Board Members:

Wendy Miner, MSN, RN , Board President, has a Masters of Science in Nursing, a BA in Neuroscience, and she graduated from a leadership semester with the National Outdoor Leadership School in Patagonia, Chile. She was trained as an Adult Acute Care Nurse Practitioner with a focus in global health, and has practiced nursing in hospital, community and home-based settings. Most recently she worked with a health-related technology startup company to develop a product aimed to harness the power of collaboration to improve healthcare experiences for families, caregivers and their loved ones. Wendy is a mom of a second-grader, and she is deeply grateful for her son’s time at the campus on Old Walpole Rd in his first years away from home. She has a strong reverence for the natural world, and spending time outside with her friends and family is her favorite thing to do! Wendy is passionate about making outdoor experiences accessible to all children and families, and she’s excited to build a community space that’s centered around this.

Thomas J. Filip, DMD, MBA, Treasurer is the owner dentist of Noble Dental Care in Keene, NH and parent of a Spring Hill alumnus.  He has a track record of growing dental offices and dental support organizations in Philadelphia, New York and New Hampshire.  Previously he worked in the financial services industry in New York, Hong Kong and Boston.  He earned a BA from Haverford College, an MBA from The Wharton School and a DMD from the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine. 

Eliza Murphy, Secretary has taught preschool aged students in Waldorf, Nature-Based and traditional environments for 20 years. She is trained as a Waldorf EC teacher by Sophia’s Hearth, and holds an M.Ed in early childhood education from Antioch University New England.  Eliza is also the owner of Brewbakers Cafe and Terra Nova Coffee with her husband and partner, and recently founded Nova Arts, a community arts non-profit. She serves on the boards of Keene Housing Kids Collaborative and Gathering Waters Charter School, and is passionate about advocating for children and supporting evidence-based initiatives that help them thrive. 

Ronja Elliston is a graduate of Hawthorne Valley Waldorf School, has a BA from Lesley University and is a trained Waldorf Kindergarten Teacher from Sophia’s Hearth Family Center. She has worked in Waldorf Kindergartens throughout the Northeast and is now primarily home with her three young children. She enjoys rediscovering the world through her children’s curiosity and wonder, tending to her garden and adventuring in the woods with family and friends. 

Rachael Hancock grew up in the Monadnock Region and relocated back to the area in 2022 with her husband and two young children. Her daughter attended preschool at Spring Hill and their family found a supportive, inclusive community which continues to grow. Rachael is a Registered Nurse. She completed her undergraduate degree at the University of New Hampshire and graduate studies in Nursing Education at the University of Southern Maine. She is passionate about supporting children and families through all aspects and experiences of life and nourishing relationships through collaborative community building. Rachael enjoys traveling and spending time outdoors with family and friends.

Betsi McGuigan is grateful to have spent most of her adult life in “the profession of joy” - working with young children and their families.  She taught in several Waldorf schools, including seventeen years working on Old Walpole Road at the Monadnock Waldorf’ School’s Nursery-Kindergarten. In addition, she has had the opportunity to teach at the Harrisville Children’s Center, at a Head Start in western Nebraska and a public elementary school in Idaho., Betsi has also spent many years training teachers - day care providers for the State of NH; teaching the Waldorf early childhood courses at Antioch University of New England; teaching and mentoring for the Sophia’s Hearth Family Center; and serving for many years as the Northeastern Region’s co- representative for WECAN.  She is thrilled to be back on Old Walpole Road working to ensure that this wonderful property continues to nurture and inspire young children, their families and their teachers into the future! Betsi lives in Keene with her husband, Kevin, a retired class teacher.

Jaren Haber, PhD holds a certificate in Waldorf Teaching from the Bay Area Center for Waldorf Teacher Training (BACWTT) and taught several blocks in the grades at Berkeley Rose Waldorf School in CA. He also has a doctorate in Sociology from UC Berkeley; his research focused on education, public policy, and charter schools in particular. Now he's a data scientist for the US Congress, where he builds tools that facilitate audits of government agencies. Jaren grew up near San Francisco, loves backpacking in the Sierra Nevada and the White Mountains, and is learning to like winter. Most importantly, he's a proud father of young twin girls that amaze him every day.

Board Committees: 

  • Executive/ Governance

  • Finance

  • Development and Fundraising

  • Human Resources

  • Marketing, Outreach and Enrollment

  • Building and Grounds

  • Strategic Planning/ Program Development

Advisory Committees:

  • COVID

  • Pedagogy

  • DEIJ

The Spring Hill community includes a diverse group of individuals, with specific experience and skills that will be instrumental to this initiative. The board and board advisors welcome parents, caregivers, educators, and invested community members to join us as a board member or member of a committee. All are welcome.