Staff
Lisa Lewis, Director
The Bridge has one part-time staff member, Lisa Lewis, who reports to both The Bridge’s Board of Directors and the Superintendent of the Melrose Public Schools. The Bridge Director works with administrators, faculty, staff, and volunteers district wide and community members throughout the city.
Lisa has two kids who have gone through the Melrose Public School system, and, before joining The Bridge in July 2019, she was an active Bridge volunteer. She’s been a room representative at both the Franklin and Roosevelt, volunteered in the library, served on the MVMMS PTO, and more.
Lisa is still an active volunteer — she serves on the board of directors for the Melrose Education Foundation and as the community representative on the Roosevelt site council.
Lisa’s favorite parts of working with The Bridge are helping connect students and educators with the broader Melrose community, and helping create new events and opportunities for MPS students.
Board of Directors
Lisa Payne, President
My husband, Alex, and I settled in Melrose almost 20 years ago. We fell in love with the walkable community, close proximity to Boston, and friendly neighbors. We are a Horace Mann family and have three kids – grades 2, 3, and 7.
Why do you support The Bridge?
Ever since my kids were little, I have been amazed by how much volunteers impact our schools. Whether it’s supporting elementary libraries, fundraising for field trips, or serving as a mentor for a capstone project, volunteers give countless hours to enrich the experiences of our children. Our teachers do an amazing job every day, but these “special” activities are what our kids often remember most and our community volunteers help to make that happen!
Favorite thing about The Bridge and/or Melrose
My favorite thing about Melrose is how interconnected we are as a community. It seems like whenever I meet someone new, I find that we either have mutual friends or share a common activity/interest. Volunteering in our schools is one of the most frequent commonalities and I am thankful to The Bridge for connecting us.
Jaime McAllister-Grande, Vice President
I am the daughter and granddaughter of teachers, and the mother of 3 daughters in all 3 levels of MPS. I’m a former member of the Melrose School Committee, and I have worked in education roles in schools, universities, theaters, and libraries for the past 25 years. I care deeply about schools being a place where we can feel safe, respected, and included.
Why do you support The Bridge?
There are very few cities or towns that have an established organization dedicated to making connections between the schools and the community. Melrose has this infrastructure, and it is strongly rooted and respected. I feel honored to support the ongoing growth of this organization.
Favorite thing about The Bridge and/or Melrose
Community Reading Day is one of my favorite days of the year. It brings together several things I love: children’s books, reading, our school communities, and the dedicated community of people who care about the success of our schools. It feels like a holiday to me every year!
Barbara Travers, Treasurer
My family and I moved to Melrose in 2021, and we love being involved in the community. I’m a parent to twin fourth graders at Winthrop Elementary, where I served as the Winthrop PTO Treasurer from 2021 – 2024. My husband coaches soccer and we all enjoy going to the Melrose Drama shows, the MSO, Melrose Nutcracker and taking advantage of all our community has to offer.
Why do you support The Bridge?
Our schools thrive because of the work of our teachers and administrators, but also because of the endless hours of volunteer time given by parents, caregivers, and community members. Without volunteers our students would lose access to library time, our staff would have limited options for breaks, clubs and shows wouldn’t be run and produced and our kids would lose valuable opportunities to learn, grow and engage in the community. The Bridge is the connection between the community and schools and allows for these programs to thrive.
Favorite thing about The Bridge and/or Melrose
The Bridge is everywhere! Lisa Lewis and the members of the Bridge board can be found at school events, chamber of commerce events, community events, the farmer’s market… the list goes on and on. I love the Bridge as an organization because it is engaged, and the people involved are ready and willing to put the work into making sure our kids get what they need.
Sheri Leo, Secretary
coming soon
Sarah Guedez, Board Member
I have lived in Melrose for 13 years and owned a business (HINGE Fitness) in Melrose for 5. I have 3 children – 2 in elementary and 1 at the ECC.
Why do you support The Bridge?
Community is everything. I am grateful for an opportunity to help connect our community to our schools. Education is so important as it is how we all grow. Being on the board of the bridge feels like a place where I can provide some impact and both parties (schools and community) benefit.
Favorite thing about The Bridge and/or Melrose
My favorite thing about the Bridge is being part of Community Reading Day. Not only do I get to see how excited the kids are for a special visitor but also all the volunteers who show up to provide that special time for the kids.
Garrett Nelson, Board Member
I was born in Melrose and lived here as a young child in the late 1980s, and then moved back in 2020 with my family. My wife Lihlani and I have a son at the Franklin School, and a daughter at Horace Mann Elementary. In my professional life, I am the President & Head Curator at the Leventhal Map & Education Center at the Boston Public Library and a faculty affiliate at Northeastern University (if you need a map of Melrose for your wall or your project, I have suggestions!).
Why do you support The Bridge?
The public schools that I attended growing up were one of the most important influences on who I am today. I have always felt that education is one of the major elements that binds a society together—across ages, interests, and identities. Supporting our students and teachers, and ensuring that everyone feels like they have a role to play in the school system is a huge priority for me.
Favorite thing about The Bridge and/or Melrose
I love that the Bridge offers so many opportunities at different scales for Melrose residents to get involved with the schools. Melrose itself has endless great features, but one of my personal favorites is the fact that I can get to so many different places without using a car: beautiful neighborhoods, shops, schools, restaurants, the T, the Fells, and so on.
The Bridge 