Our Board Members and Staff
Mandy Pappas, CEO
Amanda “Mandy” Pappas grew up with a love and passion for all animals, large and small. Throughout her childhood, Mandy had many cats, dogs, birds, horses and fish. She started horseback riding at 8 years old which led to her family creating a horse farm. Mandy competed at the Massachusetts and New England Equitation finals and junior jumpers with her beloved show horse, Tam O’Shanter. As a teenager, she started Mr. Goodtime pony ride rentals for parties and events with her first pony, Duncan. She also volunteered at a local horse farm, riding horses and teaching lessons to a variety of kids and adults. After graduating from Stoneleigh Burnham School in Greenfield, class of 1993, Mandy started a family and was diagnosed with anxiety as an adult. She has a daughter with depression and anxiety and son who has schizoaffective disorder, anxiety, Tourette’s syndrome, and autism. Navigating the world of pediatric mental health challenges for her family put Mandy on a career path in the mental health field. Mandy started working at a local Mobile Crisis team as a family partner, becoming a supervisor and then an Intensive Care Coordinator, supporting families and youth. She also sits on the citizens advisory board for Chicopee/Holyoke DDS services. Within her eleven and a half years in the mental health field, she has worked with youth and families who presented with a variety of significant mental health diagnosis. Mandy brings considerable experience to the farm, with 40 years of caring for and loving farm animals and 27 years of raising children with mental health challenges. Mandy can be found spending time with her husband Jamy and their two adult children, four dogs, and two cats. She enjoy relaxing at a fire, loving, and caring for all the animals on the farm.
Lynne Cimino, President
Lynne Cimino has over 30 years of experience in planning and implementing programs for children, youth, adults, and families in an array of capacities to improve one’s quality of life. Currently Ms. Cimino is the Outreach Coordinator for the Talk/Read/Succeed! Initiative at the Springfield Housing Authority at the Robinson Gardens Housing Development in Springfield Massachusetts. Ms. Cimino oversees 133 families at the development building partnerships with families, schools, and community to increase the number of children to become proficient readers by the end of third grade. The initiative provides parent education workshops, adult education and job trainings, early education support and referrals, afterschool, and summer programs for children as well as referrals for mental health support. Ms. Cimino also works with families to stabilize their housing at the housing development. Ms. Cimino also sits on the board of Serving Our Students (S.O.S), a non-profit agency that focuses on strengthening, unifying, and building economic, cultural, and educational services to urban communities in Springfield Massachusetts. In the past, Ms. Cimino worked at a vocational school in the culinary department. Ms. Cimino holds a bachelor’s degree in Parks and Recreation Administration serving challenged populations from birth through adults and minors in Special Education and Psychology.
Sarah Boucher, Clinical director and Treasurer
Sarah, LMHC
Sarah is a mental health counselor with a Doctorate of Educational mental health counseling from American International College. In the last fifteen years, she has worked with children and families in a variety of mental health settings, including, juvenile justice and detention units for youth, short-term assessment, and rapid re-integration program (STARR) for children, mobile crisis counseling, outpatient individual therapy and intensive in-home and outreach family therapy. Sarah is passionate about working with youth who experience a range of mental, emotional, and behavioral health difficulties. In the last four years, Sarah has focused her attention on learning as much as she can about trauma focused therapy in hopes of becoming a certified clinical trauma professional in the future. As a clinician, Sarah prefers a mindful, client centered approach to treatment, using a variety of interventions from different therapeutic modalities. She is always looking for new, unique, and creative opportunities to build lasting therapeutic relationships with clients and their families. Upon learning about Tam O’Shanter Farm, Sarah recognized the unique opportunity to connect her skills and passion for therapeutic work with her love of animals. She is familiar with research that shows how working with animals increases self-esteem, social competence, perspective taking development, intellectual functioning and is a crucial source of emotional support for individuals of all ages.Born and raised in Western Massachusetts, Sarah is a self-taught artist, music-lover, and self-proclaimed chef. She enjoys spending time with her partner of twelve years, their three children and five, four-legged fur babies
Rebecca Foster, Secretary and behavioral consultant
Rebecca Foster, BCBA
Rebecca has worked with youth and young adults of all ability levels for 10 years. After graduating from the University of Florida with her Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and Education, Rebecca attended graduate school at Western New England University for her Masters degree in Applied Behavior Analysis. She worked for a residential school for children with autism spectrum diagnoses for six years before moving to Western Massachusetts to become an In Home Behavior Therapist. She approaches her work with compassion, creativity and a pragmatic approach to improving the quality of her clients lives by helping to increase appropriate behaviors across all environments. In her free time you can typically find Rebecca hiking with her dog Maeve.
Ann Duval, Educational Services Director
Ann Duval has worked with upper elementary and middle school students for the past 14 years. She has taught Math and Science to a variety of students, including honors students, students receiving supports via Individual Education Programs, and students with anxiety, depression. All of her students are treated with respect, dignity and compassion. In doing this, she has made Math attainable and Science fun and meaningful. Ann has a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Massachusetts in Computer and Informational Science, a master’s degree in Applied Math and Computer Science from Worcester State University, and a Post Baccalaureate Education Degree from Worcester State University. When Ann is not teaching, she and her husband are working/playing with her three horses, one mule, and two dogs. Their dogs (Abby and Aries) love to go for walks, and their barn friends (Magic, Rowan, Bella, and Cadillac Jack) love to go on trail rides.
Jamy Pappas, Facilities Manager
James "Jamy" Pappas has always had a love for animals big and small. Growing up, he had dogs and as an adult, many cats he cared for. Jamy is always the first to want to rescue animals in need. He found interest in larger animals when he met Mandy, and learned to horseback ride. Graduating from Pathfinder Regional Vocational Technical High School class of 1990, learning electrical, went on to work at a local body shop. Working for his family's paving company for 46 years, painting equipment, paving operator, landscaping and construction jobs have given Jamy the title “jack of all trades." Jamy enjoys working in the garden, growing and cultivating a variety of fruits and vegetables. He enjoys spending time with his wife, Mandy, their 2 adult children, 4 dogs, cats and loving and caring for all the farm animals.