COLLABORATIVE DIVORCE NEW HAMPSHIRE (CDNH) - Key Persons


Caren Rifkin

Job Titles:
  • Clinical Social Worker
  • 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.

Catherine P. McKay

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board
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.

Cathy Shanelaris

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board

Cynthia Weston

Job Titles:
  • 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.

Jill B. Boynton - Treasurer

Job Titles:
  • 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.

Karen Ela Kenny

Job Titles:
  • MEMBER of the BOARD
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".

Kate Morneau

Job Titles:
  • Co - Chair

Kathrine Lacey

Job Titles:
  • MEMBER of the BOARD

Mike Bonacorsi

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board
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.

Petar Leonard

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board