Board Members
Rachel Knight - President
M.S. Special Education, University of Southern Maine.
Rachel worked in special education for 20 years (and at Aucocisco School for 11 of those years). Rachel retired her teaching hat to start a company largely due to her experience with transition planning. Her company, Destination Occupation, educates students and job seekers about career opportunities in Maine by producing career exploration videos highlighting exciting companies and their careers. Rachel lives in Portland with her husband, college going child and rescue dog and cat.
GLoria Melnick - Secretary
B.A. and M.A. Ohio State University
Ph.D. University of Cincinnati,
M.S.W. University of Kentucky
Gloria is a retired social worker. When first arriving in Maine in 1978, she worked for Southern Coastal Family Planning as a Site Coordinator and then for five years as the Assistant Director/ Councilor and Director of the Portland YWCA's Street Program. She helped design and oversee this initiative that offered multi-service help to youth who were homeless and on the streets, many of whom had suffered abuse and neglect. She then became the Clinical Director of the Little Brothers Association, which later was renamed Youth Alternatives and then Youth Alternatives Ingraham. For 25 years in this child and family social service agency, she engaged in program development, clinical and programmatic supervision, grant writing and administration. She retired as the Executive Vice President. After her departure, the organization merged again and is now known as The Opportunity Alliance. She currently serves on their Development Committee.
PAUL ANDRADE - Treasurer
Nicole R. Bissonnette, Esq.
B.A., B.S. Boston University
J.D., University of Maine School of Law
Nicole is a practicing attorney in Portland, handling a wide range of cases, many of which involve children and adults who have been impacted by educational challenges. She came to the Board having been aware of Aucocisco’s incredible reputation for years, and is excited about the opportunity to help ensure that the school thrives for many years to come. In addition to her legal skills, Nicole brings with her early experiences as a high school teacher with Teach for America, where she saw first-hand the impact that literacy had on the long-term hopes of children.
CLAIRE ADAMI GINDER
A.B. Mount Holyoke College
J.D. University of Maine School of Law
Both before and after law school, Claire worked in financial services and compliance in Boston. Once back in Maine with her husband, Claire remained at home to raise her children. She met Barbara Melnick in 2009 and became familiar with Aucocisco when her daughter was in the 3rd grade and diagnosed with dyslexia. Thus began a long relationship with Barbara while advocating for her daughter, including a successful appeal to the First Circuit Court of Appeals. Claire, now employed full time back in financial services in Portland, joined the Aucocisco Board in 2018 as part of her ongoing commitment to advocate for children with dyslexia and their families. She hopes to increase awareness about dyslexia in Maine so that every family is not forced to reinvent the wheel themselves in order to educate their child with dyslexia, which is so often the case here in Maine. Claire is also on the Board of Disabilities Rights Maine (DRM) and a member of the International Dyslexia Association (IDA) and the Council of Parent Attorney Advocates (COPPA).
Cally Gurley
B.A. Boston University
MLIS, Simmons University School of Library and Information Science
Now retired, Cally worked as an archivist and librarian, at Bowdoin College and then at the University of New England, where she was the curator of the Maine Women Writers Collection and Special Collections Librarian. There, a team of librarians built a full Special Collections department within the Library Services department. This work focuses on collecting and bringing original primary source materials -- historical, literary, artistic and institutional documents -- for in-depth study to UNE students, faculty and staff, and to academic scholars and the public. Cally took care of the University’s art collection and developed a gallery exhibitions program in the new UNE Biddeford Campus art gallery. Cally lives in Falmouth with her husband and 2 dogs, 2 cats, a turtle and a goldfish. She serves on the Aucocisco School fundraising committee.
Theodore Dalton
Bernie Ouellette
Julie Smith
Kathy Adams - Interim Director
Aucocisco School Board meets monthly to plan events and fundraisers to help build the schools' future! If you are interested in being a part of our efforts please reach out to Rachel Knight (rknight@aucociscoschool.org) for more information!
OPEN BOARD POSITIONS
Have an impact on Maine’s diverse learners! Do you have budgeting experience and a passion for education, or know someone who does? As an Officer of our Board, you could help maintain and preserve the financial stability of Aucocisco School and Learning Center. For more than 25 years Aucocisco has been an important special education resource for Maine. If you are interested in being a part of our mission to equip diverse learners with the skills and strategies necessary for success, please reach out to Rachel Knight (rknight@aucociscoschool.org)