About Us

PRESIDENT/Upper Cape Visitation Coordinator – Mary Wills held various management positions in the building industry for over 40 years. She recently retired after moving to North Falmouth in 2016 from Rockport, Mass with her husband Randy. Besides spending time with family and friends (they have 4 children and 4 grandchildren) Mary and her CAP certified Samoyed named Shiloh are active visitors as a CAP volunteer team in both the adult and children’s programs and enjoy every minute of it! 

VICE PRESIDENT – Linda Johnston joined CAP in 2020 and was certified as a CAP Therapy Team along with Teddy, her Golden Retriever. She has spent the last 30 years in Westport, CT, raising her two daughters along with her husband Doug. She relocated to Chatham in 2018 after retiring from teaching adult women math and science. Linda remains very active with walking daily and occasionally playing golf and pickleball. She loves nature and considers herself an environmentalist. She is part of the Friends of Chatham Waterways committee, collecting water from local ponds to be tested and is a member of Association of Preserving Cape Cod. Knitting is her pastime and she enjoys traveling and listening to audiobooks and podcasts. 

SECRETARY/Upper Cape Visitation Coordinator – Kerry Walton first came to the Cape as a student in 1973. She finally moved to the Cape full time when she retired from a faculty position at NYU School of Medicine in 2018. She joined CAP in 2019. Her black standard poodle, Shadow, passed CAP training in the cloud of the Covid-19 pandemic and was not certified until April 2022. Although his mother, Henna, was trained after Shadow, she was certified before him in March 2022. Shadow enjoys CAP visits with children and adults, Henna prefers grown-ups. All three enjoy gardening and knitting, but in different ways.

TREASURER/CLERK/Webmaster – Rob Schain and his wife Debbie relocated to the Cape full time from New Jersey in 2011. A few years later, Rob retired after a 36-year career as a financial analyst in the energy industry. One of Rob’s accomplishments in retirement was becoming a CAP therapy team in 2017 with Sophie, his now 10-year old rescue. His other activities in retirement include playing his sax for the Chatham Town Band and the Sound Dunes Swing Ensemble, and making weekly deliveries for Meals on Wheels. 

Children’s Program Coordinator/Training Evaluator – Susan Hunt is a retired R.N., School Nurse, and health educator. She brought her experience with cognitive and physically challenged children and adults to CAP programs. Experience as a volunteer/evaluator with N.E.A.D.S World Class Service Dog and the Worcester Animal Rescue League lead her to CAP after she and her husband retired to her hometown of Falmouth in 2008. She and her Labradoodle, Chowdah, made hundreds of visits from 2013 till he passed in 2020. Now, her Goldendoodles Buddy and Bandit take turns visiting with her as she continues her dedication and enjoyment of everything that is CAP. Spending time with the families and Fidos of her two sons fills her and her husband’s lives to the fullest.

Newsletter and Website Editor – Michele Granger and her labradoodle, Lucy, have been a therapy team with CAP since 2015. Before her retirement and move to the Cape in 2014, Michele was an educator in early childhood/special education for over 40 years in a variety of roles including: classroom teacher, evaluator, administrator, workshop leader, parent educator, curriculum and staff developer, and adjunct professor. She is also a published author of children’s books and has no plans to ever retire from writing. Michele and her husband, Bob, have two daughters and three granddaughters. When she and Lucy aren’t visiting for CAP, Michele volunteers at The Local, a soup kitchen for community members in need, practices yoga, swims laps and sings with The Mid-Cape Chorus.

Member At Large/Training Evaluator – Kathryn Scanlon Catanach joined CAP in 2005 and did pet therapy visits with two adopted guinea pigs, Ruby and Jinks, for several years. She then visited for 10 years with Niko, a retriever/shepherd mix. Niko retired in 2020, preferring to spend his time visiting neighbors, napping, and taking short walks in the woods. Kathy lives in Falmouth and is a retired marine geologist who specialized in mapping deep-sea habitats. When she isn’t taking short walks in the woods with Niko, she likes to spend time travelling and sailing with her husband, observing wildlife, and volunteering for disaster response and science organizations. 

Member At Large – Scott Fishman is a market/technology consultant and entrepreneur with over 30 years’ experience in the medical technology and pharmaceutical industries. Most recently  CEO of Envisage and Ethos LifeScience Advisors, Fishman was also the CEO and founder of Research by Design, a healthcare consultancy that he grew from a startup to one of the preeminent names in the medical information industry. In addition to his consulting activities, Scott is an active Angel Investor, author, adjunct professor, and has been a Board member for multiple nonprofits and startup ventures. Scott is married with two grown children, an avid motorcyclist, and the proud parent of Hopper, an English Springer Spaniel and Emmy, a tabby with an attitude.  (Both of whom of course run the house.)

Head Evaluator – Tricia Devine had a satisfying career as a recreational therapist working with children and young adults with disabilities. She used her knowledge of equine therapy to promote the health, happiness and well-being of her students. Tricia also coached wheelchair users to encourage bonding with their dairy goats to compete in 4H fairs. Upon retiring, it was a natural next step for Tricia to join CAP with her rescue dog, Nelli. They enjoy visiting a variety of facilities, from schools to long-term care residences. As CAP’s Head Evaluator, Tricia works with new teams as they transition from successful completion of their training course to visitations at CAP approved facilities throughout the Cape.

Lower Cape Visitation Coordinator – Ellen Hewins  and her Leonberger, Harper, became a CAP certified team in 2022. She lived in Hingham, MA with her husband, Paul, and son and daughter for over 20 years before moving to North Chatham full time in 2020. She retired in 2017 after 30 years in the medical diagnostic laboratory field primarily focusing on tick-borne illnesses. She enjoys reading, spending time at the beach and daily dog walks. Ellen also volunteers at The Family Pantry of Cape Cod.