Governance & Board of Trustees

Board Meetings

The board meets on the 3rd Thursday of each month at 6:00 pm at the school. The agenda is posted prior to each meeting at the school and online.

Meet Our Board of Trustees

Don Winterton

Board Chairperson

Don Winterton, joined the Polaris Board in 2017.  A graduate of Manchester Central High, and The University of New Hampshire, Don is currently a Town Councilor and member of the Planning Board in Hooksett NH. Don's work life including senior management positions in small biotech companies across the country and retired as the National Director of Field Sales at IDEC Pharmaceuticals which later merged with Biogen to become the third largest biotech company in the world.  Don also was a high school and college basketball referee working nearly 20 NH state championship games, was on the staffs of Big East, Ivy. American East conferences, and was chosen to officiate 2 NCAA Division 2 national semifinal games.  Don brings his zeal for community involvement and management expertise to the Board.  Don lives in Hooksett with his wife Paula, 2 dogs, and 5 cats.

Jill Cane

Vice President

Dr. Jill Cane joins the Polaris Charter School Board of Trustees with thirty years of experience as a public school Principal, Federal Projects Director, Curriculum Coordinator, and Mentor Coordinator.  She was a Founder of Polaris Charter School and served as the Start-Up Director for the school’s first year of operation. Throughout her career, Dr. Cane has focused on developing, implementing, and assessing instructional programs that challenge and engage all students.  Her consulting includes working collaboratively with parents, teachers, administrators, school board members, and government officials in multiple areas of curriculum and professional development.  In her personal life, Jill spends as much time as possible with her eight grandchildren. She also enjoys international traveling with her husband, watercolor painting, gardening, reading, Zumba, and classical music.

Meghan Bilz

Secretary

Meghan Bilz joined the Polaris Charter School Board of Trustees in 2019. She has a Master's Degree in English and brings with her over fourteen years of experience in nonprofit development, including fundraising, grant writing, and donor relations. She is excited to put these skills to work for Polaris, where her daughter is in second grade. She lives in Manchester with her family, including their dog and two cats, and enjoys running and mountain biking on trails, and swimming in lakes all over the area. 

Scott Perron

Treasurer

Mosfek Talukder

Board Member

 Click here to learn more about Mosfek: Linkedin

John L. Ward

Board Member

Attorney Ward is the founder and managing partner of Ward Law Group, PLLC and his areas of concentration are Personal Injury, Workers’ Compensation, and Social Security Disability claims. Prior to founding Ward Law Group, PLLC, he was the managing partner of Patch, FitzGerald & Ward a personal injury and insurance defense firm. Seeking to limit his practice to represent only injury victims, Ward Law Group, PLLC was formed to concentrate exclusively on helping injured parties receive the compensation they deserve.

Attorney Ward graduated Cum Laude from UNH, majoring in Political Science, and went on to law school at the Franklin Pierce Law Center, now UNH School of Law, where he was selected to participate in the Daniel Webster Honors Program.

Attorney Ward is currently a member of the New Hampshire Bar Association, the New Hampshire Bar Association’s Legal Committee, New Hampshire Association for Justice and the National Organization of Social Security Claimant’s Representatives. He also serves on the board of directors for the William B. Cashin Senior Activity Center, Manchester City Library Foundation and is the former Chair for the Workers’ Compensation Section of the New Hampshire Bar. Attorney Ward regularly appears in Courts throughout New Hampshire and before the NH Department of Labor and the Social Security Administration.

Attorney Ward is a nationally recognized attorney in the areas of personal injury and workers’ compensation. He was selected by the National Academy of Personal Injury Attorneys as one of the top ten personal injury attorneys under 40 in New Hampshire. Attorney Ward has continuously been named by the National Trial Lawyers Association as a top 40 under 40 civil plaintiff attorney. He also has been featured in Super Lawyers Magazine for five consecutive years as a rising star in the area of personal injury and workers’ compensation law. He also regularly speaks at seminars for other attorneys regarding these topics.

Attorney Ward is a lifelong New Hampshire resident and is active in community activities. In addition to spending time with his family, he is an avid sports fan and enjoys attending UNH hockey and football games. He also coaches youth baseball and flag football. He currently lives in southern NH with his wife and three children.

Ellie Melloy

Board Member

Heath Savage

Board Member