About Us

Founding member of IMPACT100 – Hunterdon Chapter – Founding member of HYS/Binnacle House Community Foundation – Board member HYS/Binnacle House – A group home for boys “at risk” – A personal loss led me to Binnacle House in 2016 and I have never looked back.  Volunteering, fund raising through events, events specializing in helping children and families in Hunterdon County.  As the Facilities Chair, I maintained the House and 4-acre property. It gave me a unique opportunity to interact with our boys and help them learn about some of the routine tasks needed to maintain the property.

I am married and have lived in Delaware Township, Hunterdon County for 35 years.  After an extensive corporate career in technology, I was the sole proprietor of several Hunterdon County based businesses before “retiring” to partner with my husband in our residential property management business.  My hobby is landscape photography and enjoy photographing the amazing beauty of the area in which we live.

Lynn grew up in Birmingham, Alabama and graduated from Auburn University with a BS in Accounting. She moved to Atlanta to begin a 25-year career in the Bell System, starting with Western Electric and ending in Lucent Technologies, including positions in New Orleans and ultimately in New Jersey in 1980. During that time, she got an MBA from the Wharton School of Business. Upon leaving Lucent, Lynn had various positions in non-profit organizations, including trade associations, animal welfare organizations, and finally South Branch Watershed Association. She also served on the Boards of St. Huberts Animal Welfare Center and the Patriots Path Council Boy Scouts of America. She currently serves on the Board of the Hunterdon Land Trust.

Lynn is married to Bud Becker and lives on a small farm in Raritan Township with their two dogs.

Kristin Cantwell is an experienced non-profit executive who is passionate about making a difference in the lives of women and children. At Safe and Sound Somerset, as Vice President of Development & Communications, Kristin oversees all facets of private fundraising and communications, introducing innovative strategies to ensure the availability of services to survivors of domestic, dating and sexual violence.

Kristin’s first nonprofit leadership position was in the mid-90s as the executive director of a women’s health clinic, at a time when government support was becoming less certain. She groomed a new board of directors and initiated efforts to diversify funding, which ultimately lead to a more reliable, consistent revenue stream and laid the groundwork for a capital campaign to purchase a facility.

Kristin consulted in development and nonprofit management for over a decade. Her clients included hospitals, social service and community organizations, secondary education, and cultural and arts groups. At Safe and Sound Somerset, Kristin is excited to be able to utilize her extensive experience in development on behalf of an important organization providing critical services.

Kristin lives in Whitehouse Station, NJ with her husband and has two adult children. She is a student of watercolor painting and enjoys knitting, gardening and time with her three dogs. Kristin is a former Girl Scout leader. Her twelve -year tenure culminated with three girls earning Gold Awards, the highest award in Girl Scouts. She has also served as trustee and President of the Readington Education Foundation. She received her bachelor’s degree in economics and business administration from Muhlenberg College, and attended Harvard Business School’s certification program for Strategic Management of Non-Profits.

Having had the privilege of not working professionally for 25 years so that I could raise our children and care for my parents, I joined my husband’s business in 2014 as Director of Community Relations. I have been a board member at Safe in Hunterdon since 2018 and have assisted many other community organizations since moving to Hunterdon County in 1987.

Jessica has a Bachelor’s degree in Management/International Business from Kean University, NJ. She worked for Corporate America for 10 years before she decided to be a stay-home-mom. Once her children got older, she re-entered the workforce as a Domestic and International Relocation Consultant helping families with their relocation needs. She had always been involved in the community and when the opportunity presented itself to work for a non-profit organization, she embraced it and served as a Community Relations and Volunteer Coordinator for over 4 years.

Jessica’s personal experience with coordinating care for her mother Liana who had several health challenges, along with her passion for helping others, have been her biggest motivation to pursue the senior care business. She is the co-owner and Administrator of A Place At Home, an in-home senior care agency serving various counties in New Jersey including Hunterdon county. She loves to help seniors and their families because she understands firsthand the challenges families face when they are trying to find the best care for their loved ones. Jessica is married to Neil and together they have 2 children, Julia and Ryan.

Colleen is the President of Shifting Gears Consulting, a consulting firm that focuses on development, training, communications, writing, board development, and strategic planning for small nonprofits. She gained business experience as a Vice President with CoreStates Bank where she sold treasury management services to the large corporate market. Since then, Ms. Duerr has decades of experience in the nonprofit sector.

Her many volunteer roles include: advocate for children in foster care with CASA/SHaW, trustee of the Somerset Hills Learning Institute, Impact 100 Leadership Council, organizing concerts and housing for the African Children’s Choir, weekly Order Coordinator with the Flemington Area Food Pantry, and Elder with Clinton Presbyterian Church.

Colleen earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications from the Pennsylvania State University, including a semester at University of Manchester (England), a Masters in Nonprofit Leadership from LaSalle University, and she is a Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE).

CEO Emeritus of United Way of Hunterdon County, Bonnie has passionately and selflessly served Hunterdon
County’s families and non-profit communities for over 25 years. Most recently she is the Chief Experience Officer and has launched Bonita Duncan Consulting providing strategic and capacity-building services for non-profit organizations. Interim executive services and board development.

Carolyn began her career in the NYC corporate office of a property and casualty insurance company. For 17 years, she held roles in product development, actuarial, systems and management reporting.

Sidelined by a life threatening illness, Carolyn stepped down and began working for her husband’s family business—a local trucking and warehousing company.

In 2006, she stopped working to undergo a lifesaving liver transplant. Since then, she has been a PBC Advocate Cohort on the National Patient Advisory Committee for the American Liver Foundation (ALF). She often visited DC/Congress to lobby for medical research support, and to raise awareness about liver disease.

For the past ten years, she has been on the board of Binnacle House in various roles, and currently serves as Treasurer. Recently, she became a founding member on the Leadership Council for Impact 100 Hunterdon. Helping to support the community is an honor for her.

A resident of Whitehouse Station since 1997, Carolyn and her husband have raised three (now adult) children. In her free time she enjoys helping her children with their pursuits, attending Broadway shows, going out to eat, and traveling with family and friends.

For over 30 years, Michelle Heide has served families in Hunterdon County with expert financial advice and wealth management. As the owner of Gentlestone Wealth, she makes the community central to her mission to give back. She serves on the boards of the Hunterdon County Chamber of Commerce and volunteers with Clinton Sunrise Rotary and the Central Jersey Chapter of Room to Read, a non-profit whose vision focuses on literacy and gender equality in education.

Elizabeth Loew joined Impact 100 Hunterdon in January of 2024. She and her husband have been actively involved in the community since returning to the area in 2000, and recognize the ripple effect of encouraging local non-profits to thrive. Over the past 24 years, Elizabeth has served on the Board of the Flemington Area Food Pantry and the Hunterdon County Chamber Foundation, and has volunteered with Girls on the Run, Let Me Run, and the Readington Township Public Schools.

A Private Client Advisor with Rockwood Wealth Management in New Hope, PA, Elizabeth earned her BA from Bucknell University and her MBA from the University of Rochester. She and her husband Darren live in Whitehouse Station, NJ with their four children.

Jerri May-Grimes is a residential loan consultant for Top Vine Mortgage Services in Watchung, N.J. and has been in the lending industry for over 20 years. She also assumed a business manager role at her husband’s law firm in 2008 and developed a unique perspective on many aspects of real estate matters.

Being of service in her community is important to Jerri and has volunteered with many local nonprofits.
She is an active member of the Readington Township Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) since 2013, a former Ambassador for The Somerset County Business Partnership, and a member of the Woman’s Club of Tewksbury Township. She has served as Trustee for the Binnacle House Community Foundation for over 10 years, and currently serves as Board President.

Jerri is a 35-year resident of Hunterdon County, married to Raymond Grimes, and has 5 adult children.
In her spare time, she enjoys gardening, skiing, and recently with her husband, ATV riding.

Serving in her 4th term as Hunterdon County Clerk, Mary Melfi has a long career of public service beginning in 1993 as a local Planning Board member, Board of Adjustment member and trained mediator for the Community Dispute Resolution Program in the courts. She served as Flemington’s Emergency Management Coordinator from 2004 to 2019.

Mary ran for Flemington Boro Council in 1994 and served her hometown for 12 years in that capacity until 2006 when she ran for County Clerk. During her tenure as Clerk she, has served as President of the Constitutional Officers Association of New Jersey and as the President of the New Jersey Association of Counties. She currently is serving as the legislative liaison for COANJ.

Mary feels extremely privileged that she has been able to use her services as a wedding officiant to raise over $75,000 in donations for Safe in Hunterdon. Mary was featured on the NBC Nightly News in January 2013 as one of their “Persons of the Week” for her work with the organization. She also serves as Vice President of the 200 Club of Hunterdon and as a board member of the Hunterdon Chamber of Commerce and Impact 100.

In her role as County Clerk, Mary has reached out to residents throughout the County, providing education on the election process, the use of the search room, making available family friendly passport hours and has initiated services such as Veteran’s and County IDs for the residents throughout the County.

Dr. Prosswimmer served as Chief Medical Officer for Hunterdon Healthcare Partners, an integrated delivery system partnering Hunterdon Health System and its 400 physicians, from 2011 until her retirement in 2024. Among her responsibilities were care transformation and value based care delivery. Example initiatives include patient centered medical homes, care coordination and social work, integrated behavioral health, integrated clinical pharmacy, and extensive population health programs. Special projects beyond traditional quality programs include Care Planning for Serious Illness, Post-acute Facility Partnerships, Opioid and Benzo reduction, and Diversity and Equity.

Prior to her administrative roles, Dr. Prosswimmer practiced with Hunterdon Pediatric Associates for 26 years. She has served with many community organizations and was named the New Jersey Physician of the Year by NJHA.

Dr. Prosswimmer received her undergraduate degree from Lehigh University and her medical degree from UMDNJ-Rutgers Medical School. She did her residency in pediatrics at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, where she served as chief resident.

A retired attorney, Leanne Treese is the author of five published book club and romance novels. She is an Amazon bestseller and the recipient of several writing awards, including The Best Independent Book Award. A member of the Women’s Fiction Writers Association, Leanne runs their annual scholarship auction, an effort which raises upwards of $20,000 per year. In addition, Leanne is active in the Clinton Presbyterian Church through which she co-chairs a monthly craft night at Anderson House, a home for women recovering from substance abuse. She is a feature writer for the Impact 100 newsletter, serves on both the grant review and administration teams, and is assisting with the sponsorship committee. In her free time, Leanne enjoys
running, spoiling her three labrador retrievers, and traveling with her husband of thirty-one years.

Christine is a devoted Christian, wife, and mother. Holding a Masters of Education in Psychological Studies from Seton Hall University, she pivoted from 10 years of teaching to join Walkers & Associates a Private Wealth Advisory Practice of Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC. She has worked alongside her husband while raising their two children for the last 21 years. She is currently the Chief Operations Officer at Walkers & Associates and her passion, innovation, grit, and generosity impact the practice, local community and beyond. She cherishes working with Stephen, connecting with clients, and delights in helping those in need. She is dedicated to optimizing the strategic initiatives of the firm and implementing innovative ideas that deliver significant value and immeasurable impact to their clients and local non-profits.

For 10 years and counting Christine and her husband have created a pop-up pantry that has united the community through their National Day of Service to provide literal tons of food to thousands of families in need — this is their favorite event of the year! Christine has had the privilege of wearing many hats as a Den and Class Mom, Brownie and Girl Scout Leader, Eucharistic and Lazarus Minister, Catechist and her favorite, Fairy God Mother.

Valeria moved to New Jersey in 1978 and with her background in chemistry began her career in manufacturing technology development at Western Electric. After a number of corporate transitions, she retired from Lucent Technologies in 2001, and joined her husband Bill’s consulting company, Metrus Group, which did work in human resources and corporate strategy. The company was closed when they retired in 2021, providing more time for other interests—in particular, travel.

Her prior board experience includes ten years serving on the Board of NYHRPS (now SCN), a New York city based professional organization, focused on senior human resources practitioners. During that time, she served as treasurer, then as co-president.

She and Bill have lived in Hunterdon County for over 30 years and enjoy it very much.

She is delighted to be a part of an organization that is giving back to Hunterdon County in a significant way.