Our Board of Directors

Judy Aikens President Judy has been involved with Drum and Bugle Corps since the fall of 1976 when she joined The Muchachos feeder corps, The Gauchos where she marched with the colorguard until she was moved up to the Muchachos in the spring of 1978 where she remained with the colorguard until 1981.  In early 1996, she received a call to help get the corps back together for “one more parade” at the request of the City of Manchester NH in celebration of the city’s sesquicentennial celebration later in the year.  After the parade, many members wanted to continue on and with hard work, the corps is still here 28 years later.  Judy was colorguard captain for 13 seasons and retired from marching in February of 2010 to join the Board of Directors of the newly formed 501(c)(3) organization.  She was asked back in 2010 to be Co-Drum Major to help as the corps was large enough where 2 were needed.  At the end of the season, she retired again. In her professional life, Judy has certifications in medical coding and medical auditing.  She currently works at Catholic Medical Center in Manchester NH for the past 7 years as a Profession Coder III for New England Heart and Vascular Institute where she codes inpatient notes.  She also helps when needed in other areas such as office visits and testing, special projects and provider education.  Prior to this she worked for New Hampshire Orthopaedic Center for 27 years where she was the team lead for the coding and billing departments.  Judy was responsible for physician education, appeals of denied surgeries and coding of surgeries and many other tasks.  While employed at NHOC, she was a member of MGMA (Medical Group Managers Association) and was responsible for member registration for the monthly meetings. Judy lives in Manchester, NH and has been on the Board of Directors of Muchachos Inc from 2006 to 2023 serving as Secretary until January 2024 when she was voted in as President of the Board.

Michael Cloutier Vice President Michael has been involved in Drum & Bugle Corps since 1964 marching and performing with the Cadets feeder corps then the Muchachos Jr. Drum & Bugle Corps aging out in 1976.  After that he continued with the Muchachos as an M&M Instructor, Quartermaster, and bus driver.  Michael also marched with the Matadors of Providence RI.  When the Muchachos returned as a then Senior Corps, now All-Age Corps, Michael was again ‘all in’ as a performer and Brass Instructor.  In his professional life, Michael has an AS Degree in Radiologic Technology and a BS Degree in Business Studies.  He is a former Director of Imaging Informatics and Technical Services in Diagnostic Imaging.  He currently works as a Radiologic Technologist (RT) and Medic at an Urgent Care.  He is also a Lieutenant/AEMT with the Goffstown Fire Department. Michael currently serves on the Board of Directors  of the New Hampshire Society of Radiologic Technologists as Vice-President and the Goffstown Fire and Rescue Association as Treasurer.  He has been involved for many years in youth activities including Fire Exploring, the NH Fire Explorer Training Academy, coaching baseball, basketball and coaching/refereeing soccer.

Larry Stacy Secretary Larry has been a marching member of the Muchachos for 15 years. He has served on the Board of Directors for five years. Larry served on the Board of Directors for the Candia Youth Athletics Association for 16 years.

Carolyn Surrell Treasurer Carolyn began her career working as an operations administrator for a fiber optic utility construction company. After leaving the utility construction industry, Carolyn worked as an Administrative Assistant for her hometown’s water district.   In 2013, Carolyn was looking for a challenge and accepted a position as an implementation consultant at Tyler Technologies. In this role, Carolyn was responsible for implementing utility billing solutions for municipalities across the United States. In 2023, Carolyn accepted a position as Project Manager at Tyler Technologies. Carolyn’s strengths include project management, business process analysis, data planning, planning, and executing training sessions. Carolyn began her drum corps experience in the 1980s as a teenager when she marched in the Granite State Garrison. Carolyn joined the Muchachos Drum and Bugle Corps in 2010. She also marched with the Bridgemen Alumni Corps and performed with them until 2016. Carolyn has made lifelong friends in both groups. Carolyn has served as the Business Manager for the Muchachos and as the Director from 2016 to 2023.

David Lafond Director David has worked at Elevance Heath (fka Anthem) for approximately 28 years as an Actuarial Business Consultant.  He currently supports it’s Medicaid business analyzing normalized Cost of Care data and trends.  Prior to supporting cost of care analytics he worked on financial forecasting supporting Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Hampshire commercial business.  David currently holds a BA in Mathematics from Keene State College and an MBA from Southern New Hampshire University.   David currently resides in Manchester, NH and has been on the Board of Directors of Inspire Arts & Music since 2012, serving as the Chair of the Audit and Finance Committee. David has been involved in Drum & Bugle Corps since 1983 where he was a charter member of the Granite State Garrison from Keene, NH.  In 1987 he became a member of the Boston Crusaders until aging out in 1990.  He was also a member of the Bridgemen Alumni Drum & Bugle corps for 9 years. He is a member of the Boston Crusaders Hall of Fame.

Mike Mondor Director Mike is a retiree from the New Hampshire Bedford School District where he served for 29 years in their maintenance department.   His interest in drum corps began in the late 1960's,  whereupon he became a member of the Muchachos Jr. Drum & Bugle Corps drumline on snare drum and marched with the corps until 1973. He later attended the New Hampshire Technical Institute's mechanical engineering technology program and worked as a mechanical draftsman for a number of years. Mike returned to the drum corps activity in 1995 when the Muchachos formed an alumni corps. He has served on the Muchachos Board of Directors since 2019 and also serves on the Board of his homeowners association.

Elizabeth Rakich Director Liz started her desire to play in a drum and bugle corp while still in high school. She started to rehearse with a corps and soon found out she could not afford the tuition. Many years later when her oldest son was starting to play trumpet, she decided to start playing again. At a band show they were attending, the Muchachos had set up a booth looking for new members. That was all it took, her dream of playing with a drum and bugle corps was realized. She was awarded the 2017 Rookie of the Year. Her husband, who had always wanted to play drums, and son also joined. This year, her youngest son has learned to play a new instrument so he could join as well. Professionally, Liz designs houses and other small scale buildings, working on everything from large multi-million dollar homes in the Lakes Region, to small additions and garages. She recently became the owner of Dann Norris Batting Associates, a small design firm in southern New Hampshire. Liz has an Engineering Associates Degree in Architectural Engineering Technology from Wentworth Institute of Technology and is currently preparing to take the exams to become a licensed Architect. Liz has served on the Board of Directors for the Greater Manchester Habitat for Humanity (no longer an active affiliate) as a board member, Vice President and President. She also served on many of its committees including Family Selection and Support, Construction and Finance. She received the Spirit of NH Volunteer Service Award and was recognised as one of WZID’s 20 Outstanding Women. One of her greatest joys was working with volunteers on the construction site and teaching them new skills. Liz is still active in the Society for Creative Anachronisms (SCA) which is a non-profit educational group that recreates the Middle Ages. There she has served on many local committees including the Finance Committee, Chamberlain (Keeper of the Stuff), and Minister of the Lists. In recent years she has most often been found running events and creating lavish lunch spreads. Liz has received several awards recognising her service.

Ken Vachon Director Ken began his career in 1973 with New England Telephone working as a general clerk and data editor in the Central Office Equipment Engineering Department. During his 30 year telephone career he held various clerical & customer service related positions with NYNEX and Bell Atlantic before retiring in 2003 as an Information Systems Technician with Verizon. He later worked for 16 years in the State of New Hampshire Judicial Branch as a Court Assistant in the local area District Circuit Court. Ken was a member of the Muchachos Jr. Drum & Bugle Corps drumline from 1963 to 1975 and as a member of the Muchachos Alumni Corps from 1996 to 2012. His musical tastes run from the Beatles to Drum & Bugle Corps. He is a 1980 graduate of UNH/Merrimack Valley College with an AA Degree in General Studies. He is active in his church in several roles and holds a Third Degree membership in the Knights of Columbus. He was inducted into the Manchester Boys & Girls Club Hall of Fame in 2017. He is married and has two adult children.