Board of Trustees

Heather Brown

Heather Brown is the Director of Development at the Weston Playhouse Theatre Company in Weston, VT where she is responsible for everything from annual appeals and fundraising events to major gifts and capital efforts. She joined the WPTC in 2004 when she moved to Vermont from Albany, NY where she spent five years as the Donor Services and Special Events Coordinator for the Albany Symphony Orchestra.  Prior to that Heather held positions with the Egg’s Center for the Performing Arts in Albany and the Troy Savings  Bank Music  Hall.  A native of New York, Heather received her undergraduate degree from the State University of New York at Oneonta. Heather lives in Wallingford,  VT with her husband Christian and their three young children, all who happily attend NDS.  Heather also serves on the board of the Association of Fundraising Professionals-Northern New England Chapter and enjoys cooking, traveling and spending time with family and friends.

 

Donna Cauley
Donna and her family have been residents of the Manchester community for nineteen years.  She has an extensive background as a special educator with a focus on deaf education for twenty-five years.  Currently she serves as the Assistant Principal at Bennington Elementary School and is a member of the 2010 Vermont School Leadership Institute, a program created by The Snelling Center for Government.  She fills her spare time supporting the interests and passions of her husband Bob, son Rob, 2009 graduate of Stonehill College and her daughter Lauren, violin performance major at Eastman School of Music.  She also enjoys downhill skiing, gardening, and reading.

 

Merrick Counsell

Merrick has lived in the Manchester area since 1965. He is co-owner of the Briggs-Fowler Insurance Agency in Manchester and has worked there since 1980. He is a graduate of Elon University in North Carolina. His hobbies include snow skiing, kayaking, volleyball and travel. He has two children, a son Travis attending Elon University and a daughter Alexis, who is a recent graduate from Burr and Burton Academy.

 

John Graf

John Graf is a Northshire Day School parent.  He resides in Pawlet with his wife Sarah DeLong Graf and two children, Weston and Emma. He is currently in his 10th year of teaching social studies at Burr and Burton Academy where he also serves as the Junior Varsity Girls Lacrosse coach and Freshman Grade Level Coordinator.  Prior to coming to Burr and Burton Academy John taught 7th & 8th grade at Mill River Union Middle School for two years. John is a 2000 graduate of Elizabethtown  College were he earned B.S in Social Studies Education. He enjoys skiing, traveling, and the outdoors. Though not a native of Vermont, John cannot think of a better community in which to live, work and raise a family.

 

Mark Kaplan

Mark has been a resident of Manchester for 10 years with wife Andrea and two boys, Miles (6 ½) and Maxx (2 ½) both attending NDS. Mark currently is the Treasurer for the Northshire Hockey Association. Mark works for Sonnax Industries in Bellows Falls VT as the Director of Distribution Sales and as a Product Line Manager. Mark believes in being an active participant in the community. Mark enjoys spending time with his family and black lab Murray, running, and the outdoors.

 

Lizzy Lindenberg
A native Vermonter from the Northeast Kingdom, Lizzy has lived in the Manchester area since 2001.  She and her husband Dave have a young son, Zachary, who has been at Northshire Day School since he was six months old. Lizzy holds a masters degree in language education, and has been the French teacher at Maple Street School in Manchester for 10 years.  Prior to holding this position, she taught in New  York City and in South  Carolina. Lizzy’s hobbies include cross-country skiing, cooking, and enjoying time with her family. Lizzy is excited to join the board and looks forward to using her experiences as an elementary school teacher and as a parent in serving the NDS community.

 

Sharry A. Rutken

Sharry A. Rutken is serving as the organization’s Treasurer and has 35 years of experience in financial services.   As a Vice President and Senior Administrative Officer with Trust Company of Vermont, in Manchester Center, she primarily works with high net-worth individuals and families, and non-profit and charitable organizations.  Prior to joining Trust Company of Vermont, Sharry was a Vice President and Senior Wealth Advisor with TD Banknorth Wealth Management Group. Sharry serves on the Trust Committee of the Vermont Banker’s Association and she is a board member of  Second Chance Animal Center where, until recently, she served as treasurer. She is a former member of the Planned Giving Advisory Council for the College of St. Joseph. Sharry is also a former trustee of the Southwestern Vermont Health Care Corp. and has served with the Development Committee for Southern Vermont College. She earned her B.A. at Southern Vermont College. She is a graduate of the New England School of Retail Banking, ABA National Trust School, Cannon Trust Sales and Cannon Trust School. Sharry has earned the designation of Certified Trust and Financial Advisor (CTFA). Sharry resides in Manchester Center, Vermont, with her husband, Christopher and her black lab, Koko.  Her son, Colin, is an alumnus of Northshire Day School.

 

Susan Sargent

Board President, Susan Sargent is a nationally known artist and author, specializing in colorful designs for the home. Locally, Susan has been involved in several non-profits and was the founding president of Riley Rink/ Hunter Park from 1993-1999. She has been a board member of the Vermont Land Trust, original chair of the Mettowee Valley Project, and is currently on the board of the Nature Conservancy/Vermont Chapter as chair of the Communications Committee. She is the mother of two grown boys, who both spent time at the original Northshire Day school twenty years ago, and is married to the author and business guru, Tom Peters.

 

Nicholas-Strom-Olsen

Nicholas joined the Berkshire Bank's Asset Management and Trust Group in 2004. Prior to joining Berkshire Bank, Nicholas first worked for The AYCO Company, L.P. in Albany, NY as a Senior Financial Planner where he provided financial planning services for executives of Fortune 500 companies. He then joined the regional brokerage firm Advest, Inc. in Greenwich, CT as a Financial Planner where he provided financial planning consultation to financial advisers throughout New England. He is a graduate of Castleton College and earned his MBA from Clarkson University. Nicholas is recognized as an Accredited Asset Management Specialist (AAMS) by the College for Financial Planning, a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ Practitioner (CFP®) by the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, and an Accredited Investment Fiduciary® Practitioner (AIF®) by the Center for Fiduciary Studies. He is Series 7 and Series 66 Licensed and Health/Life Insurance and Variable Annuities Licensed. He is also certified in long term care (CLTC). Nicholas currently lives in Wallingford, VT with his wife Helen and they enjoy golfing, skiing and relaxing with family and friends.

Emily Treske

Emily Treske is a Northshire Day School parent, as well as the Organizational Development Manager at The Vermont Country Store.  She earned her bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Delaware and has been working as a human resources professional for over 10 years.  After living in both NYC and Philadelphia, she and her husband, Scott, happily relocated to Manchester 5 years ago for her position with The Vermont Country Store. 
Emily and Scott have a young son, Miles, who has been at our center since he was 3 months old. As a member of our Board, we hope to leverage Emily’s expertise in human resources, as well has her perspective as a NDS parent. 
Emily also serves as a member on the Bennington County Workforce Development Partnership Board of Directors and is an active member in the southern VT chapter of the Society of Human Resource Management.