Dr. Cora Quisumbing-King

Filipino American and Dover resident Dr. Cora Quisumbing-King earned her PhD in Social and Organizational Psychology from the University of Chicago and is a founding member of RUT’s AAPI Advisory Group and is active in the group’s effort to increase Asian American involvement and collaboration. Cora serves on the Ad-Hoc Committee for Racial Equity and Inclusion for the City of Dover, is Co-Chair of the NH AAPI Democrats, member of the Dover Democrats Executive Committee, and Convenor of their Social Justice Action Group. She is the author of two op-eds: “My Turn: The Disappearing American Dream” and “Being Who I Am.”

Kathleen Blake, from Dover, NH is of Native American tribal heritage in the Wendat, Algonquin, and Mi'kmaq First Nations. She is devoted to supporting our indigenous citizens with her voluntary service in several organizations. Kathleen served as member and chair of the New Hampshire Commission on Native American Affairs; is a member of the Committee for Racial Equity and Inclusion, formed in 2020 by the Dover City Council; and is a member of Indigenous New Hampshire Collaborative Collective. She is a retired environmental and biological sciences teacher and school administrator, and is currently Affiliate Faculty, Native American and Indigenous Studies (Minor) at the University of New Hampshire.

Manchester resident Dr. Lowell ''Chris'' Matthews is an associate professor of Global Business and Leadership at Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) and director of the University Honors Program. During his tenure at SNHU he has developed courses on white privilege, workplace diversity, and gender equity. His area of expertise includes leadership, human resources, and strategic management. Matthews keeps active in the community by volunteering with Big Brothers Big Sisters of New Hampshire, City Year, and the Granite YMCA. He has served as chair of the board for DreamCatchers NH. He serves on the Board of Directors and Investment Committee for the Endowment for Health.

Prior to relocating to Manchester, NH, Dr. Matthews served as the director of fundraising events for the AIDS Foundation of Chicago and as an adjunct professor at Roosevelt University. Matthews completed his Bachelor of Business Administration in Business Management at the University of Delaware, his Master of Business Administration at Roosevelt University and his Doctor of Business Administration from Argosy University.

Malaysian/Sri Lankan American and resident of Stratham, Ken Mendis is the founder of the Racial Unity Team. His volunteer work touches many New Hampshire communities, social justice organizations, and school districts, as well as the NH State Board of Education, the Legislature and the Governor’s Office. 

Ken served for several years as a board member of the Council for International Visitors, Newport, RI. He coordinated Foreign Policy Association Great Decisions discussions in Newport, RI; Florence, SC; Newaygo, MI; and Basel, Switzerland and planned and organized USAID Community Support Winter Programs for two years. 

In his professional career of 40 years and as Global Director for Quality Systems at Fortune 500 companies Raytheon, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Novartis, Hoffman La Roche, and others, Ken spent his professional career working to address systemic problems within these organizations while working on assignments in Europe, South America, Asia, Australia, Canada, and the United States. 

Email: ken.racialunityteam@gmail.com

Since 2007, Mark Whitney has been the Vice President of Strategy, Community Relations and Fundraising at Exeter Health Resources, an integrated healthcare delivery system primarily located in Exeter, New Hampshire. Mark serves as both the chief strategy and chief community relations officer for all of Exeter Health Resources, Inc.'s operating affiliates including Exeter Hospital, Core Physicians, and Rockingham Visiting Nurse and Hospice. His role also includes responsibility for system-wide fundraising and community benefit activities. 

Until recently, Mark served as a Board Member of the United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley and was a member and chair of the Regional Council of the United Way of the Greater Seacoast. He currently serves as Board President at KEY Collective  #areuin?  card program that provides NH’s economically disadvantaged K-12 students access to out-of-school programming that they might not typically have access to due to financial constraints. 

After teaching high school English, Sylvia began working in a junior college where she served as dean of admissions and then vice president. "Our students had not been given equitable learning opportunities that would connect them to career and personal growth. I committed myself to building awareness of the importance of equity and inclusion in educational opportunity".  Sylvia next moved to become an administrator in higher education coordinating educational programs to inspire the breaking of barriers to full educational opportunities for all, built networks of collaborators, adapted to a variety of organizational styles, taught women’s studies and other writing-intensive courses, taught grammar courses for ten years, wrote publicity, reports, articles, short stories and poetry. She now serves as Director for the Arts in Action Project for the Racial Unity Team. 

Terry López Burlingame of Gilmanton Iron Works in Belknap County is National Education Association National Director NH and represents 17,000 members in advocacy with federal representatives. She is also a National Facilitator of Leaders for Just Schools, which helps NEA leaders learn to cultivate a just and equitable school environment for all students. Terry is a Spanish/ESOL educator at Gilmanton School.Team. 

Kristen DeShaies of Exeter in Rockingham County has been a Racial Unity Team member since 2021. She is the owner of KLD Strategy Marketing, has 25 years of brand and business management experience, and serves on the Board of Directors for Seacoast Eat Local. DeShaies serves on the Racial Unity Team’s Strategic Planning Committee' and the Executive Director Search Committee where she assists in meeting the needs and challenges RŪT’s work addresses.