Our Mission & Vision

Girls at Work, Inc. empowers girls with tools, unleashing their power and potential to accomplish anything.

Our vision is a world where every girl feels confident and capable.

Girls at Work, Inc. builds confidence, trust, resilience, skills and dreams.

To learn more about how we utilize our resources and programs to maximize our impact, click here to view our documented outcomes.

We Build Leaders

Girls at Work, Inc. builds leaders.

Our programs are designed to build confidence, strength and resilience through building with power tools in our after school, team builds, and “Build Me Up” summer camps. Our workshops and meeting spaces are located in the Millyard in Manchester, New Hampshire.

In addition to our after school, middle school builds, vacation and summer camp programs, we can customize a program for you and your organization. For birthday parties, home school groups, youth organizations, non-profit, women’s and/or team builds, we’ll develop a build event that sharpens critical thinking and fosters teamwork and connection.

We’ve worked with groups to build picnic tables, benches, outdoor classrooms, raised beds, bird houses, bookcases, chairs, window boxes, and tiny, free libraries! You provide the people and we’ll provide all the tools and materials you’ll need to complete your project while improving their teamwork.

“I am blown away by the impact this program has on the girls served. I believe that all girls should have the chance to participate and find voice, confidence and success in this program.”

Nancy Frankel

Girls Scout Camp Director and board member of the
National Board of Directors of the American Camp Association

Leadership

Our Board of Directors

Ken Hamel has over 38 years of operations, finance and Information Technology experience in the technology industry. He has a long-tenured history at SAP, a global software company, joining in 2003 and held numerous leadership roles on the global senior executive team including Executive Vice President.  Previous to SAP he served as Vice President at Oracle Corporation and prior to that several years in financial management at Digital Equipment Corporation.  He is currently serving as a Senior Advisor at Bridge Growth Partners, a private equity company focused on technology companies. Ken is also on the Board of Syniti, a privately held software company. Ken is currently a Corporator at Perkins School for the Blind and previously served on the Executive Board of Daniel Webster Boy Scouts Council.

Heather Anderson is the Director of Aftermarket and Sales Operations for Bosch Heating and Cooling North America, and is a long time supporter and fan of Girls at Work, Inc. Heather brings to us an extensive management and operational customer support experience, as well as her talent for proactively identifying and resolving problems. Heather earned her BA in Political Science from Tufts University, and her MBA from Southern New Hampshire University.

Karen O’Reilly is the Director of Finance and HR at St Ignatius of Loyola Church, located in Chestnut Hill, MA. Karen brings over ten years of experience working with local non-profits and strong technical accounting skills from 13 years of finance experience working for the 3 rd largest cable company in the US and Ernst & Young. Karen earned her BS in Accounting and International Business from NYU – Stern School of Business.

Tom Reynolds currently works for the VF corporation as director of Supply Chain Integration. He has been with VF for over 8 years and held a variety of different roles within their brand portfolio. Tom has over 15 years of experience in Supply Chain Management with a focus on global supply & demand planning. Tom is from Manchester and is an avid woodworker who fell in love with Girls at Work, Inc. through a variety of community service events while working for the Timberland organization. He graduated from the University of New Hampshire with a BA in Political Science and Communications.

Donald E. Bossi, Ph.D. is a General Partner with Technology Venture Partners (TVP) and has been actively engaged with the firm’s venture-capital investments, both as an operating executive and as a representative of the firm. As Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of two TVP portfolio companies, Aegis Lightware, Inc. and Inlet Technologies, Inc., Don was pivotal in leading the expansion efforts of both companies, as well as positioning them for successful acquisitions. In addition, he has served in key Board and Advisory roles across several TVP companies at various stages. Prior to TVP, Don was Group President of JDS Uniphase Corporation’s Transmission Products Group, a division that grew ten-fold under his leadership. Don also served as President of FIRST, the leading global non-profit organization that inspires young people’s interest in science, technology, and engineering. Don holds B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees in electrical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and is an owner of a number of U.S. patents. Has also serves on the Boards of Directors for several privately held companies and non-profit organizations.

Our Staff

Elaine Hamel

Founder, Executive Director

Elaine believes teaching girls and women how to use power tools to build provides an experience that shatters the lens of powerlessness that so many struggle with. Girls need extreme measures to silence the voices of self-doubt that consume them at every turn. She believes building does just that and also enables them to discover that the most powerful tool in their arsenal is their voice. Elaine has:

  • Empowered over 20,000 girls through building since she founded Girls at Work, Inc. in 2000;
  • Graduated from the Leadership Greater Manchester program;
  • Over 25 years experience as a general contractor specializing in residential renovations;
  • Led 6 service trips to rebuild New Orleans homes in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
Elaine Hamel Founder of Girls at Work

Joe Gallagher & Craig Young

Building & Project Prep Team

Craig & Joe are our two building project prep volunteers. These dedicated and energetic gentlemen arrive every single weekday morning to prepare lumber and materials for the projects the girls will be working on each afternoon, as well as for our off-site team builds. Craig and Joe volunteer well over 1,000 hours annually. Without their dedication and hard work, we would not be able to offer the volume of programming we do!

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You Have the Power to Empower

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