Our Team

Beth McClure is the founder and Principal of Strong Foundations Charter School. Beth has a Master's in Administration and a Master's in Learning and Language Disabilities. She is a fellow with the Academy of Orton-Gillingham Practitioners and Educators, and she trains teachers in the Orton-Gillingham approach. Beth says, " The best part of my school day is seeing the students and talking with them! I spend a part of every day teaching because it is my favorite part of working in our school.

Jessica Wachsman, hailing from Windham, New Hampshire, is an alumna of St. Anselm College, where she attained a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration. Accumulating a decade of experience in the realm of Finance with Putnam Investments, she subsequently took time off to raise her three children.

She is a Founder at Mill Falls Charter School in Manchester and The Birches Academy, the latter being honored as a 2022 National Blue Ribbon School. Serving as the Dean of Operations since the academy's inception, her responsibilities extend beyond administrative duties to include direct engagement with students and faculty, particularly in the realms of technology integration and the seamless orchestration of the academy's daily operations.

Her passion for school choice in New Hampshire led her to join the board of the Alliance in 2022. In 2023 she assumed the role of Treasurer. She is passionate about working to create sustainability in New Hampshire Public Charter Schools.

Residing in Salem, NH, alongside her husband and three children. In her free time, she loves to travel with her family and take the family dog on long walks.

Meryl Levin is a founder of Mill Falls and served as the School’s Founding Board Chair beginning in March of 2011 when the school received its approval from the NH Board of Education. In December 2015, after two earlier stints as an interim school leader, Meryl was selected by the school’s Trustees to serve as the Executive Director, a position she has held since. Meryl has spoken widely on behalf of Mill Falls to legislators in Concord, on education and community panels, and as a 2013 TEDx speaker, among other venues. She is an alumnus of the Leadership New Hampshire Class of 2013 and served as Co-Chair of the Don’t Wait. Educate campaign, a 2016 initiative of Save the Children’s Action Network to bring public pre-k to Manchester. For the previous 20+ years, Meryl worked as a social documentary photographer with a focus on health, social welfare, and political engagement. She is the author of two monographs, editor of several publications, and curator of several group exhibitions. She has guest lectured at colleges and universities around the country, and has received several grants and fellowships in support of her work. She attended Trinity College in Hartford, CT, and completed her undergraduate degree, at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. She taught at The School of Visual Arts in NYC for seven years, until moving to NH where she was an adjunct professor at Southern New Hampshire University teaching visual storytelling for seven years, and was deeply involved in the Service Learning Initiative there. She lives in Manchester, NH with her husband, Will Kanteres, and their son.

Amy Bottomley is the MicroSociety Academy Charter School’s Founding Executive Director. Under her leadership, the MicroSociety Academy has been awarded recognitions for Student Empowerment by the NH Edies (2022), Non-Profit Business of the Year (2021) by the Nashua Chamber of Commerce as well as an individual recognition as an Outstanding Administrator (2017) by the MicroSociety Inc. National Headquarters. She holds a B.A. in Education with a concentration in English from Bethany College in Bethany, WV and a M.Ed. in Educational Leadership from New England College in Henniker, NH. Amy is certified by the State of New Hampshire in the areas of principal, general special education, and special education administrator. Amy has worked in education for over 25 years, first in special education. She has since served in the capacity of school administrator since 2010.

Amy is also co-owner of the Nashua running speciality store, Fleet Feet, with her husband, BJ. She currently lives in Hollis, NH with her husband and two sons.

Emily is the Director of Next Charter School in Derry. Emily grew up on a small farm in upstate New York. After earning a B.S. in Animal Science from Cornell University, she spent several years working on tall ships, where she taught everything from oceanography to maritime lore.

She eventually moved to New Hampshire to pursue a Masters’ degree in Environmental Studies at Antioch University New England and a science teaching certificate. She then spent three years teaching middle school science at Pelham Memorial School, where she also coached cross country and was the advisor to the hiking club, science club and winter running club.

Emily believes that kids who are active and engaged in their environment will grow up into adults who feel compelled to take care of it.