Mill Falls Charter School Foundation
Mill Falls Charter School Foundation is a non-profit foundation that is in the process of attaining 501(c)(3) tax status. The Foundation’s purpose is to raise funds for Mill Falls Charter School in support of the school’s financial sustainability. The Foundation Board comprises individuals with vast professional, business and community leadership experience and a strong commitment to the mission and goals of Mill Falls Charter School. For more information, please contact us at: Foundation@millfalls.org.
Board of Directors
William J. Kanteres (President/Treasurer) is a lifelong New Hampshire resident and the president of Kanteres Real Estate where he has been involved in the real estate business for 39 years. From 2005 to 2011, he was an incorporator and member of the Board of Trustees of Hellenic American University in Greece. Will has served on many community service programs in his local community and is a past member of the board of directors of the Manchester United Way. He has been involved with Share Our Strength since its inception and has been a founding director of Share Our Strength (based in Washington, DC, SOS is one of the nation’s largest and most respected hunger relief organizations) for over 20 years. In addition to his business ventures, Will has been deeply involved in civic and political activities, which have spanned 30 years. In 1998 he served on a mission as an election observer in the first democratic Presidential elections in Azerbaijan. Will attended Northeastern University and the University of New Hampshire before entering the real estate business. Will resides in Manchester, NH with his wife, Meryl Levin and their 5 year-old son, Elias, who attends Bedford Montessori School, and returns to Greece annually to renew his Hellenic heritage.
Maria H. Law (Secretary) has been with the Concord-based law firm, Rath, Young Pignatelli since March of 2009 as Of Counsel. She is a member of the firms Business and Finance, Education and Non-profit, and Energy Law Practice Groups. Her practice focuses on counseling corporate and individual clients in real estate and corporate transactions as well as in support of Renewable Energy Projects. Maria also has extensive experience in counseling charitable trust and non-profit organizations in the areas of corporate governance, maintenance of 501(c)(3) status and collaboration of mission-driven non-profit organizations. Maria previously practiced law with Nixon, Peabody, LLP and McLane, Graf, Raulerson & Middleton, PA, both in Manchester. Maria has a deep commitment to community and has served on many boards over the years, including as Member and Former Chair of The Palace Theatre Trust Board of Trustees; Board Member at the VNA Foundation of Manchester & Southern NH; Former Member and Chair of Child Health Services Board of Directors; Former Member of the Board of Incorporators of the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, Manchester Region; Former Member of the Board of Trustees at The Derryfield School. Maria’s adult children attended the Bedford Montessori School as young students. Maria is an alumnus of the Leadership New Hampshire Class of 2000, and she graduated from Vassar College and Boston College Law School. She recently relocated from Bedford to Manchester, NH.
Mark T. Adam is president and CEO of the Zyacorp Companies based in Bedford, NH. In 1982, Mr. Adam joined Canad, Inc. in Manchester, New Hampshire. Beginning as a manager, he later served as vice president, director and shareholder, while also serving as vice president and director of Royal Motor Inns, Inc. from 1989, the companies were sold in December 1997. In March 1998, Mr. Adam founded the Zyacorp Companies, based in Bedford, New Hampshire, where he serves as president and chief executive officer. The Zyacorp Companies own and operate CINEMAGIC Stadium Theaters throughout New England and are active in commercial real estate development. A two-time finalist in the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Program, listed in INC Magazine’s Hot 500 fastest growing companies, Mr. Adam is a member of the advisory board for the National Association of Theater Owners and vice president of the Theater owners of New England. He served on the International Operators Council for Howard Johnson International from 2002 to 2006. He is also a member of, the Archdiocesan Council for the Greek Orthodox Church of America, the Metropolis Council of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Boston and is an Archon of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, The Order of Saint Andrew. Mr. Adam attended Hellenic College/Holy Cross School of Theology and then earned his BA in Business Management from Boston College (Class of 1982). He later earned a certificate of completion from the Institute for Practicing Real Estate in Manchester, New Hampshire.
Robert P. Blaisdell serves as Senior Vice President of Demers & Blaisdell, Inc. Prior to 2012, he served as Vice President of Government Affairs for The Demers Group, Inc. Mr. Blaisdell has been a professional lobbyist since 1998. He is responsible for managing and overseeing special projects for the firm including client development and assisting clients with strategy and their implementation of comprehensive governmental affairs activities, which includes lobbying and association management. In 2000 & 2001, Mr. Blaisdell served on the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce Government Affairs Committee. In 2004 through 2006, Mr. Blaisdell served on the Business & Industry Association of New Hampshire’s Human Resource Committee where he focused on issues including labor law regulation, health and safety regulation, health insurance cost and availability, workers compensation, and improvement of the state’s education system. In January of 2005, Mr. Blaisdell was named a recipient of the distinguished NH Union Leader newspaper’s 40 Under Forty Award, which recognizes forty NH residents who are all under the age of forty, nominated by their peers and honored for being quick out of the gate, influential within their field and beyond, making their dreams a reality, and leading the way for New Hampshire’s future. In January of 2008, Mr. Blaisdell was featured in Business NH Magazine’s “The Battle for Power” Making it in NH for having many “impressive wins for clients”. In January of 2009, Mr. Blaisdell was recognized by Business NH Magazine as, “One of 25 people who will lead and shape the Granite State for the next 25 years.” In 2010 Mr. Blaisdell was appointed by the Mayor of Manchester to serve on the Task Force on Efficiencies & Consolidations and he was also nominated and confirmed by Manchester’s Mayor & Board of Alderman to serve a three-year term as a Commissioner of Manchester’s Parks & Recreation. He continues to serve as a strategy and policy advisor to many candidates seeking office on both the state and federal level. Mr. Blaisdell has a BA in Communications from the University of New Hampshire. He lives in Manchester, NH with his wife Molly and their three children Emma, James, and Caroline.
Dan Calegari has a long-time track record as an engaged NH citizen working on both the community level and in the world of electoral politics at home and abroad. Dan served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in a small town in Northeast Iran during the late 1970′s, later returning to Iran as a Language Proficency Examiner for a private company. Once back in the states, he worked as a community organizer for Community Action establishiing a 10-site food co-operative serving over 1000 families in rural NH. In 1988, Dan established Barwind Corporation in Manchester. He ran that small business, which specialized in home window replacement and siding, for nearly 20 years. During those years, Dan served as the Volunteer Development Director for the NH Autism Society, and has been a long-time volunteer for the Spaulding Youth Center in Tilton. Presently, he is serving as the Manchester Coordinator for Southern New Hampshire Services, working mostly with refugee-related programs. Dan worked on six presidential campaigns and virtually every congressional and gubernatorial race in NH since 1975. Before joining the Southern New Hampshire Services team, he served as Special Assistant for Constituent Services for Senator Jeanne Shaheen. Originally from western Massachusettes, Dan came to NH in the 1970s where he lived first in the north country, later relocating to Deerfield, where he and his wife, Libby, raised their two, now adult-aged, sons. Dan and Libby currently live in Manchester.
Kate Coltin Callahan* is currently the principal at Mary C. Dondero School, a K-5 elementary school in Portsmouth, NH and was formerly the Educational Program Director at Hill View Montessori Charter Public School in Haverhill, Massachusetts. She grew up in Londonderry, NH and holds a Bachelor’s of Science from University of New Hampshire, a Master’s of Education from Endicott College and a Certificate of Advanced Graduate Studies from Plymouth State University. Additionally, Kate has her Early Childhood, Lower and Upper Elementary Montessori Certification. She has taught students in grades 3-6 NH and MA, and in a mixed age classroom at the American School of Milan, in Italy. Kate is also employed by Seacoast Center for Education: Montessori Elementary Teacher Education Program where she teaches classes and supervises yearlong teacher practicums. Additionally, she is the Montessori Masters of Education liaison between Seacoast Center and Plymouth State University. Kate and her husband live in Portsmouth, NH where she is actively involved in her community — as a Trustee at the Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Greater Seacoast and at the Child Advocacy Center of Rockingham County.
Susan Contos is one of the Partners and the General Manager of Accurate Title in Bedford, NH and has been with the company since 2000. Prior to joining Accurate Title, Susan worked in sales and management positions with Lawyers Title Insurance Corporation in both Boston, MA and Manchester, NH. Susan has served as chairperson of the Public Relations Committee of the Mortgage Bankers and Brokers Association of New Hampshire and Chairperson of the Community Service Committee of the Greater Manchester/Nashua Board of Realtors. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Westfield State College in Westfield, MA. In 1988, Susan chose to take a respite from her job and spent ten years at home with her children. During those years, she volunteered in the local schools at all levels. Susan lives in Amherst, NH with her husband, Chuck, and their four children.
Quentin Keefe is the President of Regency Mortgage Corporation, a regional mortgage banking company headquartered in Hooksett, NH and licensed in the states of NH, ME, MA, VT and FL. Regency has approximately 110 employees and 16 branch offices. Quentin has been active in community based initiatives for most of his adult life. Currently, he serves as Chairman of the Palace Theatre Board of Trustees. Keefe also served on the Board of Directors of the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce where he was instrumental in forming the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce Green Committee, on which he served as its first chair. He also served as Co-Chair of the 2008-2011Greater Manchester Taste of the Nation event, and as a committee member for years before serving in that capacity. Quentin studied Philosophy at St. Michael’s College earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1976, and in 1980 he earned a Master of Public of Administration degree from the University of New Hampshire. Quentin is a lifelong resident of Manchester where he and his wife of 36 years, Maryjane, have raised their three children.
Roland A. Martin II is the principal of Martin Construction Advisors, LLC and President of Cornerstone Construction Company, LLC. He has over 26 years of experience in the commercial and industrial construction field and started Cornerstone Construction in 2001. Roland is a long time member of the Construction Management Association of America (CMAA) and an affiliate member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and Commercial Investment Board of Realtors (NHCIBOR). He has been active in Associated General Contractors (AGC) as well as Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC). Several of Roland’s projects have received awards including Excellence in Construction Awards from the New Hampshire and Vermont chapter of ABC, Award of Merit for Historical Restorations, Award of Excellence for a Specialty Trade and an Award of Merit for commercial projects over $2 million. His numerous community activities have included serving as a coach, board member and three-term President of Manchester Regional Youth Hockey Association, Easter Seals, United Way, Trout Unlimited, NH Legends of Hockey and Ducks Unlimited. Roland is also the founder of “Carver’s for Kids”, an organization dedicated to bringing winter sports enthusiasts together to raise money to support young cancer treatment patients. Roland is a life long Manchester resident and a member of the Union Leader’s “40 Under 40″ class of 2005 which recognized him for his significant influence in the State of New Hampshire as a result of his professional, personal and civic accomplishments.
Mica B. Stark is the Special Assistant to President for Government Relations of University of New Hampshire where he manages federal and state government relations, along with a variety of strategic initiatives for UNH President Mark Huddleston. As a 9th generation New Hampshire native, Mica feels a deep connection to the state and has spent his career trying to improve the quality of life in NH. Before working at UNH, he was the managing director at the NH Institute of Politics at Saint Anselm College where he managed four presidential debates and developed and led numerous civic engagement initiatives. Mica has worked with several nonprofits in the state, including City Year New Hampshire, where he was the founding board co-chair, and the Piscataquog Land Conservancy, a regional land trust west of Manchester. Mica also helped start Portsmouth Listens, a citizen led effort to organize well-designed citizen deliberations on various policy issues. He is a Leadership New Hampshire Class of 2012 Associate, and graduated summa cum laude from Michigan State University earning his master’s degree in political theory and graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of New Hampshire. When not working and spending time playing trains and dinosaurs with his two young boys and wife, Mica can be found golfing.
Michael O’Neil, Mill Falls Head of School and Meryl Levin, Mill Falls School Board Chair serve as non-voting members of the Foundation.
(“*” indicates member also serves on Mill Falls Charter School Board of Trustees)
