Governance

Wide Horizons For Children is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit run by a Board of Directors and a Leadership Team. Our headquarters is in Waltham, Mass., outside of Boston. We have been in operation for half a century.

Board of Directors:

  • Chair: Dr. Jennifer Gill | West Cambridge Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, Cambridge, MA
  • Vice Chair: Gregory Kozich | PNC Financial Services Group, Pittsburgh, PA
  • Treasurer: Christopher Conway | Retired Finance Executive, Reading, MA
  • Directors:
    • William Adams, Jr. | ACS Services, Inc., Easton, MA
    • Laura Dierks | Interboro Spirits & Ales, New York, NY
    • Brian Franklin | Communications Executive, East Greenwich, RI
    • Debbie Upton Helvig | Bank of America, Wayland, MA
    • Paul O’Neill | Attorney, Melrose, MA
    • Alexandra Perce-van Schie | New York, NY
    • Dr. Sylvia Perry | Nurse Practitioner, Avon Breast Center at Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Boston, MA
    • Dr. Pedro Poitevin | Associate Professor, Salem State University, Salem, MA
    • Sharon Reilly | Wenham, MA
    • Brett Wilhelm | Denver, CO
  • Chair Emeritus: Travis Rhodes | Abrams Capital, Boston, MA
  • Clerk: Anne Hill | Wide Horizons For Children, Waltham, MA

Leadership Team:

Janice Hoffman, President and CEO

Janice joined Wide Horizons For Children in 1999 as its Chief Operating Officer and was appointed President and CEO in 2012. During her tenure, she has been instrumental in developing a strategic blueprint for the organization, bringing a new focus to our Family Preservation and Orphan Care programs, and building capacity in sustainable philanthropy. She holds a Graduate Certificate in Business Administration and a B.A. in Psychology from Laurentian University. Janice grew up in Canada and is an adoptive mother of two children from Latin America.

Debbie Mansfield, Director of Programs

Debbie joined Wide Horizons For Children in 1996. She develops and manages Family Preservation and Orphan Care programs that benefit vulnerable children and families in Eastern Europe, Latin America, and Africa. Previously, she worked as Program Director for American Councils for International Education in Almaty Kazakhstan. She holds an M.A. in Russian from the State University of New York at Albany, and a B.A. in International Relations from Tufts. Debbie grew up in western Massachusetts and is the adoptive mother of three children from the U.S.

Betelihem Abraham

Betelihem Abraham, Country Director – Ethiopia

Betelihem joined Wide Horizons in 2023. She plays a key leadership role in program planning and execution, and monitoring and evaluation. Betelihem has 20+ years of experience of strategically leading development and humanitarian programs. In her previous roles she has successfully lead various programs for children, women and disadvantaged groups. Betelihem holds a B.A. in Economics from University of Bombay, India and an M.A. in Social Work from Indira Gandhi Open University, New Delhi, India.

Lindsey DeGolan, Director of Development

Lindsey joined Wide Horizons For Children in 2015 as its Development Coordinator. She became Director of Development in 2021. Lindsey is a fundraising specialist with nine years of experience in annual giving, major gifts, and sponsored events. She manages the development team, works closely with external design and development consultants, and runs Wide Horizons’ Customer Relationship Management system. Prior to coming to Wide Horizons, Lindsey was the Program Coordinator for Yachad DC, a community-revitalizing nonprofit, and an elementary school teacher. She holds a B.A. in English Literature from Wagner College.

Maryanne Ludwig, Director of Adoption

Maryanne joined Wide Horizons For Children in 2000. She oversees all aspects of the agency’s Adoption and Post-Adoption programming, working closely with a team of managers and social workers. She holds an M.S.W. from Simmons Graduate School of Social Work and a B.A. in Psychology from Yale University. Maryanne is an adopted person and has two children.

Dr. Tsegaye Berhe, Director of Africa Programs

Tsegaye joined Wide Horizons For Children in 2004. He is considered a leading expert in Ethiopian child-welfare issues. Under his direction, Wide Horizons For Children began our work in Ethiopia. Since that time, more than 1,100 children have found families through our Adoption program or have been served through our Family Preservation programs. Previously, Dr. Tsegaye served as the Director of Child and Family Affairs for the Ethiopian Orthodox Church and as President of the Adoption Network, a group of adoption facilitators in Ethiopia. He holds a Ph.D. in Human Resource Management from Ashford University (UK) and a Diploma in Church Management from Birmingham University (UK). Dr. Tsegaye received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Joint Council for International Children’s Services.

Sarah Blick, Director of Marketing Communications

Sarah joined Wide Horizons For Children in 2020. With 40 years of international marketing and fundraising experience, she directs the development of Marcomm strategies and works with consultants to implement these. She also optimizes Wide Horizons’ online marketing and fundraising tools and platforms. Sarah holds a B.A. and B.Ed. from the University of Toronto, Canada.