The Children's Alliance of New Hampshire

The Children's Alliance of New Hampshire is led by a dynamic, non-partisan, statewide board and a diverse, dedicated and experienced staff.

Board Chair

Andrea Johnstone, Esq. serves as the Chair for our Board and is a shareholder at Bernstein Shur where she practices labor and employment law. She was named NH's leading labor and employment law attorney in a survey of the legal profession, and is listed in Best Lawyers of America and Chambers USA's America's Leading Lawyers for Business. She is co-author of Labor and Employment Law in NH and is chair of the Business and Industry Association of NH Human Resources Committee. She is a frequent speaker on state and federal employment law. She is a graduate of Wheaton College and Hofstra University College of Law.

Board Members

Patricia Cantor is a professor of early childhood education and former chair of the Plymouth State University Education Department from 2000 - 2009. She teaches early childhood courses and is the Early Childhood Program coordinator. Dr. Cantor joined the Plymouth State faculty in 1990 and served as director of the Child Development and Family Center for six years. Dr. Cantor is actively involved in several state and national early childhood organizations including the NH Child Care Advisory Council and the National Association of Early Childhood Teacher Educators. She is a graduate of Boston University (Ed.D), Plymouth State University (M.Ed.), and Harvard University (B.A.). Dr. Cantor resides in Concord.

Terry Dorr is owner of the Dorr Mill Store in Guild, NH. His father, George Dorr Jr. started a fabric line 45 years ago at the behest of rug hooking grand dame, Pearl McGown, and it is with great pride that he continues this tradition. Dorr Mill Store is active in the woolen market, seeking other manufacturing opportunities and taking advantage of the availability of surplus wool, both here and abroad. Terry has been at the Dorr Mill Store since 1974.

Kenneth Jue, a leader in the field of mental health, has been a member of the Keene community since 1978, when he became director of consultation and education at Monadnock Family Services. Mr. Jue assumed the role of chief executive officer at MFS from 1998 - 2009. He has served in many Keene-based organizations including Keene State College, Keene School Board, Monadnock United Way, Keene Elm City Rotary Club, Keene Housing Authority and the Keene Public Library. Mr. Jue currently serves on the Board of the NH Center for Nonprofits and the NH Mental Health Council. He is a graduate of Trinity College (BA) and Case-Western Reserve University (MS and MA) and an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Humane Letters from Keene State College. Mr. Jue resides in Keene.

James Milliken is District Representative for Modern Woodmen of America and currently President of James W. Milliken Associates, Inc. - a management consulting firm providing a full range of management and training to both profit and nonprofit organizations. Previously, Jim was President of Jobs for New Hampshire's Graduates, Inc. and also served as Director of Administrative Services for MCT Telecom. From 1975 - 1986, he was Executive Vice President of the Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce. Jim has a long list of memberships, awards, and community service. He is a graduate of UNH, Whittemore School of Business.

Dr. John F. Modlin is Professor of Pediatrics at Dartmouth Medical School, and Medical Director of the Children's Hospital at Dartmouth. He is a member of the Infectious Disease Section at DHMC in Lebanon, NH. He has authored and co-authored more than 200 papers in medical literature. He served as Vice Chair of Pediatric AIDS Clinical Trials Group Executive Committee and as a Chair of the FDA Antiviral Drugs Advisory Committee, and Chair of the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. He has been at Dartmouth since 1991.

Claudia Nixon has been employed as a paralegal with Richmond Law Firm, PLLC in Bedford, NH for 3 years. Previous work experience includes Program Manager Director with Granite Bay Connections, Inc., Deaf Service/Communication Access Manager at Granite State Independent Living (GSIL) supervising Deaf and Hard of Hearing services, Interpreter Referral and the NH Phone Link program for 6 years. Claudia is a 2001 UNH graduate and 2005 graduate of Leadership New Hampshire (LNH). Claudia resides in Concord, NH and is a grandmother of 2 and mother to 3 children; Foster daughter, Sha-quanna, and 2 biological children; UNH student and Volleyball Player, Lauren, and Holden who is interested in track and field and is a senior at Concord High School.

Staff

The Children's Alliance prides itself on having a staff that is richly diverse in its experience and unified in its passion for children




Ellen Fineberg President EFineberg@ChildrenNH.org	With a combination of executive experience, advocacy skills, and a state-wide network of business, political and nonprofit leaders, Ellen brings to the Children’s Alliance the passion and the skills to advance the opportunities of New Hampshire’s children and their families. Most recently, Ellen served as Executive Director of the Women’s Business Center (WBC) in New Hampshire. Under her leadership, WBC expanded its reach to more areas of the state, increased programming to include women at all stages of business development, and stepped up its advocacy role in the media and with both state and national legislators. In addition to her work with WBC, Ellen has extensive experience in the arts, education, and with community organizations. In 2006, she received the Excellence in Public Service award from New Hampshire Business Review. That same year, she was also featured in New Hampshire Magazine’s Remarkable Women issue. Ellen holds a Bachelors degree from Kenyon College and Masters Degrees from George Washington University and Antioch New England.
Erika Argersinger Public Policy Director EArgersinger@ChildrenNH.org	Erika has worked for more than 15 years to advance the interests of children at the local, state, and federal levels. She has advocated on behalf of immigrant and homeless populations, Head Start children and families, in addition to her focus on child care, afterschool and other family issues. Most recently, Erika was the Policy Director for the Washington, DC based Afterschool Alliance where she worked with policy makers and their staff to impact federal legislation and coordinated advocacy activities among state and local advocates. Before championing afterschool programming, Erika worked to advance early education as the Associate Director of Government Affairs for the National Head Start Association in DC and as the Research and Policy Associate for Associated Early Care and Education, Inc. in Boston, among other programs. She has also worked on and managed political campaigns at the city and state level. Erika believes education, including early education and afterschool programs, is critical to breaking the cycle of poverty and this belief has guided her policy work. Erika received her undergraduate degree in political science from American University and her master’s degree in Applied Child Development and Public Policy from Tufts University.
John DeJoie NH CAN Coordinator JDeJoie@ChildrenNH.org	John has served families in Northern Massachusetts and New Hampshire for over 25 years. He worked in and managed a mental health emergency room in Lowell, MA, for more than 10 years. This emergency room provided crisis intervention for the Lowell area, as well as pre-screening for state hospital admissions in the area. John has been a Concord (NH) firefighter for the past 15 years, providing first response for medical, mental health, fire and rescue services. For the past 8 years (2002-2010) John was a State Representative, representing Concord. In his 8 years, he spent two terms on the Committee on Executive Departments & Administration and two terms on the House Finance Committee, Division on Health & Human Services. He was the Vice-Chair of this committee (2009-2010) and was the House Democratic Communications Director (2005-2006). John is a 1985 graduate of the Simmons College School of Social Work, with a Master's Degree in Social Work.