Our Board of Directors

Melea Nalli

PRESIDENT/Co-founder

Melea has been in education for her full career, starting out as a special educator for students with emotional and behavioral disabilities in a border town in Texas.  She went on to teach in Oakland, CA and Key West, FL and coached new teachers working in low-income urban and rural districts across the country for many years.  She served in leadership roles during the scaling years of two national non-profits, Teach For America and Achievement Network.  Currently, Melea is the Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning/Chief Academic Officer for the Portland Public Schools here in Maine.  She is a certified yoga teacher (200 hour) and has completed multiple trainings on trauma-informed yoga, including David Emerson’s trauma-sensitive yoga training.  Melea holds a BA from Bowdoin College and a Masters in Education Leadership from Harvard University.  When she’s not working on equity or on her mat, she is with her two young boys (and husband too!).  

NICOLE CHAISON

VICE PRESIDENT

For the past 10 years, Nicole has been running the college program at Long Creek Youth Development Center, where she also teaches writing and public speaking to incarcerated youth and advises students who are transitioning to college in the community. Prior to that, she taught composition and creative writing at several southern Maine colleges and was a counselor at Maine Family Planning and Planned Parenthood of Northern New England. Nicole has published several books, including The Passion of the Hausfrau, which was based on the zine she produced for 10 years that chronicles the roller coaster ride of parenting. She has been practicing yoga at Portland Power Yoga, where she is also a manager, for the past 14 years. Nicole credits yoga for keeping her sane, strong, and grounded, and she came to Sea Change through her desire to share yoga with incarcerated people. She lives, writes, and gardens in Portland with her kids, George and Dora.

Tom Shepard

Treasurer

Tom has worked in the world of finance for over 20 years. He has served as Finance Director at Maine School Administrative District 51, was both a student and a teacher as a member of the Omicron Class at the Institute for Civic Leadership producing Writings on the Seven Levels of Sustainable Non-Profits, and taught personal finance and mathematics at Gould Academy in the mid-1990’s. Tom gives workshops using the principles which guide his business to different audiences, has guested on Dr. Lisa Belisle’s “Dr. Lisa Radio Hour” and Debi Davis’s “Mind Your Own Business,” and is currently writing a book with the working title, Evolve with Your Money. Tom is an avid lacrosse player and lives with his family in Cumberland, Maine.

Jen HatCH

Secretary

Jen joined Sea Change Yoga in 2017 soon after learning about the organization and reaching out to see how she could be involved. Jen has participated in Yoga for Depression and Anxiety training with Kate Graham out of Boston. She is currently working to receive her 200 hour yoga certification and is certified as a Health Coach with the Institute of Integrative Nutrition. Throughout her own journeys Jen discovered yoga as a powerful tool for dealing with depression and anxiety and hopes to share it with others.

Another passion of Jen's is the environment. She works full time at ReVision Energy, helping to manager their Portland office. ReVision Energy provides solar energy and heat pumps for residential and commercial businesses. When not working, Jen is often enjoying the outdoors, paddle boarding and skiing.  

ANNE DAVIS

Anne served as our second Board President until 2020, and has worked in healthcare for nearly 20 years at both the micro- and macro-levels. Anne has expertise in health program & content development, analytics, and business operations; she applies these skills as a healthcare consultant, focusing on quality, affordability and care transformation.Until just recently, Anne co-owned Magnolia, a barre-yoga-life studio in Portland, Maine. Magnolia was a community of movers & shakers who support and empower each other to bring their best selves forward. Anne is a registered yoga teacher (200 hr) and barre instructor; she has completed numerous trainings including trauma-informed practice.Anne loves to run, write, and yoga with her family in Falmouth, Maine.

francesca galluccio-steele

Cesca is a retired Elementary School principal with her doctorate from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Yoga has been a significant part of her life for many years. She presently serves on several nonprofit boards in the Portland area, is an accomplished photographer and enjoys traveling to explore foreign lands and cultures. She is thrilled to be part of Sea Change Yoga which she believes can help make the world a more peaceful and healthy place - one person at a time!

Elizabeth Jackson, mph

Elizabeth is an experienced public health professional with global and domestic health experience. She is a certified 200-hour yoga teacher with training in Integrative Yoga Therapy. She has worked for years with trauma-informed yoga practices through her involvement as the co-Director of Research and Evaluation for yogaHOPE, and as a trained facilitator in TIMBo (Trauma Informed Mind-Body Program). Her professional work spans from leading clinical and operational quality improvement initiatives with community health centers in the U.S. to health system strengthening efforts with partners in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Elizabeth is currently the Chief Program and Quality Officer at Greater Portland Health. In the past she worked for the Harvard School of Public Health, the World Health Organization, the Yale Global Health Leadership Institute, and the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers. Elizabeth received her Masters in Public Health from Yale University and her Bachelors from Bates College. Her personal interests include her family, running, yoga and travel.

ARABELLA PÉREZ, LCSW

Arabella is a Clinical Faculty Member and Trauma Informed Certificate Coordinator at the University of New England. Originally from Newark New Jersey, Arabella is a licensed clinical social worker and therapist of 24 years. She holds a Master’s Degree in Social Work and is completing a Doctorate in Social Work from Tulane University in New Orleans. She is a native Spanish speaker and daughter of parents from Cuba and Puerto Rico. Prior to joining UNE, Ms. Perez was a system of care director from 2005-2015, leading three Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) grants for the state of Maine. During these years she managed to find time to start a non-profit, THRIVE, a technical assistance center for trauma-informed care. She is a certified cultural competency trainer and has presented and provided consultation extensively, both locally and nationally, on Trauma Systems Change, Organizational Healing and Resiliency, Cultural and Linguistic Competency issues, and Youth-Adult Partnerships. She provides technical assistance and consultation to states and communities on the development of trauma-informed systems and provides system of care consultation through federal site monitoring and coaching for the University of Maryland's Technical Assistance Network. Arabella has practiced yoga for 30 years and is also a certified instructor interested in the benefits of yoga for the treatment of trauma.

NICK VACCARO

Nick first came across yoga over five years ago when he started using it to supplement his training for short distance triathlons. As his practice grew, it did not take long for him realize that the benefits extended beyond increasing strength and flexibility. This lead him to explore and learn how yoga can impact all aspects of his life, and to live a healthier and more joyful life physically, mentally and spiritually. Nick completed his 200 hour teacher training at Sanctuary Studio in Plymouth, Massachusetts and now lives in Portland, Maine where he works in accounting and finance and also enjoys spending time participating in outdoor activities and volunteering.