Staff and Advisory Board
Our Team
Elisha Underwood
Director (She/Her)
Elisha started her career as an intern for Monadnock Voices for Prevention which supports and promotes healthy lifestyle choices with an emphasis on the prevention of alcohol, tobacco, and other substance use by young people. Elisha’s focus was on young athletes and exploring what healthy role modeling looks like, along with holding each other accountable for the benefit of the team. As Program Manager for RiseVT Windham County, Elisha was responsible for supporting the communities of Townshend, Newfane, Brookline, Guilford, Vernon and Brattleboro. Elisha’s main focus was to build and promote programs and policies around nutrition, physical activity, stress management and social connections that help enhance youth voices and show how much youth mean to our communities. She also managed a small Amplify grant program for these communities to help enhance and expand the wonderful work already in place or in progress.
Before joining the team, Elisha has been with West River Valley Thrives as a community partner from 2018-2021. This partnership gives her the insight and experience to effectively promote the mission and work of Thrives to the community, community partners, parents and students. As a community partner, Elisha designed and organized social media and text messaging campaigns for various projects, acquired many local community partnerships in Windham County and gained a deep understanding of local resources. In February 2022 Elisha joined the Thrives team as the Communications Specialist. In this role she leveraged her communication, design and people skills to work with community partners while advancing our efforts to reduce youth substance use. She transitioned to the Director’s role in July 2023 and continues this great work while sustaining the coalition through grant writing, reaching new community partners and providing community policy support.
In her spare time, Elisha loves exploring Windham County’s trails and mountainous landscape. She volunteers as the Chair of Brattleboro Housing Partnership and a member of the Windham County Community Advisory Board for Blue Cross Blue Shield. She also enjoys spending time with her mother Elizabeth, husband Dan and dog Mickey playing board games, gardening and going for walks.
Megan Paraspolo
Programs Coordinator (She/Her)
Megan joined the Thrives team in July of 2023 as the Programs Coordinator and School and Community Liaison, working directly with students and staff in Leland and Gray Middle/High School. Since joining the Thrives team, Megan has taken several trainings, including one that allowed her to become a Tobacco Treatment Specialist so that she may provide cessation programming to youth in the valley. Previously, Megan was the Social Emotional Learning Facilitator for The West River Education District and taught Social Emotional Learning classes at NewBrook Elementary, Townshend Elementary, and Jamaica Village School.
Megan is originally from northern New Hampshire. She moved to Newfane in June of 2021, with her husband, who grew up here, and their two children. While residing in New Hampshire, Megan spent over 15 years working in the HealthCare Industry, specially in Brain Injury Rehabilitation as a Case Manager, Quality Improvement Manager, and Project Manager. Megan also spent a few years working in non-profit healthcare, as the Office Manager and Human Resources Manager of a Community Health Center in her hometown.
Megan spends a lot of her time serving her community when she is not working for Thrives. Megan is a member of NewBrook Fire and Rescue as a volunteer firefighter. She also serves as the fire department’s Historian, Co-Chair of their Planning Committee, and she manages acknowledgements of donations to the station. When she is not working, Megan loves to spend time with her family and exploring the woods so that she can take pictures for her photography page. In addition to her children, Megan also has two dogs, two cats, and one chicken!
Sara Webb
Parent Engagement Specialist (She/Her)
Sara joined the Thrives team at the end of 2022, bringing with her 10+ years of experience in the nonprofit sector as a program coordinator in various capacities. Her nonprofit work has included project management, community outreach, marketing, volunteer recruitment & management, and grant compliance. Since moving to the West River Valley 9 years ago, Sara has stayed active in the community in multiple volunteer roles. She served on two local school boards and now holds an at-large seat on the West River Education District Board. She also enjoys being a part of the Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) and Farm to School (FTS) committee at NewBrook Elementary School, as well as the District Equity Team at Leland & Gray Middle/High School.
Sara was drawn to work with Thrives to support and strengthen the West River community that she loves. Her role as the Parent and Caring Adult Engagement Specialist helps Thrives to expand its outreach to elementary school families. She believes strongly in fostering relationships among students, families, and community members to build a healthy, thriving community.
Sara is a certified Massage Therapist and Reiki Practitioner. She loves gardening, hiking, reading good books, movies, and playing games with her kids. Sara lives in Brookline with her husband, two kids, one dog, two cats, and four fish.
Katelyn Sherman
Communications Specialist and Outreach Support (She/Her)
Katelyn Sherman received her Masters Degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and Drug and Alcohol Counseling in 2017, but her commitment to this area of work did not begin there. Katelyn has worked in the mental health and prevention field for 10+ years, both in volunteer and professional work.
Katelyn began working for Thrives in 2024 as the Communications Specialist. Katelyn is dedicated to educating and empowering youth and community members as a whole to raise awareness of the dangers of underage drinking and drug use. As a parent of young children, Katelyn is passionate about keeping communities safe. As a result of Katelyn’s experience and education in prevention, harm reduction, and mental health, she has gained advanced skills in communication styles, effective messaging techniques and youth prevention education.
Katelyn enjoys spending time outdoors hiking, camping, playing sports, and enjoying the sunshine with her family when she is not working. She lives in Townshend, VT, with her husband and four children.
Advisory Board
Mark Anderson
Captain and Chief Deputy
Windham County Sheriff’s Office, Brattleboro VT
Crystal Mansfield, OTR
Senior Director of Rehabilitation Services and Wellness Programs
Grace Cottage Hospital, Townshend, VT
Rory O’Donnell
Social Studies Teacher
Leland & Gray Union Middle and High School, Townshend VT
Robin Rieske, MA
Certified Prevention Consultant
Consulting Works! LLC, Brattleboro, VT
Quentin Reynolds
Prevention Consultant
Vermont Department of Health, Brattleboro VT