In addition to Bhante Rathana and Dr. Joseph Burke, who serve as President and Treasurer of Serenity Central’s Board of Directors, the individuals below are also volunteer Board members.
Bob Burke has been involved in the delivery of criminal defense services to the poor for over 40 years. He spent four years as an Assistant State Appellate Public Defender in Miami, Florida. For seven years he served as Senior Attorney in the Defender Legal Services Division of the National Legal Aid & Defender Association (NLADA).
In that capacity, Bob designed and implemented training programs covering death penalty defense, trial skills, appellate practice, sentencing, defender management, and ethics for indigent defense practitioners. He also provided technical assistance, produced publications related to capital defense, and worked closely with organizations such as the American Bar Association (ABA), the ACLU Capital Punishment Project, and the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.
From 1998 to 2015, Bob worked with the Defender Services Office of the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts. He served for 12 years in the Training Division, eventually retiring as Chief of the Division. During that time, he helped conduct training events nationwide and managed educational programs for federal defenders.
Now semi-retired, Bob lives in Longmont, Colorado and works as an indigent defense consultant. He also coaches youth basketball, soccer, and tee ball, and volunteers as a facilitator in a Restorative Justice Program. Bob has trained internationally in Bosnia, China, Chile, Myanmar, Rwanda, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, and Burundi.
Ed Donelan is an Information and Communications Technology infrastructure executive and entrepreneur with more than 40 years of leadership experience. He is the founder and past president of Telecom Infrastructure Corp, a company specializing in the design and construction of ICT systems for the New York City metropolitan region.
Recognized as an industry leader, Ed has extensive experience in project management, workforce development, disaster recovery, and community service. He is passionate about helping people grow, develop, and succeed.
Ed has also been actively involved in Sacred Heart Church and has served as a disaster relief leader during Hurricanes Katrina, Irene, Sandy, and Harvey. In addition to his professional and community leadership, Ed enjoys scuba diving, boating, gardening, building renovation, electrical work, spirituality, land sanctuary caretaking, physical exercise, travel, and exploration.
Mary Ann Montano is a seasoned Business Operations leader with more than three decades of experience across inventory management, demand and supply planning, and organizational change management in multiple industries.
She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing from Clarion University of Pennsylvania and began her career in marketing research with AC Nielsen. She later completed her MBA while working at Playtex Apparel and earned her Project Management Professional (PMP) certification during her tenure at IBM.
Throughout her career, Mary Ann has held leadership roles in several Fortune 100 and Fortune 500 companies, developing expertise in corporate finance, sales operations, supply chain management, logistics, and customer and employee experience.
After retiring in 2024, Mary Ann and her husband relocated to Wilmington, Vermont where they operate a small business and enjoy the region’s outdoor activities. She serves on the Board of Directors for Serenity Central, leading business planning efforts and the garden beautification initiative. She is also an active member of the Deerfield Valley Rotary and the Project Management Institute.
Beth Wolfe has been a Licensed Mental Health Counselor for over 33 years and is licensed in the state of Florida as a Qualified Supervisor. She received her doctorate in Counselor Education from Ohio University and holds master’s degrees in Community and Agency Counseling and Student Affairs Administration.
Beth began her counseling career working in Appalachia with a community agency providing outpatient and group counseling services for dually diagnosed patients. She later served as Clinical Director for a 90-day residential program for women in Ohio and for a TANF-funded residential program for families in rural Georgia.
Throughout her career she has provided clinical services in emergency rooms, psychiatric inpatient settings, and long-term group therapy programs. She has worked closely with psychiatrists and behavioral health professionals as part of treatment teams and provides clinical supervision to intern-level counselors.
Beth has also taught graduate-level counseling courses at Ohio University, Georgia State University, and Webster University in Florida. She is now semi-retired, maintaining a private practice in Florida and providing tele-health counseling services to Vermonters.