Board Members of Seacoast Community School

Jerry Cahill, Chair

Jerry is a founder and partner at FFC CPAs/ LLC; a CPA firm specializing in individual income tax for high net worth individuals and their families. He has extensive tax and estate planning experience. Jerry enjoys working closely with individuals in conjunction with their other trusted advisors to navigate their complex situations to maximize their tax benefits. Prior to starting FFC CPAs, LLC Jerry was the manager at BerryDunn, a large regional CPA firm.  Jerry graduated from the University of New Hampshire with a Bachelors of Science in Business Administration and a Master’s of Science in Accounting. He has been a member of the Board and has served on the Finance Committee since July 2017. Jerry lives in Portsmouth with his wife and daughters.

Luke Bassett, Vice Chair

Luke Bassett is a regional manager for a veterinary pharmaceutical sales company. After beginning his professional career with eight years as a US Army Officer, he joined the veterinary industry, where he has worked for various companies over the past seventeen years in sales, marketing, and management roles. Luke holds an MBA from Boston University. He has a son who started in the SCS preschool program and continued on through the PEAK program. After several years working on the Access Committee, Luke joined the Board in 2020. In his spare time Luke enjoys traveling with his family, exploring Portsmouth, and participating in outdoor sports of all kinds.

Alicia Medros, Secretary

Alicia, a graduate of the University of Michigan School of Engineering, has a 15 year career in technology and project management.  Alicia spent over 10 years with the consulting firm Accenture helping her clients with complex system implementation and business process redesign before going to work at the University of New Hampshire where she is an Associate Director of the Academic Technology Department. Alicia’s three children each began attending the Seacoast Community School as infants and Alicia joined the Seacoast Community School Board in 2015 as a way to give back to the school that she and her family loved so much and to serve the mission of the school in providing that same excellent care to all families of the Seacoast. Alicia is currently serving as secretary of the board. Alicia lives in Rye with her husband Jon and her three young children.   

Sam Witherspoon, Treasurer

Sam works at Vigilant Capital Management as a Portfolio Manager and Research Analyst. Prior to joining Vigilant, Sam was an Investment Director at RS Investments. Sam holds the Chartered Financial Analyst® designation and is a member of the CFA Society of Boston and the CFA Institute. Sam earned his BA in Economics from Colby College where he was captain of the Alpine Ski Team. Sam serves on the finance committee and volunteers with Big Brothers Big Sisters. He lives in Portsmouth, NH with his wife, Margaret, daughter Charlotte, and yellow lab Winston. Sam completed the Lake Placid Ironman and spends his free time enjoying the outdoors, skiing, hiking, surfing, and biking. 

Stephanie Caswell

Stephanie is the Director of Leadership Giving and Philanthropy at Berwick Academy, a Pre-K through grade 12 independent day school in South Berwick, Maine. Stephanie has spent the last 15 years in development. Before Berwick she spent 8 years with the University of New Hampshire Foundation. She is passionate about access to high-quality education and is excited to be chairing the Development Committee. Stephanie’s son started at Seacoast Community School in the infant room and attended through preschool. A graduate of the University of New Hampshire (BS) and Norwich University (MS), Stephanie and her husband, Aaron, live in Portsmouth with their 2 children.

Betsy Humphreys

Betsy has worked in New Hampshire since 1985 in both public and private early education settings, including Portsmouth Early Education Program (PEEP), where she taught from 1997-2008.  She received her masters degree in early childhood special education at UNH and her doctoral degree in early intervention at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. She is currently a Research Assistant Professor of Education at the UNH Institute on Disability. Since 2010 Betsy has served as Training Director for the New Hampshire-Maine Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities Program (NH-ME LEND) at UNH. Betsy holds an Experienced Educator Certificate from the New Hampshire Department of Education and works with students and professionals pursuing careers in early childhood education and early intervention.  Betsy joined the SCS board in 2019 and is passionate about all things early childhood. She lives in Eliot, Maine with her husband Bill, dog Kip, and cat Henry and enjoys walking, gardening, and spending time with her three-year-old granddaughter.

Lindsey Donohue

Lindsey is an attorney at Keane & Macdonald, P.C. where she practices primarily in the areas of Estate Planning, Probate Administration, Real Estate, and Business law.  She is licensed to practice law in NH, MA, & ME.  Lindsey graduated from Hobart & William Smith Colleges with a BS and from Quinnipiac University School of Law with her JD.  In addition to her roles on the SCS board and finance committee, Lindsey serves on the Board of the Rockingham County Bar Association, the Chamber Collaborative of Greater Portsmouth, and is an active Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) volunteer.  She lives in Portsmouth, NH with her husband, Joe, children Teddy & Caroline, and 2 black lab mixes.

Michelle Fijalkowski-Santy

Michelle Fijalkowski-Santy has been teaching at the elementary level in Portsmouth since 2003. She was awarded her B.S. in Elementary Education and Humanities in 2002, and the Student Senate Leadership Award from Lesley University. She also has an undergraduate specialization in Multicultural Education. In 2003 she was awarded her M. Ed. in Elementary Education from Lesley University. Michelle has engaged in progressive professional development over the years including the SchoolYard Sites Program at UNH where she helped to establish the maple tree tapping program for third graders at all Portsmouth Public Schools and even brought the program to the preschools at Seacoast Community School. She continues to volunteer her time at SCS to teach preschool children about the maple tapping process. Michelle has also engaged in extensive professional development about STEM, women in history, equity and social justice. Michelle lives in Portsmouth with her wonderful husband and two children- Caroline and John. Caroline and John have been enrolled at SCS since they were Periwinkles/Shrimps! Michelle loves Seacoast Community School and is thrilled to be part of the Board of Directors.

Gaston Ngarukiye

Gaston is an Energy/Utility industry professional working as a Technical Lead Engineer with Nation Grid. He is a motivated, detail-oriented engineer focusing on High Voltage Overhead Transmission Engineering. His responsibilities include the design and consultants’ oversight. Prior to joining National Grid, Gaston worked for Pepco Holdings- An Exelon subsidiary in different engineering roles and Project Management. Gaston Holds a B.S in Civil Engineering from the University of New Hampshire and Master of Engineering from Norwich University. As a resident of Portsmouth, NH Gaston enjoys living the Seacoast with his family and dog. When not working, Gaston enjoys functional training and running.

Andy Ward

Andy is a commercial real estate broker working in the Portsmouth, NH office of Colliers International, a global real estate services company. He is graduate of Cornell University with a Bachelor of Science in Landscape Architecture. After building a professional career for 15 years as a commercial landscape architect in Boston, MA, and Portsmouth, NH, Andy shifted his focus from the design of commercial real estate to commercial real estate brokerage. Andy is grateful to be working and living in the beautiful seacoast area of New Hampshire, with his wife and two beach loving children who attend the PEAK after school program. Andy is a new member of the Seacoast Community School Board, joining in 2019 and is Chairman of the HOME Committee. 

Anthony Zanetti

Anthony is a Managing Partner and Financial Consultant at Mardin Capital Group, a Portsmouth-based wealth management firm founded in 2002. He is a graduate of Stonehill College, where he played ice hockey and remains an active alum.  Anthony resides in Rye, NH with his wife, Lauren, son Bruno, daughter Josephine, and dog Tito.  As a family they enjoy their fitness routines, exploring the Seacoast playground scene, and spending time at the beach.