Our Staff
William H. Guenther
President
Bill founded Mass Insight in 1989 to help shape Massachusetts' economic development strategy and connect assets in universities, governments and industries.
As an outgrowth of Mass Insight's work on K-12 education reform, in 1997 Bill established Mass Insight Education, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation, to organize policy, outreach and school leadership training initiatives to support the successful introduction of the new Massachusetts state academic standards and tests.
Bill, a graduate of Harvard College and the New York University Law School, lives in Beverly with his wife and two children. Previously, he served as chairman of the Salem Redevelopment Authority.
Deborah J. Abbott, CPA
Business Manager
Deb is responsible for all financial aspects of the organizations including budgeting, reporting, and projecting cash flows. She has more than 19 years of experience in accounting, the majority of it with not-for-profit organizations. Prior to joining Mass Insight, she was the Controller for a privately-held rare coins and collectibles business for almost 2 years. Before that, she was the Controller for BWH Anesthesia Foundation, Inc. for 6 years. Deb has her B.S. in accounting from Bryant College and an M.B.A. with a concentration in finance from Clark University.
Doug Clendenin
Director, Policy Initiatives
Prior to joining Mass Insight Global Partnerships, Doug worked at the Congressional Quarterly (CQ) - Roll Call Group in Washington D.C., where he was a Policy Analyst primarily covering legislation coming out of the House Financial Services, Energy & Commerce and Education & Labor Committees. While at CQ he also contributed to the CQ Online Daily News and to CQ Weekly Magazine as a staff writer. Before CQ, Doug worked in the financial services industry in Boston as an auditor, financial analyst and compliance analyst. Doug holds a Master of Public Policy (MPP) degree from Johns Hopkins University and a B.S. degree in Political Science from Northeastern University.
Toby Danforth
Director, Human Resources
Toby manages all aspects of Human Resources for Mass Insight including: recruiting, performance management, organizational development and staff development. He is a career Human Resources manager with broad based experience working in professional services firms, banking, software, and consulting. Throughout his career, Toby has recruited staff at all levels from CEO to support staff. Most recently he was Global Staffing Manager for Oxfam America. Toby has Masters Degrees from Teachers College Columbia University, American University and a Bachelor’s Degree from Norwich University. Toby has two children and one grandchild; he and his wife live in Marblehead, MA.
Joanna Manikas
Vice President, Business and Information Systems
Joanna is responsible for information technology and office systems. She has over 25 years of experience in project management, information technology, print and electronic design, and operations. Prior to joining Mass Insight, Joanna was a business integration project manager at CMGI where she developed toolkits and cross-functional systems to assimilate newly acquired companies into the corporate organization. She has a B.S. from Babson College.
Carol Relph
Executive Assistant
Carol provides administrative and operational support to Mass Insight's president, Bill Guenther. Prior to joining Mass Insight, Carol was a Corporate Event Planner for over 25 years, most recently with Progress Software where she planned their domestic and international events.