Board

Biographies:

Toni Barr is an advocate and an organizer who describes Gertrude Stein as her inspiration.  She holds a Masters degree in Gerontology from NYU and has been a consistent advocate for aging community members through her work as President of the Board of Out and About, and as Program Director at several nursing homes and adult centers in New Jersey.
She and her husband Russ were inspired to move to Stowe twenty years ago as they began raising their then one-year-old daughter in New York City.  Hannah, now 20, is away at Rollins College, while Harrison (16) is a Junior at Stowe High School, and Rachael (13) attends Stowe Middle School.  Family heads the list of Toni’s passions followed by connecting people with community, helping organizations, and making a difference in people's lives.  She was a founder of the Jewish Community of Greater Stowe which has grown to be a critical organization in the community.
The arts and culture are staples in her life and Toni seeks out museums and art centers wherever she goes.  She is an avid tennis player at Topnotch, a snowboarder, a paddle-boarder, and a yoga student.  When school vacations beckon, she and her family make sailing excursions out of a berth in the Carribean.

Adam Blue: Adam Blue graduated from Dartmouth College, studied at the San Francisco Art Institute, and holds a M.F.A. from the California College of the Arts. He serves as the Education Director at AVA Gallery and Art Center, a nonprofit community art center in Lebanon, NH; is the Art Editor of The Whitefish Review, a nonprofit, literary and arts journal; and has his own personal and public art practices.

Elizabeth Brown: Elizabeth made the Stowe area her home 12 years ago after finishing her BS degree in Business Administration at the University of Vermont. She works for EverBank, where she has worked in the areas of marketing, business development ,and for the past 5 years, strategy. When not in the office, you can find Elizabeth “going up”, either skiing, biking or hiking. Serving on the HDAC Board allows Elizabeth to tap into her artistic roots, having spent most of her childhood and teen years dancing and teaching dance. She is particularly passionate about making the arts available to children.  She lives in Waterbury Center with her husband and son.

David Carter: David Carter joined Chittenden Bank in early 2005 as Relationship Manger with Wealth Management’s Private Banking division.  He is responsible for developing and retaining key relationships with professionals and their businesses, and works both in Chittenden County and Central Vermont. David is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati with a Bachelor of Arts and Masters of Arts in English, with a Master's Creative Writing Thesis.  He taught part-time as an Adjunct Instructor of English at UC for 13 years, and while pursuing additional graduate studies in American Literature and Critical Theory at Miami University (Ohio), he completed an individualized study in Art Theory. While a banker at US Bank, he became involved in Cincinnati's Contemporary Arts Center through being an interested member, a liaison for his bank's sponsorship, and participation in fundraising events.  Before leaving Cincinnati he began a mentoring program for underprivileged middle school students called Arts-On-Site that combined the support of adult mentors with on-line course work, a visit to a museum, as well as a classroom art class.  Happy to have returned to his New England and Vermont roots, David and his wife Cheryl live in South Burlington with their two boys and their bulldog.  He is a member of the Burlington Chamber Orchestra Board of Directors.

Robin Coggins: Robin Coggins, although born in Boston, Massachusetts, grew up as an expat living first in Hong Kong and then in Tokyo, developing a love for travel and experiencing new cultures in the process. She returned to the States to attend college and graduated from the University of New Hampshire with a Bachelors in Nursing. After moving to New York City, she embarked upon a career in marketing and business development at American International Group, Inc (AIG) where she held various positions over a 14 year span including Vice President, Marketing, Management and Professional Liability and most recently, Vice President, Business Development, Global Marine and Energy. In 2010, Robin and her family moved to Stowe to raise her two sons in a place of community and outdoor activity. In doing so, she switched careers to full time Mom but continues to use her skill set working with nonprofits. These days, in addition to her role as Mom, you may find her travelling to some far off destination with her family or taking advantage of her local terrain hiking/snowshoeing and snowboarding or in yoga or behind her camera fine-tuning her love of photography.

Remy Joseph has lived in numerous places around the world, Tokyo, London, Paris and all over the United States.  She and husband, David Zabel decided to leave Fairfield, CT and "live the dream" in Vermont.  This past May Waterbury Center became home. Remy has a Master's degree in Russian Studies from Columbia University, was a marketing representative at IBM and most recently was the Director of Marketing at a non profit school for the arts in Bridgeport, CT.  Remy and David have two sons both of whom live in Washington, DC.

Helen Lewis - Secretary: Helen was born in Washington, DC, grew up in Wilmington, Delaware Although her Bachelor’s Degree was in Nursing, Helen started attending law school part-time. Five years later, she graduated from Washington College of Law at American University. Helen then taught law part-time for ten years. Helen decided to try something different in retirement and she moved to Stowe. She and her husband volunteer at the Helen Day on a regular basis Bill previously served on the Helen Day Board of Directors, and Helen is past-Chair of the HDAC Home Tour, a former Volunteer Coordinator of For Art’s Sake/Taste of Stowe, and active on many fundraising events.

Giulia Eliason: Giulia was born and raised in our Nation's Capitol where she was exposed to the arts at an early age, spending a great deal of time visiting the many world famous museums the city has to offer.  She moved to Vermont in 1996 to attend the University of Vermont where she earned a BA in Studio Art, and never left the Green Mountain State. Giulia has over 10 years of sales experience in the Medical Industry. She works for Sanofi Pasteur, the largest company in the world devoted entirely to human vaccines, as a Professional Vaccine Specialist. She is responsible for managing large vaccine contracts with over 40 hospitals in Vermont and New Hampshire.  Giulia also sits on the Board at the Stowe Co op Nursery School. She & her husband Erik reside in Stowe along with their two young children & two dogs. Giulia is an avid tennis player, enjoys Nordic/Alpine skiing, gourmet cooking, frequent visits back to Washington DC and traveling all over the world.

Ted Lockwood: Ted, who retired to Stowe with his wife in 1998, was an educator his entire career. He served as President of Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut and was the Founding President of the United World College in New Mexico – one of 10 United World Colleges worldwide. Ted previously served on the Helen Day Board for 2 terms, during which he served on the Executive Committee, on the 25Th Anniversary Committee, and as Chair of the Development Committee. Ted was invited back by the Trustees to serve for an additional year as a non-voting Ex Officio Trustee, and is now eligible to serve another Board term. “I have been interested in art and dabble in painting myself. Clearly, the Helen Day Art Center is a worthy effort in Stowe.”

Kristi Lovell: Kristi is a sixth generation Vermonter and graduate of the University of Vermont where she studied Business and competed on the UVM Alpine Ski Team.  Kristi has a long career focused on international marketing and product design for the snowsports industry.  She was the International Sports Marketing Manager for Salomon Sports which included managing the professional free-ride athelete team.  As a founding team member she conducted athlete driven product design and performance testing that was an integral creative component of the launch of Salomon’s clothing division worldwide.  Kristi founded a woman’s promotional ski team for Volkl, Tecnica and Bogner and introduced the Norwegian clothing line Sondre to the US through Swix Sports.  Kristi is a former professional skier where she has been featured in numerous films and print publications and was a long time ski tester and writer for Snow Country Magazine and Ski Magazine.  Kristi and her husband Evan live in Waterbury Center with their 3 young girls.

Matt Neckers: Matt is a practicing artist and a passionate educator.  Having earned his BA at Evergreen State, Matt gained his Masters in Education at Saint Michael’s College.  He has been teaching art to Vermont students for eight years, seven in his current role as Integrated Arts Teacher at Hyde Park Elementary.  He has taught in and made an impact at The Renaissance School in Shelburne, Wolcott Elementary and Waterville Elementary.  He is an adjunct at Saint Michael’s and a Graduate Advisor, for the Learning in Art and Culture Fellowship Program, at the Vermont  Studio Center.
Matt has shown his work at The Vermont Studio Center, Williamsburg Art and Historical Society, Brooklyn, NY; Redhook Pier Show, Brooklyn, NY; Kentler International Drawing Center, Brooklyn, NY; and Thirdstone Gallery, Saugautuck, Michigan.
When not teaching or creating, Matt is home raising two young children in Eden, VT.

Simone Rueschemeyer – Vice-Chair: Simone grew up in Providence, Rhode Island where she was extremely involved in theatre, dance, music and painting. Simone has a BA in Anthropology and Art from the University of Vermont, and an MS in Evaluative Clinical Sciences from Dartmouth Medical School. Simone is the Director of the Behavioral Health Network of Vermont. She has worked for numerous governments and non-profit organizations, including the governments of Argentina, Aruba, and Uzbekistan, the United Nations, Save the Children, the State of Vermont, and many community health centers throughout Vermont. Simone spent two and one-half years working in the Clinton White House in both the Office of Policy Development and the Office of Communications. Over the years, Simone has enjoyed painting, sculpture, and film, and has a great interest in art and the politics of art. She took over coordination of Learning to Look at the Stowe Elementary School in 2006. Simone lives in Moscow with her two children. Simone serves on the Helen Day’s Executive Committee, Education Committee, and Board Development Committee.

Molly Triffin: Last November, Molly moved to Stowe, Vermont from New York City, where she was the features director at Cosmopolitan. In addition to extensive writing and editing for the magazine, she also oversaw special projects and events, including Cosmo's campaign against sexual violence on college campuses, the annual "Man Summit" exploring shifting gender dynamics, and the award-winning Practice Safe Sun campaign, where she organized a yearly celebrity-studded awards ceremony, worked with the Melanoma Research Foundation to raise more than $60,000 for a skin cancer research grant, collaborated with Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney's office to pass legislation mandating stricter regulation of tanning salons, and represented Cosmo at FDA hearings and congressional briefings in Washington.
Although prose is the fulcrum of Molly's artistic fervor, she also has a life-long love for the visual realm: Her parents own a furniture store in New Haven, CT, part of which is a gallery featuring local artists that Molly occasionally helps out with. She also volunteered for the nonprofit organization "Free Arts NYC," which delivers creative arts programs for inner city kids.

Lance Violette: Lance is founding principal at Violette, a brand focused creative studio based in Stowe, Vermont and Brooklyn, New York.  Prior to starting the studio in 2004,  Lance held the position of design director at JDK in Burlington, Vermont.  With over 16 years of brand building experience, Lance has guided the strategy and creative development of campaigns, product design, and visual identities across a diverse array of progressive brands, including Burton, Quiksilver, Anon, Cole Haan, Red, Scott, and DC.  A lifetime of skateboarding and art continues to inspire Lance's approach to design.  In turn, his studio has garnered global recognition for creative with a particular relevance to contemporary youth culture.
Lance lives in Stowe with his wife (and business partner) Vanessa and their three sons; Xavier, Oscar, and Isadore.
Lance also sits on the board of the Vermont Ski and Snowboard Museum.

Ginny Neel: Coming Soon!

Annie Strobel – Trustee Emerita: Annie discovered the Helen Day Art Center in 1986 when she first moved to Stowe and became involved with the Visual Arts Committee. She has also given her time to the building committee and the film society and she has worked on the installation of most of the exhibitions in the last 16 years. Annie now serves as a Trustee Emerita, a distinguished role in recognition of her exceptional commitment, involvement, and generosity to the Helen Day over many years.