Our Staff

Kristie Wilson, Director

Kristie Wilson has worked for Fairwinds since 2010. Currently, she is the Operations Director. For nearly 20 years, Kristie has worked in the mental health field on Nantucket. She has had many roles during her time at the agency, including providing direct client care, supervising our paraclinical staff, providing psychiatric case management, and managing the office administration team. In addition to her role at Fairwinds, Kristie is also sub-contracted by the Department of Children and Families to be the on-call assistant in emergencies and has served as a member of the Steering Committee on Nantucket’s Behavioral Health Task Force. She is also a certified suicide prevention trainer. A year-round Nantucket resident since graduating with a degree in psychology in 1992, Kristie is passionate about assisting the members of the community and works hard to fulfill our mission at Fairwinds. She loves living on this island with her husband, two teenage children (one of whom is attending the University of Hawaii), and two dogs rescued from the British Virgin Islands.

Barbara Ballou, Program Manager
Fluent in Spanish

Barbara Ballou, originally from Rhode Island moved to Massachusetts in 2006. Settled with her husband here on Nantucket in 2017. She has two dog, Lola and Pierce. She is also the mother of three adult children. She enjoys traveling with her husband. Barbara has an Associates Degree in Legal Assistant from the Community College of Rhode Island and has worked within the legal system for over 20 years, most recently was at the Nantucket District Court in the Clerk’s office and she is fluent in Spanish. She has changed gear into the Non-profit organization and enjoys serving the community.

David Hayes, LCSW, Licensed Clinician

David has been a year-round resident since 2014 and began working with the Island youth at the Boys and Girls Club as a volunteer. From there David became a therapeutic mentor at Fairwinds – Nantucket’s Counseling Center working with children and families. Within a year David had been accepted to the Smith College School for Social Work where he began to focus more directly on Family Systems Work with a strong emphasis on a Strength’s Based approach. Through the course of his Master’s Program David was able to complete a clinical placement at Fairwinds providing Outpatient and In Home Therapy. David graduated with a Master’s in Social Work in August of 2020 and works as Licensed Clinical Social Worker on Island. He spends as much time as he can with his wife Meagan and their daughter Charlie.

Gennifer Costanzo, Family Support Worker

Gennifer earned her BS degree from Auburn University . Her thirty- two year career on Nantucket has been in the nonprofit sector supporting the community in various capacities which have included Assistant Aquatic Director at Nantucket Community Pool, Program Director Adult Community Day Center , Autism Speaks Program Coordinator , Program Coordinator Alliance of Substance Abuse Prevention and currently focusing on affordable housing as the Director of Development & Communication with Habitat for Humanity and food insecurity with the Food , Fuel and Rental Assistance. Her pride and joy are her two sons, Dominic and Joseph and their dog Bruno. The natural beauty of Nantucket is what drew Gennifer to the island but it has been the caring and supportive community that has kept her here.

Fernanda Figueiredo, Family Support Worker
Fluent in Portuguese

Fernanda is a professional collaborator of humanity. She started her journey working and volunteering with non-profit organizations in the nineties. Her experience includes work as Project Analyst, Grand Writer and Consultant in NGOs in Brazil and abroad. For six years she was a member of the City Youth Council in the town where she lived with her family, before moving to Nantucket in 2021. She has two beautiful young adult daughters that she loves and is very proud. In 2011 she changed careers and started to study and dedicate herself to helping people in the areas of self-development and professional development. Master Coach and Behavioral Analyst, among others certifications, she is practitioner of non-violent communication in addition to other lines of communication that facilitate help people in their needs. Fernanda enjoy the NFRC team as a Family Support Worker in February 2023, she is also fluent in Portuguese, speaks English and Spanish proficiently.

Alison Upright, School Liaison and Family Partner

Originally from New York City, Alison recently moved on-island in order to contribute to the community through non-profit work. She has a diverse professional background which includes a 10 year career in corporate Marketing. While raising her two sons, driven by a passion for helping others, she returned to college, obtaining her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology. Additionally, she is educated and trained in substance abuse counseling. She has worked as a crisis hotline responder for victims of domestic abuse, a mentor to at-risk teenagers and as a residential aide in a substance abuse recovery facility. Alison has a life-long love of horses, taught English riding, and most recently worked at a therapeutic equine facility. Alison speaks some Spanish and has plans to study in order to become fluent. In her spare time she enjoys exploring the island with her dog, Sasha.