Futures Advisory Board
Maria Sillari, President
Maria Sillari is an experienced nonprofit executive who is passionate about the nonprofit sector. She is currently the Chief Operations Officer of GoodWork, a nonprofit incubator serving the greater Seacoast region, and has worked with nonprofits in a variety of capacities for over 30 years. Maria holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work with a minor in Music Education from the University of New Hampshire. A former member of board of Portsmouth Music and Arts Center, she served as president during its capital campaign, and renovation and move to a new building, is a founding board member of Womenaid of Greater Portsmouth, and joined the advisory board of the Futures Program in 2018. Maria resides in Portsmouth with her husband Greg and children Abigail and Peter.
The Futures program not only helps students who have the drive but lack the financial resources to attend college, it maintains a connection with them and serves as a supporter and safety net during their undergraduate years.
Phyllis Eldridge, Vice President
Phyllis joined the board in 2018. Prior to serving on the board of Futures, she was the Program Coordinator for ten years. Phyllis served on many City of Portsmouth boards, including the city council, library, planning board, and HDC. She also has served on the boards of the former Portsmouth Children’s Museum and Families First. Phyllis also has found time to volunteer for CASA and Families First. She holds a BS in Early Childhood Education from Syracuse, an MA in Early Childhood Education from SUNY, and an MBA from Boston University.
She has three grown children and two grandchildren.
What I love about Futures is how we encourage students to expand their horizons and go as far as their ability allows.
Lena Wyand, Financial Advisor to the Board
Lena joined Charter Oak Capital Management in the fall of 2007. Prior to joining Charter Oak, Lena advanced to Senior Auditor at a public accounting firm in Boston.
With a passion for working with individuals and their families, Lena found a calling as a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™. She helps clients discover what is truly important to them using a process that aligns their deepest values with their financial goals.
Lena was president of the Futures advisory board 2019-2020 and joined the board in 2018.
I am honored to be a part of Futures because we provide mentoring, guidance and financial assistance to students that might not believe that college is attainable to them because they lack financial resources. It is an amazing gift to make that dream a reality for students who might not otherwise have had the opportunity to go to college.
Kerry Nolte is a member of the Portsmouth School Board. She is an associate professor of nursing at the University of New Hampshire and a Family Nurse Practitioner. She holds a PhD from Northeastern University, a masters from the University of New Hampshire, and a bachelors from Northeastern University. Her program of research focuses on reducing drug related harms. She is passionate about promoting equity in education and is excited to work with Futures.
Kerry Nolte, SAU 52 School Board Representative
Brittany Lind, College Counselor, Portsmouth High School
Brittany is a New Hampshire native and joined the PHS counseling team as the College Counselor in the 2019-2020 school year. Brittany received a B.S. in Sports Management from Endicott College where she minored in Psychology and got a Coaching Certification. After working in sports for a few years, she returned to school for a M.Ed. in School Counseling from Plymouth State University. Brittany is currently completing classes for her CAGS in Educational Leadership from the University of New England.
As the college counselor, future planning and preparation is my passion! Working with the Futures Board finding ways to enhance the instruction and assistance for planning with Future's students is a great part of my job at PHS. I love hearing about the path each Futures student takes as we get updates at Board meetings throughout their educational journey after PHS.
Stephen Zadravec, Superintendent, SAU 50
Steve Zadravec is the Superintendent of Schools for SAU 50. He has been involved with the Futures Advisory Board since 2004, when he joined the district as Assistant Superintendent.
As a graduate of Keene State College, Steve has worked as an educator and administrator for over 25 years. He is a firm believer in promoting equity in education and knows that Futures has helped many students, who might not otherwise have had access, make their way to and through college.
Steve resides in Portsmouth with his wife Jen and two daughters.