Board
Eric Stacey, Chair
Eric Stacey has worked at Pingree School since 1997 and is currently the Director of Enrollment Management and Admission. In his time at Pingree, he has overseen the significant growth of the school’s enrollment. Eric earned his bachelor’s degree from Colorado College, where he majored in English and was captain of the baseball team. Eric served as President of the Board of Community Day Charter Public Schools Board from 2008-2015.
Gail Carey, Clerk
Gail Carey served as a home provider of early education prior to taking a position with a contract manufacturing company in Dracut, MA. Over her eighteen years with the company, Gail has held a variety of positions, she is currently the Document Control Coordinator. In this position, Gail collaborates with Sales, Engineering and Production to maintain the integrity of the build process for gas systems, semiconductor and ozone products.
Ethel Cruz
Ethel Cruz is the current principal at the Francis M. Leahy School based in Lawrence, MA and has been in the education field since 1998. She holds a master’s degree in education and is completing her doctorate in education with a focus on Leadership and Policy Studies at Boston University. She participated in the Influence 100 Pilot Program, a 2-year fellowship designed to prepare participants for superintendent roles. She has also been the recipient of the Eugenio Maria De Hostos Award; The Outstanding Teacher for the Massachusetts Migrant Education Program; The Multicultural Family Circle Outstanding Service to the Community Award, and The Feria del Libro Dedication to Education Award.
Patricia Flynn
Retired Judge Patricia Flynn served as Associate Justice with the Juvenile Court in Middlesex County following her appointment in 2003. Judge Flynn was a former member of the Board of Directors of the Massachusetts Judges Association, past member and Vice-President of the Board of Trustees of Lawrence General Hospital, and past Chairperson of the Board of Directors of Notre Dame High School in Lawrence, MA (a Cristo Rey high school). Prior to her appointment to the bench, Judge Flynn practiced law for 20 years in New Hampshire and Massachusetts. Judge Flynn has served as President of the board and served on the Steering Committee for the establishment of Community Day Charter Public School.
Lucy Hulse
Lucy Hulse is the former Chief Financial Officer of Wide Horizons For Children, Inc. (WHFC), based in Waltham, MA. WHFC is dedicated to the well-being and security of vulnerable and orphaned children worldwide through programs that help keep families together, provide quality care for children living in orphanages, and through adoption services. She is a former business manager at Community Day Care of Lawrence, served on the Development Committee of The Waring School, and is a former trustee of the River Valley Charter School. She holds an MBA degree from Babson College. Lucy also served for many years as the Chair of The Community Group Board before stepping down from the role of Chair in 2023.
Alcira Kane
Alcira Kane has worked for Northeast Legal Aid, formerly Merrimack Valley/Neighborhood Legal Services for multiple decades. Through her work at Northeast Legal Aid, Alcira has been an active member of advocacy coalitions at the state level, including Benefits, Disability, SNAP, Employment, Diversity, Equality & Inclusion and Language Access. In 2023, she was appointed as a member of the Lowell Advisory Board by the Commissioner of the Department of Transitional Assistance. She holds a BS degree from New Hampshire College. Her commitment to the success and governance of The Community Group and Community Day Charter Public Schools has spanned many years, serving on the Board of both institutions.
Meera Krishnan
Meera Krishnan currently serves as Academic Director at Year Up in Boston. Meera earned her MBA from Harvard Business School in 2012 and her Bachelor of Science in Engineering from Princeton University in 2007. She started her career on Wall Street as an analyst at Goldman Sachs. Her professional experiences include two leadership positions at The Community Group focused on implementing change management initiatives and school turnaround: Director of Strategic Planning and Director of Programming for Community Day Arlington. Prior to joining TCG, she was an HBS Leadership Fellow on the education team at the Office of Mayor Kevin Johnson in Sacramento, CA and an Education Pioneers Fellow at the San Francisco Unified School District.
Steve Lisauskas
Steve Lisauskas serves as Executive Deputy Auditor in the Office of the Massachusetts State Auditor. In this capacity, Steve leads the agency’s finance, information technology, human resources, policy, policy studies, planning, performance management, and other functions. Steve holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and a Master of Public Administration degree from Syracuse University.
Mary McCauley Manzi
Retired Judge Mary McCauley Manzi served as a Probate and Family Court Justice at the Fenton Judicial Center in Lawrence, MA. She was appointed to the bench in 1986 and retired in May 2011 after 25 years. She is a graduate of Suffolk University Law School and Emmanuel College. As a Justice, she was involved with the Task Force on Mediation in the Probate and Family Court and served on the Supreme Judicial Court Committee on Ethics. Out of the courtroom, Judge Manzi was instrumental in the creation of the Community Day Charter Public School and has continued to advocate for the school in the community.
William Webber
William (Bill) Webber served in executive and management roles at ACI Worldwide from 1997 until his retirement in 2018. He has extensive experience in client services, relationship management, program management, project management and high-end consulting. Bill holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Bentley College and serves on the Boards of the Andover Community Trust and Brewster Men’s Club. He rejoined The Community Group Board in 2023, after six years on the Community Day Charter Public School Board of Trustees, five of which he served as Chair.