MEET
OUR TEAM
It's a Pleasure to Meet You!
New Hampshire Children’s Trust recruits highly skilled employees who are passionate about eliminating child abuse and neglect in New Hampshire. In collaboration with a diversely skilled board of directors and numerous volunteers, New Hampshire Children's Trust's employees work tirelessly every year to make strides in preventing child abuse in NH by educating, advocating, and collaborating.
Christina Lachance
President​
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Christina Lachance is the newly appointed President of New Hampshire Children’s Trust, bringing more than two decades of leadership experience in early care and education, health care, philanthropy, and public policy. Before stepping into the role—first in an interim capacity—Christina served as Director of the New Hampshire Council for Thriving Children, where she supported efforts to strengthen early childhood systems statewide.
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She previously led Early Childhood and Family Initiatives at the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, managing statewide grantmaking and driving cross-sector collaborations to improve outcomes for children and families. Her earlier career includes leadership roles with Easterseals, Elliot Health System/Visting Nurse Association, Granite United Way, and Southern NH Services (now Community Action Partnership of Hillsborough and Rockingham Counties)—each reflecting her deep commitment to expanding access, opportunity, and support for families across New Hampshire.
Recognized for her collaborative, systems-level approach to advancing child and family well-being, Christina holds a master’s degree in Child Development & Administration and has served on numerous state councils and commissions focused on children and families.
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Outside of work, Christina can often be found exploring the New Hampshire woods or strolling the Maine seacoast with her husband and their Bernese Mountain Dog, Timber. She enjoys traveling, birdwatching, yoga, and time with family.
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Contact Christina at clachance@nhchildrenstrust.org or 603-415-0321
Nick Riso
Senior Director of Finance
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Nick joined the New Hampshire Children’s Trust team in 2020. Nick has worked in the non-profit sector for over 15 years, with expertise in many areas of accounting and finance. He received his B.S in Business Administration from Southern New Hampshire University in Manchester. In his free time, he enjoys the outdoors; hiking, camping, fishing, and everything else the beautiful state of New Hampshire has to offer.
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Contact Nick at nriso@nhchildrenstrust.org or 603-415-1493
Nicole Heller, PhD
Senior Director of Programs and Impact
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Nicole joined the New Hampshire Children's Trust team in 2025 as the Senior Director of Programs and Impact. She earned her bachelor's degree in psychology and English from Wittenberg University and her PhD in Developmental Psychology from the University of Maine. Before joining NHCT, Nicole served as a Senior Policy Analyst at the New Hampshire Fiscal Policy Institute where she specialized in children and family policy work. Prior to pivoting to New Hampshire's non-profit sector, Nicole was a tenured Associate Professor of Psychology at Siena College and served as a Visiting Assistant Professor of Social Sciences and Education at Colby-Sawyer College in New London, NH where she taught courses in developmental psychology and research methods. Though a transplant to New Hampshire, Nicole fell in love with the Granite State while teaching here and moved back in 2023 to raise her family. She resides in Manchester, NH with her husband and two boys. When she's not working, she can be found cooking, gardening, doing yoga, and caring for her continuously growing collection of house plants.
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Contact Nicole at nheller@nhchildrenstrust.org or 603-415-0320
Kat Challis
Director of Development
Kat joined the New Hampshire Children’s Trust team in 2020. She brings over fourteen years of nonprofit experience working in the education, homeless and housing services, and land conservation sectors. Kat moved back to NH in 2020 with her husband to be closer to family. They enjoy all that New England has to offer including camping, fishing, growing fresh food, making maple syrup, and the great outdoors.
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Contact Kat at kchallis@nhchildrenstrust.org or 603-415-1492
Lindsay Allsop
Director of Operations and Impact
Lindsay Allsop joined the New Hampshire Children’s Trust in 2023 as the Data and Organizational Performance Manager. She has an MBA with a specialization in information systems and business analytics from UNH and a B.S. from Bates College. Prior to joining NHCT, Lindsay split 15 years of her professional career between the UNH Institute on Disability and Wayfair and enjoyed a 2-year stint between them as an alpine ski patroller in NH. She grew up in Concord, NH, where she now lives with her husband. Lindsay currently serves on the Board of Directors at Building Community in New Hampshire, a Manchester based non-profit that supports New Americans in the granite state.
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Contact Lindsay at lallsop@nhchildrenstrust.org or 603-415-0326
Nathalie Gagnon
Accounting Manager
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Nathalie Gagnon joined the NH Children’s Trust team in 2022. She has worked in the accounting industry for over 20 years, with 7 of those years being in a non-profit sector. She earned her BS degree at Our Lady of the Elms College in Chicopee, MA. She lives with her daughter and two felines.
In her free time she enjoys dining out, reading and watching movies.
Contact Nathalie at ngagnon@nhchildrenstrust.org or 603-415-0327
Carroll Berg, MFA
Communications Manager
Carroll joined the NH Children’s Trust team in 2023 after working in the Graphic Design and Print field since 1996. Carroll received his BFA and MFA from Maine College of Art in Graphic Design where his work was focused on Social and Political Impact.​
Carroll is a NH Native from Goffstown, and is an avid collector of wood paneled station wagon memorabilia. When he isn’t working he enjoys glamping and vacationing with his wife and two kids, as well as tending to his wonderful flock of chickens.
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Carroll currently serves on the Board of Directors at UpReach Therapeutic Equestrian Center, Inc., a Goffstown, NH based non-profit that empowers individuals of all abilities by partnering with horses to promote physical, emotional, and psychological growth.
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Contact Carroll at cberg@nhchildrenstrust.org or 603-415-0328
Jennifer Paveglio
Development & Events Specialist
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Jennifer joined the NH Children’s Trust team in October 2023. Jen started as our Office Manager, and has moved to be our Development and Events Specialist. Jen comes to us with a background in operations management and compliance management in the financial services field where she has worked for the past 8 years.
Jen is a NH native and loves the outdoors and everything NH has to offer. In her spare time you will find her paddle-boarding on the seacoast, hiking or spending time with her 3 dogs.
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Contact Jennifer at jpaveglio@nhchildrenstrust.org or 603-415-1138
Deanna LaFrazia
Executive Assistant & Project Manager
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Deanna is a dedicated professional with over a decade of experience in the non-profit sector. Her passion for helping others began at an early age, propelling her into roles where she could directly support adults facing severe and persistent mental illness, as well as individuals experiencing substance use disorders. Drawing on her empathy and firsthand experiences, Deanna transitioned into administrative positions within the non-profit arena, where she has made a significant impact on the lives of individuals and families across the state of New Hampshire.
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Deanna earned her Bachelor of Science in Family Studies from the University of New Hampshire in 2010, providing her with a strong foundation in understanding and addressing the complex needs of diverse communities. Her educational background, coupled with her extensive professional experience, equips her with a unique perspective and skill set to tackle the challenges faced by those she serves.
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Outside of her professional endeavors, Deanna finds joy in spending quality time with her husband and two young sons in their home in Bristol, NH. Whether exploring the great outdoors or engaging in meaningful family activities, Deanna cherishes the moments she shares with her loved ones.
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Contact Deanna at dlafrazia@nhchildrenstrust.org or 603-415-0324
Tara Paladino
Training & Program Manager​
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Tara joined the New Hampshire Children’s Trust team in 2025. Tara has worked in the child welfare field since 2017 and has experience working with children and families across residential and community settings. Tara has a BA in Psychology and Human Development & Family Studies and an MSW from the University of New Hampshire. She is especially interested in improving youth and family serving systems and outcomes across the state through client informed, evidence-based, and high-quality program design and delivery.
Tara grew up in New Hampshire’s Lakes Region and now lives on the NH seacoast with her partner. When not at work, Tara spends her time baking, hiking in the White Mountains, and spoiling her cat, Leo.
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Contact Tara at tpaladino@nhchildrenstrust.org or 603-415-0322
Rachel Tisevich
Training & Program Manager - Fatherhood​
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Rachel joined the New Hampshire Children’s Trust team in 2025 as the Training & Program Manager for the flagship Fatherhood FORGE initiative. She earned her bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of New Hampshire and later received her master’s degree in public policy from Northeastern University. During her MPP program, Rachel served as a research assistant with Northeastern’s Smart Human Rights Cities project, where she identified human rights implications arising from smart city programs.
Before joining NHCT, Rachel worked as a senior strategist at the digital marketing agency Fire&Spark, prior to pursuing her MPP. Most recently, she was a Policy & Research Fellow at the Massachusetts Appleseed Center for Law and Justice, where she supported policy solutions through research grounded in real-life experiences, contributing to the organization’s core program areas such as educational justice and youth homelessness.
A New Hampshire native, Rachel now lives on the Seacoast, where she spends her time outside of work walking local trails, reading, doing yoga, and cooking.
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Contact Tara at rtisevich@nhchildrenstrust.org or 603-415-0323
Our Board of Directors
According to the bylaws, the New Hampshire Children’s Trust is governed by 10–20 passionate and committed community members from around New Hampshire with a range of experiences and networks. 100 percent of the board of directors contribute financially to the organization, and the group meets approximately six times per year. Each director serves on at least one committee and attends face-to-face and virtual meetings as the work of the committee dictates. The current committees include: Governance, Finance, Fundraising and Communications.
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The Governance committee recruits committee members and board candidates year round. Elections for directors occur at the annual meeting, which is typically held in December. Terms begin in January and run for three years. Directors may serve up to three consecutive terms. If you are interested in learning more about serving on our board, contact Christina Lachance, President.