Board

Stephanie J. Briody, Esq.

Co-Founder and CEO

Stephanie is an attorney and CEO of BHI. At BHI she works to identify the gaps in support, from prevention to sustained recovery, for youth and young adults struggling with substance use challenges. She was instrumental in convening and engaging the community partners needed to launch Alternative Peer Group (APG) program for teens with a history of substance use, as well as the Cape Cod Positive Alternatives for Student Support (PASS) program. Through BHI she aims to build a continuum of supports for young people.

She is committed to reversing the rising tide of overdose deaths and addiction that is killing our young people and devastating families.

Sheila House, MS, LMHC

Board Chair

Sheila has been working with young people providing counseling and support to teens and their families for the past 30 years. Although recently retired from her position as the Director of Youth and Family, she continues to collaborate with schools and non-profits on programming that promotes the resilience of teens struggling with substance use and mental health challenges.

Sheila believes that authentic connection, mentoring and playing to strength can provide a stable foundation for youth who are trying to find their way out of enormously stressful challenges. When kids feel safe, and have positive sense of self, growth is inevitable. It is what every child deserves. It is what we hope for them.

Chris Hardy

Vice President; Board Director

Chris retired from her business career 10 years ago and has been focused on helping non profits enhance their organizations through strategic planning and marketing.

She worked with Fortune 500 companies for over 35 years helping them understand consumer behavior, create and market new products, develop strategic plans, and enhance their communications to their customers. Chris has her bachelor’s degree from Carnegie Mellon and MBA from Wharton in Marketing and Finance.

Chris’ passions are serving U.S. Veterans, improving the mental health of our young, bringing clean water and sanitation to communities living in extreme poverty in Africa, empowering women and children in these communities and beyond, and giving back to her golf community.

Having lived in Chatham for over 30 years, Chris is honored to be working with BHI and expanding their programs across the Cape and Islands.

Carolyn Cason

Treasurer

Lyn is a recent year-round resident of Brewster, MA, though Cape Cod has been a constant in her life since early childhood. She brings over 25 years of executive search consultant experience, along with serving on community boards to BHI.

Throughout her executive search career at Stanton Chase International Lyn’s clients have included non-profits, along with community health organizations and public media outlets nationwide. Her earlier financial career included VP Controller roles with broadcast stations and media companies in Los Angeles, Baltimore, and San Francisco. She received her B.A. in broadcast communications from California State University of San Francisco. She completed a fellowship in applied behavioral sciences at Johns Hopkins University. And she earned an Executive M.B.A. from the Peter Drucker Graduate School at Claremont University. Previously, she co-led Stanton Chase’s Global Diversity and Inclusion Practice, and with her considerable passion for such, she continues to help clients build inclusive Leadership Initiatives.

She also serves as Treasurer of Lower Cape Communications Inc. and is an Advisory Director for the Pasadena CA Connective Leadership Institute, a training firm renowned for developing leaders for the 21st Century.

Jan McGrory

Board Director

As a mother of a 23-year-old daughter who passed away from a heroin overdose, Jan speaks locally and nationally to support drug education and recovery programs.  She has also served as a facilitator of Learn to Cope, a parent support group and is a board member for Harwich Children’s Fund.

Jan is a retired math teacher at Monomoy Regional High School and was previously an engineering manager.  She has a bachelor’s degree in physics and master’s degree in Math Education.

Michelle Cuff

Board Director

Michelle Cuff graduated from Boston College with a degree in Communications. Her prior work experience included serving as a Family Resource Liaison, helping families navigate the Massachusetts adoption process and supporting outreach through newsletters and other mediums.

After losing their son Patrick to an overdose, Michelle has dedicated her time to helping students struggling with substance use disorder. She has been involved with both Learn to Cope and The Herren Project. Michelle serves on the Board of the Cape Cod Foster Closet as well as the St. Chretienne Educational Trust.

Laura Peterson

Board Director

Laura is a member of the 4th generation to work in her family’s aggregate business, Cape Cod Aggregates. She has always been interested in understanding what drives people to behave the way they do. This interest, along with a desire to better understand her own behavior, led Laura to mindfulness and becoming certified to share her practice with others.

She enjoys working with adults, young adults, and children as they develop a better understanding of how stress shows up in their lives. She is passionate about helping others, help themselves. Laura teaches the Benson-Henry Institute’s, Resilient Youth program to 5th and 6th grade students in the Falmouth Public Schools and in February 2023 she completed Tara Brach and Jack Kornfield’s Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification Program.

Laura works with her students as they navigate twists and turns on the road of life! She demonstrates that treating ourselves with kindness and curiosity, while being intentionally mindful throughout the day makes our “drive” much more enjoyable!!!

She has worked with many nonprofits here on the Cape for the last 30 years and she’s excited to be a part of the innovative work that BHI programs bring to our students and our communities.

Margaret O’Donnell

Board Director

Margaret is an author and writer. She published her first novel in 2022, Gret’s Rock: Through Life’s Greatest Joys and Worst Fears We Find Our Way Home. Here Margaret shares her insights into how her self-care practices led her toward her own spiritual growth and healing after a terrible accident happened to her husband. Margaret became a full time-caregiver. She hopes to spread hope faith and encouragement to anyone going through difficult times.

Margaret graduated from the College of New Rochelle with a degree in Communication and Journalism. She is a yoga and meditation teacher. Margaret lives in Florida and Cape Cod. Margaret is passionate about Mental Health and the families and caregivers of those affected.

She continues to share her self-care and yoga/meditation practices with caregivers and hopes to bring these practices to the BHI community.

MaryAnn Myarmosky

Board Director

Before moving permanently to the Cape and joining Pine Acres Realty/Compass as a real estate broker, MaryAnn enjoyed a long career in the health care industry, first as the Director of Patient Relations for Hillcrest Hospital in Pittsfield Massachusetts, then writing feasibility studies and establishing free standing emergency care facilities and occupational health programs in Massachusetts and New York State. She later worked as Director of Development for the Conte Institute for Environmental Health writing grants, contracting with Oxford University Press to publish the Institute’s monographs, and planning scientific meetings in the United States and Eastern and Central Europe where scientists studied the health effects of environmental exposures and genetic susceptibility to disease.

MaryAnn lost her youngest son to the side effects of addiction 10 years ago, further piquing her interest in prevention. She is gratified to be a part of the board of BHI to assist in its fine work with Cape youth.