Meet the Team
L. Renée Couture, MSW
Executive Director
(Lisa) Renée joined KBIC in May of 2009. As executive director, she is responsible to the board of directors for leadership and management of the organization and its programs and managing financial and human resources. Renée’s prior managerial positions include executive director of Fair Tide, outreach program director for Rockingham Community Action, and program coordinator of The Birchtree Center. She earned her master’s degree in social work from the University of New England in 2000 and her bachelor’s degree from the University of New Hampshire in 1994.
Jay Lancaster, MS CCC-SLP
Program Director
Jay Lancaster is an ASHA-certified speech-language pathologist who joined KBIC in September 2021. He earned his Master’s degree in Communication Disorders from Emerson College in 2018. Prior to starting at KBIC, he provided family-centered speech and language services in early intervention and pediatric private practice settings. Jay is thrilled to take on the role of Program Director after holding other positions at KBIC including Member Services Coordinator and Program Coordinator. He is committed to developing a strong community-based program for acquired brain injury survivors that centers on improving quality of life through high-quality, evidence-based programming.
Terry Hyland
Community Relations Director
Terry joined KBIC in October of 2022. A seacoast New Hampshire native, he received his bachelor’s degree in Marketing from SNHU in 2013. Terry has held multiple positions within post-acute care organizations and brings nearly a decade of experience in communications and marketing. In his role as Director of Communications and Outreach, he works to cultivate and strengthen relationships with healthcare providers and the public to increase referrals to and awareness of KBIC. Acknowledging that “gaps” in the healthcare system can exist and are sometimes substantial, Terry was thrilled to join the accessible and supportive community that is KBIC, to begin spreading the word of the multitude of services they offer specifically tailored to those living with the long-term effects of acquired brain injury.
Heather Gilbert, MS, OTR/L
Program Strategist
Heather joined KBIC in May of 2021. She is an occupational therapist who formerly interned at KBIC in 2014. She started her career in mental health, working with adults in both inpatient and community-based settings before returning to her roots to oversee a number of community-based brain injury services. Heather is passionate about applying her occupational therapy lens to infuse meaning and function into all aspects of the services and programs she touches. She currently serves as adjunct faculty at Tufts University and the University of New Hampshire where she teaches the psychosocial occupational therapy practice courses. Heather is also pursuing her post-professional Occupational Therapy Doctorate (OTD) degree at Tufts, where her research focuses on identifying pathways, barriers, and supports to OT leadership in community-based settings. Heather enjoys guest lecturing and is an active presenter at occupational therapy conferences.
Kelly Redwine-DePierre, MS, OTR/L
Senior Program Coordinator
Kelly joined KBIC in October 2012. She has a Master’s of Science in occupational therapy and worked in the field of mental health for more than seven years. Kelly interned at KBIC and now enjoys her role as educator and mentor to the many students who complete their internships at the center.
Ashlie Peters, MS
Program Coordinator
Ashlie joined KBIC in June 2022 after previously volunteering with the program for multiple years. She first learned of KBIC while working as a Speech Language Pathologist on the seacoast of New Hampshire. And even while taking a break from her career to focus on life at home with three children and a crazy dog, she enjoyed staying connected with survivors of brain injury through volunteer work. Ashlie has always thoroughly enjoyed finding creative ways to encourage involvement in the community for people after brain injury and is excited to continue this work at KBIC as one of our Program Coordinators.
Nicholas Ho, CTRS
Program Specialist
Nick joined KBIC in July of 2022. He is a certified therapeutic recreation specialist who formerly interned at KBIC in 2009. After earning his bachelor’s degree in Recreation Management and Policy from the University of New Hampshire, he spent several years supporting the recreation and leisure needs of different communities throughout the country. He is excited to be returning to KBIC to bring his perspective as a certified therapeutic recreation specialist to the staff and community.
Lisa Kopecki Thompson
Executive and Operations Associate
Lisa joined KBIC in June 2021. She studied Organizational Leadership at Southern New Hampshire University and recently retired from Liberty Mutual where she worked for 25 years in various customer service and IT roles. Lisa also brings with her knowledge and empathy from a caregiver’s perspective as her husband has been living with TBI since his near fatal accident in October of 2014. Lisa is excited to join the KBIC team because of the strong vision and meaningful mission of the organization geared towards those living with acquired brain injury.
Betsy Oski
Development Associate
Betsy joined KBIC in April of 2015. Betsy brings ten years’ experience as a Human Resources professional, including recruitment, talent management, and systems administration. Betsy earned a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from William Smith College, Geneva NY. Betsy is looking forward to working with KBIC staff, board of directors, donors and members.
Christa Bellmare, MSW
Community Relations Specialist
Christa joined KBIC in April 2023. She earned her MSW from the University of New Hampshire and has worked in community mental health and residential settings. In her role as Community Relations Specialist, she supports Community Relations, Marketing, and Outreach initiatives as well as KBIC Community and Fundraising events. Christa is grateful to be part of KBIC’s innovative programming and to have the privilege of learning from the vast experience of its staff and members.
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