LEADERSHIP

  • Jennifer Chambers

    HEAD OF SCHOOL

    Jennifer completed her undergraduate degree in Music Education from DePaul School of Music, DePaul University in Chicago, Illinois, and her Master’s in Vocal Performance from Hunter College in New York. Jennifer has taught in London, New York City, and most recently has been the Music Coordinator at Hanover High School for 10 years. She currently serves on the NH All State choral committee and is the President elect for the New England Music Festival Association. She holds her CAGS from New England College and is one of the founding members of NESA.

Board of Trustees

Amy Good

CHAIR

Amy currently works at Hanover High School (HHS). She developed and serves as the academic case manager in the Response to Need program and is also the coordinator of the Personalized Learning Programs department. She served as the producer for the Footlighters theatre program at HHS for 6 years. She was the company manager for Opera North for 3 seasons. She has worked backstage for shows for Artistree. She is the mother to two professional artists; her daughter Allyce is an assistant fashion designer at Sea, NY, and her son Seamus created the theatre troupe Covid Commedia and presently works in varying capacities in music, theatre, and film in New York City. Amy’s husband teaches theatre classes and directs shows at the Cardigan Mountain School. Amy is passionate about supporting the arts locally and providing more opportunities for students to grow and develop.

Carl Chambers

Carl Chambers has served in administration for the better part of his career as well as an adjunct professor, grant manager, curriculum director and English teacher. Carl is a member of the Screen Actors Guild and has done professional session work as a bass guitarist. He is excited to realize his family's vision of founding a school for the arts that supports all students who strive for an arts focused, progressive education.

Diane Englund

After graduating from UNC-CH, Diane served in The Peace Corps in West Africa. Upon return from Cameroun , she completed a Masters degree in social work from Boston University. Diane spent a decade on the staff at McLean Hospital in Belmont, Mass. Subsequently, she opened her own practice which continues from New London. She has consulted to and taught at a number of schools and agencies including the Psychodynamic Couples and Family Institute of New England. She has served on the boards of The Concord Children’s Center, The Fenn School, and The Danielsen Institute at Boston University. In addition, Diane served as an associate and research assistant at the MFA, Boston, for twenty years. She and her husband moved to New London two years ago having enjoyed two decades on Lake Sunapee. Their sons went to school and camp in the Upper Valley.

Ethan Frechette

Ethan Frechette grew up in the Upper Valley and currently practices law at the firm of Stebbins Bradley PA in Hanover, New Hampshire. Before law school he taught high school English and coached football and track at the Taft and Kent Denver schools. He also serves on the Board of Trustees for the Cardigan Mountain School, in Canaan, New Hampshire. In addition to his law degree, he holds a Masters of Fine Arts degree in Creative Writing. Ethan graduated from Dartmouth College and Columbia Law School, and has in the past served as the President of Twin Pines Housing Trust, Vice President of David's House, Chair of the Governance Committee for the Montshire Museum, Chair of the Stewardship Committee for St. Thomas Episcopal Church, and trustee of Ford Sayre. Ethan also recently served as the Head Football Coach of Hanover Middle School Football.

Steve Solberg

Steve lives in Hanover, New Hampshire with his family and currently works as a Research Software Engineer at Dartmouth College. Prior to Dartmouth, Steve spent over twenty years working in several independent schools, including Cardigan Mountain School, Holderness School, and Eaglebrook School. From an operational perspective, Steve served as Assistant Head of School and CFO at Cardigan Mountain School and as the COO, Director of Communications, and Director of Technology at Holderness School. Programmatically, Steve has taught computer science, coached soccer and track, and served as a dormitory faculty advisor. Steve graduated from Harvard University, and got his master's in Independent School Leadership from Columbia University. He continues to work with schools as a consultant.

Wayne Chin

VICE CHAIR

Wayne Chin is an electrical engineer by profession and a proponent for STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) education. He grew up in Vancouver, Canada and has lived in the Upper Valley and worked at Hypertherm for over 20 years. He has two teenage children; his son studied violin at the Upper Valley Music Center for 11 years, his daughter has been figure skating with the Skating Club at Dartmouth for 10 years. He plays trombone in the Lyme Town Band.

Denise Frawley

Denise Frawley has been in theatre since the age of 7 when she performed with the Regale Players in Waltham, Massachusetts. She toured the country as a dancer and singer and performed for artists such as Frank Sinatra and John DeLouise. She was the first female to win the state championship in Waltham, Massachusetts for soap box derby racing and went on to represent Boston at the world championship in Akron, Ohio. Denise has spent the past 20 years of her life in the Upper Valley choreographing shows at Hanover High School, Crossroads Academy, the Lyme School and Hartford High School. She is passionate about starting a performing arts school and believes in any opportunity that provides more access to the arts for the Upper Valley community.

Brenda Mainer

TREASURER

Brenda completed her forty-five-year St. Louis insurance career in June 2023. Her career encompasses employment by various independent insurance agencies as well as major insurance companies.  She began her own insurance business in 1992, specializing in commercial construction and grew it into a multi-million-dollar business. An internal sale of that business occurred in 2017 and the transition is complete. She is a Chartered Property and Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) and a Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC) and has served on various insurance and construction boards in the St. Louis area. She continues to be certified in the State of Missouri, holding Property, Casualty, Life and Health licenses. Having worked her way up from receptionist for a small local agency, to an insurance company underwriter, then spearheading the start-up insurance agency, she has performed every administrative function of a business operation. These functions include personal handling of accounting, human resources, banking, and other business relationships. The pandemic provided the opportunity to work remotely, which began her now permanent residency in Vermont.  She resides with her husband, Bob Wetzel in the lovely village of Quechee. Brenda has a grown son residing in Chicago, IL and Bob has three grown children and four grandchildren, all residing in the northeast. Brenda and Bob are active supporters of the Upper Valley performing arts community. 

Filippo Ciabatti

ARTISTIC CONSULTANT

A native of Florence, Italy, Filippo Ciabatti is the Music Director of the Dartmouth Symphony Orchestra and the Music Director of Dartmouth’s Choral Ensembles. Filippo also contributed to create Dartmouth’s Opera Lab. As a pianist and vocal coach in Italy, Mr. Ciabatti worked for the Cherubini Conservatory, Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, and Florence Opera Academy. He has played for masterclasses of Renée Fleming, Nathan Gunn, William Matteuzzi, Donald George, and Isabel Leonard. Since 2016, he has been music director and vocal coach of “Scuola Italia per Giovani Cantanti Lirici” in Sant’Angelo in Vado (Italy), and last summer joined the faculty of “Opera Viva!” in Verona as music director and vocal coach. Mr. Ciabatti holds degrees in piano, choral conducting, and orchestral conducting from Italy and the United States.