Board of Directors

The Kate’s Voice Board of Directors is composed of people who are passionate not only about the effects of music therapy, but also about helping children with special needs fulfill their potential.

Laura Boyajian Rutherford – Director & President

Laura Rutherford and her husband, Mark, are the founders of Kate’s Voice. Laura is the mother of three children, from whom she draws daily inspiration and strength. Her oldest child, Kate, has multiple developmental and physical disabilities and is the muse behind Kate’s Voice. Laura has seen firsthand the unique power music has to reach children with special needs. It’s her dream and vision to bring this music to as many such children as possible.

Laura has a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from St. Lawrence University and a Master of Arts degree in writing from Northeastern University. Besides spending time with her family, Laura enjoys writing, reading, running, spinning, and yoga.

Mark Rutherford – Director & Vice-President

Mark is currently Vice President, Consumer Marketing for Philips Lifeline, a division of Philips Electronics. In this role, he is responsible for creating a new direct to consumer acquisition strategy for the Philips Lifeline medical alert service.

Prior to Lifeline, Mark served as Director, Direct to Consumer Marketing for Bose Corporation where he oversaw the company’s direct response advertising. While at Bose, Mark spearheaded the development and sale of a music CD that raised over $200,000 for the MetroWest United Way. At the time, it represented the single largest fundraising event in the company’s history. Mark also has advertising agency experience, having worked at both Bronner Slosberg Humphry and Young and Rubicam.

Mark has a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from St. Lawrence University.

Annette Hines – Director

Attorney Annette Hines is an advocate for disabled and elderly citizens and their families. Recognized as a Distinguished Citizen by ARC Massachusetts and cited for public service by the Massachusetts State Senate and House of Representatives, Ms. Hines works tirelessly on behalf of people with disabilities.

As the mother of a disabled child, Ms. Hines founded and directed a non-profit home care company called Special Families-Special Care, Inc. which created a new standard for care giving and a greater pay scale for caregivers. After leading the company to $1.5 million in revenue and 50 employees, she merged it with Shriver Clinical Services Corp. of Natick.

Annette Hines earned her BA from the University of Vermont, received her JD from the Howard University School of Law and her MBA from Suffolk University. Her law firm, Hines and Associates, is located in Natick and focuses on three primary areas: estate planning, small business law, and healthcare law.

She is a member of the Massachusetts Bar Association, Women’s Bar Association and National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys. Annette Hines is a trusted legal professional, an advocate for families and a valuable resource for individuals and businesses in MetroWest Boston.

Kimberly Khare, Director

Kimberly Khare received her Master’s degree in Music Therapy from New York University and her post-graduate/advanced clinical training and certification from the Nordoff-Robbins Center for Music Therapy in New York City. Kimberly is currently the Director of Music Therapy for the Community Music Center of Boston. She is also currently a faculty member of Berklee College of Music in the Music Therapy Department and the Guitar Department. Kimberly holds level 1 training from the Nordoff-Robbins Center in Clinical Improvisation, a specialized form of music therapy. She also has certification in Aesthetic Music Therapy.

Kimberly’s areas of clinical expertise are with children, youth and young adults, particularly those diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, anxiety disorders, speech and language disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, abuse and neglect, medical and behavioral needs, youth-at-risk, and children with special needs. She continues to be site supervisor for students and interns in expressive therapies programs in the Boston area, mostly working with students from Berklee College of Music and Lesley University. For many years, Kimberly served as a music therapy program consultant for the Cambridge Public Schools. To that end, she is deeply committed and involved in developing music therapy programs in school systems, both elementary and middle-high school. She is the newsletter editor for the New England Region of the American Music Therapy Association, and is a past faculty member of Lesley University’s Expressive Arts Therapies Graduate program.

Ms. Khare has lectured extensively on the clinical use of music at both Regional and National Music Therapy Conferences. She has been the Director of the Music Therapy Program of the Community Music Center of Boston since 1999, and a staff music therapist since 1996. As Director, Kimberly sees all administrative tasks programmatically. Mentoring staff, developing community alliances, and providing higher levels of training in clinical improvisation are her passion.

Susan Simberg, Director

Susan has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Montclair State University in Psychology and a Master’s degree in Special Education from Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College. Sue has taught moderate and intensive needs students in the states of Tennessee, Vermont, and Massachusetts. The majority of her teaching experience has been with preschoolers. Sue has been an integral member of the CASE Collaborative’s preschool program for the last 28 years. During her experiences at CASE and at the Essential Early Education Center in Burlington, Vermont, Sue has experienced firsthand the powerful effect music has on children of all disabilities. It is this awareness that led Sue to volunteer for the Board of Kate’s Voice.