Our Team

Maryann Morris

Executive Director

Before choosing to move to Vermont in 2001, Maryann lived in many places including New Jersey, Washington and Maryland. Her long history of working at resident camps brought her from  camp counselor to Waterfront/Boating Director and eventually Executive Director of a Resident Girl Scout Camp in Pennsylvania for many years. Maryann took her passion for working with young people to The Collaborative in 2003 first as Extended Day Program Coordinator and then, Programs Coordinator. In 2010 she became Executive Director and worked to make the Collaborative a regional asset for substance misuse prevention. Maryann serves on several statewide prevention planning teams including the Vermont Substance Misuse Prevention Council and volunteers locally on town and organizational boards and committees. She studied Recreational Therapy at Slippery Rock University and holds a Certificate of Non Profit Management from Marlboro College. Maryann spends her time outside of work traveling, reading, biking, swimming, boating, hanging with her husband and tossing a ball for her dog.

Jackie Borella

Financial Director

Jackie was one of the “founding mothers” of the Collaborative back when her now adult children were students at Flood Brook School. After 6 years as the organization's Treasurer, she became  the Business Manager in 2005. As a transplant from Long Island she has lived in Vermont since 1982.  She loves skiing, hiking and traveling to warmer climates.  She lives with her husband Bob in Londonderry where they raised Brittany (now a Mechanical Engineer in Indiana) and Faryn (currently a graduate student in Philadelphia).

Victoria Silsby

Prevention Specialist

Victoria started at The Collaborative in January 2009 when her kids were in high school and middle school. Prevention just makes sense… an individual and community effort to build upon and support the strengths kids have to help them achieve their hopes and dreams and become contributing members of the community. As a long time resident of Manchester, Victoria is passionate and dedicated to making the area a healthier place to live, work, go to school in and to visit and believes all community members play a part in helping kids make healthy choices. Much of Victoria’s outreach involves working with businesses and towns and policy adoption.

Hiking with Ni Ni the family dog, tending to numerous perennial gardens and hanging out with family are some of Victoria’s personal enjoyments. Victoria feels being an active community member and volunteering is important and volunteers on Burr and Burton Academy’s Gala Committee, previously served on Manchester’s Housing Committee, and is a past board member of The Wilson House.

Alice Abraham

Projects Manager

In 2016 Alice joined The Collaborative team to work on outreach, communications, and grant reporting about our positive interactions with communities and families of all ages. Some of her prevention activities include making crafts with young children while chatting with their parents about paths to healthy development, or creating a time machine to prompt youth to discuss what prevention was like in 1884 or 1959 compared to now, or challenging young adults to a quick round of Jeopardy “Escape the Vape.” And there’s always fun prizes to pass out.

As Projects Manager, Alice works with a wide range of community partners -- she’s the Coordinator of The Shires Prescription Drug Alliance and is Chair of the LGBTQ+ Advisory Council for Bennington County and the mountain towns. Alice is out at library book festivals handing out affirming booklists compiled by local self-identified LGBTQ+ students.

Alice has devoted her life to working in non-profits which have all dovetailed with prevention! Currently, she serves as Chair of the Trustees at Jamaica Memorial Library and as Secretary of the Jamaica Historical Foundation, and is on the Advisory Board of Senior Solutions / Council on Aging for Windham and Windsor Counties. And for 20+ years, Alice was the music librarian at the WGBH Educational Foundation, New England’s premiere public broadcasting company. Yes, music making is prevention – it nurtures your soul. Alice grew up playing music with her siblings and she has been a member of several orchestras and a queer contradance band. Currently you can find her playing in the Windham Philharmonic, located in Brattleboro.

Natalie Philpot

Programs Coordinator

Natalie has been working as the Programs Coordinator at The Collaborative since 2019. Natalie earned her BA in Political Science with a minor in Music and Women’s and Gender Studies from Kenyon College in 2003. She then went on to earn her Masters in Music and Music Education from Teachers College at Columbia University in 2010. A passionate educator, Natalie has lived and taught in Ohio, England, California, Belize, New York City and Vermont. Natalie loves to sing, act, and dance and is an active member of the Dorset Players. She loves to be a part of this amazing community and serves on the board of the Community Food Cupboard and is also a coach with Equinox Lacrosse. Her favorite thing to do, however, is spend time with her two daughters, Bryce and BK, who remind her that there is so much magic in the world. 

Samantha Pearce

Community Epidemiologist

Samantha joined The Collaborative’s team in 2020 as a community epidemiologist. She comes to The Collaborative with a passion for giving back to her home community. Samantha has a B.S. in Public Health from Rivier University and Masters in Public Health from the University of New England. When deciding on an education path, she aspired to become an epidemiologist or community health worker, making this position all the more meaningful. Samantha joined our team after serving as an AmeriCorps VISTA in Billings, MT, where she supported substance use prevention and youth programs at an equine assisted therapy organization. Her hobbies include horseback riding, herding her goats, and enjoying the outdoors with her dog.

Devon Collins

Extended Day Program & Collaborative Camp Director

Devon first started at The Collaborative in 2019 while serving as an AmeriCorps State member. Shortly after starting, the COVID pandemic struck everywhere and she started writing letters to all of the Afterschool kids that were enrolled in our Extended Day Program. Devon has always enjoyed working with kids to  help them find and realize their voices, come out of their shells, and standing up for something that they believe in.  She believes that no youth should be left behind or fall through the cracks. Devon is now the Extended Day Program and Summer Camp Director. Every year, she looks forward to challenging adventures that her work at The Collaborative will bring her and the youth she serves.

Jacob Dombroski

Programs Assistant

Born and raised in New Hampshire’s Lake Sunapee region, Jacob has always felt a passion for finding joy in unexpected places. He studied Chemistry and Theatre at Middlebury College; there he also met the woman who would become his wife, a lifelong Manchester, VT native. Jacob hopes that his platform at The Collaborative will allow the youth of this community to flourish in their own self-expression, finding purpose, joy, and fulfillment in the everyday regardless of their circumstances. Alongside his wife Brittany and their son Wilder, Jacob enjoys reading, spending time in nature, studying languages, and playing board games and video games with family and friends.

Lauren Ingersoll

Projects Assistant & Black River Area Community Coalition Projects Coordinator

Lauren grew up in Ridgefield, CT and has been a resident of Vermont for 11 years. She brings to The Collaborative her project management skills, her digital marketing expertise, and her passion for community development. Lauren graduated from UVM in 2015 with a degree in Community Entrepreneurship and has since been living in Andover, VT. She’s worked throughout the Southern Vermont region developing websites for small businesses, building relationships with towns, planning local events, and implementing community projects. Following her position as a Panel Coordinator for the Springfield Restorative Justice Center, Lauren joins The Collaborative’s team in 2022 to continue promoting substance use prevention and supporting healthier communities in the local area.