Staff
Denise Hutchins
Executive Director
Campton, NH
Denise Hutchins is PAREI’s second Executive Director and brings a wealth of knowledge in the areas of marketing and communications, public relations, community relations, leadership and energy. She is looking forward to working with the community to build and expand programs that can make a difference for PAREI’s members and our neighbors in need. Being able to positively impact our environment and community is something she is looking forward to doing every day.
Prior to joining PAREI, she was an associate professor of practice at Plymouth State University’s Business School and also taught at Bridgewater State University in the communications program.
Denise began her career working in the areas of corporate communications and marketing for both non-profit and for-profit organizations including the Muscular Dystrophy Association, Conservation Services Group, and Triumvirate Environmental. She has a Master’s Degree in public relations and management communication from Emerson College and a Bachelor’s Degree in communication from Bridgewater State University.
Denise enjoys music, hiking, nature, animals, singing with the Pemi Choral Society, and attending New England Patriots games. She lives in Campton with her husband, two boys, three dogs, one cat, a turtle, and many fish. No partridge in a pear tree, yet…
Sandra Jones
Programs Director and Solar Manager/Founder
Holderness, NH
Sandra Jones, M.Ed is the founder of the Plymouth Area Renewable Energy Initiative aka PAREI (Hip, Hip, PAREI). Driven by her concerns about the economic and environmental impacts caused by the overuse of fossil fuels and her interest in solar energy and community development, she started PAREI in 2004 with Peter Adams and Chris Buckley. Since 2004, PAREI has been providing community based and professional services to inspire and assist the Plymouth area community to reduce and produce energy- one family, one building at a time.
Sandra led PAREI in creating the solar thermal Energy Raiser model, their 1:1 approach with members to help them “Plan for their Energy Future” and the first in the nation Local Foods Plymouth (LFP) online farmers market started in 2006. PAREI has also played a major role over the years creating and implementing programs and projects such as NHSaves ButtonUP NH, Energy Efficiency Training Program, Plymouth’s Energy Efficiency Community Block Grant, Plymouth Water and Sewer’s 121kW PV installation, Lancaster’s town installed PV projects, Regional Energy Hub and more recently NH Solar Shares Community PV arrays and LFP’s Farm-to-Community Food Share program.
Sandra’s background includes directing electoral and educational campaigns, co-owning a bicycle shop and running a statewide career guidance program to help families move from welfare to self-sufficiency. When not at PAREI you can find Sandra spending time with Tim and Dori, skiing, biking, hiking and “smelling the roses.”
Robbin Adams
NHSaves Button Up Coordinator
Campton, NH
Robbin plans and coordinates 24 statewide NHSaves Button Up Workshops and has done so for 14 years. Since 2008, Robbin was also employed as PAREI’s office manager. In her free time, she pursues her artwork.
Robbin received her BFA from Plymouth State College. She was instrumental in creating two thriving art coops in the region: Artistic Roots in Plymouth, NH in 2004 and Squam Lakes Artisans in 2006 now located in Center Harbor, NH. From 1991 to 2002 Robbin and husband, Peter owned and operated the Campton Inn a small bed and breakfast in Campton, NH.
Robbin and Peter built their own home with the help of friends that has a number of solar systems. First installed was solar thermal to heat domestic water, then a 3.2Kw PV system. They also have numerous PV “islands of power,” smaller systems that provide power and light around the house. In 2026 they plan to add an off-grid PV system that will power the essential appliances around the house and provide back-up power during an outage.
Robbin and Peter have one son Ben and soon to be daughter-in-law Meridyth. Robbin enjoys creating in her studio, cycling, hiking, sailing, snowshoeing and singing, especially with the Pemi Choral Society.
Craig Cadieux
Small Business Technical Advisor and Volunteer Energy Advisor
Craig brings more than 15 years of experience in the clean energy field. He retired from ReVision Energy as a Solar Designer in 2023 where he spent the prior 8 years working with individuals, families, farms, and businesses designing solar, battery storage and heat pump systems. Prior to ReVision he was PAREI’s Energy Solutions Advisor providing its members with sound advice on ways to reduce energy consumption, build energy efficient homes, and produce their own. His early career was in Facilities Management where finding ways to save energy was always a high priority.
He has held certification by the North American Board of Solar Practitioners (NABCEP) for both Solar Electric and Solar Thermal and has held a number of certifications from the Building Performance Initiative (BPI) related to building efficiency. Craig has a strong building science background having designed and built net-zero and near net-zero homes. He is a strong believer that the cleanest energy is the energy that’s not used.
Craig heats his home with a wood pellet boiler supported by mini-splits, heats his water with a solar thermal system, and makes his own electricity with an 11.25 kW PV System. In 2009 when gas prices were racing towards $5.00 a gallon, he got tired of waiting for electric vehicles to hit the market, so he converted a Chevy S-10 to run with an electric fork lift motor and 18 golf cart batteries.
Dennis Winders
LFP Manager
Dennis brings a mix of hands-on experience, entrepreneurial leadership, and a passion for local food systems to his role at Local Foods Plymouth. He spent seven years building an oyster farm from the ground up, gaining expertise in sustainable aquaculture and managing sales for a collective of partner farms. This dual experience gave him a deep understanding of local food markets and how to connect producers with their communities.
Afterward, Dennis moved to Amsterdam, working as an independent copywriter and marketing consultant while exploring Europe in his free time. Now back in Plymouth with his wife, Ashley, and daughter, Arlo, Dennis enjoys backpacking, canoeing, fly fishing, and reading. His unique combination of farming experience and marketing expertise fuels his work at Local Foods Plymouth, where he’s committed to connecting producers and customers and empowering local businesses.
Tim Gotwols
Holderness, NH
Tim Gotwols started with PAREI at the first Solar Thermal Energy Raiser in 2005 and went on to host the 14th Energy Raiser in 2006 at his home that he shares with his wife, Director Sandra Jones. Tim has been an integral part of PAREI since its inception attending the majority of PAREI’s Energy Raisers as a volunteer bringing with him his creativity and expertise in construction and structural design. In 2007, Tim joined PAREI as a sub-contractor on PAREI’s professional crew installing the racking for solar collectors for members seeking professional installations. He joined PAREI as a part time employee in 2013 supervising PAREI’s team of part time employees that install solar racking structures. When not working with PAREI, Tim is busy running his own business, TG Design Carpentry. Prior to 2005, Tim owned and operated Bayside Bikes of Meredith and Riverside Cycles of Ashland for 15 years.
Sally Jensen
World’s Best Volunteer
I am currently teaching middle school students about LIFE, in the name of science at Waterville Valley Academy. When I am not teaching, I spend a lot of special time, playing my clarinet in the Plymouth State University Symphonic Band and a bari saxophone in the Big Band Jazz Ensemble. I also take voice lessons, as I am singing in the Pemi Choral Society, Mountain Lake Chorale and sing solos once in a while. I also work with teachers planning workshops on the current curriculum that is available with each mission exploring space. I am a NASA Solar System Ambassador and give presentations to the public and teachers on space exploration. In this adventure of working with teachers, I continue to find amazing connections in the world around me. Einstein said, “Human beings, vegetables, or cosmic dust; we all dance to a mysterious tune, intoned in the distance by an invisible piper.” Einstein has an eloquent way with words and gets at the very heart of it all. How fitting these words are with my work with PAREI, which I love. Another of my favorite quotes of Einstein is “The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing.” How fitting as I continue my quest as a Solar System Ambassador and realizing how blessed we are on Earth as it is in the right place in our Solar System to sustain life and we need to protect that.
Michele Lacroix
Groton, NH
PAREI Bookkeeper
Michele has been with PAREI since March 2011. During that time, she has participated in a home button up project and been the site of an outdoor light Solar Energy Raiser. Originally from Penacook, she has lived in Groton for the past 22 years.building and fixing things.
Brandon Miller
Plymouth, NH
LFP Assistant Manager
Brandon Miller Assistant Manager Local Foods Plymouth since 2015. Owner Lazy Acres Farm, Plymouth Soap Works and Plein Air glamping site. Passionate about preserving local agriculture and New Hampshire’s unique way of life. Likes dogs, goats, dairy products, skiing, hiking, building and fixing things.
Caryn Shield
Plymouth, NH
NH Solar Shares Coordinator and Volunteer Coordinator
Board of Directors
Zak Brohinsky
PAREI, President of the Board
After interning with PAREI while in college in 2009, Zak arrived back in the Plymouth area in 2011 to help run PAREI’s Efficiency Training Program designed to build the ‘green workforce’ in New Hampshire. Zak’s role changed when he stepped down as an employee and became a member of the PAREI Board of Directors, and Local Foods Plymouth Advisory Committee in January 2015. In March 2018, Zak stepped into the role of President of the Board. He has the unique position of experiencing PAREI from intern to employee to board member to president of the board.
Currently, Zak works as an open space, recreation, and municipal planning consultant with various entities across the Northeast including land trusts, trail groups, state agencies and municipal governments. Additionally, Zak teaches at the university level.
Will Abbott
PAREI Board of Directors
Holderness, NH
Will and his wife Alicia moved from Henniker to Holderness in 1993, when he was hired to become the Executive Director of the Squam Lakes Natural Science Center. From 2006 to 2023 (when he retired) he served as Vice President for Policy and Land Management at the Society for the Protection on NH Forests. He currently serves on two other boards, as Vice Chair of the Lakes Region Conservation Trust and Treasurer of the VT/NH Chapter of the American Chestnut Foundation. Will strongly shares the PAREI commitment to advancing renewable energy, energy conservation, and increased reliance on consumption of locally produced food. He is an avid gardener, enjoys reading political biographies, and relishes ambling walks in the woods (“horizontal hiking”).
Diane Arsenault
PAREI Board of Directors – Secretary
Campton, NH
Diane is a New Hampshire native and the daughter of two long term volunteers for the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests. Her family ethos centered on respect for the environment, the motto of “reduce, reuse, recycle” and enjoyment of an abundance of home-grown vegetables. As she neared retirement from a long career as a family doctor and Hospice physician, she rejuvenated her childhood love of the earth through completing a Permaculture Design certification at D Acres and NH Cooperative Extension’s Natural Resource Stewards course. Her volunteer work as a Quincy Bog Host keeps her NRS knowledge fresh! She and her husband Pete Pirnie involved PAREI in the installation of a grid tied 9.3 KW solar PV array as part of the permaculture design for their Campton retirement home. The solar energy helps to power 2 plug in hybrid cars and mini splits as their main heat source. Local Foods Plymouth is a large part of their commitment to eating food produced within 100 miles of their home.
Diane and Pete have 2 children – Steve is a physiatrist (rehab and physical medicine physician) in Rhode Island and Claire is a physical therapist in Maine. 2 of their 4 grandchildren have disabilities, and Diane and Pete help with their care as needed. Their other interests include travel, hiking, bicycling, and adding native plants to their property.
Kim Godfrey Lovett
PAREI Board of Directors
Holderness, NH
Kim is a passionate nonprofit executive who fell in love with the Squam Lake area in 2013 and became a year-round resident in August 2017. She is a co-founder of two nonprofit organizations that work nationally to integrate adolescent development research and practices into juvenile justice systems so youths receive the services they need to continue on the pathway to becoming healthy, productive and purposeful adults. She also is a passionate solar power advocate and proud owner of a solar array and battery backup system at home, thanks to PAREI. She serves as the executive director of the PbS Learning Institute and led the transition that created the nonprofit from a fully federally-funded project into an independent, financially stable and now thriving organization.
Pat May
PAREI Board of Directors
Plymouth, NH
Patrick May is a recently retired Geography professor who lives in Bridgewater. He taught at Plymouth State University for 25 years, where he developed the social studies education program and coordinated the geography and environmental planning programs. His teaching interests are in cultural, historical, and urban geography and he enjoyed working as part of an interdisciplinary committee to develop PSU’s sustainability, minor and major. His first interaction with PAREI was in the placement of student interns, and was always excited to see students gain valuable experience in energy, sustainability and planning areas. Pat and his wife Patti have enjoyed living in the Plymouth area for 25 years and spend their time kayaking, hiking and traveling.
MaryAnn McGarry
PAREI Board of Directors – President-elect
Plymouth, NH
MaryAnn McGarry is professor emerita of Plymouth State University in Environmental Science and Policy. She continues to co-teach a Foundation in Environmental Policy course in the spring semester, offer Shin Rin Yoku (forest bathing) sessions, and give tree tours on campus and in the community. She has lived in Plymouth since 2004 and PAREI installed solar hot water in 2006. She is on the list for a rooftop PV array to charge her plug-in hybrid car, lawn mower, and mini-split. She is converting her yard to perennials for pollinators. McGarry developed one of the two required courses for the sustainability minor at PSU. She loves living in a walkable community. McGarry loves to ski- downhill, skin, and Nordic and bike, especially on Rail trail sections throughout New England. She is hiking all the 4000 peaks in the Northeast and has completed all the high peaks in NH and Vermont so far, and many in the Adirondacks and Maine.
Ashley Saba
PAREI Board of Directors
Plymouth, NH
Ashley Saba brings a unique blend of strategic vision, technical expertise, and deep community roots to her role on PAREI’s Board of Directors. A seasoned program leader in the tech industry, she currently serves as a Principal Program Manager at Sonos, working at the intersection of hardware, software, and go-to-market strategy. Outside of her day job, she’s a dedicated public servant: Chair of the Plymouth Energy Commission, creator of the town’s first community composting initiative, and co-leader of the Plymouth Community Garden. Ashley is deeply committed to strengthening local connections and building the foundations for community self-reliance.
Lisetta Silvestri
PAREI Board of Directors – Treasurer
Holderness, NH
Lisetta works on land protection projects, conservation transactions, and other real estate matters at Ransmeier & Spellman. She previously worked at the Lakes Region Conservation Trust as the Land Conservation and Special Projects Director. She is a senior fellow at the Environmental Leadership Program, graduated from St. John’s College, and holds a J.D. from The University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law. She is a member of the NH Bar and lives with her husband, son and their dogs in Holderness.
Paige Wilson
PAREI Board of Directors
Dover, NH
Being born and raised in northern New Hampshire, Paige naturally developed a passion for the environment by spending time outside as a child. She attended Plymouth State University and received her B.S (2017) and M.S (2019) degrees in Environmental Science & Policy where her studies focused on sustainability, natural sciences, anthropology, community planning, policy, and land use regulations. During her graduate program, Paige found her career niche in recycling and composting when she worked as a Solid Waste Planner at the Lakes Region Planning Commission. There, she helped secure grants through state and federal funding programs to support local waste projects and infrastructure. Paige joined New Hampshire’s Department of Environmental Services in 2022 as their Waste Reduction & Diversion Planner, where she provides solid waste technical assistance to municipalities, businesses, legislators, and residents on a day-to-day basis. In her spare time, Paige enjoys going to music festivals, making art, spending time with her friends, skiing, and photography.
Carl McNall
Sandwich, NH
On Wed morning March 11, 2020, we lost our long time board member and friend Carl McNall to cancer. Carl walked into our lives in 2006 when he learned that there was a hands-on group in Plymouth putting solar thermal systems on each others’ homes. Carl went on to host the first solar energy raiser in Sandwich in 2007 at his and his wife Milan’s home. From there he volunteered his leadership, plumbing and electrical skills at dozens of energy raisers in Sandwich and the Plymouth area through to PAREI’s last one in 2016. Carl served as board president and a board member for 13 years frequently citing his grandchildren’s future for his reasons for wanting to see our world transition to renewable energy. He was the constant voice of reason, a rock for our staff to lean on and had a smile and a sense of humor we will all sorely miss.
With the support of Carl’s family, the PAREI board of directors named the organization’s endowment fund the “Carl McNall Endowment Fund” so his passion for advancing the adoption of solar energy will live on in his memory.
