Meet Our Board of Trustees

Adam currently works for NH Department of Health and Human Services and lectures part time for the University of Phoenix. He moved to Derry with his wife Valorie in 2012. He’s been active with The National Ataxia Foundation, Project New Hope, Boy Scout Troop 98 and the American Diabetes Association for the past several years. He has helped raise money for research, ran health education workshops and been a keynote speaker. He is a perpetual learner that loves to share what he knows with others.

Adam and Valorie both graduated from a very rural high school that did not have a wide variety of resources to help students reach their highest potentials. While Adam had difficulty finding more challenging courses in some subjects or getting a jump-start on a college education, his wife had some difficulty with the standard classroom lecture format and didn’t have access to more effective alternatives. Both were at times frustrated with the traditional high school classroom and both would have had a very different experience if a school like Next had been in their area.

As a former small business owner, Adam sees the need to have a well-educated and capable workforce and as an educator, he knows that not everyone learns the same way. What draws him to Next is that it allows students to take different approaches to the same end goal.

When not working or volunteering, Adam seeks to be outdoors and active as much as possible. Hiking, biking, swimming, camping or snowshoeing are all possibilities when the weather permits. When those aren’t an option he engages in one of his many (maybe too many) hobbies like woodworking, leatherworking, cooking or working on his motorcycle.

E-mail: aburch@nextcharterschool.org

Craig Cerino is veteran of the United States Army and, by education, a 20+ year professional in the Information and Technology field and has been active in PTSA, Autism Speaks, the Compaq Mentor/Tutor program and instrumental in various Intern/Co-Op programs Massachusetts. Born and raised in the Philadelphia area, Craig comes from a strong family oriented background. Growing up, Craig had instilled in him the notion of family and community. Family first above all else. Followed closely by the community you live in. Whether that community be the town, city, state or country in which you reside. It is your responsibility to ensure that family and after if that community thrive.

Craig takes his responsibilities of helping those behind him very seriously. Having been involved in the Compaq Mentor/Tutor program while stationed in Florida as well as being integral in starting College Level Co-Op programs at two of the last three companies he has worked with. He feels strongly that it is the responsibility of those in the position to help to do so. This help comes in the form of “any means possible”. It is the responsibility of those that can to do so.

Craig has been personally involved in helping countless under (or non) experienced high school and college level students identify and pursue the path they are interested in both in education and work experience. Most especially in the Computer Science/Information Technology field. This involvement has included (but is not limited to) Colonial High School and Dr. Phillips High School in Orlando, FL., Career fairs and Co-Op programs at UMASS Lowell, Framingham State University, Northeastern University, Bunker Hill Community College and Tulane University.

E-mail: ccerino@nextcharterschool.org

Erika Cohen is a an independent writer, editor and ghostwriter. Erika is a member of the Derry School Board, joining that group in 2016. Erika is 2015 graduate of Leadership NH, a statewide leadership program. She worked for 10 years at Business NH Magazine, a statewide business trade publication, as a writer and editor, where she started the Young Reporter’s Project. Through that project, she worked with over 100 students at four colleges to help them identify, research and write stories. About 75 student stories were published in either the magazine or the website.

Erika believes experiential education is the best way for students to be engaged in learning and enjoys working with students. She joined the school board because she loves the community of Derry and wanted to help all Derry students have the best education. She and her husband have two kids who both attend Derry public schools.

Erika and her son previously volunteered as turtle walkers for two years at the Massabesic Audubon Center in Auburn. That experience inspired her family to adopt a rescue Russian tortoise named Langston. In her free time, Erika enjoys biking and hiking with her family.

E-mail: ecohen@sau10.org

MaryAnn is the proud Superintendent of the Derry Cooperative School District. An alumna of Gilbert H. Hood Middle School and Pinkerton Academy, she takes pride in her Derry heritage. Prior to that, she was the Assistant Superintendent in Derry for 10 years, West Running Brook Middle School Principal for 9 years, Grinnell Elementary Principal for 5 years, and an Assistant Principal for 2 years. Before becoming an administrator, MaryAnn taught grades 2-5 at the Charles M. Floyd Elementary School, Grinnell Elementary School and in Fort Bragg, North Carolina. In 2005, MaryAnn was named NH Middle-Level Principal of the Year and in 2009 was selected to the Pinkerton Academy Hall of Fame.

MaryAnn has earned a Doctorate in Education in Educational Leadership from Boston College, a Certificate of Advanced Study in Administration Planning and Social Policy from Harvard University, a Masters in Education in Reading from Campbell University, and a Bachelor of Arts in English from Trinity College, Hartford, CT.

Volunteering in the Derry community since she was eight, MaryAnn has also been an active PTSA member in Derry and Windham and coached her two children’s lacrosse and soccer teams for several years with her husband. Running, traveling, and supporting her children in high school and collegiate level athletics are favorite activities. MaryAnn has run the Boston Marathon three times.

MaryAnn has been a member of the NH School Safety Preparedness Task Force and served on the Derry School District Facilities Committee. Currently, MaryAnn proudly serves as a Next Charter School Trustee, is active on numerous subcommittees of the Derry Cooperative School Board, and is a member of the Derry Community Mental Health Task Force and the South Central Public Health Network.

E-mail: makrikorian@sau10.org

Shannon holds a B.S. in Corporate Finance and Accounting as well as a Masters in Taxation, both from Bentley University. She is a Certified Public Accountant in the states of Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Shannon is a partner and co-founder of Altair Group, PLLC, a public accounting firm, located in Bedford, NH. Prior to founding Altair Group, Shannon worked for 8 years at PricewaterhouseCoopers in Boston, MA and 1.5 years at Howe, Riley and Howe in Manchester, NH.

Originally from Maine, Shannon moved to New Hampshire in 2005 to pursue her education and fell in love with the granite state. After residing in Derry for 7 wonderful years, Shannon now lives in Bedford, NH near her business but stays active in the Derry community and events. She and her chiweenie, Bella are frequent visitors of the Derry dog park where all Bella’s friends remain.

In addition to serving in the treasurer role for the Next School-board, Shannon is an appointed member of the Individual and Self-Employed Technical Tax Resource Panel of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants as well as the chair person for the women’s golf committee for the NH Society of CPAs. In the next coming months she will be joining the Miss New Hampshire Scholarship board of directors and is excited to collaborate and give back to a program that she finds of great value to young women.

E-mail: shudson@nextcharterschool.org

Kirsten Kortz holds a MA in Child Development from Tufts University, and a PhD in Education from the University of New Hampshire. She is the Director of Academic Policy, Curriculum, and Assessment at Northern Essex Community College. She teaches Psychology as an adjunct in the Early College program, which helps keep her in touch with the needs, goals, and challenges of high school students. Previously, she worked as the Education Director at the now-closed Quarrybrook Experiential Education Center in Windham where she got to know the students and teachers of Next. She is excited to grow that relationship by participating on this Board. Kirsten lives in Hampstead with her husband, two dogs, and two cats. She is an active member of the Greater Derry Track Club, with whom she spends many nights and weekends roaming the streets of Derry in brightly colored clothing.

E-mail: kkortz@nextcharterschool.org

Jen is the owner and creator of The Escape Room Derry. Prior to that, she worked for over 18 years as the business manager of her husband’s accounting & wealth management practice, Korbey Lague, PLLP. She is currently the chair of the Board of Commissioners the Derry Housing and Redevelopment Authority. Her past positions include the Derry Cooperative School Board, the Advisory Board for the Salvation Army, and she has been actively involved in her children’s PTAs over the past 20 years. Together, Jen and her husband Ron, have 5 children and four grandchildren. Jen has volunteered as a coach of her children’s sporting activities. She’s been active with both Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts. Jen loves to travel with her family and some of her favorite places are Disney World, Sarasota, and Longboat Key, FL. Jen is a proud supporter of Next Charter School and has enjoyed serving with the board since 2015.

E-mail: jlague@nextcharterschool.org

Nichole holds an M.B.A. with a concentration in nonprofit management from Boston University and a B.A. from The College of the Holy Cross, Worcester, Ma. Nichole has two decades of experience as a nonprofit manager and has worked with organizations both large and small including The Fayerweather School in Cambridge, MA, The YMCA of Dallas, TX, and Granite United Way. Nichole currently works as Corporate Relations Manager for Granite United Way. She has been very involved in the Derry community as a volunteer at St. Thomas Aquinas Church and Derry Village School and the Cross Country and Track & Field Coach for West Running Brook Middle School. Nichole currently has a son attending Next and lives in Derry with her husband and 3 children.

E-mail: nreimer@nextcharterschool.org

Brenda has been a tireless advocate for the children and youth of New Hampshire since moving to Derry in 1982, working with a variety of organizations including New Hampshire PTA, the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Derry and the Community Leadership Program at UNH. Brenda has been a member of the Derry School Board since 2001, serving the board as chairman, vice chairman and secretary during her tenure. Her commitment to community service and education is rooted in a family of educators and public servants. She has been the recipient of the Derry School District’s World Changer Award, the NH PTA Member of the Year Award, the May Company Community Service Award, the Derry Education Association Friend of Education Award, and is a member of the UNH Community Leadership Program’s Warmth from the Millyard Project that was recognized with the 2010 Spirit of New Hampshire Award. Brenda has 2 children who attended Derry Public Schools, St. Joseph’s Regional Junior High and Pinkerton Academy.

E-mail: bwillis@sau10.org