Join the Board

As a small nonprofit, our board is an important part of what makes Spark! work. We need your help. Skills in fundraising, donor development, board governance, accounting, and general nonprofit work would be most helpful! Contact our director@sparkcommunitycenter.org to learn more.

Allison Flint, Board President

Allison grew up in the Upper Valley and has lived here most of her adult life. In her work with Pathways as a DSP, Allison came to Spark and has volunteered for several years. Part of the Friday Fun Night and Events committee, joining the board is an honor to take the contribution to the Spark community further. She has been an English teacher in local public high schools in NH and VT. Currently an instructor at the Virtual Learning Academy Charter School, the online public school serving the state of NH, the flexibility allows time for other interests and opportunities. With past seats on and contributions to various boards over the years, volunteerism is a family commitment: "Service to the community is a value my parents taught me."

Barbara Klocek, Treasurer & Secretary

Barbara is a retired teacher/tutor who worked at Brookdale Community College in Lincroft, NJ.  She has a B.S. in Psychology from Univ. of Illinois and a masters degree in finance from the Univ. of Chicago.   Many  of the classes  she taught addressed the needs of  entering students with learning disabilities.  She also taught classes on reading effectively in college and is trained in the Wilson Reading Method for adults.  Barbara served on the boards of the American Assn. of University Women in NJ and the New Hampshire Farms Network here in NH, and was a  Scout Leader for three years at the International School of Amsterdam.  She has worked as a volunteer at SPARK! offering various crafts classes and a class to assist individuals with their financial needs.

Havah Walther-Armstrong, member

Returning Board member, information coming soon!

Kristina Downey, participant member

Kristina (Tina) is a resident of Lebanon and has lived in the Upper Valley since 2016. She lives with a homecare provider and currently works at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center as an Environmental Services Technician and Housekeeper. She is going to school for Early Childhood Development with the goal to be able to work with children. She grew up in Quincy, Massachusetts and most of her family still lives there. Tina's goal in joining the Spark board is to inspire everyone to come to Spark!

Bonnie Fields, member

Bonnie is a retired education teacher. She worked at the Hartford Regional Resource Center as an Employment/Transition Coordinator. Bonnie appreciates the importance of having a program like Spark!, which provides social and educational opportunities for adults with special needs and other community members who enjoy being together.

Heather Giaccone, friend of the Board

Emily Keane, participant member

Emily was born and raised in Lebanon NH and she currently still lives in Lebanon NH.

She previously worked at Alice Peck Day Memorial Hospital as a Dietary Aide from September 2018 to March 2022. She unfortunately had to stop working for the last 3 years due to an unexpected medical problem with her elbows. While unemployed she was looking for some volunteer positions to help fill some free time and she started volunteering at spark as one of her first volunteer jobs. She volunteered at spark for a few months, and since then has volunteered at 3 other places in or around Lebanon. By volunteering for the spark board she hopes to encourage other people to come to spark and she also hopes to gain experience and help with her self confidence and people skills. She enjoys being a participant of spark and going to the Friday fun nights. She has been a member of spark for at least the last 5 years.

Cheryl Jones, member

Cheryl has lived in the Upper Valley her whole life and is a mother of two.  One of her sons has developmental delays.  Cheryl has worked for the last 20+ years as a certified occupational therapy assistant working with the pediatric and adult population.  Prior to that time, she had her own daycare.  Cheryl enjoys being a member of the Spark! Events committee which helps plan Friday Fun Nights, and working on fundraising events.  Friday nights she can be found spending time at Spark! sharing time and experiences with the participants.

Stephanie Langlois, member

Stephanie Langlois, MBA, has worked in research and quality improvement since 2018. She is currently the Senior Coordinator for the NH Perinatal Quality Collaborative housed at Dartmouth Hitchcock. She has worked with populations with substance use disorder, incarceration histories, serious mental illness, and other neurological disorders. She has worked with Columbia University and Dartmouth College on research studies and with Dartmouth Hitchcock hospital on research and quality improvement work. She has several published articles exploring the intersections of substance use, serious mental illness, socioeconomic status, and recidivism. She also teaches community yoga and yoga for people in recovery.

Bill Mann, member

New member, information coming soon!

Elice Wu, Tuck Fellow

New Tuck Fellow board member from Dartmouth College, information coming soon!

Benjamin Chamberlain Zivsak, member

Ben is a lab manager for the Robertson Lab at Dartmouth College and a researcher for the Dartmouth Autism Research Initiative (DARI)—a group of neuroscience and psychology researchers who are devoted to understanding neurodiversity and the neurobiology of autism. He has conducted developmental research under Dr. Elizabeth Spelke at Harvard University and is broadly interested in understanding the underpinnings of neurodevelopmental conditions in adolescents and age-specific sensory processing differences in autism. Ben is a recent graduate of Carleton College where he studied Psychology,  Neuroscience, and Religion, and was a youth mentor for Project Friendship.