Board of Trustees & Advisors – Nantucket Lighthouse School

Board of Trustees

Maryann Hedaa, Chair

Maryann Hedaa has had a long career in Independent, Public and Charter School education.

She founded an independent middle school for girls in the South Bronx and founded two not for profit organizations built around the goal of sustainability: NYC Outward Bound and the Hunts Point Alliance for Children. She currently has a selective consulting and coaching practice that includes law firms, educational administrators and executive directors of not for profit organizations. She is the Co-Founder of Makers Point -- a newly organized (2016) non-profit which seeks to identify national models of replicable local economic development that can benefit NYC’s Hunts Point community, where she has been working since 2002. Maryann founded St. Ignatius Middle School for Girls in 2003 and the Hunts Point Alliance for Children in 2007. Prior to her work in Hunts Point Maryann taught at Columbia Business School and Boston College Graduate School of Theology. In 1990 she was named the Director of the Institute for Not for Profit Management and Associate Dean of Executive Programs at Columbia Business School. Her areas of expertise include: Leadership Development, Strategic Planning and Influencing Skills. A graduate of St. Johns University, Saint Mary’s College, Columbia Business School and Boston College Graduate School of Theology, Maryann is currently working on a book titled Beauty In Hiding: Contemplations on Children and Poverty.

Charity Grace Mofsen, Co-Vice Chair

Originally from North Carolina, Charity Grace Mofsen visited Nantucket and became lovestruck, not just from the serene natural beauty but more importantly, from the people who resided here.

This kinship brought her to become a full time resident in 2015. She now serves as Associate Director of Nantucket Operations at the Museum of African American History where she shares the fascinating and rich history of the African Americans that helped shape Nantucket. An advocate for the empowerment of youth, Charity Grace is intimately involved with social issues affecting the people of Nantucket including the role that race historically and currently plays in our culture. With a degree in Sustainable Residential Design and Development from Maharishi University of Management, she serves as a trustee of Nantucket's Affordable Housing Trust Fund. Her experience in a consciousness-based learning environment allows her to bring a holistic approach to education that enlivens one’s creativity and encourages the development of full human potential. For fun, Charity Grace sings in a local band with her husband Michael.

Rachael Freeman Slosek, Co-Vice Chair

Rachael's family is originally from Nantucket and she has spent time on the island throughout her life.

In 2003, after completing her graduate studies, she decided to move here year-round for a job at the Nantucket Conservation Foundation. Currently she is the Environmental Coordinator at the Nantucket Land Bank and is married to Sam Slosek, who co-owns Moors End Farm with his family. Together they have 3 children, Sophia, Ben and Eli, all of whom attend the Lighthouse School.

Both Rachael and Sam are pleased to have the opportunity for their children to attend a school that is educating them both academically and emotionally. They feel strongly that the Lighthouse School, is teaching their children to be confident thinkers, learners and problem solvers. What an amazing foundation for life!

Jillian Fraker, Faculty Representative

Jillian was born and raised on Nantucket and returned to the island after finishing her master's degree in creative writing at The New School in New York City.

Jillian Fraker is a teacher, writer, and surfer. Jillian joined the team of educators at Nantucket Lighthouse School in 2019. She is drawn to the school's commitment to educating the whole child. Jillian is thrilled to weave curriculum into exciting hands-on projects that honor the beauty of nature and celebrate the joy of learning.

Bill Kupper

With over 39 years of publishing, communication and advertising accomplishments, William Kupper, Jr. has strived to successfully meet the challenges of an ever changing media marketplace both domestically and internationally.

William P. Kupper, Jr. retired in 2007 as the president and CEO of the BusinessWeek Group. He was named publisher in 1999 and president in 2000. As president of BusinessWeek, Mr. Kupper was responsible for overseeing worldwide operations for the magazine’s North American and International editions and for leading the continued expansion of the franchise including
BusinessWeek Online and BusinessWeek Television

Mr. Kupper (pronounced as “Cooper”) has had a distinguished career in publishing having spent 24 years at Time, Inc., where he held a number of senior sales management positions. These included advertising sales manager for Sports Illustrated, advertising director for Life Magazine and international advertising director for Time Magazine. He was also publisher of Health Magazine, part of Time Inc.’s Publishing Venture Group.

Mr. Kupper started his career as a media planner at Dancer Fitzgerald Sample in 1969 after serving in the U.S. Army for two years. He spent ten months in Vietnam where he was awarded the Bronze Star and Air Medal with the First Cavalry.

He holds a BA in Business Administration from Upsala College. He is also a graduate of Concordia Preparatory School where he is the Corporate Advisor to the International Management Program. In 2000, he was awarded an honorary doctorate from Concordia College as he delivered their winter commencement address. In 2006, Mr. Kupper gave the spring commencement address at The University of Delaware.

Mr. Kupper is currently on the Board of Directors of Cygnus Business Media Company and Turnstile Publishing Company. He serves on the Advisory Board for ScrollMotion LLC, an iPhone app developer. He is a Corporate Counsel Member of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund and a Corporate Trustee for the Trustees of the Reservation, a Massachusetts land preservation organization. Mr. Kupper is also a golf course rater for Golfweek Magazine.

Lizbet Carroll Fuller, Trustee Emerita

In Lighthouse, Lizbet and co-founder Elizabeth Sundell sought to honor the magic of childhood while creatively introducing the tools to construct meaningful lives.

Lizbet co-founded Lighthouse School with Elizabeth Sundell in 1999 where she has served as the Director of Education, Trustee, classroom teacher and faculty advisor. She has worked with young children for over 25 years in pre-school and elementary school classrooms. She moved to Nantucket in 1991 to teach at NES before leaving and creating her own pre-school turned Kindergarten program, which evolved into the Lighthouse Small School and primary program."We set out to create a school that honors the magic of childhood while creatively introducing children to the ideas, information, and tools they will need to construct meaningful and rewarding lives. In turn, the school has generated a wonderful and caring community of teachers, staff members, families, and friends." Lizbet's philosophy of education is inspired and informed by the work of Rudolf Steiner (founder of Waldorf Education), the Integrated Day approach of the Antioch New England Graduate School, the social curriculum and philosophy of the Mead School, her practical experience in the classroom and the talented staff she has worked with. As a Trustee Emerita, she currently serves in an unofficial advisory role.

Candice Tétrault

Candice was born and raised in Montreal, Canada, and loved spending summers on Nantucket with her family. In 2002, after a career in TV production in Montreal, she made Nantucket her home.

Candice became a Nantucket Lighthouse School supporter shortly after her daughter Clementine was born in 2008. In 2010, Candice founded 30 miles out productions, inspired to continue the production work she loves. It would come to support NLS's communication campaign in the future. In 2013, Clementine joined the NLS kinder class, and Candice joined the NLS Communication and Garden Festival committees. More recently, her time working for Fairwinds Counseling Nantucket, in a School and Court Liaison role, offered her insight which reinforced her dedication in supporting NLS, and its extraordinary integrated curriculum, designed to honor the whole child - head, heart, hand.

The school's philosophy of addressing a child's mind, body and individual spirit, while teaching and supporting skills for critical thinking, creative problem solving, and the navigation of one's social-emotional life, has allowed her daughter Clementine to thrive in her academic experience. "We couldn't have asked for a better school for our daughter, anywhere, let alone on this little island! We love our Nantucket Lighthouse School Community."

Board of Advisors

Susan O’Brien, Chair

D. Anne Atherton

Charity Benz

Joe Guay

Robert Sarkisian

Connie Umberger