Mike Ferriter, our current board president, became a quadriplegic in 1979 during a construction accident. Since then, Mike has served as an outstanding example of how one can live successfully with a spinal cord injury.

After receiving his master’s degree from Boston College in 1989, he became a mental health volunteer for four New England hospitals that treat persons with spinal cord injuries. Mike is also a founder of the Greater Boston Chapter and created a peer visitation program for persons with spinal cord injuries. Mike wrote an article on peer visitation that was published by the American Association of Spinal Cord Injured Psychologists and Social Workers in 1995. Soon after, the Greater Boston Chapter’s peer visitation program was recognized as a national model within the spinal cord injury community.

In 1983, while on leave from the Navy, Ron was shot and paralyzed during a botched robbery of a convenience store. After an honorable discharge, Ron became involved in disabled sports and won a gold medal in the National Veterans Games. Ron then went on to college and received a bachelor’s degree in Speech Communications & Broadcast Journalism from Northeastern University. He has served on our board since 1993 in various positions, and is currently the Vice President of Advocacy.

Bethlyn joined our board in 2004 and currently serves as secretary. Her knowledge of spinal cord injury stems from five years of researching health quality outcomes and economic research at a spinal cord rehabilitation center in Boston.
She has managed studies such as internet training, WebTV access, and an internet guide for persons with spinal cord injury. Bethlyn has coauthored articles that have been published in the following journals: Disability & Rehabilitation and Archives of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation.

Prior to his involvement with the Greater Boston Chapter, David hadn’t had much involvement with others with SCI until he met a chapter member at a wedding in 2004. Now, David volunteers as a peer visitor on a weekly basis and has been introduced to disabled water sports (sailing and rowing). He has become passionate about helping people in the same situation that he was in back in 1987, when he became a quadriplegic as a result of an accident on his dirt bike at the age of 17. David currently serves as the Vice President of Finance.

Girard has been living with a SCI for 33 years. Since 1980, he has actively advocated for persons with disabilities, and serves on other nonprofit boards and public sector committees. He is a journalist.

Ellen has been involved with the Greater Boston Chapter since she served as it’s executive director from 2002 to 2004. As she describes, “I could not walk away from such a wonderful organization,” and now contributes her time as a board member. Ellen has over twenty years of non-profit experience and is the Executive Director of the City of Cambridge Retirement System.

After slipping and fracturing her lower spine, resulting in partial paralysis in her legs, Maureen has served as a board member since 1998. She has owned her own floral business, married and has two lovely children. Maureen often speaks to women with paralysis and lets them know that they can still accomplish anything they set their mind to.

Maureen is an avid sailor and is the first woman to earn a spot in the paralympics in 2008. She also teaches sailing to persons with disabilities and is an asset to the Greater Boston Chapter.

Chris has worked with persons with spinal cord injuries for over ten years. He joined the board in 2006 and is the current co-director of a spinal cord rehab-ilitation unit in Boston. He brings a wealth of knowledge of the rehabilitation process and assists the chapter in its advocacy roles. He has testified before the state legislature on issues concerning spinal cord injury.