MEET OUR BOARD
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Southern District YMCA is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors who set strategic direction and policy that guide the Y in strengthening communities through programs in youth development, healthy living, and social responsibility. These dedicated volunteers provide fiduciary oversight that ensures adequate resources exist to meet annual and long-range strategic plans while sustaining the current and future needs of a growing community.
Cheryl Costantini
Board Chair
Cheryl is a leader in the educational publishing and technology industry. In her 25 year career at the largest Higher Education provider of course solutions in North America, she has held various roles in Sales, Marketing, and Product Management. Cheryl is currently the Senior Vice President of Product for Cengage's academic business. Always a passionate advocate for the connection between education and mental health, Cheryl has an undergraduate degree from the College of the Holy Cross in Psychology and a master’s degree in Special Education from Boston University. While studying for her master's, she taught fifth grade in the Chelsea, MA, public school system. Cheryl is a leader in the educational publishing and technology industry. During her career she has held various roles in Sales, Marketing, and Product Management. Cheryl is currently the Senior Vice President of Product for Cengage's academic business. One of the highlights of her career has been as the lead sponsor and advocate for affordability initiatives at Cengage and with Higher Education institutions. Cheryl lives in Exeter with her husband, David, a staff member at Stratham Memorial School, and her two children, Nick and Sophie. When Cheryl is not working or supporting all her children's interests and activities, you can find her enjoying nature by hiking, running, walking, or reading at the beach.
Christina Cassano
Board Member
Christina Cassano began volunteering for the Wakefield YMCA at age 14. For the next ten years, she worked as a swim instructor and lifeguard at both the Wakefield and Bangor YMCAs. Currently, she is an Associate Professor in Childhood Education at Salem State University, author, and early literacy researcher. She works out at the YMCA and her three children participate in the youth programs.
Danette Wineberg
Board Member
Danette’s Y roots are long and deep. She grew up in the YM-YWCAs in Euclid and Cleveland, Ohio, which were the centers of many activities in the 50s and 60s—from sleepovers and teen dances to civil rights activism. Her parents, both physical education majors and teachers, volunteered at the Y. Her mother taught swimming at the Euclid and Cleveland Ys and the Y in Hendersonville, N.C. (where her parents moved after their retirement). At Oberlin College, where Danette earned her B.A., she was co-president of the campus Y organization, which sponsored and oversaw all the college’s student community service clubs and activities. Years later, she and her husband moved to Ann Arbor, Michigan, where their son became an active Y member, including holding several (memorable!) birthday parties there. Danette and her husband moved to Exeter about 25 years ago when she became Vice President, General Counsel, and Secretary of The Timberland Company. Participating in Timberland’s community service work, Danette served several times on teams working at Camp Lincoln (as well as other locations on the Seacoast and elsewhere). She also volunteered as a member of the board of Odyssey NH (previously Odyssey House), for which the Exeter Y’s Odyssey Center is named. After Timberland’s sale, she became and has continued to be an Adjunct Professor at The University of New Hampshire School of Law. She had previously led legal departments at two other companies, including Little Caesars, and worked in a Detroit law firm. Before attending the University of Michigan Law School, Danette worked as a teacher (in public school and GED programs) and in editing and administrative positions. A member of the American Bar Association, the Michigan Bar Association, and the Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC), Danette served on ACC’s headquarters board and on ACC’s Northeast Chapter board. She served as a member of New Hampshire's Judicial Selection Commission, and was member of the Board of Trustees of Oberlin College. She has also served in various positions at the Congregational Church in Exeter. Currently, in addition to the SDYMCA board, she serves on the board of Journey Song and on the Leadership Council for the New Hampshire Campaign for Legal Services. Danette and her husband (also an active Y member) live in Exeter. They enjoy time in the outdoors, especially the White Mountains, and treasure time with family, especially their two adult granddaughters.
Steven Serge
Board Member
Steven retired in 2019 and moved from New York State to Hampton NH. He worked almost 40 years in the YMCA movement, most recently as the CEO of the Fulton County YMCA. While working for the Y he served in a variety of capacities and his experiences include; program development, operations, strategic planning, mergers, grant writing, capital campaigns, financial development, and staff training on behalf of the YMCA of the USA. He holds degrees in teaching and business administration. Steve enjoyed many years of volunteering in the communities where he served. His volunteer activities included, youth sports, various boards, community fund raising, and he was a member of Rotary International serving twice as his club president. For fun and relaxation he likes to golf, ski, bike, hike, exercise, read, volunteer, and spend time with his granddaughter and grown children.
Janet Guen
Vice-Chair
Janet Guen is a native of New England who has spent her career in nonprofit development. She began her career with United Way of Greater Cincinnati and more recently spent a decade with United Way of the Greater Seacoast. Since January of 2020 she has worked for the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation as a Senior Philanthropy Advisor, based in Portsmouth. Volunteer service has been a lifelong thread including a 6-year term with Leadership Seacoast. While her children were in the Exeter School system she served as PTO Presi- dent and spent 6 years coordinating cultural enrichment programming for both elementary schools. Janet now lives in Dover with her husband Tim and dog Toby. She enjoys traveling, time in the outdoors, and anything that brings their 3 adult children back to NH.
Maureen Pecora
Board Member
Maureen worked for Exeter Hospital for 32 years, retiring in August of 2018. She managed the Health Watch Employee Assistance Program (EAP) for those years, developing the program for Exeter Health Resources, then marketing and selling the service to over 30 companies and municipalities in the Seacoast area. Prior to this, Maureen worked for several years at an EAP in Lynn, MA and also as a Masters’ level Psychologist at Strafford Guidance Center in Dover, NH. Maureen completed her Bachelors degree at Indiana University of Pennsylvania and her Masters in Clinical Psychology at Eastern Kentucky. She was a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor and a Certified Employee Assistance Professional. Maureen is currently an active member of the Exeter Rotary Club and is President of her condominium association’s BOD. Prior to joining Rotary, she was a board member for twelve years at ‘A Safe Place’ which merged to become HAVEN, the non-profit agency in the NH Seacoast focused on helping victims of domestic violence. Maureen has lived in Exeter for many years and frequently sees her large extended family. Some of her passions include good food with friends, her cat Lily, traveling, walking, yoga, kayaking and nordic skiing.
Jodi Herncjar
Board Member
I am a specialist in the improvement and turnaround of Service organizations, integration of Service groups from acquisitions and mergers, the establishment of Service strategy, and developing and launching Service products and infrastructure in global markets. I am a dy-namic Services business executive with global Profit Loss / P&L responsibility and successful track record in leadership of all customer-facing Support functions with high technology in-strumentation manufacturers in the clinical and life sciences industries. I have a reputation for creative business thinking balanced with a practical, analytical ap-proach in implementing strong Support organizations and Support products that drive profita-bility and customer loyalty.
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Frank Albert
Board Member
Frank has lived in the Seacoast NH area for over twenty years with his wife, Cheryl and their family. They love spending time with their adult children and eight grandchildren enjoying everything this incredible area has to offer. They are overjoyed to be sharing workouts at the Y with our two oldest grandchildren, Carter, age 12 and Zoey age 11 with their youngest grandchildren spending time utilizing the Y’s Kid’s Club. Frank states that the Y truly is a family friendly place. In June 2025 Frank retired from working as an Automotive Sales Professional at BMW of Stratham as well as his involvement with the Chambers of Commerce. Frank still serves as Chairman on the Brentwood Zoning Board of Appeals, and is a NH Notary. His new adventure as a Licensed NH Realtor continues to fulfill his passion for working with people. Along his journey he has met so many inspiring people and made many long-term friendships. Joining the YMCA family has allowed he and his wife to continue to meet new people and form new friendships. Frank loves that the YMCA brings people of all ages together and is truly excited to share his experience, skills, and commitment to community service as a member of the Sothern District YMCA. He is looking forward to being an invaluable part of the YMCA Board of Directors as we enter into strategic planning and expand our fundraising focus and vision into 2026 and beyond. Let's all continue to work together in the true spirit of community
Michelle Berke
Secretary
Michelle Berke has spent many years in service to the public in different ways. A former middle-school math teacher in Rochester NH, Michelle then helped adult learners obtain their school diploma by teaching math at Exeter Adult Education from 1998 to 2019. More recently, she has been working as crisis advocate at HAVEN, a sexual assault and domestic violence crisis center since 2017. Michelle also currently serves as a Supervisor of the Checklist for the Town of Exeter, helping ensure all voters who are legally able to, can register to vote. A wearer of many hats, Michelle's most long-term position is as Chief Operations and Financial Officer of River City Software, an Exeter based software company that provides software to the hard wood lumber and medical devices industries. Michelle also sings with and manages The Afternotes, a women’s a cappella group. A resident of Exeter, Michelle has two adult daughters and lives with her husband and dog. She enjoys cooking, hiking, a Capella singing and knitting.
John Bunker
Board Member
John retired in July 2018 from the University of New Hampshire where he served for seven years as the Director of External Relations and Associate Dean in the College of Health and Human Services. At UNH, he taught a graduate course in Nonprofit Fund Development and Grant Writing. Over the years, John has served as the founding President of New Futures, a nonprofit advocacy organization focused on substance use disorders, the New Hampshire Center for Nonprofits Board of Directors, the NAMI NH (National Alliance on Mental Illness) for and the Goodwill of Northern New England Board. He received his Master of Health Science and Doctor of Science from The Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public Health after serving as a VISTA Volunteer in Alabama and Peace Corps Volunteer in Ethiopia. He held academic appointments at the University of Texas Medical Branch and George Mason University, working in international health care consulting for several years. A native of New Hampshire, he returned to the Granite State in 1996 to serve as Vice President of Health Risk at Blue Cross & Blue Shield of NH with his wife Jennifer Kinsey and their two sons. John enjoys yoga, fly fishing, golf, visiting our national parks, cycling, skiing, and grandparenting.
Laurie Sherman
Board Member
An avid almost-daily visitor to our branch, in addition to playing pickleball, taking exercise classes, and lifting weights, Laurie coordinates our Y's Thursday night volleyball. When not working out indoors or hiking and biking outside, Laurie is an executive coach to senior leaders, as well as a strategy consultant for senior teams. Laurie is the author of Chasing Social Justice: How Do We Advance the Work that Matters Most. Serving as Mom to three grown kids is of course her favorite job title. Laurie has run a handful of nonprofits and government initiatives, as well as serving on Boards, such as the YMCA in Boston.
Jennifer Young
Treasurer
Jennifer helps manage overall operations for BlueLine Advisors. Prior to joining the firm, she was an Analyst at Tudor Investments covering industrials and chemical companies. Previously, Jenn was the operations manager of a family business, and began her career as an environmental engineer at EarthTech Consulting specializing in environmental remediation. Jennifer is active in the community and volunteers as Treasurer of the Exeter Youth Soccer Association as well as serving on the Board of the Southern District YMCA. MBA Babson College BS University of Virginia
Brian Bouchard
Board Member
Brian brings a unique blend of legal expertise and community focus to the board.
Deidre O'Byrne
Board Member
A resident of Exeter, Deidre has been enjoying the Y's facility on Linden St since it opened. She has three "20 something" children who are all still in school, and her husband, Paul Staller, works as head of development at Webster House in Manchester. Deidre works at a private trust company in Salem, NH, and in her spare time she loves to read and go on long bike rides.