Girl Scouts of Southeastern New England Announces New Board Members
WARWICK, RI (July 11, 2025)—Girl Scouts of Southeastern New England (GSSNE) recently elected two new members-at-large to its Board of Directors With expertise in fields ranging from leadership development to law and government relations to behavioral healthcare, the GSSNE Board of Directors guides the Girl Scout Movement within GSSNE’s service area. The new members include:
Board Members-at-Large:
KIM AHERN
Kim Ahern (Providence, RI): Kim serves as the Chairperson of the Rhode Island Cannabis Control Commission Previously, she was Deputy Chief of Staff for Governor McKee, where she also served as Director of Policy and Senior Counsel.
Before that, she served as Deputy Counsel in the office of former Governor Gina Raimondo for two years, as a Special Assistant Attorney General for nine years, and as a Judicial Law Clerk to the Honorable Maureen McKenna Goldberg of the Rhode Island Supreme Court.
Ahern holds a B.A. in Public & Community Service Studies from Providence College and a J.D. from Roger Williams University School of Law, where she served as Editor-in-Chief of the Law Review.
In addition to her professional accomplishments, Ahern has been recognized for her outstanding contributions to the community. She was honored with the Providence Business News “40 Under Forty” award in 2021.
In 2016, she received the YWCA Woman of Achievement Award, highlighting her professional work in public service, as a leader, role model, mentor and agent for positive change.
Beyond serving her state, Ahern finds joy in spending quality time with her family, including her wife, and three daughters. Kim was a lifelong Girl Scout growing up and proudly earned her Gold Award, and now enjoys being a Troop Leader for her daughter’s Daisy troop.
TRISHA SUGGS
Trisha Suggs (Coventry, RI): Trisha is a behavioral health leader with over 25 years of experience in program development and program management.
She holds a CAGS in Mental Health with a concentration in Rehabilitation Counseling from Salve Regina University. As a recent graduate of Leadership Rhode Island, she is committed to creating and implementing innovative solutions for the most pressing challenges facing our communities.
Currently, Trisha works as an Administrator of Program Management at the RI Department of Behavioral Healthcare, Developmental Disabilities and Hospitals (BHDDH), where she oversees the funding and sustainability of several integrated and coordinated programs that provide evidence-based services for youth, young adults, and adults.
As the Director of the State Youth and Young Adult Substance and Co-Occurring Treatment Program, she has expanded treatment programs across the state. She oversees programs that provide a behavioral health response to traumatic events with non-police involvement, places LMFTs in residential programs, provides counselors in many schools in RI, has re-entry programs across RI, and runs the Governor’s Family Task Force.
Additionally, Trisha works as a Senior Clinician at Gateway Behavioral Health Services LLC, where she provides emergency evaluations, care coordination, consultation, and education to children of all ages with behavioral health needs. In all roles, she leverages skills in research, psychological assessment, communication, and advocacy to deliver high-quality and culturally competent services that are recovery-focused, person-centered, and trauma and evidence-informed.
To read more about all members of the GSSNE Board of Directors, visit https://www.gssne.org/en/our-council/council-leaderships.html.
We Are Girl ScoutsGirl Scouts bring their dreams to life and work together to build a better world. Through programs across Southeastern New England, girls and gender-expansive youth of all backgrounds and abilities can be unapologetically themselves in a safe space as they discover their strengths and rise to meet new challenges.
Backed by strong friendships and trusted adult volunteers, mentors, and millions of alums, Girl Scouts lead the way as they find their voices and make changes that affect the issues most important to them. Girl Scouts feel comfortable trying new things without the pressure to be perfect, speaking their minds and processing their emotions in healthy ways.
They discover how being different makes them special, strengthens their sense of belonging, and, ultimately, makes them proud to be themselves. That’s the magic of Girl Scouting. To join us, volunteer, reconnect, or donate, visit gssne.org, follow @gssne on Instagram, follow @GirlScoutsofSNE on Twitter, and like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GSSNE