Staff

Tina Alexander, Investigator/Monitor

Tina has over 20 years’ experience supporting and advocating for individuals with both developmental and mental health disabilities.  Tina enjoys painting and spending time with her family and dogs.

Michele Bachelder, Paralegal/Legal Assistant

Michele joined DRC-NH in June 2022 as a Paralegal/Legal Assistant for the litigation team. She has over 35 years experience working in all aspects of a legal office. She has spent the last 25 years of her career in the private legal sector as a Paralegal, specializing in Litigation and Family Law. In her spare time, she enjoys camping with family and friends and spending time with her granddaughter.

Déodonné Dustin Bhattarai, Communications Director

Déodonné, began volunteering at DRC-NH in 2016, following the diagnosis of her son with Spinal Muscular Atrophy. She officially joined the DRC-NH team in 2018, as its Communications Specialist. Déodonné received her JD from Northeastern School of Law and her Master of Public Health from Tufts University School of Medicine. Déodonné is a graduate of the New Hampshire Leadership Series and Parent Information Center’s Volunteer Advocate training. Déodonné is the New Hampshire representative for Cure SMA New England.  She has served on UNH’s Institute on Disability’s Consumer Advisory Committee, the New Hampshire Council on Developmental Disabilities and as the Vice Chair of the NH Council for Youths with Chronic Conditions.

Francesca Broderick, Senior Staff Attorney & Coordinator – Monitoring & Investigations

Francesca joined DRC-NH as an intake attorney in 2015. She graduated summa cum laude from Vermont Law School in 2013 and received honors in legal writing and research. She has been a member of the NH Bar since 2013. Francesca clerked at the New Hampshire Supreme Court from 2013-2015. She interned during law school at the New Hampshire Public Defender and at Vermont Legal Aid. Francesca also has experience working with at-risk youth as an educator and case manager.

Lynne Clay, Managing Attorney

Lynne has been an attorney with DRC-NH since 1991. Lynne has served in many roles including Managing Attorney, Supervising Intake Attorney, Intake Attorney, and Staff Attorney.  Her years of experience have given her knowledge in many substantive areas of disability practice, including the Americans with Disabilities Act, The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, Juvenile Law, Social Security, Housing and Medicaid.  Lynne’s practice has included litigation in state and federal court including the US First Circuit Court of Appeals.   Lynne is also DRC-NH’s Section 504/ADA compliance coordinator. Lynne was an adjunct faculty member at Middlesex Community College for over twenty years where she taught Constitutional Law, Criminal Evidence and Court Procedures and Criminal Law.

Lynne graduated Magna Cum Laude from Rhode Island College with a B.A. in Communications and Psychology and Cum Laude from Suffolk University Law School. She is a member of both the Massachusetts and New Hampshire Bars.

Jennifer Eber, Litigation Director

Jennifer joined DRC-NH in June 2021 after thirty years as an attorney at Orr & Reno, P.A. doing both trial and employment work.  Jennifer graduated from Dartmouth College with a dual degree in mathematics and economics.  She received her law degree from Boston College. At DRC-NH, Jennifer’s focus is on disability discrimination in the workplace and other barriers to employment for people with disabilities, particularly for people receiving social security disability benefits.

Jennifer is active in law related education, being instrumental in the writing and publication of Beyond High School: A Guide to Your Rights and Responsibilities for graduating high school seniors and chairing the New Hampshire Bar Association’s Law Related Education Committee.  Jennifer also has a passion for animal welfare and has devoted time and energy to legal issues impacting animals.  She has served on the boards for a number of animals shelters in New Hampshire.  Jennifer currently co-chairs the Governor’s Commission on the Humane Treatment of Animals. In her free time, Jennifer enjoys spending time with her daughter and their rescue animals.

Michele Fleming, Fiscal Director

In 2016, Michele joined DRC-NH.  She serves as its Fiscal Director and also handles matters relating to human resources.  Michele graduated cum laude in 1991 from Franklin Pierce University. She enjoys needlework and quilting.

Stacey Morrison, Office Manager

Stacey graduated magna cum laude from Southern New Hampshire University with a degree in Business Administration.  She worked for Lakes Region General Hospital for 15 years where she specialized in Medicare billing and eventually began managing one of its larger family health practices.

When her youngest son was born with complex medical issues, Stacey took time off from her career to focus on raising her young boys, both of whom have autism.

In the spring of 2024, Stacey joined the team at DRC-NH after 10 years at the Northeast Resource Recovery Association.

Stacey is a strong advocate for organ and tissue donation and has spoken at local and regional events to promote awareness and dispel myths regarding becoming an organ donor.  In her spare time, Stacey enjoys reading, traveling, and spending time with her friends and family.

Deborah Opramolla, Program Manager

Deborah joined DRC-NH in the Spring of 2022. Deborah is a former oncologist and holds a Master of Law from Washington University School of Law. For the past twenty-five years, Deborah has served as an Educational Surrogate Parent, assisting children in foster care who have Individual Education Programs (IEPs). In 2017, Deborah was appointed to the New Hampshire Council on Developmental Disabilities as a parent advocate. Deborah is passionate about creating positive systemic changes that create Equity, Inclusion, and Justice for the Disability community.  Deborah enjoys spending time with her family, riding her horses, and knitting.

Stephanie Patrick, Executive Director

Stephanie Patrick joined DRC-NH as Executive Director in 2017. Stephanie was formerly the Director of Policy and Planning at the Advocacy Center, DRC-NH’s sister agency in Louisiana, where she worked on legislative advocacy, coalition building and programmatic compliance.  She graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi in 2003 with a Master’s of Social Work and also holds an undergraduate degree in social work from the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC.

Amy Ramsay, Program Manager

Amy joined DRC-NH in February 2014 with over fifteen years as a litigation paralegal.  In addition to providing legal support, Amy serves as the Program Manager for the Social Security Administrative Representative Payee Project.  Amy proudly served in the U.S. Army in the communications field.

Hannah Roberts, Staff Attorney

Hannah joined the DRC-NH team in 2023 after working with the New Hampshire Public Defender for four years. She received her B.A in history and religious studies from LSU and her J.D. from American University Washington College of Law. She is excited to bring her litigation experience and passion for fighting systemic injustice to DRC-NH.

Karen Rosenberg, Policy Director

Karen Rosenberg joined the staff of DRC-NH in 2005. She is a 1988 graduate of Northeastern University School of Law and holds a B.S. degree from Tufts University. Prior to becoming Policy Director, Karen was a senior staff attorney at DRC-NH, focusing on behavioral health and education laws and leading investigations of alleged abuse and neglect of individuals with disabilities.  Before joining DRC-NH, Karen was a  staff attorney and project director at  New Hampshire Legal Assistance (NHLA), where she focused on Health, Housing and Consumer laws. She also directed NHLA’s Fair Housing Project and Housing Preservation Project during her tenure at NHLA. Karen serves on the New Hampshire Medical Care Advisory Committee.

Michael Todd, Special Projects Director

Michael joined DRC-NH in October 2024 after ten years working in public service for the residents of New Hampshire. During that time, Michael was the spokesperson for emergency management during 12 federally declared natural disasters and advocated for greater emergency preparedness across the state. He also spent several years in administrative roles studying and improving systems, working as a liaison between state agencies and legal offices, and overseeing investigations.

Michael graduated from Brigham Young University with a bachelor’s in communications, received his master’s in media theory and research from Southern Illinois University and his law degree from the University of New Hampshire. Prior to working for the state of New Hampshire, Michael conducted research for the Pennsylvania Center for the First Amendment at Penn State while teaching university courses there, including media law.

Kayla Turner, Staff Attorney

Kayla first joined DRC-NH in 2016 as a legal intern and returned in 2023 as a staff attorney with the litigation team. Kayla graduated from Colby College with honors in sociology. She received her J.D. from the University of New Hampshire School of Law where she was a Daniel Webster Scholar and recipient of a Presidential Scholarship. Kayla is an experienced litigator with a background in both criminal and civil matters. She is passionate about using the law to serve those with limited power and to combat systemic inequities.

In her free time, Kayla enjoys utilizing credit card points and miles for world travel, downhill skiing, and scouting out the best coffee shops in New Hampshire.

James Ziegra, Senior Staff Attorney

James Ziegra is an attorney at DRC-NH. James has represented clients with disabilities in courts throughout New Hampshire with an emphasis on employment discrimination and voting rights. Since graduating from UNH School of Law, James has devoted his career to helping marginalized and underrepresented people throughout New Hampshire.