Board of Directors | NEER North Horse Rescue

Mary Martin, President and Founder

NEER North’s president and founder, has been involved with horses for over 40 years. After serving as a board member of a Rhode Island-based rescue, in 2005, she started her own Massachusetts rescue in 2008, which received 501c3 status as New England Equine Rescue-North, Inc., in 2011. A licensed riding instructor and member of multiple horse-related organizations, Mary works with other equine rescues locally and nationally to advocate for equine welfare and to raise public awareness of and support for rescue activities.

Dr. Derek Cavatorta, DVM, Ph.D., Director and Liaison to the Equine Care Team

Dr. Derek Cavatorta is a large animal veterinarian and owner of Black Brook Veterinary Services, based in Hamilton, MA. He grew up in Rowley and attended Triton Regional High School. He earned his B.S. degree in Animal Science from the University of Massachusetts before completing veterinary school and a Ph.D. in Immunology from Cornell University. Dr. Derek finds his work at NEER very rewarding and enjoys providing medical assistance for equines in need.

Ann O’Sullivan, Director, Treasurer and Liaison to Bookkeeping

Ann is currently the owner of O’Sullivan & Company, CPAs, an accounting and tax firm in North Andover, MA. Previously Ann worked for Price Waterhouse in their Boston office.

Ann has been the treasurer for several local charities including the Pentucket Education Foundation, Page School PTO, West Newbury Youth League, and Friends of the West Newbury COA. She also prepares the income tax reporting forms for the Friends of the West Newbury Library and the COA as a donation of her time. Ann’s company prepares tax reporting forms for several other charities as well.

Ann takes great pleasure in communicating with her furry neighbors at NEER North daily. Ann has been known to post a video or two and can admit to shaming more than one person into donating carrots and treats for her equine neighbors. She rode horses as a young girl and her daughter rode until she went away to college, so she has great affection for these beautiful animals.

Caitlin Swofford, Board Chair, Secretary and Liaison to the Auction Committee

Caitlin has volunteered to support the NEER North Events team since 2016, co-chairing the annual auction from 2017-2018. In her professional life, she manages a team of software developers for a consulting company and is the head of the corporate giving program. She is skilled in project management and technology operations, with experience supporting finance, sales, marketing, and IT. Caitlin was a licensed wildlife rehabber in the state of Massachusetts before moving to New Hampshire and she is passionate about helping animals of all sizes, with an especially deep, lifelong love for the four-legged equine variety!

Caroline Matterson, Director, Tack Shop Manager and Liaison to the Tack Shop Team

Caroline Matterson has been involved with horses most of her life and has long been committed to equine rescue, joining NEER North in 2008 and serving as a NEER North founding board member and treasurer until 2012. She spent the next five years at the MSPCA Nevins Farm sharing her knowledge and experience managing their tack shop, increasing revenue yearly, and chairing beach and trail ride fundraisers among her many contributions.

Caroline rejoined NEER North in June 2018 and currently manages the Tack Shop with a team of dedicated
volunteers. Under her guidance, the Tack Shop continues to grow and provide one of the consistent sources of funding for NEER North. Not one to sit around after her retirement in 2011, Caroline joined the Maudslay State Park Association in May 2012. She has continued to serve on the board as the elected treasurer since 2016.

Caroline’s professional experience includes executive roles in computer, retail, and business ownership as well as her work in the non-profit arena. She brings a depth of organizational experience to NEER North along with her
extensive equine knowledge and her familiarity with the equine community in the area. Caroline also cares for the two equines she adopted, Red Star Clint, and Violet giving them a loving forever home.

Kathryn Cordeiro, Director and Liaison to the Grants Team

Kathryn is an avid horsewoman who has supported NEER North since 2015 and works with NEER North horses at Abenaki Farm. She adopted two horses from NEER, Hottie in 2019 and Pye in 2020.

In her professional life, she is a Managing Partner of KPinC Consulting, LLC where she provides proposal and grant management, market analysis, competitive assessment, and mergers and acquisition analysis.