Our Team

Katherine Gibson

Secretary

Katherine moved to Lyme four years ago with her husband, Andrew, and sons Will and John. Katherine’s career was in marketing and communications. She held positions and freelanced for a variety of companies including: Cuisinart; Gorham Silver; Envirosource and the HB Group. She has also been active in community service and was the Founding Director of the non-profit Scituate (RI) Farmer’s Market and a Trustee. The market became one of the largest farmer’s markets in RI and was awarded annual college scholarships for entrepreneurship and environmental science. During her tenure as a Trustee of the North Scituate Library, Katherine chaired the Strategic Planning Committee and led communications and fundraising efforts for a building & expansion project. Katherine started volunteering at High Hopes soon after moving to Lyme and has co-chaired the Holiday Market for five years. High Hopes was a natural fit for the mother of a son with dyspraxic cerebral palsy and a firm believer in the benefits of therapeutic riding. Education: Princeton University, AB 1985

Deborah Welles

Treasurer

Debbie is a practicing CPA in Old Lyme, CT. She is married to John, with three children and five grandchildren who keep her busy. Debbie’s hobbies include hiking, gardening, kayaking, volunteering at High Hopes, and family time. Debbie has been a Trustee at High Hopes for nine years and is currently in her second board term, serving as Treasurer, Chair of the Audit and Finance Committees and member of the Human Resource Advisory Committee. She has also previously Co-Chaired the Holiday Market.

Affiliation – Deborah Welles, CPA, LLC

Jane Bolles

Jane and her husband, Keith, live in Essex and own and manage the Saybrook Country Barn. They have three children Lindsey, Kara, and Keith. Jane grew up around horses most of her life and learned of High Hopes (then LCVERA) while looking for a place for her then six-year-old daughter (who is hearing impaired and intellectually challenged,) to learn to ride and be safe around horses. Now at age 33, Lindsey is still a participant in the program, is a highlight in her life! Jane has Co-Chaired Symphony in the Meadows, the Concert in The Barn and the June Gala. She Chairs the Program Committee, through which she has coordinated a variety of programs for the families and participants. Jane serves on the Human Resource Advisory Committee, and is a past Secretary and past Vice-Chair of the Executive Board. In 2016 Jane was the recipient of the Sally H. Aubrey Award. Jane is a Graduate of The University of CT.

Affiliation – Saybrook Country Barn

Laurie LaTerza

Laurie is currently an Account Executive with Salesforce, Inc. Before her current role, Laurie held various sales and marketing roles at Cisco, AT&T, NCR, and Concord Communications. Her career has spanned multiple industries including finance, retail, manufacturing, and education, as well as various technology transformations. She has been an active volunteer in both Massachusetts and Connecticut with various non-profit organizations. She also volunteers within Cisco to support Women’s Advancement in Technology and Special Needs Initiatives. Laurie holds a Masters Degree in Marketing from Bentley University in Waltham, MA and a B.Sc. in Marketing from the University of Connecticut. She currently lives in Guilford, CT with her husband Todd and daughter Sofia. Sofia has participated in the High Hopes program for eight years, providing Laurie and Todd a bird’s eye view of the incredible benefits received of therapeutic riding.

Todd Machnik

Todd grew up in Old Lyme and and received a C.Eng. from Vermont Technical College. Todd is owner and President of Machnik Bros., Inc., established in 1957. Todd has been a member of the Old Lyme Fire Department since 1970 and has served as an Officer for ten years. He also served on the Town of Lyme Flood & Erosion Control Board for 20 years (five years as Chair) and as a Planning Commission Alternate for five years. Todd is currently a Trustee of Essex Savings Bank, and has served on the High Hopes Building & Grounds Committee for five years, two years as Chair. Other committee positions have included the Southeastern CT Youth Hockey Board where he was President for five years and St. Bernard’s School Hockey Manager for 12 years. He married his wife, Becky Machnik, in 1978 and has three sons: Tom, Kevin, and Peter. Becky and Todd have been the Lord Creek Horse Trials course designers and builders for five years.

Affliation: Machnik Bros., Inc. and Essex Savings Bank

Vicki Newton

Vicki has spent her 25-year professional career in marketing, communications and website development for Fortune 500 Companies. She received her B.A. from the State University of New York after which she continued to study art with the Art Student’s League in NYC. Vicki has owned and worked with horses all her life and in 2000 she, her husband Matt, and son, Alex, moved to their horse farm in East Haddam. Vicki continues her work as a freelance artist specializing in portraits of animals and botanical studies.

Gregory Varga

Gregory is a Partner at Robinson & Cole LLP, Hartford CT, a national law firm with offices throughout New England, New York, California, and Florida. As a member of the firm’s Insurance & Reinsurance Practice, Gregory represents property and casualty insurance companies and other clients in high-exposure litigation and arbitration arising from contract disputes, claims for punitive and statutory damages, and related matters. Greg also counsels and assists clients in pre-litigation dispute resolution, and advises clients regarding open claims. Greg is the former Chair of the firm’s Insurance & Reinsurance Practice and it’s Trial Training Program for junior attorneys. He has been honored by his peers with an “AV Preeminent” ranking by Martindale Hubbell®, has been honored by Connecticut SuperLawyers® since 2011, and named to The Best Lawyers in America® in the field of insurance law since 2012. Education: Boston College Law School, Juris Doctor, 1995; Boston College, B.A. in History, magna cum laude, 1991; Fairfield College Preparatory School (1987)

Affiliation – Robinson + Cole, LLP

Peter Watt

Peter Watt is Vice President, Consumer Marketing at Outdoor Sportsman Group, in New York, where he oversees all direct to consumer-related lines of business, including subscription, single copy management, and merchandise sales. Outdoor Sportsman Group, a media company that publishes 15 outdoor enthusiast magazines, also owns several cable networks including Sportsman Channel and Outdoor Channel, as well as the OTT Streaming Service, My Outdoor TV. Before working at OSG, Peter held various consumer marketing positions at Times Mirror Magazines, The Atlantic, and Audubon. Peter currently serves on the Marketing Committee and has served on various committees as well as being a side walker at High Hopes from 2008-2015. He and his husband, Gerard Cattie, live in New York and spend as much time as possible at their house in Lyme. They are the parents of two school-age children, Louisa and Alec. A Larchmont, NY native, Peter is a graduate of Middlebury College, with a B.A. in English Literature.

Affiliation – Outdoor Sportsman Group.

Barbara Willkens

Barbara worked at Millstone Power Station from 1990-2018.  During her career at the nuclear power plant she held senior management positions in Engineering, Construction, Supply Chain, and Organizational Effectiveness. She earned a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Tennessee, and completed post-graduate courses at M.I.T. Before joining High Hopes, Barbara served on the Board of Directors at Big Brothers/Big Sisters and was a “big” for ten years. She is still in close contact with her “little.” Barbara has been actively involved at High Hopes for over six years as a member of the Development Committee, a Co-Chair of the June Gala and most recently as Co-Chair of the Auction Committee. Barbara is an avid knitter, gardener, and chef and with her husband Wilhelm, enjoys traveling to his native home of Austria.  Barbara and Wilhelm live in Lyme with their Rhodesian Ridgeback, Jack.