Board of Directors

Ruth Raichle

President and Co-Founder of Bethany House Ministries
Catholic Chaplain with the Massachusetts Department of Corrections (30yrs)
Former member of the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary
Former member of the Dominican Sisters of Bethany
Founder and member of Our Lady of Mercy Lay Dominican Chapter at Norfolk State Prison.
Recipient of the Peace abbey Foundation Courage of Conscience Award (2017)
Recipient of The Prisoners Legal Services The Paul McDevitt Humanitarian of the Year Award 2017
President and Co-Founder of Bethany House Ministries

Sr. Kathleen Denevan OSF

Co-Founder of Bethany House Ministries
Catholic Chaplain with the Massachusetts Department of Corrections (23 yrs.)
Member, Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi, Milwaukee, WI
Former therapist at Family Counseling, Framingham, MA
Former Board member, Cardinal Cushing School and Training Center
Recipient of the Peace Abbey Foundation Courage of Conscience Award (2017
Recipient of the Prisoner Legal Services The Paul McDevitt Humanitarian of the Year award. (2017)

Paul Minear

Chairman of the Board of Directors of Bethany House Ministries
Bethany volunteer and active in prison ministry for 18 years.
Graduate of St. John's Seminary master’s in ministry Program 2014
Executive Sales Representative at Liberty Mutual Insurance Company (Retired)

Edward Poole

Treasurer of Bethany House Ministries.
Active in Prison Ministries and volunteer at South Middlesex Correctional Center.
REC team member at SMCC & Bridgewater State Hospital.
Speaker at various churches and facilities focusing on re-entry.
Assisting new releases with tax preparation.

Jane Hanson

Clerk of Bethany House Ministries Board of Directors Personal
Mentor to formerly incarcerated individuals, supporting their reintegration through financial literacy training, vocational development, and life coaching.

Joli Sparkman MSW

Sr. Sara Bohmer OP

Member of the Dominican Sisters of Bethany of Venlo
Former General Prioress of the Dominican Sisters of Bethany (2005-2017)
General Bursar and Secretary of the Dominican Sisters of Bethany
Studies in theology, social work, and economics.
Spiritual guide to the members of Our Lady of Mercy Dominican Lay Chapter at Norfolk State Prison
Resides in the Netherlands

Fr. Wayne Cavalier O.P. Ph.D.

Ordained Dominican Friar (Southern Province)
Founding Director of the Congar Institute for Ministry Development
M.A. (ecclesiology) and M.Div. (Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology. Berkeley, CA, 1990)
PhD in theology and education (Boston College 2005) Dissertation focused on lay ecclesial ministry formation
Recipient of the Juan Diego Award by the National Association for Lay Ministry for his outstanding witness to the spirit and values embodied in the life of the lay minister, San Juan Diego.
Spiritual Director for Our Lady of Mercy Lay Dominicans at Norfolk State Prison

Kurt Hanson

Senior Vice President and Senior Relationship Manager in the Non-Profit Banking Group, People's United Bank.
20 years’ experience working exclusively with nonprofit organizations and institutions, providing customized financial services and solutions.
Board member and treasurer of Roxbury Home, Sophia Snow House, Inc. and Sophia Snow Independent Living,
Treasurer of Massachusetts Charitable Mechanic Association, and as vice chair of the board of Forest Hills Cemetery.
Serves on the Business Advisory Board of Dean College.
20 years’ experience in active prison ministry programs in Massachusetts.
Volunteers as a personal mentor to returning citizens, supporting their integration through financial literacy training, vocational development, and life coaching.

William "DOC" Miller

Educator for over 45 years.
Taught social studies in NYC, Boston and Concord, MA for 30 years.
Worked with research for Better Teaching for 10 years
Teacher in Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East
Served as the Senior Associate for Staff development at Facing History and Ourselves
Prison Volunteer at MCI Norfolk facilitating groups with BC Professor Steve Pope.

Guido Jacques

Owner and CEO of GMA Realty and Trust Your Line
Member of the Board of Directors for A&M Tool and Design and Mill Street Realty
Member of Pax Christi believing in the redemptive power of God.
Bachelor's Degree in Political Science with focus in Pre-Law from Boston College
Associate Degree in Civil Engineering from Wentworth Institute of Technology
Worked as a field engineer on Boston's Big Dig Construction project
Invested in A & M Tool and Design in 2005 and spent 15 years developing the organization, implementing change and process improvement including lean, ISO, AS 9100, and ERP Systems and Control
Provides gainful employment opportunities for returning citizens.
Volunteer at Norfolk Prison participating in the Countdown to Freedom Grow

Stephen Pope Ph.D

Professor of theological ethics and social ethics in the theology department at Boston College
PhD in theological ethics from the University of Chicago
Steve writes in the areas of reconciliation and restorative justice, forgiveness, virtue ethics, Catholic social teaching and on the relevance of science for theology and ethics.
Steve has been published on a variety of topics, such as: The intersection of science and theology, The relevance of biological evolution to human altruism and the natural roots of morality.
Steve's most recent publication is a book called A Step Along the Way: Models of Christian Service (Orvis, 2015)
Steve's work for the New Visions in Theological Anthropology focuses on the theological and ethical significance of recent psychological research on forgiveness
Teaches courses on peace, justice, and reconciliation
Steve has been involved in ad-hoc projects for Jesuit Refugee Service and for the past ten years
A volunteer with the Catholic chaplain's office of Norfolk prison in MA.