Board Officers & Directors
The following beautiful people help our organization fly to greater heights by serving on our board of directors, bringing in donations, and volunteering for our programs and events.

Jim Cavan
CO-FOUNDER & EX OFFICIO MEMBER
Jim Cavan’s expertise is in public relations and communications. He currently works for Maine’s Congresswoman, Chellie Pingree, as her Deputy Press Secretary, and has written both a memoir in honor of Rett and a novel dedicated to his daughter, Everly.
Jim was long convinced he would never be more proud than he was the day his baby boy arrived. But through Everett’s brave battle with cancer, his dad’s pride, like the many tears, only swelled. And while the pain of losing his firstborn will never fully subside, Jim finds strength in knowing Rett’s Roost has a truly special spirit watching over it.
Expect to see Jim doing a little bit of everything around the Roost: supporting the Board of Directors, writing extraordinary stories of strength, conjuring up various family adventures, and cooking the best breakfasts this side of mom’s kitchen—a laughing, loving little owl on his shoulder all the while.

Beecher Grogan
INTERIM CHAIR OF THE BOARD
Beecher Grogan has years of experience in nonprofit leadership, fundraising, and program development. She co-founded Lucy’s Love Bus and was the Executive Director for 16 years, delivering comfort and quality of life to childhood cancer patients, their siblings, and their parents through free integrative therapies.
Beecher’s oldest daughter Lucy was diagnosed with the adult form of leukemia in 2002. In January of 2004, Lucy’s cancer relapsed and she underwent a bone marrow transplant from an unrelated donor. Lucy developed chronic graft versus host disease and succumbed to her illness in July of 2006. Before Lucy passed she helped launch Lucy’s Love Bus from her hospital bed in Boston.
Beecher is the owner of Bittersweet End-of-Life Doula Care and lives on a working farm in Lebanon, Maine with her youngest son (Eli) and a barn full of farm animals, large and small.

Gregory Doolittle TREASURER
In Greg Doolittle’s professional life, he serves as a Compliance Officer for a community mutual savings bank.
He lives in Ogunquit, Maine with his husband and their beloved dog, Teddy. He first discovered Rett’s Roost through a bank where he was working at the time and quickly fell in love with the organization’s mission. After volunteering at their Superhero 5K event, his dedication and passion led him to join the Home Tour Committee.
Now, as a proud board member and Treasurer of Rett’s Roost, he is committed to supporting the nonprofit’s efforts in creating a loving and healing community for families impacted by childhood cancer and loss.

Kate McCary SECRETARY
Kate McCary has an extensive health communications background. She worked for the communications and marketing team at the American Cancer Society for six years, helping to draw media attention to Making Strides Against Breast Cancer, Relay For Life and Daffodil Days.
Kate McCary’s son James was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma (T-cell Lymphoblastic Lymphoma) in July of 2020. In October of 2021, he suffered a relapse, and underwent additional intense chemotherapy, radiation, and a bone marrow transplant. Kate and her family have come to find great comfort in the services offered through Rett’s Roost. They participated in two survivor retreats, as well as the Behold the Cold Polar Plunge and Superhero 5K events.
She is currently a healthcare PR freelancer and enjoys running and spending time with her family. Kate lives in Brentwood, NH with her husband Mike, two sons, Nathaniel and James, and daughter Anna.

Brent Austin BUSINESS ADMIN/IT
Brent Austin has an MBA from the University of New Hampshire and over 20 years of experience in the Information Technology industry.
In 2019, Brent’s son Evan, was diagnosed with DIPG, a terminal brain tumor. Evan battled for three years before he passed away in June 2022. Brent is familiar with the services offered by Rett’s Roost, as they have provided continuous support to his family since Evan’s diagnosis. Because of this perspective, he is motivated to assist in furthering Rett’s Roost’s mission and helping to find creative ways to provide support for families like his.
When not at work as Sr. Director of Engineering for Liberty Mutual, you will most likely find him on the basketball court, coaching his daughter’s basketball teams. Brent lives in Hampton, NH with his wife (Jess) and daughter (Avery).

David Poskanzer COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
David Poskanzer has a BS from Ithaca College in Health Care Administration. and an MBA, with a concentration in Leadership and Social Responsibility from Boston College. His career was rooted in sales, marketing and operations for innovative healthcare services and technology.
David’s commitment to Rett’s Roost is personal. Prior to David being born, his family lost a young son to Leukemia. Helping families to have hope and to heal is the best way he can think of to give back in his retirement.
David likes to get fundraising done, while raising awareness and having fun! Although his name is synonymous with the annual home tour, he likes to give of himself so much more! Raising money for Rett’s Roost has no ceiling, David just wants to make sure all in need have access to hope and healing.

Leah Bares LEGAL AFFAIRS
Leah Bares has a background in environmental, business, and civil law, although she is currently focusing on her art career and raising her children in Kennebunk, ME.
She is also the bereaved mom of Laurel Pearl, who died of Neuroblastoma in 2018. Leah has recently moved to Kennebunkport, ME and reached out in hopes of helping Rett’s Roost with fundraising and advocacy, which has become her passion since Laurel’s death.
With her legal background and an unbridled drive to help families facing pediatric cancer and child loss, Leah took on the role of Secretary for her last term and has decided to stay on the Rett’s Roost Board of Directors for another term.

Anne Biese TRAUMA-INFORMED THERAPIST
Ann Biese is a graduate of UW-Wisconsin and holds multiple certifications, including trauma-informed C-IAYT, RCYT, and MBSR. She is employed as a yoga and meditation therapist at Massachusetts General Hospital, working with children with cancer through Lucy’s Love Bus.
With over ten years of clinical yoga therapy experience, she has also worked at Tufts and Wentworth-Douglas hospitals. Ann has presented yoga and mindfulness practices globally in hospitals, schools, and conferences. She has authored children’s books and co-authored a mindfulness series. Ann also teaches trauma-informed yoga to at-risk communities both domestically and internationally and has served on the boards of Lucy’s Love Bus and as President of Go Give Yoga. She led yoga teacher training programs in Haiti and Mississippi, assisting individuals with Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (C-PTSD).
In her free time, Ann spends time with her family at their Lake Home, loves horseback riding with her rescue horse Ginger, enjoys hiking with her husband, and loves doing Dinosaur yoga with her grandson.