Evening by the Sea Gala

Lauren Zanetti

President, Board of Directors

Lauren lives in Rye, NH with her husband, Anthony, and children, Bruno and Josephine. She has been an oncology Physician Assistant for 8 years; first at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas, and most recently at New England Cancer Specialists in Portsmouth, NH. Her passion is caring for those with cancer and their families. She has seen first-hand the impact MyBCS has on the lives on patients and is proud to help contribute to their mission.

Jennie Halstead

Executive Director

Jennie’s journey with breast cancer began in 2010 when she was diagnosed with stage II breast cancer. In 2012, her passion for advocacy led her to join the MBCS Board of Directors, and by 2014, she stepped into the role of Executive Director. Since then, Jennie has been the heart and soul of the organization, skillfully managing fundraising activities, coordinating events, overseeing marketing and outreach, fostering relationships with partners, and ensuring the smooth operation of day-to-day activities. She also serves as a vital bridge between MBCS and the area cancer centers and hospitals they proudly collaborate with.

With a rich background in business management, Jennie brought her expertise and leadership from her nine-year tenure as co-owner and business Manager at Fiddlehead Farms Marketplace in Dover, New Hampshire, where she cultivated a deep understanding of organizational excellence and community connection. Jennie is the New Hampshire Team Leader for the National Breast Cancer Coalition, headquartered in Washington DC.

Christine Chrysafidis

Treasurer, Board of Directors

Christine, MyBCS Treasurer, attended the Evening By The Sea Gala event and joined the board shortly thereafter. She joined to represent, support and fight for her mom who was diagnosed with breast cancer this year and all the other amazing woman out there. She is currently a CPA at Leone, McDonnell & Roberts and enjoys shopping with her mom, going to the beach, and going on the boat with family and friends.

Amy Howard

Secretary, Board of Directors

Amy has been on the MyBCS board for several years and she actively supports all fundraising and MyBCS events. She studied Communication at UNH and is a Licensed Insurance Agent with Commonwealth Property & Casualty. Amy also is a Group Exercise Instructor at The Works.

Stephanie Retrosi

Board of Directors

Stephanie went to her first Evening by the Sea Gala in 2022 and then was diagnosed with Breast Cancer 3 months later. She joined the Board in March 2023. Stephanie is a full-time real estate agent and co-owns Atlantic Gymnastics with her husband Tony. In spare her spare time Stephanie loves to travel and hike. She has 2 grown children and lives in Dover NH with her husband and their third child- her dog Cooper.

Katharine Libby

Board of Directors

Katharine resides in York, ME, alongside her husband, Kevin, daughter, Vivienne, and their beloved dog, Charlie. Having courageously confronted Breast Cancer at the age of 32, she was inspired to deepen her involvement in supporting women and their families affected by this formidable disease. Following her move from Boston to Maine, she discovered MyBCS and was so moved by its mission that she recently became a board member. Katharine has spent the majority of her career leading high performing customer success and account management teams at rising technology start-ups.

Tina Saltmarsh

Development & Senior Project Manager

Tina’s first experience with MyBCS was as a participant in the Celebrate Pink 5K event in 2012 and then she joined the CP5K Planning Committee for several years before signing on as the Special Projects Administrator. Tina is responsible for supporting many of the back-end systems, streamlining workflows, helping with ongoing tasks, and managing all types of projects.

Tina is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) with experience managing multiple, concurrent technology projects for national clients. She leads teams of internal and contracted resources to successful project completion.

Shelley Violette

Program Administrator

Shelley was diagnosed with breast cancer in October of 2020. While recovering from a bilateral mastectomy and reconstruction, she happily joined the Celebrate Pink 5K Committee and then proudly joined My Breast Cancer Support as the Program Administrator in the summer of 2021. Shelley’s role is to support the mission of My Breast Cancer Support by providing patient and cancer center outreach, ensuring that the emotional and financial needs of local breast cancer patients are met.

Shelley is a teacher at Noble High School in North Berwick, Maine, where she teaches English to ninth graders. She lives in Kennebunk, Maine, where she enjoys the close proximity of the beaches and the coast of Maine with her daughter, Chloe.

Kathy Lijoi

Board of Directors

Kathy is a 24+ year breast cancer survivor and devotes so much love and enthusiasm to our mission of supporting local breast cancer patients. Kathy is a multi-talented executive with over 35 years of IT, telecommunications, and customer service experience. She is currently the Chief Operation Officer at CloudHesive.

Kathy loves spending time on the seacoast with her family and recently completed the Boston Marathon!

Pat Leyman

Board of Directors

Pat lives in Greenland with her husband Bob. Together they run Lancaster Communications Group, a cloud and network consulting firm. Pat was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2012 and was honored to join the MyBCS board as a way to give back. In her spare time, Pat enjoys traveling with her family, skiing, cycling, and hiking.

Shirley Jones

Board of Directors

Shirley attended multiple gala’s and fashion shows over the past 7 years and is thrilled to be on the board to support the important work MyBCS does in the community. She has lived in the seacoast for the past 40 years, raising her two adult children Kyle and Christina, and working in the HR services industry.  She loves to travel, ski, play golf, and pickleball in her spare time.

Donna Harvey

Board of Directors

Donna recently became involved with My Breast Cancer Support through the Community Outreach Committee at the Seacoast Board of Realtors.  She has supported and continues to support her friends who have had breast cancer.  She lives in Greenland with her husband Terry, dogs, Gracie Mae and Rudi and cat, Jack. 

Carolyn Pollet

Board of Directors

Carolyn started participating in the Celebrate Pink 5K races following her own breast cancer diagnosis in 2013, putting together a team each year that she proudly calls her tribe. She and her husband, Chris live in Stratham, NH and have been part of the Seacoast for over 30 years while raising their two adult children: Natalie and Ethan. Carolyn is a licensed attorney in both New Hampshire and Massachusetts, currently working at Cross Insurance as Assistant Corporate Counsel. 

Jane Pillemer

Board of Directors

Jane, a clinical psychologist, resides in Exeter, NH, with her husband, David. They both visit NYC and San Diego regularly to visit their daughters. After her successful breast cancer treatment in 2018, she has participated in the Celebrate Pink 5K race four times, grateful for MBCS’s support and for the opportunity to give back.

Rhonda Bernstein

Board of Directors

Rhonda attended numerous galas and a fashion show before her breast cancer diagnosis in 2022. Thanks to the encouragement from My Breast Cancer Support, she gained the confidence to walk their runway for the first time without her wig in 2023. As a seasoned fundraising and communications professional, Rhonda is deeply passionate about advancing the mission of nonprofits. She is excited to contribute her skills and experiences to give back to the breast cancer community.