEE, the leading international education non-profit, Laragh brings a diverse but focused perspective to the Ketcha team. Laragh passionately works to cultivate an atmosphere of integrity and understanding and is committed to building a positive work culture to empower and elevate those around her. After growing up in Maine and becoming a parent herself, Laragh understands the impact that the natural world has on youth and how important access to quality outdoor programs is to Maine families and communities.

Laragh holds a B.A. in Human Development and Outdoor Leadership from Prescott College in Arizona and is a Maine Master Gardener. She lives in South Portland with her husband Joel, and two children, Clare and Wesley. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, biking, gardening, yoga, and exploring beaches in the summer with her family.