Board of Directors
EXECUTIVE BOARD
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Stina Sayre
Vice-President
Stina Sayre retired in 2023 from her fashion design business of 34 years called Stina Sayre Design on Main Street, Vineyard Haven.
She came to the Vineyard from Sweden in the 1980s…after meeting her husband, Nevin Sayre, on the Professional Windsurfing World Tour. Her interest in women’s rights began as a young teenager in Sweden, hearing her mother’s group advocating for women’s rights. They were successful to bring birth control access and sex education to our schools. It was all about the responsibility and respect of each other and how to navigate social expectations of peers and society. It was about humanity.
In Sweden, reproductive health care and abortion access is available in all hospitals, and is seen as a normal part of health care.
I am proud to be part of MV Swell, the organization on our Island that advocates for this fundamental human health right, and I encourage you to join our cause. -
Roger Maxfield
Treasurer
Roger has been on the board since September 2012. I was invited to this board by an exiting board member, and, as I had been looking to give…
some time to the community I accepted. I missed the December 2012 board meeting to find out I was voted in as the Treasurer. I have become very passionate about our board and what we do and have accomplished. I started coming to the Vineyard seasonally in 1980, from March until December. I left the island in the spring of 1987 and returned in the spring of 1989 year-round. This is the only board I have been on, and I enjoy working with my fellow board members and working on our event fundraisers
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Francis Murdock Pitts
Secretary
Frank and his wife, Debbie, have been long-time supporters of Upper Hudson Planned Parenthood in New York’s Capital Region, and….
he is happy to be able to help a sister organization in his new community on the island. He is an architect with an active national practice, a meditator, a volunteer with Vineyard Village at Home, a cook, a kayaker, and a long-serving board member with organizations like the YWCA, Girls Inc, the Millay Colony for the Arts, and the American Institute of Architects.
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Susan Bellincampi
At Large
Suzan has spent 26 years on Martha’s Vineyard and almost as long on the Board of MV Swell. Her work is sharing nature
through teaching, writing, and speaking, and she serves as Islands Sanctuary Director for Mass Audubon. Suzan is a columnist for the Vineyard Gazette and author of two books on Island nature. A self-proclaimed feminist, Suzan stays on the Board because she wants to work to protect abortion access, support human rights, forward gender equality, and allow people to be free to be who they want to be and to love who they want to love.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
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Fallon Aiello
Born on Martha’s Vineyard and raised both on island and in New York, Fallon found herself back on the Vineyard in 2010 to…
give birth and raise her 2 children. With a B.S. in Health Education from the University of New Mexico, Fallon continues the important work of educating others through reproductive and inclusive health education at the school level and by supporting families as a doula, prenatal/postpartum yoga instructor, and childbirth educator.
She is one of the founding members of the Vineyard Birth Collective and is proud to join the MV Swell Board to contribute to the ongoing and vital reproductive justice work happening within our island community and beyond. -
Kristina Almquist
Kristina has always believed that all people deserve safe non-judgmental access to healthcare and information about…
their own sexual health. She and her family first started coming to Vineyard in 1994 and have made it their permanent home since 2011. Kristina is a Board Member and a volunteer working to improve our online presence to bring more people to our organization both as volunteers and to access service. Kristina is a graphic designer and has worked with clients across the country. She has also served as a volunteer for organizations in her previous home of Troy New York including, The Troy Savings Bank Music Hall, The Troy Public Library, and the Arts Center of the Capital Region.
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Janet Aram
For more than 30 years Janet and her family were seasonal visitors to Martha’s Vineyard until 2021 when she and her husband purchased…
a home in Oak Bluffs. Upon arrival on the island, Janet joined several community groups including the League of Women Voters, the Martha’s Vineyard Garden Club, a weekly meditation group and now, 2023, the MV Swell.
Janet, an attorney, practiced in both private and public sectors, concentrating in Family, Education and Health law and served as confidential law clerk to a Family and Supreme Court Judge. As a board member of MV Swell, Janet looks to advocate for and promote access to sexual and reproductive education and services on Martha’s Vineyard. -
Donna DiFillippo
non-judgmental access to healthcare and information about…
their own sexual health. her career, she has focused on driving community-led initiatives across Vermont, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts, with a particular emphasis on educating parents and caregivers about early literacy and the critical importance of the birth-to-five development window. After many years of visiting Martha’s Vineyard with her family, Donna moved to the island full-time 2019. Embracing her deep connection to the community, she quickly channeled her professional expertise into local advocacy. Donna began her nonprofit work on the Vineyard by serving on the board of Misty Meadows Equine Learning Center, where she successfully secured grants to sustain and expand their impactful programming. In 2025 she joined the roster of the MV Mediation Center as a novice mediator, joining a team that is committed to providing low-cost mediation and conflict resolution services to the community. In 2025, Donna participated in her first collaborative event with MV Swell and was impressed by the Board‘s active involvement in the organizations’ programs and events. Inspired by the organization’s diverse initiatives and deep commitment to the island, she is proud to support work that directly strengthens her home community.
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Heather Dyas-Fried
Heather moved to Martha’s Vineyard in 2017 with her husband, Sean, and their two children. Raised by activists, Heather began working at a domestic violence shelter and rape crisis center in the 1990s while earning her BA in Theatre.
She went on to co-found Equalogy, Inc., a theatre company focused on social change. Based in New York City, Equalogy toured colleges in 15 states, performing original plays about intimate partner violence and acquaintance rape. Heather served as artistic coordinator, actor, and casting director for over 20 years.
In 2006, Heather completed her yoga teacher training at Kripalu. Building on her interest in women’s health and the transitions that shape their lives, she specialized in Prenatal Yoga and Mom/Baby Yoga, in addition to becoming a postpartum and birth doula, on Martha’s Vineyard, Heather and Sean co-founded TBD Improv Company, which performs shows and teaches classes year-round. Through improv, Heather has discovered another way to create space for people to express themselves, build confidence, and connect with others.
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Marion Hammond
Marion has always been a passionate advocate for affordable healthcare and a woman’s right to make choices for herself.
As a past director for 15 years she brings a historical perspective and administrative knowledge to the Board. Marion has deep roots in the island community, having lived and raised her family here since 1975. Recently retired, she enjoys caring for family, dogs, cats, and chickens, learning about nature and the environment; and is an avid reader. Her deep appreciation for the natural world is reflected in her commitment to sustainability and her efforts to promote eco-friendly practices both in her personal life and in the broader community. She is excited to rejoin the Board to put her energy towards supporting this very worthwhile mission.
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Vandana Sampson
Vandana sees health the way a naturalist sees a landscape: as an ecosystem, where every person’s well-being is tied to the people, places, and systems around them.
She first came to the Vineyard as a preschool teacher at Felix Neck, guiding young explorers through marshes and meadows, and learned that curiosity and care grow best in spaces where everyone feels they belong. That belief has guided her work in healthcare. Vandana holds a BS in Public Health from UMass Amherst, where her honors research focused on women’s health and gender-based health disparities. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she led a hospital outreach team coordinating testing across more than 120 skilled nursing and assisted living facilities, and she later worked on hospital initiatives to reduce health disparities in aging populations. She saw firsthand how quickly gaps in care can leave people behind, and how much strong connections matter. On the island, Vandana has lifeguarded at the Y, coached the Makos swim team, and now teaches yoga and Pilates, work that has shaped her conviction that feeling safe in one’s own body is something every person deserves. Guided by a commitment to social justice and civic engagement, Vandana believes lasting change happens when neighbors show up for one another, in classrooms, clinics, and community meetings alike. She joined MV Swell to help build an island where everyone has health information they can understand, care that meets them where they are, and the freedom to make thoughtful decisions about their own bodies without shame or stigma.
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JessAnna Watts
As a registered nurse and mother newly rooted on Martha’s Vineyard, I was drawn to MV Swell because its mission reflects the values that guide both my personal life and my professional practice.
I believe deeply in reproductive justice, inclusive care, and the fundamental right of every person to make decisions about their own body; regardless of identity, religion, or race.
Joining the MV Swell Board allows me to contribute to an organization that is actively building the kind of community I want my family to grow in: one where autonomy is respected, diversity is celebrated, and access to comprehensive sexual and reproductive health is a shared priority. I am honored to work alongside dedicated advocates who bring compassion, expertise, and unwavering commitment to this work.
I am proud to support MV Swell’s mission and excited to help strengthen reproductive rights, expand inclusive education, and ensure that every person on this Island feels seen, supported, and empowered. -
Elizabeth Barnes
Emeritus Board Member
Born and raised on the Vineyard, Elizabeth then lived in Philadelphia before moving back home to be near family and raise her son.
When she isn’t navigating motherhood and island living, she is the President of The Women’s Centers, an affiliated group of independent abortion clinics in GA, PA, NJ and CT. She is a recipient of the Abortion Conversation Project’s Vision Award and a national expert in outpatient abortion provision and access. She recently founded the nonprofit Abortion Access for All, created to support abortion availability on the island and wherever it is needed. Elizabeth’s mother was an early board member of MV Swell, and she is grateful for the opportunity to continue the work.