BOARD OF DIRECTORS and PROJECT LEADERS

 Meet our Board of Directors and Project Leaders

Lauren Murphy

President

Arlington Heights native Lauren Murphy attended Northeastern University before moving to Stoneham 23 years ago.  She owns and runs a home daycare and quickly became active in the  Stoneham public school system while her three adult children were in the schools.  

​Lauren was Co-President for the South School and Middle School PTOs, a Girl Scout and Cub Scout leader, president of the Music Parents Association and a board member of the Grid Iron Club. Currently Lauren is on the SHS Council, the Farmers Market Committee, the Stoneham 300th Anniversary Committee, and volunteers at the community dinner.

Mary Shannon Thomas

Vice President

Mary Shannon is a clinical social worker, and passionate advocate for opportunity and equity, especially for those living with mental illness and experiencing homelessness. She and her partner moved to Stoneham in 2016, and enjoy the walkability and culinary diversity of the town. After she finished her Master’s in Social Work at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in her home state of NC, she moved to Massachusetts to pursue work in the field of mental health. She has worked in Greater Boston and the Merrimack Valley for more than a decade as a clinician, educator, and advocate for affordable housing and mental health, and works to increase access to services and supports for vulnerable populations. Weather permitting, she enjoys gardening, and kayaking at Spot Pond, and weather NOT permitting is likely to be found with a book or two, or baking, all while being hounded for treats from her cat and dog. She pursued a collaboration with the Stoneham CDC hoping to serve her community, and work to find ways to promote thoughtful, sustainable growth.

TJ Murphy

Secretary

T.J. Murphy is the editor of The Writer, a magazine founded in 1887. T.J. has written for Outside magazine, Runner's World, and also served as editor-in-chief of Triathlete magazine. His books include the New York Times bestseller, Ready to Run. T.J. lives in Stoneham with his wife, Gretchen, and their two kids, Milo, nine, and Maddie, six.

Jenny Lecoq

Treasurer

Attracted by its charming New England character, “small town” feel and proximity to Boston, Jenny moved to Stoneham in 2016 with her husband and two young daughters.

Jenny completed her B.A. in Biology and Masters Certificate in Nonprofit Fundraising Management at Boston University. She taught English for nearly 10 years in Chile, Czech Republic, France and Romania. Jenny previously worked as a Development Officer, managing Foundation and Corporate relations, for the Boston Youth Symphony Orchestras and currently is the Development Director at the Friday Night Supper Program in Boston.

Betty Chu Pryor

Laurie Calvert

Director

A native New Yorker, Betty moved to Boston to pursue her undergraduate degree at Boston University in elementary education. Upon graduation, Betty started her teaching career in the Chelsea Public Schools. She earned her Master’s in Education at Lesley University while teaching full time.  Betty has also worked in event planning at Harvard Business School and for  a destination management company in Beacon Hill.  She is currently a kindergarten teacher at Belmont Day School, but has worn many hats at her workplace such as handling mentoring and onboarding for new faculty, working in the admissions department, co-chairing a diversity committee, and overseeing the school’s reaccreditation efforts. Betty also currently serves on the Stoneham School Committee.

Betty is a member of the Planning Committee for Stoneham Reads and was as a book group facilitator in 2021.  Betty is excited to bring more family-friendly and community service events to our town, to continue to expand diversity efforts, and to put her event planning skills to good use. 

Director

Julie is a graphic designer, creative director, writer, and mother of three who has called Stoneham home since 2006. Originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, she received her B.A. in Philosophy from St. John’s College in Santa Fe New Mexico, and then lived abroad in Norway, Canada, and Japan. Upon returning to the US, she studied design at Massachusetts College of Art and Design, and has spent the last 20 years working with prominent Boston institutions such as the Museum of Fine Arts, Zipcar, and Flour Bakery + Cafe. She is looking forward to bringing her knowledge of design and branding, advocacy for the Spot Pond and the Fells, and her passion for the arts, to her position at the Stoneham CDC. In her free time, you’re likely to find her cheering on her boys and knitting during their many soccer, lacrosse and hockey games.

Ayman Doughman

Director

Ayman currently serves as a Vice President for R4 Capital LLC (R4), where he is responsible for underwriting and closing equity and loan products to finance affordable housing nationwide. 
Before joining R4 in May 2022, Ayman worked at the Massachusetts Housing Investment Corporation (MHIC) for over a decade, starting in 2012 in the Finance Department as a Finance specialist responsible for various reporting and accounting functions, then transferring to the Development team in 2015 to serve as an Investment Officer, where he started working directly with upper management on forming the Healthy Neighborhoods Equity Fund (HNEF) and creating fund level and project specific financial models. Ayman was responsible for the marketing, acquisition, underwriting, and closing of loan and equity products including HNEF, Low Income Housing Tax Credits, and New Markets Tax Credits.

 Ayman graduated from the University of Massachusetts Boston earning his bachelor’s degree in Management with a concentration in Finance. In 2017, he became a Chartered Financial Analyst after successfully completing the three levels of the CFA Institute’s program.

Nathan Koontz

KSB Chair

After searching for the perfect balance of small town community and large city benefits to raise their young and growing family, Nathan and his wife moved to Stoneham in 2016. Nathan attended Northeastern University where he earned his Bachelors of Science in Mechanical Engineering. Since graduating he has held various roles focused on Customer Engagement and Success in the Biotech and Robotics industries. He currently leads a global team of application engineers for a robotics startup in Boston. When he’s not working, Nathan can be found hiking through the Fells with his family, enjoying the Greenway, working on his home, and learning new woodworking skills.
 
Nathan currently chairs the Keep Stoneham Beautiful (KSB) Steering Committee.

Julie Shulman

STAC Facilitator

​Laurie has worked, lived, and played in the Boston area for over 20 years. She is in her element when she contributes to and collaborates with organizations that connect her to the community because she knows that these organizations can transform a community into their best collective self. Professionally, she brings diversity from many sectors that are central to the Massachusetts economy. However her passion is to work with small and main street businesses to help them navigate growth. Laurie leads the Stoneham Transportation Advisory Committee that advocates for multi-modal transportation that is safe, affordable, and equitable for everyone in Stoneham. Laurie completed her master’s degree in Urban and Environmental Policy + Planning at Tufts University and she holds an undergraduate degree in Business Administration.

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