Our Leadership Team

Meryl Fink is ESC’s Director of Programs, responsible for managing relationships with clients, consultants, and partners. Before joining the staff in 2025, she served as an ESC consultant, providing strategic planning, board governance, and operational support to clients such as the Maine Appalachian Trail Club, METCO, Marshfield Food Pantry, Southwest Boston CDC, Womenade, and The Furniture Trust. Meryl also serves on ESC’s DEIB Committee.

Previously Meryl served as the Executive Director of The Progeria Research Foundation, a global nonprofit organization with annual revenue of over $2.5 million and the only nonprofit solely dedicated to finding treatments and the cure for progeria, a rare and always fatal disease. In addition, Meryl has over 17 years of experience as a corporate attorney and law firm manager, including the positions of Director of Financial Services Area Management for the global law firm, Bingham McCutchen LLP and Senior Practice Manager with Goodwin Procter LLP. In these roles, Meryl was responsible for operations management and strategic planning and served as the central liaison between the leaders of several business units and all firm administrative departments on a wide variety of issues.

Meryl has had a long-term involvement with a number of community activities including raising funds for the Susan G. Komen Walk NYC and as an elected member of the Wellesley Town Meeting, Natick Town Meeting and appointed member of the Wellesley Human Resources Board. She has supported a number of nonprofits through board service and she enjoys volunteering at the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens in Boothbay, Maine.

About

Jeff Ghannam is a skilled senior leader who transitioned from a highly technical career to provide Executive and Leadership Coaching to nonprofits. As an ESC Fellow, he coached and trained executive directors of multiple nonprofit organizations in New Hampshire. Jeff’s coaching approach considers the whole individual, including mind, body, and spirit, and focuses on achieving each individual’s potential while balancing priorities to maximize happiness. His coaching widens perspectives and grows individuals past their limitations to new areas of skill and competence.

Top areas of expertise

• Business Planning
• Coaching
• Human Resources
• Information Technology
• Succession planning
• Training

ESC Clients

• Children’s Stage Adventures

MORE ABOUT JEFF

Career experience

Intel Corporation – Leadership Coach and Senior Manager of Project/Program Management Team; Compuware/NuMega Lab – Director of Software Engineering; Intel network system – Director of Engineering, Converged Communications Division; Aprisma Management Technology (a.k.a. Cabletron Systems) – Director of Software Engineering, Network Management Applications Group

Education

B.S., Electrical Engineering, University of Massachusetts Lowell
graduate coursework towards Master of Business Administration – MBA, Northeastern University

About

Bill Frye, a former Senior VP of Operations for Acushnet Company, has over 30 years of experience in operations, including planning, budgeting, and leading teams. He has overseen major project work, including a factory start-up in Thailand, and has a wealth of experience in team management and coaching. His non-profit work includes serving as a board member and chairman of Junior Achievement of Southern MA. With a Harvard MBA, Frye is well-equipped to help organizations achieve their goals.

Top areas of expertise

• Business Planning
• Coaching
• Finance
• Human Resources
• Strategic Planning
• Succession planning
• Training

ESC Clients

• East Smithfield Library

MORE ABOUT BILL

Career experience

Acushnet Company, Senior VP Golf Ball Operations; VP Thailand manufacturing; Senior Director Manufacturing; Custom Ball Plant Manager

Education

Master of Business Administration – MBA, General Business, Harvard Business School
Bachelor of Science in Economic Operations Analysis, Central Washington University

Board or Volunteer Service

University of Hartford, University of New Haven, Ford Consulting, University of New Hampshire, Eastern Connecticut State University, Connecticut State Technical College System

Board or Volunteer Service
Junior Achievement of Southern Ma, Board Member 1995-2007, Chairman of the board 2003-2005.

Interests
Golf, Guitar, Fitness

About

For more than 40 years, Maggie Ford has used her experience in fundraising and organizational development to help nonprofits increase organization effectiveness and sustain financial health. Her expertise includes strategic planning; planning for fund development, including capital campaigns; and survey design and analysis. She is skilled in presenting information to decision makers, boards, staff and volunteers, to help set clear direction.

Why do you consult with ESC?

We help a broad spectrum of clients identify viable resolutions to the challenges they face, providing an experienced neutral third party perspective in charting a future.

Top areas of expertise

• Governance
• Strategic Planning

ESC Clients

• Castle in the Clouds
• Ausbon Sargent Land Preservation Trust
• Southern Vermont Arts Center
• Bridgton Historical Society

MORE ABOUT MAGGIE

Career experience

Owner and President, Ford Consulting, LLC; Direct or Development, University of New Haven; Past President, AAUW Education Foundation; Senior Development Associate, University of Hartford

Education

BA, English Literature, University of New Hampshire
MAT, Teaching and Secondary English Education, University of New Hampshire

Board or Volunteer Service

University of Hartford, University of New Haven, Ford Consulting, University of New Hampshire, Eastern Connecticut State University, Connecticut State Technical College System

About

Fiona Epstein has over three decades of experience in nonprofit management and was most recently the VP of Youth and Adult Engagement at the JCC Greater Boston. She has honed her skills in planning, program development, fundraising, and team building as a member of the executive team. Additionally, she brings strong leadership and facilitation skills to the projects she engages in, including her current role as lead volunteer for resettling an Afghan family.

Why do you consult with ESC?

As a recent retiree I wanted to continue to impact mission driven non profit organizations and help them become even more effective in delivering programs and services. This was also an opportunity to continue to refine my skills, remain stimulated and to meet new and interesting people.

How are the services ESC provides different than other consulting organizations?

Since most of the consultants are retired they bring wisdom and experience and generosity of their time. The unique blend of teams that pair consultants from the public and private sector provides interesting perspectives and rich mix of skills for each project

Top areas of expertise

• Governance
• Marketing
• Strategic Planning

ESC Clients

• Somerville Homeless Coalition

MORE ABOUT FIONA

Career experience

Vice President, Youth Services and Adult Engagement JCC Greater BostonVice President, Youth Services and Adult Engagement JCC Greater Boston

Education

• Master’s degree, Jewish Communal WorkMaster’s degree, Jewish Communal Work, Brandeis University
• BA Social Work, University of the Witwatersrand

Board or Volunteer Service

Jewish Community Day School, Watertown; Brandeis Alumni Board; Diller Teens International Advisory Board.

Steering Committee, NBARC- Newton Brookline Asylum Resettlement Committee

Interests

My husband and I are taking the opportunity of our recent retirement to travel for long periods. We have visited many countries but are drawn to African safaris. I’m interested in food both tasting, eating at restaurants and cooking. I’m an avid reader, attend lectures, theater and dance performances Exercise – pilates, weights and walking. Crosswords and Spelling Bee are a daily staple.

With NPR and MSNBC on in the background I am engaged in current events and focused on political issues, gun violence and housing.

About

Janice has over thirty years of experience specializing in marketing, new product development and strategic planning with an emphasis on helping organizations increase awareness, enhance positioning and strengthen their brand. Her senior management experience spans both the nonprofit and private sectors primarily with educational and financial institutions. As Director of the Executive MBA program at Boston University, Janice enhanced marketing and admissions to increase student satisfaction and sustain the program’s competitiveness. Janice spent a large part of her career at Fidelity Investments as Vice President of Marketing specializing in the analysis of consumer trends and competitive insights to lead the development and marketing of new products.

Why do you consult with ESC?

Nonprofits often come to ESC when they are at an inflection point needing to grow their clients, enhance their awareness, shift direction or possibly amplify their fundraising. It is gratifying to assist them to identify strategic alternatives, assess the competitive landscape, create strong positioning and help them strengthen their brand.

Top areas of expertise

• Branding
• Marketing
• Positioning and Messaging
• Strategic Planning
• ESC Clients
• Literations (ESC Fellow)
• Urban College of Boston
• Boston Jewish Film Festival
• National Bureau of Economic Research

MORE ABOUT JANICE

Career experience

Director, Executive MBA program, Boston University; Vice President of Marketing, Fidelity Investments; Vice President, Bank of New England; Assistant Vice President, BayBanks; Director of Planning, Mass. Dept. of Mental Health

Education

BA, History, Ithaca College
Masters of Social Planning, Community Organization and Social Planning, Boston College School of Social Work
MBA, Questrom School of Business, Boston University

Board or Volunteer Service

Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum

About

Diane DeMarco has over 30 years of experience in development management for various nonprofit sectors. As an ESC consultant, she shares her expertise in fundraising with nonprofits in social services, environment, health, education, and community services. She is a Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE) and owner of Consultants for Institutional Advancement, a fundraising consulting practice serving greater Boston and New England nonprofits.

Top areas of expertise

• Development Assessment
• Executive and Volunteer Coaching
• Operations
• Program Development
• Strategic Planning
• Training and Workshops
• ESC Clients
• Southeastern New Hampshire Alcohol & Drug Abuse Services
• Margaret Fuller Neighborhood House C
• Foundation for MetroWest
• Raising a Reader Massachusetts
• Cambridge Children and Family Services

MORE ABOUT DIANE

Career experience

Before working as an independent consultant, Diane held key fundraising positions in several institutions such as the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Joslin Diabetes Center, and the Trustees of Reservations. She also served as Vice President and Senior Counsel at Copley Harris Company concurrently for eight years.

Board or Volunteer Service

Currently Diane serves on the Board of Directors of the Friends of the Middlesex Fells Reservation. She is a devoted American Cancer Society volunteer having participated in 29 consecutive Making Strides Walks as a Pacesetter fundraiser. Prior board service includes Yankee Golden Retriever Rescue and the Zonta Club of Malden/Zonta International.

About

John Deeley is a highly experienced financial, operational, and strategic management professional with over 40 years of experience serving the higher education and academic medical center community both as a leader and a senior consultant. He has expertise in managing administration, finance, human resources, facilities, libraries, operations, and research, as well as strategic partner negotiations and development planning. In addition to his management and consulting work, John has served as an ESC consultant on projects such as the Lexington Global Warming Action Committee, the Neponset River Watershed Association, and led the strategic planning projects with Cairn Hill Preschool in Lynn, MA and the Wade Institute for Science and Education in Quincy, MA.

Why do you consult with ESC?

ESC is well known in the local nonprofit community. I preferred its business model where nonprofits needed to pay a consulting fee for services. A fee arrangement helps the organization take the services provided by ESC seriously.

Most memorable experience?

Checking back with clients to see them implementing the results of the strategic plan projects.

How are the services ESC provides different than other consulting organizations?

Some orgs charge much more than ESC for the services rendered-a level that many nonprofits can’t afford and some orgs don’t charge for their services. I think ESC provides a good balance of getting commitments from the organization for resources to support our organization. The result is that we have a small cadre of support centrally to manage the administrative functions of the organization.

What aspects of the consulting give you the most satisfaction?

Working with clients to understand the issues they are struggling to address and working through solutions that will resolve these issues.

Top areas of expertise

• Business Planning
• Finance
• Operation
• Strategic Planning
• ESC Clients
• Cairn Hill Nature Preschool
• My Turn
• Lexington Global Warming Action Coalition
• Neponset River Watershed Association
• Wade Institute for Science and Education

MORE ABOUT JOHN

Career experience

Senior Manager-Higher Education/Academic Medical Centers, Attain LLC McLean, VA; Associate Dean-Finance and Business, Howard School of Medicine Washington; Executive Dean, Brown University Division of Biology and Medicine; VP-Finance and Operations, University of Miami Miller Medical School; Vice Dean for Administration, New York University School of Medicine; Dean for Administration and Finance, Harvard Medical School

Board or Volunteer Service

Home Owner’s Associations -four associations. Held position of President or Treasurer

Chairman, Hingham Democratic Town Committee

Town of Hingham Audit Committee

Interests

I enjoy bicycling and working out at a local gym. Four times per year I travel to other parts of the country for a week of bicycling. Politically I am involved in the local town committee-I am the chair of my local town committee.

About

Pat is a skilled coach who helps corporate, legal, and nonprofit leaders optimize organizational performance through collaboration and clear messaging. With experience in management positions in financial services, consulting, and small business ownership, Pat brings a wealth of expertise to his work. He has also served on the boards of several arts and cultural organizations and focuses on strategic planning, board development, and leadership coaching in the nonprofit sector.

Why do you consult with ESC?

Helping others feels good.

Most memorable experience?

Taking a private tour of the Worcester Art Museum’s vaulted storage area!

Top areas of expertise

• Business Planning
• Coaching
• Finance
• Human Resources
• Marketing
• Strategic Planning
• ESC Clients
• ArtsWorcester
• Worcester Art Museum

MORE ABOUT PATRICK

Career experience

Current: Director, Business Risk & Controls for BaaSDirector, Business Risk & Controls for BaaS, Webster Bank
Pass: Director, Technology: Third-Party Risk, Strategy and Program Management, Santander US; Lead Consultant / Founder, Norumbega Securities Services; Managing Director and Integration Lead, Securities Services, The Bank of New York Mellon

Education

Bachelor’s, EconomicsBachelor’s, Economics, University of CincinnatiUniversity of Cincinnati
Certificate Program, Agile Contract Management, Villanova UniversityVillanova University

Board or Volunteer Service

Fuller Craft Museum: Board Chair; Charles River Swim Club: Board Member, Chair of Safety Team; Newton Cultural Council, Governance Committee; Society of Arts and Crafts, Advisory Board, Governance

Interests

Tea importing, anthropology, and open water swimming

About

Peggy Cohn is a seasoned professional with over thirty years of experience in driving growth and customer satisfaction. She has expertise in leveraging data, analytics, and technology to lead cross-functional teams in delivering marketplace offerings within budget and on time. Peggy has experience in both the for-profit and non-profit sectors, and she holds an MBA in Finance from New York University.

Top areas of expertise

• Business Planning
• Coaching
• Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging
• Finance
• Human Resources
• ESC Clients
• The Boston Home

MORE ABOUT PEGGY

Career experience

Senior Director, Product Management – Dun & Bradstreet; Manager, Center of Excellence – Open Ratings; Risk Management Consultant – Self-Employed; Senior Risk Management Consultant – Robert M. Currey & Associates; Managing Director, Liberty Mutual Insurance Company

Education

MBA, FinanceMBA, Finance, NYU Stern School of BusinessNYU Stern School of Business
Bachelor of Arts (BA), Economics, Cornell UniversityCornell University

Board or Volunteer Service

Children’s Center of Lexington, Lexington, MA – past Treasurer and Board of Directors Member

Interests

Women’s reproductive health; Financial literacy (coach for Women’s Money Matters, formerly Budget Buddies); Literacy training (volunteer for Literations, coaching early readers); Health education for seniors, volunteer income tax preparer

About

Bonnie Clendenning has a lifetime of experience in nonprofit management, fundraising, and external relations. She has spent much of her career helping nonprofits plan, organize, and direct strategic and fundraising initiatives.

Why do you consult with ESC?

We consultants don’t get paid monetarily; we get satisfaction from doing an excellent job for our clients. Many organizations are helping their clients succeed but not many are working as sincerely as ESC does.

How are the services ESC provides different than other consulting organizations?

Volunteers work for love and are not constrained by hourly rates. Consultants can freely call on the expertise of other consultants when required.

What aspects of the consulting give you the most satisfaction?

Most of the time the clients are in a better place than before ESC began work with them, and we often keep in touch with them long after the assignment is over. I am continually learning and broadening my own horizons.

Top areas of expertise

• Fundraising
• Governance
• Strategic Planning
• ESC Clients
• Worcester Art Museum
• Jamestown Philomenian Library
• 51 Walden
• Metrowest Mediation Services

MORE ABOUT BONNIE

Career experience

The School for Field Studies (President and Trustee); Archaeological Institute of America; The Education Alliance; Radcliffe College (now the Radcliffe Institute at Harvard); The University Hospital (now part of Boston Medical Center); The Fletcher School and The School of Medicine at Tufts University; the World Federation of Friends of Museums (Brussels); International Council of Museums at UNESCO

Education

BA in Russian Civilization, Smith College
MA in International Relations, The Fletcher School, Tufts University
JD, New England Law/Boston

Board or Volunteer Service

Empower Success Corps; Focus on Tanzanian Communities; New Repertory Theatre; Newton Community Chorus; The Boston Club; Massachusetts Bay Community College; Fuller Craft Museum; Massachusetts State Committee of the Museum of Women in the Arts

Interests

Gardening, international travel, reading

About

Cassandra Clay is a nonprofit consultant and clinical practitioner with over thirty years in social work and education. Clay provides consulting and coaching on systems improvement for nonprofits, and has been a member of numerous social work research teams. Cassandra also has delivered presentations and training on cultural responsibility and cultural humility and is actively engaged in collaborating to create DEIB systems changes in organizations.

Why do you consult with ESC?

Consultants can sometimes feel a bit like marriage counselors when called in during a crisis situation. Whether we are doing crisis intervention or working at a slower pace and more strategically, the goal is to attend to relationship building so that good data can be captured. We work to help the client accurately assess organizational needs and to collaboratively lay the groundwork for long term success.

Top areas of expertise

• Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging
• Program and leadership development
• Retreat facilitation
• Strategic Planning
• Succession planning
• ESC Clients
• Chica Project
• DOVE, Inc.
• St. Katherine Drexel Parish
• Family Continuity 

MORE ABOUT CASSANDRA

Career experience

Cassandra, who taught at the BU School of Social Work for more than 20 years, is now a professor emeriti, member of the Dean’s Advisory Board, and currently serves as a Boston University Trustee.. She is the former program chair for a child health and wellness collaboration between the Links, Inc. and the BPS King School and a former fellow at Center for Social Policy at UMass/Boston. Cassandra currently runs a private counseling practice and serves on the board of Metro Housing Boston, an organization committed to providing housing stability for Boston area residents.

Board or Volunteer Service

Institute for Health and Recovery
Links Incorporated
United South End Settlements
Higher Ground Advisory Board

Education

Boston University’s School of Social Work
University of Massachusetts Amherst
Fisk University

About

Mike Byrnes has been a consultant with ESC since 2010. Currently, president of Byrnes Consulting, LLC, Mike helps organizations become even more successful. He is a recognized thought leader that has been published 400 times in over 40 media outlets.

Why do you consult with ESC?

Over the years I have found it incredibly rewarding to partner with ESC to help local nonprofits increase their success so they can better fulfill their missions. Multiple times I was on a board that used ESC’s strategic planning services and saw the positive impact the advice had. Years later I realized I too wanted to help other charities in a similar way.

Most memorable experience?

I have been extremely impressed with fellow consultants that I have been teamed up with. For one branding project I was teamed up with an ESC consultant that had helped create the General Electric (GE) tagline, “We bring good things to life.”

Top areas of expertise

• Fundraising
• Marketing
• Strategic Planning
• ESC Clients
• JazzBoston C
• Ford Hall Forum
• Operation ABLE
• National Organization for Rare Disorders

MORE ABOUT MIKE

Career experience

Owner of Byrnes Consulting. Previously worked at Commonwealth Financial Network, Liberty Mutual, Fidelity Investments, Pioneer Investments (now Amundi Pioneer), IXIS Asset Management (now Natixis) and Mellon Financial (now BNY Mellon.)

Education

BS in Business Administration, Saint Michael’s College
MBA, Boston College’s Wallace E. Carroll Graduate School of Management

Board or Volunteer Service

The Good Shepherd School, COMPASS, Holden School

Interests

Mike loves spending family time with his wonderful son and daughter. Some of his favorite things to do with them are going on trips, swimming, golfing, hiking and skiing. He has coached is kids’ baseball and soccer teams. He also is a league coordinator and creator of the first-ever Kingston baseball clinic, a week-long camp for 2nd to 7th graders that includes a ‘Red Sox night out’ at Fenway Park for 100 people.

He is an active member of his church. He is a Haiti180 missionary and volunteer. He also volunteers to help with the St. Vincent de Paul Society food pantry. He is a member of the Dynamic Parish Committee for the Saints Mary & Joseph Collaborative. He is a third-degree member of the Knights of Columbus and is a council officer. He also helps as an overnight chaperone for the homeless in his area.

Mike is a frequent blood donor and has helped organize several blood drives.

Favorite quote

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” – Margaret Mead

About

Skip Burns has over 35 years of experience in leadership, facilitation, coaching, and project management. He has expertise in strategic planning, Six Sigma, troubleshooting, and business improvement aimed at maximizing customer value. Skip has served as board chair for Meals on Wheels of Rhode Island and is currently on the board of the William M Davies, Jr. Career and Technical High School in Lincoln, RI.

Why do you consult with ESC?

ESC is different from other consulting services in that it uses a team based approach to bring more experience, new ideas and consulting team bandwidth to clients. The team based approach is a great way to meet and work with new people. In my experience, ESC clients have been grateful for and benefit from the ESC team’s providing a roadmap to strengthen, change and improve in client organizations. As an ESC volunteer, it’s been a very rewarding experience.

Top areas of expertise

• Business Planning
• Coaching
• Facilitation
• Governance
• Operations
• Strategic Planning
• ESC Clients
• Acton Community Supper and Food Pantry
• Dighton Public Library
• The Boston Home

MORE ABOUT SKIP

Career experience

Program Director, Director, Six Sigma Projects, Manufacturing and Engineering Manager all at Raytheon.

Education

Clarkson University, Masters, Business Administration
Rutgers University BS, Industrial Engineering.

Board or Volunteer Service

Meals on Wheels of Rhode Island; Wm M Davies, Jr. Career and Technical High School, Empower Success Corps on Strategic Planning Teams.

About

Elizabeth is a seasoned professional with a wealth of experience in various business functions, including project management, process development, strategic planning, procurement, change management, and organizational design. She spent most of her career working for pharmaceutical companies, where patient needs guided project objectives. Now, Elizabeth is motivated to support non-profit organizations in the Boston area in achieving their goals by joining a project team.

Top areas of expertise

• Business Planning
• Program Management
• Strategic Planning

• METCO C
• EqualityMaine

Top areas of expertise

• Management
• Operations
• Program Development

About

Marjorie Bauer has over 30 years of experience using market research and marketing strategies to help address key issues for both nonprofit and for profit organizations. Her expertise includes strategic planning, brand positioning, outcomes measurement, competitive analysis, and determining trends in the marketplace.  She is adept at research design and analysis that identifies insights into people’s needs, wants and expectations. She is skilled in interpreting data and presenting the information to decision makers, helping set clear direction.

Why do you consult with ESC?

So many of the nonprofits that we work with have an amazing story to tell, but don’t convey it as well as they might.  Often they are not able to prioritize strategic marketing – to determine what sets them apart from other organizations, or to evaluate what messages work best for potential funders and other important constituents.  We help them articulate what makes them unique and how to provide more effective ways to convey this clearly and concisely.

Education

MBA from Boston University School of Management
MSW from the University of Pennsylvania
BA from Simmons College