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.

Elizabeth Rakich Secretary 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.

Larry Stacy Treasurer 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.

Joan Joly Emeritus Director Joan joined her first drum and bugle corps, the Simplex Minutemen of Gardner, MA, in 1975 as a mellophone player after watching her older sister perform with the corps. After the corps disbanded in 1982, Joan joined the Garfield Cadets, marching her age-out year in 1983. In 1984, Joan joined the staff of Granite State Garrison of Keene, NH as a visual instructor and was color guard instructor in 1985, the year the corps won Eastern Mass Circuit Class B Championship.   In 2009, the Cadets offered alumni the opportunity to perform with the corps in Giants Stadium. Joan reached out to the Muchachos to borrow a mellophone for the performance. That fall, she joined the Muchachos, performing with the Corps for the next several years. During her time with the Muchachos, Joan assisted the Corps with recruiting and fundraising events, including securing a Music Drives Us organizational grant. Joan has worked in web development for 25 years. She is currently Principal Front-End Developer at IDG, Inc. in Needham, MA. Joan has an AS degree in Interdisciplinary Studies from Mount Wachusett Community College and a BS in Occupational Therapy from Worcester State University.

James Maher Director