The Team at NH Collaborative Divorce
About The Organization
Collaborative Divorce New Hampshire (CDNH) is a New Hampshire voluntary corporation, tax exempt under IRC 501(c) 6, which is governed by a board of directors. CDNH was founded by a handful of members of the New Hampshire Bar who had too often seen the damage done to families embroiled in the litigation process, and who rejoiced to learn of an alternative approach originated by Stu Webb in Minnesota.
Our Growth
In the last decade, we have trained over 100 lawyers and other professionals to resolve disputes with collaborative methods. In 2010, we expanded to include mental health professionals and financial planners in our membership. Representatives from the majority of the largest law firms in NH are among our members. CDNH is a member organization of the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals, and is proud to be a part of furthering that organization’s goal, Resolving Disputes Respectfully.
Interested in becoming a member? Please click on the following links for an application. Our minimum standards for members are also available below for you to view.
Our Officers & Board Members
Kate Morneau
co-chair
-International Academy of Collaborative Professionals (IACP) Member
-Attended the IACP conference in San Diego 2021, Seattle in 2018, Chicago in 2012
-2021 IACP Leadership Academy
-Nashua Practice Group Member
-NHCD Public Education Committee -NHCD Blog and Newsletter
-Past NHCD Co-Chair of the Board
Professional Type: Attorney
Location: Nashua
Cynthia Weston
co-chair
I am a New Hampshire native, working in Londonderry for my entire professional career. As a member of the NH bar since 1982, I have dedicated my practice to family law. As a member of CDNH since 2010, I have been pleased to be involved with over a dozen collaborative cases, and hope to focus my practice in that direction.
Location: Londonderry
Caren Rifkin
SECRETARY
Caren Rifkin is a licensed clinical social worker and board-certified biofeedback therapist, with over 35 years of clinical experience working with individuals, groups, couples, children and families in diverse settings such as private practice, hospitals, substance abuse treatment centers, corporations and mental health centers. A career provider of integrative mental health counseling, Caren was trained in 2014 in collaborative divorce practice and mediation. She is committed to helping individuals and families work together to manage the challenges of divorce. She is a member of the Nashua Practice Group and CDNH public education committee.
Professional Type: Mental Health
Location: Windham
Jill Boynton
TREASURER
Jill B. Boynton, CFP®, CDFA®, is co-principal of Cornerstone Financial Planning LLC, a fee-only financial planning firm in Newington NH and Portland ME. The firm provides comprehensive financial planning and investment management services. She has been assisting parties in the process of divorce since 2004 and has helped individuals to navigate decisions around the division of assets and assignment of income in addition to addressing tax matters and a myriad of other financial issues.
Jill has worked with the NH Collaborative Law Alliance since 2010 and is a past, as well as present, board member. She participated in several basic trainings and advanced trainings and has led the Seacoast Practice Group.
Jill has been a CFP ® Certificant since 1999 and is a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst® and member of the Association of Divorce Financial Analysts and the Institute of Divorce Financial Professionals. She holds a BA in Economics from Tufts University.
Professional Type: Financial
Location: Newington
Mike Bonacorsi
board member
Mike Bonacorsi has over 20 years of experience in the financial services industry and is a Certified Financial Planner as well as a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst. Mike is also the author of “Retirement Readiness.” He has previously been involved with the Souhegan Valley Chamber of Commerce, Financial Planning Association of Northern New England, and was on the board of the New Hampshire Collaborative Divorce.
Professional Type: Financial
Location: Amherst
Karen Ela Kenny
BOARD MEMBER
Karen Ela Kenny, MSW, LICSW has been a Psychotherapist in private practice since 1982 in Nashua, New Hampshire. Her practice has been focused on working with children, adolescents, families and couples. She also provides counseling to young adults at St. Anselm’s college since 2005. She was the Clinical Director of Counseling from 2010-2016. In 2009 she became trained to be a Coach/Facilitator in the Collaborative Process of Divorcing. She was a Board Member of the NH Collaborative Divorce (2010-2016) and was Co-Chair from 2013-2015. She is actively involved with the Practice Group and Membership Committee of the NH Collaborative Divorce, and an active participant in the Greater Nashua Practice Group.
Karen has participated in several basic trainings and advanced trainings, has attended the IACP Annual Forum in Chicago, San Antonio, San Francisco, Washington DC, Philadelphia and Lake Las Vegas. She also took 48 hours of Mediation training in 2016. She has provided training on the Coaches role in New Hampshire, and has presented to CDNH members at the CDNH statewide practice group meetings and Annual Meeting on various topics. She was a co-presenter for a 2 day training in “Introductory Interdisciplinary Collaborative Divorce Training” in NH (2017). She also co-authored an article in the NH Bar Journal, Summer 2012, on “Interdisciplinary Collaborative Practice”.
Professional Type: Mental Health
Location: Nashua
Kathrine Lacey
BOARD MEMBER
Professional Type: Attorney
Location: Laconia
Petar Leonard
board member
Professional Type: Attorney
Location: Concord
Cathy McKay
Board Member
Catherine P. McKay, Esquire has been an attorney in private practice for over 27 years, focusing her practice on family law. She is a partner at Parnell, Michels & McKay, PLLC, with offices in Londonderry, New Hampshire and North Woodstock, New Hampshire. She is a founding member of the Collaborative Divorce Alliance of NH (CLANH). Her family law practice includes collaborative divorce and settlement assistance, as well as family law litigation. She is a former Board Member of the NH Collaborative Divorce (2000-2015) and was Co-Chair from 2013-2015. She is actively involved with the Member Education Committee, the Legislative Committee and the Access to Collaboration Committee of the NH Collaborative Divorce, and an active participant in the Greater Nashua Practice Group.
Cathy has participated in several basic trainings and advanced trainings, has attended the IACP Forum in Boston, San Francisco, Washington DC and Lake Las Vegas, and has participated in mediation training. She has provided basic interdisciplinary collaborative divorce training to professionals in New Hampshire and has presented to NH/CLA members at the NH/CLA statewide practice group meetings and Annual Meeting on various topics.
In addition to being a current member of the NH/CLA Board, Cathy is co-chair of the Access to Collaboration Committee in which she is working to develop ways to provide Collaborative Divorce services to persons of low and modest means. She is one of 4 members of the NH/CLA Legislative Committee, which has been working over the past few years to develop Collaborative Divorce legislation in New Hampshire. Legislation is currently pending before the NH Senate.
Professional Type: Attorney
Location: Londonderry
Cathy Shanelaris
Board Member
Professional Type: Attorney
Location: Nashua