Meet the Board

Dr. Stephen Genereaux is a family medicine doctor in Wells River, Vermont and is affiliated with Cottage Hospital. He received his medical degree from Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth and has been in practice for more than 20 years.

Minty Conant is a business finance and management consultant who holds a degree in accounting from Lyndon State College and an MBA from Plymouth State University.

Debbie Dolgin holds a B.S in Home Economics Education from SUNY at Plattsburgh, NY, as well as a Masters of Arts in Education from the University of Vermont. Before retirement, she taught Home Economics at Lyndon Town School. Together with her husband Steve, she is co-owner of Dolgin Realty, LLC in St. Johnsbury. They actively supports area young people through their Waterski Camp on Harvey’s Lake, their work with Young Eagles Aviation, and other charitable efforts, and live in St. Johnsbury, Vermont.

Kristen Huntington graduated with a BA in Art History from St. Lawrence University and worked in publishing in NYC at Random House, Inc. in NYC. In 2004 she received her Master’s Degree in Arts in Education from St. Michael’s College and is now the K-12 art and drama teacher in Concord, Vermont. She lives with her husband Tom and their three children in St. Johnsbury, Vermont.

An ardent supporter of the arts, Paula Scavullo Kitchel holds an M. Ed in Education from the University of Vermont and worked as a special educator and school administrator prior to her retirement. She lives in St. Johnsbury, Vermont.

I am Director for the Vermont Department of Corrections and have enjoyed 26 years with the state. I was raised in Vermont, and attended high school in CT, and College in Toronto Ontario, where I resided for an additional five years in my twenties,  and worked for the Ontario Ministry of Corrections doing Pre- trial supervision. I returned to Vermont in the early 90s and re-located in the Burlington area and was hired by the VT DOC as a Probation Officer. Since then I have relocated to Stowe Vermont where I have spent over twenty years until I sold my home and moved to Waterbury. The majority of my career has been focused on staff development – training – and security awareness regarding the (Prison Rape Elimination ACT (PREA), including ten years of planning and implementing audit process for sexual safety in prisons. This work naturally layered itself in all areas of vulnerable populations and abuse of power. I am a past president and active member the of the New Council on Crime and Delinquency (NECCD), active and involved member or the National Association for Women Executives in Corrections (AWEC), and the American Corrections Association- (ACA). I am also the Vice Chair of the Vermont Criminal Justice Training Council (VCJTC) the overseeing council for law enforcement training and the Police Academy. Additionally, I consult for the National Institute of Corrections and maintain an annual commitment with Rikers Island, NYC Department of Corrections.

A graduate of Yale Divinity School, Jay Sprout is the retired pastor of St. Johnsbury’s North Congregational Church (now United Community Church). He has served in leadership roles for St. Johnsbury’s annual First Night North celebrations since they began 24 years ago and is currently president and artistic director of the event. He is on the steering committee of Northeast Kingdom Habitat for Humanity. He lives in Barnet, Vermont and sings with the North Country Chorus and the Pumpkin Hill Singers.

Loralee Tester.

Bill Tobin has taught mathematics for 24 years at both the middle and high school level.  For the previous 14 years he taught mathematics at the Cabot School in Cabot, Vermont. Bill is also a professional harpist (www.billtobinharp.com) who performs frequently, gives lessons, and has released five solo harp recordings. His latest recording is called Have in Hand and is inspired by the idea that whatever we do to make the world a better place begins with what we have in hand.  Bill is an avid Scottish Country Dancer and has taught the White Mountain Scottish Country Dancers in Lancaster, NH for the past 24 years.  He is also an avid gamer and in his free time plays Pathfinder and Chess.  Bill lives with his wife, Laura in St. Johnsbury, VT.

Janet Warner-Ashley is an actor, director, choreographer and mime performer who loves to teach acting, dance, public speaking and mime.  Her BFA is from the University of Rhode Island where she majored in Theatre Performance with unofficial minor concentrations in dance and oral interpretation.  She got her MA in Theatre from the University of Maine where she taught acting, dance and enjoyed directing and choreographing shows and collaborations with the music department.  Janet has been married for 40 years to Brad Ashley, former teacher and headmaster but current CEO of Kingdom Development Company and they have two sons, Eamon and Charlie of whom they are extremely proud.  Currently, Janet is teaching acting, public speaking and ballet at St. Johnsbury Academy where she was first drama director in 1980, then left to run her dance studio in St. J.  She and Brad moved to Maine for eight years and then to Wisconsin for 8 years but have been back in St. J. for the last 9 years in their same house.

Henry Sipples is a student at St. Johnsbury Academy

Professional musician and producer Bob Amos was lead singer and chief songwriter for FRONT RANGE, which toured nationally from 1988-2003 as one of the top Bluegrass bands in America. He holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in geology from the College of Wooster in Ohio and Arizona State University, respectively. He currently performs with the band Bob Amos & Catamount Crossing and now lives with his wife Anne in St. Johnsbury, Vermont.

Jane is on her second time living in the Kingdom and now is here to stay. She and her partner, John McClung, bought a home in Danville Jane is very clear that Catamount is one of the big reasons she has decided to stay in the area. The other big reason is the large Shambhala community here.

Jane grew up in San Diego, but left there at 17 and never looked back. She has lived in Texas, Virginia, Maryland, Washington, D.C., Colorado and the Northern Mariana Islands. She has her Bachelor’s Degree in nursing and worked for many years in neonatal intensive care units. She was also a nurse in the Air Force for 3 years.She received her law degree from George Washington University in 1987. Her legal career was primarily working in the criminal justice area.

She is currently the Executive Director of Karme Choling. Her buddhist practice includes working with the arts as part of everyday life from a contemplative point of view. She is very happy to be serving Catamount in this way.

Lorna Higgs is a Project Manager at Northeastern Vermont Development Association. NVDA provides leadership and technical assistance to communities, businesses and organizations in Caledonia, Essex and Orleans counties. Special projects under her direction have included a Business Plan Competition for new and existing small businesses in the NEK; four annual Energy Expos at LSC offering exhibits, renewable energy demonstrations, workshops and guest speakers; and regional assignments promoting job training, energy efficiency, economic development, and tourism.

Lorna was affiliated with the St. Johnsbury Athenaeum for over 35 years as a trustee, certified Librarian, Administrative Officer, and Co-Director. Under her leadership in 1999 the National Historic Landmark completed a $500,000 roof restoration project. Major fundraising followed and after securing a “Save America’s Treasures” grant she supervised the building’s $1.4 million-dollar interior restoration. The Athenaeum published the first comprehensive study of its celebrated art collection in 2006. She was responsible for raising funds for the award-winning project and directed the production from start to finish. She was instrumental in forming Friends of the Athenaeum and just prior to her retirement from the institution she oversaw the planning and startup of Secondhand Prose, an off-site bookshop on Main Street operated by volunteers. Profits from the sale of donated books continue to supplement the library’s annual operating budget.

Lorna was a founding member of the St. Johnsbury Works! Board of Directors. She chaired the Cultural and Historic Preservation Committee for St. Johnsbury’s 2001 Town Plan and St. Johnsbury’s Historic Main Street Partnership Study. She and her husband Layne have lived in St. Johnsbury for 45 years. They have two adult children and three grandchildren – and feel privileged to support the educational and cultural institutions that inspire the community they call Home.

Retired Field Director for the State of Vermont Agency of Human Services, Greg MacDonald lives in St. Johnsbury, Vermont with his wife Penny and their children, Ian and Molly.

Bio

Tim Tierney is the Executive Director of Kingdom Trail Association in East Burke, Vermont. He is also the current president of the Burke Area Chamber of Commerce and Chairperson of the Newark School Board. He recently just left a five year position as head coach of the Lyndon State Lacrosse Team. Tim has worked all over New England in the conservation/outdoor recreation field, including managing the north Half of the Long Trail for the Green Mountain Club. Before moving to the Northeast Kingdom in 2004 Tim was Director of Field Programs for the Adirondack Mountain Club in Lake Placid. Tim graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and worked in the Alaska and the Northwest before moving back East. He resides in Newark with his wife, Shellie and two daughters and is continually rehabilitating their old farmhouse.

Former Catamount Arts Board Chair Linda Wacholder retired from Lyndon State College as the Director of Career Services. In the past, she has served as St. Johnsbury School Director; member of the Northeast Kingdom Community Action Board and founding member of the St. Johnsbury After School Program. She and her husband Alan Boye live in Barnet, Vermont.