Board of Trustees
The Village School of North Bennington, Inc. is under the authority and governed by the Board of Trustees. Village School Trustees work together with other Board members and constituents to establish strategic goals and objectives, policies related to programs and services, and oversee the school’s governance and finances.
Click here to view or download the Village School By-Laws as a PDF document.
Judie Brower
- Joined the Board of Trustees in 2015
- Resident of Shaftsbury, VT
- Director of U.S. Marketing, Anthony Tesselaar Plants
- Former Director of Admissions, University of New England
- Village School Board of Trustees Assistant Chair and Development Committee Chair
Steve Ellis
- Joined the Board of Trustees in 2019
- Resident of Shaftsbury District 1
- Software Engineer
- Also serves on the boards of the Sage City Symphony and the Bennington Early Childhood Center and is involved in the annual Sophomore Career Summit.
- He and his wife have two children in the Village School
Jennifer Fels
- Joined the Board of Trustees in 2019
- Resident of North Bennington
- Recently retired as Director for the Bennington Blueprint for Health and as the Chairperson of the Bennington Accountable Community for Health
- Member of John G. McCullough Library Board of Trustees
- Village School Board of Trustees Development Committee
Sue Maguire, Chair
- Joined the Board of Trustees in 2016
- Resident of North Bennington, VT
- Retired Mt. Anthony Union High School and Molly Stark Elementary School Principal
- Currently teaches Educational Leadership graduate courses
- Village School Board of Trustees Chair
Dr Becky Manning
- Joined the Board of Trustees in 2020
- Resident of North Bennington
- Veternarian; worked in multiple components in the health care sector (both human and animal); clinical practice, research and education.
- Four Winds Nature Program volunteer at VSNB
- Village School Board of Trustees Governance Committee
Brian McKenna
- Joined the Board of Trustees in 2011
- Resident of North Bennington, VT
- Certified Financial Planner, D. B. McKenna & Company, Inc.
- Past Member, ISIS School Transitions Committee
- Parent of four Village School students
- Village School Board of Trustees Finance Committee Chair and Treasurer
Erin McKenny
- Joined the Board of Trustees in 2017
- Resident of North Bennington, VT
- Bennington College Design and Planning Coordinator; Director of the Robert Frost House museum
- Trustee of the Village of North Bennington
- Parent of two current Village School students and one graduate
- Village School Board of Trustees Development Committee
Jennifer Richmond
- Joined the Board of Trustees in 2020
- Resident of North Bennington/Shaftsbury District 1
- Real Estate Paralegal at Woolmington, Campbell, Bent & Stasny, P.C.
- Treasurer of Mt. Anthony Preservation Society; McCullough Library Volunteer
- Parent of two graduates of North Bennington Graded School
- Village School Board of Trustees Development Committee
Matthew Surdam
- Joined the Board of Trustees in 2022
- Resident of North Bennington/Shaftsbury District 1
- Graduate of North Bennington Graded School
- Business Owner, Madrus Masonry
Dr. Mary True
- Joined the Board of Trustees in 2021
- Professor Emerita of Psychology, Saint Mary’s College (California)
- Ph.D in Developmental psychology from University of California, Berkeley
- Taught courses in infant, preschool, and lifespan development as well as internship courses in early childhood and social service programs.
- Moved to Bennington County in 2019 after vacationing here for 30 years with her husband and now-grown children
- Village School Board of Trustees Governance Committee
Testimonials
Mission
Children are at the heart of all we do. We nurture a child's curiosity, ignite enthusiasm for exploring, develop tools for inquiry, for invention, for achievement. We welcome families into a community-wide collaboration to help our children grow into their best selves - responsible citizens and stewards of the greater world, makers of the future.
