Executive Director
M.A. in counseling psychology, Gonzaga University
B.A. in secondary education, Eastern Washington Univ.
B.A. in history, Stetson Univ.
Year started with New Heights: 2004
Lively, with a go for it attitude, Tracey brings experiences in education, child and family psychology plus management skills to her new position directing New Heights. She says being able to accept others is important and she sees Teen Center as a way for young people to be themselves and feel accepted. Tracey credits her parents with teaching her to be compassionate, to strive for success and to always make the right choice, no matter how hard. She admires the fresh, open minds of adolescents but doesn't like the teasing. She enjoys a variety of music, especially if it has a groovy drumbeat. With her eye on the business side of New Heights, she says she wants to work for the day when we can always say "yes" to activities because there are no monetary concerns. Her favorite word: "yes"
ttucker@newheightsonline.org
Executive Director
M.A. in counseling psychology, Gonzaga University
B.A. in secondary education, Eastern Washington Univ.
B.A. in history, Stetson Univ.
Licensed Mental Health Therapist
Year started with New Heights: 2004
Tracey Tucker is currently the Executive Director of New Heights: Adventures for Teens. Aside from her extensive educational background, which includes an MA in Counseling Psychology and extensive experience in the fields of adolescent development, attachment theory and resiliency, Tucker is certified as a Licensed Community Mental Health Counselor (LCMHC) and worked as a child and family mental health therapist in both community mental health and private practice settings. Tucker has personally distinguished herself as a leader with a business acumen, as she is not only a graduate of the 2008 Leadership Seacoast Class, but was named one of New Hampshire's "Top Forty under 40 Professionals" in 2007. Her innovative leadership and management style has also directly affected the programmatic structure of New Heights with her implementation of the Mentor Program in 2005. Basing the program on solid, evidence-based principles, Tucker reached out to Dr. Vance of Seacoast Mental Health Center, who is recognized as a national leader in the field of resiliency research and youth development. The result of this collaboration was an assessment tool that has consequently enabled staff to track individual protective and risk factors within each participant. The purpose behind implementation of this Resiliency Assessment is to increase the resiliency of participants, which research has shown is a critical programmatic element of any effective out-of-school program.
ttucker@newheightsonline.org
Assistant Director
BS in Psychology from the University of New Hampshire
Masters in Education from Franklin Pierce University
Year started with New Heights: 2008
A native New Hampshire-ite, Meghan has ALWAYS worked with children. Before she cam to New Heights she was a nanny, a kindergarten teacher, a tutor and a SUB! Meghan started as a summer staff here at New Heights, good thing too, because she LOVES the beach! She liked New Heights so much she decided to stay for the school year program, and the staff and kids couldn’t be happier about that. Expect to see her hiking and biking or getting’ arty, but at home she likes to settle down with a good book, her two cats and the skater dude! She says “I think that all children can achieve at great levels, they just need to believe in themselves and have adults whom also believe, support, nurture, and respect them, that’s what I’m here for!”
mbasile@newheightsonline.org
Director, Development and Marketing
B.A., Linguistics – University of New Hampshire
Year started with New Heights: 2011
A native of New Hampshire, Janice moved to Portsmouth while attending University of New Hampshire in the 80's and loved it so much she never left (except for those couple of years in DC!). Janice has 25 years in non-profit arts, education and afterschool programming at the state and national level. Her experience includes coordinating arts and vocational programming in a therapeutic residential facility for teens and later coordinating summer job training programs for 1,400 NH youth ages 14 to 21. Janice was the Executive Director of VSA arts of NH bringing arts programs to people with disabilities for nearly 10 years before moving to Washington, D.C. to become the Director of Education and Affiliate Services for VSA arts. At VSA arts, she worked with executive staff and boards of 51 domestic state affiliates to strengthen the capacity of their organizations.
jhastings@newheightsonline.org
Adventure Program Coordinator
B.S. Outdoor Education from Houghton College
Year started with New Heights: 1995
As Adventure Coordinator, Sally heads up one of New Heights’ core programs. She brings to her job a rich background in the field, including instruction for the Wolfcreek Wilderness School and Outward Bound. Sally is certified as a Wilderness First Responder and can usually be found leading rock climbing, mountain biking, hiking, canoeing, surfing, and skiing trips, as well as an annual high school trip to National Parks in Utah, Texas, and New Mexico. These adventures all have an emphasis on leadership development, self-reliance, and environmental ethics. The adventure kids at New Heights sign up for these programs year after year and peer instruction has become a major component of each trip. Sally also is an advisor for Peer Leadership, a student run community service based group at Portsmouth High School. And, lastly, she facilitates a weekly intergenerational activity based program for senior adults and middle schoolers that is 11 years strong.
Sally’s foundation is her family who have been her cheerleaders her entire life. They’ve always been her strongest supporters and taught her to always have fun and make sure everyone around her is too!
sgregory@newheightsonline.org
Arts & Culture Coordinator
B.F.A. Syracuse University
M.F.A. Interdisciplinary Art Goddard College
Year started with New Heights: 2001
Becca brings a special mix to New Heights, her training and interests in the arts, the natural world and physical expressions like yoga, stilt walking, and kick boxing keep her programs for teens full of eager participants.
Prior to joining the New Heights team becca pursued her own artistic work and has taught fine art courses to elementary age children and adults throughout the country.
Her current work at New Heights includes: the creation of a teen stilt walking group (Walkin’ Tall Stilting Co.) which performs throughout the year at various youth shows, co-facilitation of an environmental education program called Young Naturalists, developing and running various visual and multi-media art projects including "animation station" a claymation production workshop, as well as many field trips into Boston, MA and Portland, ME to expose participants to the rich cultural world of Northern New England.
She believes that young adults are resilient and creative by nature, and will adapt positively to many of life’s difficulties with proper adult guidance. By involving youth in the creative process and allowing them to celebrate the successes as well as struggle with the failures involved in any endeavor, she believes we will grow confident, capable, active citizens.
bpawling@newheightsonline.org
Program Staff, Database Coordinator and Webmaster
Currently attending college to become a teacher
Program Facilitator of The Sages of RPG
Involved in as much as he can handle, Wayne is a busy guy. He started the Sages of RPG (Roleplaying Games) at New Heights as a high school volunteer. A program that uses all kinds of non-electronic games to help participants learn important life skills such as how to work together, take turns and listen well. Then when it was time for him to find a job New Heights saw his potential and hired him on the spot. With the help of other staff, he also creates the plots for our ever-popular live action Agent X Games. These games include sound effects, lighting effects, and a complex plot full of interesting characters and have been a sold out event since their start!
Other programs he is involved in include New Media, our digital film making group; Mission Impossible, a Team building improv adventure; The Halloween Float; the New Heights Newspaper, and more!
Games Day is also something that he prides himself in doing. This day long public gaming event is held twice a year. He can be found doing just about anything, along with maintaining our website, and always hops in to help out whenever he can.
wmoulton@newheightsonline.org
Sports Program Coordinator
BS Forestry from Purdue University
Year started with New Heights: 2008
Matt Saucerman comes to the Seacoast from the urban-scapes of Chicago and New York. Good thing for us he has decided his all time favorite thing to do is hike the the White Mountains with his Australian Cattle Dog, Cooper. Matt has a background in Forestry/Natural Resources/Environmental Science which compliments the New Heights culture perfectly. His goal for this year is to “get participants to step out of their comfort zones and try new things.” You will see him heading up the sports programs for New Heights, but in his free time he like to do crossword puzzles, and watch the Cubs lose.
msaucerman@newheightsonline.org
Executive Assistant
Accounting, BS, Southern New Hampshire University, 2008
Year started with New Heights: 2008
A former participant as well as a junior staff member at New Heights, Mallory returns to the program as an Administrative Assistant. Charged with managing the registration process for New Heights’ many programs and helping maintain its database, Mallory serves an important role in making sure many of the behind the scenes “office stuff” gets done. Outgoing and known as the occasional prankster, Mallory is an avid outdoor enthusiast and is excited to incorporate her skills in accounting with her love for working with people.
msweeney@newheightsonline.org
B.A. Environmental Studies & Outdoor Education from Prescott College
Year started with New Heights: 2009
As Sally's right hand woman, Liz offers an extensive facilitation background in outdoor settings. Whitewater rafting in New Mexico, teen trips in Costa Rica, and in her home state of Maine, Liz helped participants build their own sea kayaks, and then lead the group on a two-week expedition down the coast, from Bar Harbor to Wiscasset. She loves working with teens, she says, because they always challenge your perception of who you are.
When she is not working with New Heights youth, Liz enjoys a bit of adventure herself. Specifically she likes to rock climb, surf, kayak, and travel. Though a large portion of her life has been nomadic, we are delighted that she has settled in the seacoast area. Settling down has afforded her the ability to reconnect with another passion which is playing the piano, she enjoys playing the piano for, and spending time with, her husband and stepdaughter.
lweld@newheightsonline.org
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