Governing Board
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Sandis Wright
Board Co-Chair, Community Partnerships Lead
(he/him/his)Board Member since 2020
Sandis is Managing Director at Blue Cross Blue Shield Association and has 30 years of health insurance experience in leadership roles spanning operations, data, and technology, and is a member of the Diversity Council. Sandis is highly active in Andover, serving on the Andover School Committee, the Town’s DEI Commission, and the board of Andover Parent to Parent. In 2026, he received the Rotary Club of Andover’s Citizens Who Care Award in recognition of his community service. While on the ABC Board, Sandis has expanded and strengthened local sponsorships and donations, increased grant outreach, helped modernize ABC’s database and technology, and led the Admissions team in creating a more collaborative process. He and his husband are also a three-time ABC Host Family, including for an incoming ninth-grade Scholar this year (’30), Mané Sakho (’26), and Larissa Cardine (’22).
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Allison Reilly
Board Co-Chair, Strategic Lead
(she/her/hers)Board Member since 2019
Allison has spent more than 25 years in advertising and marketing as a strategy leader, helping B2B, B2C, and nonprofit organizations understand their audiences and tell compelling brand stories. Her experience includes leading brand strategy for major companies such as General Electric, ADL, NETSCOUT, and TSA PreCheck. Today, she runs her own marketing consultancy, advising organizations on marketing strategy and organizational growth. At ABC of Andover, Allison has helped lead a significant organizational transformation, including restructuring Board governance, professionalizing leadership and operations, strengthening the Scholar experience, and elevating the program’s communications and messaging strategy. Her connection to ABC is also personal: her husband, Ian Dowe (’84), is an alum, and their family served as a Host Family for Justene Salomon (’10).
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Julie Ireland Childs
Governing Board Secretary, Volunteer Lead, Admissions & Development Committees (she/her/hers)
Board Member since 2015
Julie has been an active volunteer and board member of the program for many years. Prior to joining the Board, Julie volunteered her professional college counseling services to ABC Scholars, continuing in this capacity for 11 years. Her board roles have included co-chair of the 50th Anniversary Celebration in 2017, Vice President of the Executive Board, Chair of the 2021 Community Building Match Campaign, and member of the Development Committee. She is currently leading the Build a Brick Campaign, an initiative inviting alumni, families, and community members to purchase personalized bricks that will create a permanent Bricks of Belonging patio at the ABC House. Julie is also establishing a Planned Giving Program to help support ABC’s long-term future.
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Kathie Eldridge
Vice President, Admissions & Development Committees
(she/her/hers)Board member since 2021
Kathie is an accomplished business leader and entrepreneur who co-founded a successful staffing and consulting firm as well as a nonprofit foundation focused on supporting young people and strengthening communities. Her professional experience includes building and growing organizations, mentoring and developing young professionals, and fostering a strong culture of community engagement and giving back. Kathie and her family are also longtime supporters and benefactors of youth-serving nonprofit organizations throughout Massachusetts. Kathie brings this experience and commitment to her work with ABC, where she serves on the Admissions Committee and as ABC’s college relationship liaison, helping strengthen connections with colleges and universities.
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Susan McCready
Treasurer, Admissions Committee
(she/her/hers)Board Member since 2026
usan brings extensive community leadership and business experience to ABC Andover. She served for nine years on the Andover School Committee, including multiple terms as Chair, and is a longtime member of the Andover Coalition for Education Leadership Council. She currently chairs Andover Celebrates America 250 and volunteers with the Trauma Intervention Program of the Merrimack Valley. In 2025, she was recognized with the Andover Rotary Citizens Who Care Award for her service to the community. Professionally, Susan has more than 15 years of experience in financial technology and banking, with leadership roles spanning operations, product development, program management, and strategic planning. Her experience brings strong financial, operational, and governance expertise to her role as Treasurer of ABC Andover.
Operating Board
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Lizzie Conover
Host Family Co-Chair
(she/her/hers)Board Member since 2025
Lizzie is a marketing leader with over 15 years of experience building and growing brands in the organic and natural food sector. Currently Brand Director at Stonyfield Organic, she has led major repositioning and innovation initiatives that have strengthened the company’s connection with millennial families. A longtime Andover resident, Lizzie is eager to connect with families who want to make a meaningful impact in Scholars’ lives through the Host Family Program.
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Courtney Cooper
Host Family Co-Chair
(she/her/hers)Board Member since 2025
Courtney is a dedicated educator with more than 15 years of experience supporting students’ academic and social-emotional growth. She currently serves as a Learning Specialist at the Andover School of Montessori, providing individualized instruction and social-emotional support. Courtney has also served on the Board of Village School in Boxford and as Treasurer for the Sargent School PTO in North Andover. She brings her experience in education, community leadership, and supporting young people to her role as Host Family Co-Chair at ABC.
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Lala Cronin
Community & Sponsorship Outreach
(she/her/hers)Board member since 2024
Lala Cronin is an Assistant Vice President and Branch Manager at Wakefield Co-Operative Bank with more than 12 years of financial industry experience. She joined the ABC Board in 2024 and is passionate about helping Scholars build financial confidence and develop a healthy relationship with money as they pursue their goals. Lala is also active in the community, volunteering with the Commonwealth reviewing foster care cases and serving as a banking liaison for Lawrence Community Works. She also serves on the Executive Leadership Committee for the Alzheimer’s Association, supporting awareness and outreach across the Merrimack Valley and North Shore.
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Katarina Curtin
Technology Co-Chair
(she/her/hers)Board member since 2019
Katarina Curtin is from Haverhill, MA, and her varied experiences have created a deep-rooted connection to the A Better Chance program. She attended Brooks School in North Andover as an ABC National scholar. After graduating from Colby College, she served as a Resident Assistant for ABC Andover, where she lived in the dormitory and supported scholars’ academic and personal growth journeys. She has served as an ABC of Andover board member since 2019, and currently works for the Winchester Public Schools as a data manager.
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Rodney Johnson
Events Chair
(he/him/his)Board Member since 2021
Rodney “RJ” works for a global experiential event agency as an Executive Director, Account Operations. He brings 25 years of event and marketing operations experience to the program leading many global event and a SF-based event that drew 140,000 attendees. He has the skills to envision large high-level marketing experiences and activations and lead large teams. RJ successfully executed the 2022 A Better Chance Gala and looks forward to using his experiences to help plan and execute additional events for the ABC organization. RJ and his husband live and work in Andover with their 11-year-old son.
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Maureen Mullen
Technology Co-Chair
(she/her/hers)Board Member since 2026
Maureen is a senior technology leader with more than 30 years of experience in program management, operations, technology, and organizational transformation. She currently serves as Associate Director at RTX and previously held senior leadership roles at Fidelity Investments. Maureen has been an active ABC volunteer for the past several years and was instrumental in updating the organization’s donor management and communications platform, helping strengthen ABC’s fundraising and community outreach capabilities. She brings her technology, operational, and project management expertise to her role on the ABC Board.
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Delia Vallejo Welch
Communications Chair
(she/her/hers)Board Member since 2022
Delia is a marketing executive at software company, Boomi. She has over 25 years of experience in marketing and strategy, and she holds an MBA from Harvard Business School. Delia first joined A Better Chance Andover as a Host Family to Abby Shugert ('21) from 2017-2021 and then became an Academic Advisor to Janay Cox ('25) before joining the Board of ABC. She lives in Andover with her husband and two children.
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Bonnie Zahorik
Academic Co-Chair
(she/her/hers)Board Member since 2018, (Past Board President 2020-2024)
Bonnie brings more than 30 years of financial services experience, including 22 years at Fidelity Investments in leadership roles across operations, technology, marketing, and analytics. She brings strategic thinking and a strong commitment to social justice and equity to ABC. While serving as ABC Board President, Bonnie helped strengthen the organization’s long-term sustainability, leading Board planning that ultimately contributed to the hiring of ABC’s first Executive Director. Today, she leads the Academic Committee, helping ensure Scholars have strong academic support and access to enrichment, extracurricular, and summer opportunities. Bonnie also served for five years on the Town of Andover Finance Committee and was recently named a Commonwealth Heroine by the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women for her contributions to the 18th Essex District.