Steve Rowe became President of the Endowment for Health in September 2012. He is responsible for overall management of the Endowment’s operations, including program administration, finance and communications. Steve also leads the Endowment’s work to implement policy and strategy, as well as to build partnerships. Steve’s professional background is in public policy, law and business. As a state attorney general and legislative leader in Maine, Steve championed public health initiatives. He led a successful effort to dedicate state tobacco master settlement funds to health improvement. He chaired national committees dealing with prescription drug pricing and underage drinking. He led successful legal efforts to protect federal clean air act standards, advocated for increased high quality early childhood education, and raised public awareness of palliative care and end-of-life issues. Before joining the Endowment, Steve served as Counsel with the Portland-based law firm Verrill Dana LLP. Earlier, he held positions with Unum Life Insurance Company and Fairchild Semiconductor, Inc. Steve is a graduate of the United States Military Academy and served as an officer in the Active Army and Reserve. He holds a law degree from the University of Maine School of Law and an MBA degree from the University of Utah Graduate School of Business.

Karen Ager is Director of Communications for the Endowment for Health.  In that capacity, she oversees strategic message development for both internal and external stakeholders, including key opinion leaders and the media.

Karen has held positions in strategic communication in New Hampshire and with national corporations over the past 23 years.  Prior to joining the Endowment, she served as manager of corporate communications for Fisher Scientific International, a global provider of health care, research and scientific technology.  Other past communications positions include executive support at Staples, BankBoston, and Boston Edison.  Karen also served as a principal partner in Public Image Corporation, a public relations firm based in Massachusetts.  She is a former president of the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC Yankee Chapter) and a member of the Public Relations Society of America.

Karen holds a Bachelor of Science in mass communications from Emerson College, Boston.  

Cheryl Dempsey is Administrative Manager for the Endowment. In that role, Cheryl is responsible for all office operations, enhancing the foundation’s use of technology and liaising with our Board of Directors. Cheryl brings a rich background in technology and operational support. Before joining the Endowment, she served as location manager and technology support specialist for Ernst & Young in Manchester. Additionally, Cheryl served in a variety of responsible roles for various regional and local companies where she oversaw HR, technology and operational support. Cheryl received her education at Salem State College, Franklin Pierce College and Marian Court College, with combined studies in executive administration, business management and accounting.

Kim Firth is a Program Director at the Endowment for Health, where she manages a portfolio of grants, projects, and policy initiatives addressing children’s mental health and geographic barriers to health. 

Before joining the Endowment, Kim served as a Planning and Policy Analyst for the New Hampshire Department of Health & Human Services, Office of Health Planning and Medicaid.  She also served as the Grant Manager for the Health Care Fund, Community Grant Program, a public endowment created by the Legislature.  Prior to working at the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services, Kim served as the Project Director for the Strafford County Domestic Violence Project, a federally funded initiative to create a multi-disciplinary prosecution team for domestic violence criminal cases in the county.  Kim also served as the Director and Program Coordinator for the AmeriCorps Victim Assistance Program, which used AmeriCorps members as advocates for survivors of domestic and sexual violence in District Courts and police departments. 

Ms. Firth received her Bachelor of Arts from New England College.

Sue Fulton is responsible for grants and financial management for the Endowment for Health.  In this role, she oversees the grant application process, grant budgets, and grantee progress reporting.  She works closely with applicants and grantees to ensure that inquiries and projects are handled appropriately. Sue is also responsible for managing the financial services and accounting activities for the organization including contracts and grant payment schedules.

Prior to her position at the Endowment, Sue worked as a data analyst for the Vermont Program for Quality in Health, an organization dedicated to developing and implementing a system of quality design and measurement for physicians, and other health care professionals, hospitals, and health care facilities, supporting users and purchasers to continuously improve the use of health care  resources.

Sue received her MBA from Plymouth University, a BS in in business management from Granite State College and an associate degree in accounting from Community College of Vermont. 

Kelly Laflamme is a Program Director at the Endowment for Health where she manages a portfolio of grants, projects and policy initiatives addressing social and cultural barriers to health. 

Kelly came to the Endowment for Health from the Children’s Alliance of New Hampshire, where she served as the Coordinator for the New Hampshire Child Advocacy Network (NH CAN).  As NH CAN Coordinator, Kelly facilitated the development of an annual set of policy and action priorities for the nearly 200 organizations participating in NH CAN.  Prior to that, she worked with the Annie E. Casey Foundation as a Program Assistant on the Civic Investments Team, focused on the Foundation's investments in Baltimore, MD and Washington, DC.  While at Casey, Kelly launched a neighborhood grants program for a set of low-income, minority neighborhoods in East Baltimore and worked to strengthen collaboration among neighborhood leaders. 

Kelly holds a Master of Public Administration at the Wagner School of Public Service at New York University. She received her Bachelors of Arts in Communication from La Salle University in Philadelphia.  

Karen Horsch is an experienced evaluator with expertise in process and outcome evaluation and their use in organizational development and change. She currently works as an independent consultant providing evaluation training and technical assistance.  In addition to working with the Endowment, Karen has provided evaluation support to nonprofit organizations and funding organizations including the MetroWest Community Health Care Foundation, the Oral Health Foundation, the New York Women’s Foundation, the Pew Charitable Trusts, United Way of the Greater Seacoast, the Suicide Prevention Partnership, and the Legal Services Corporation. Karen previously worked as a Senior Evaluation Associate at Innovation Network, a nonprofit consulting firm based in Washington, DC.  Prior to that, she was a Research Associate/Project Manager at the Harvard Family Research Project and an evaluation and technical support contractor working with field offices and nongovernmental organizations for the United States Agency for International Development.

Karen holds a Masters in Education from Harvard University.