Now in its 150th year, Howard Center recently appointed five new members to its board of trustees to serve three-year terms.
Michael Kupersmith graduated from New York University School of Law, and his legal career includes serving as a public defender in Vermont, member and chair of Vermont Legal Aid, and a member of the Vermont chapter of American Civil Liberties Union. In 1987 he was appointed district judge by Governor Madeleine Kunin and served in that position until 2015. He is currently an adjunct instructor at Champlain College and an administrative law officer for the Vermont Office of Professional Regulation.
Pam Mackenzie is the Interim CEO at the Greater Burlington YMCA. She previously served as the senior manager of Comcast’s Government and Regulatory Affairs for Vermont and Western New Hampshire. She entered the cable telecommunications industry after holding several posts at the White House during the Carter administration, and she has since held numerous senior-level positions within the telecommunications industry. She is currently a member of several boards, including the Vermont Public Service Board, the United Way of Chittenden County, Mercy Connections, Vermont Works for Women Financial Literacy Task Force, and the Vermont Business Roundtable Home Visiting Alliance Task Force. Mackenzie was also selected as a Betsy Magness Leadership Institute Fellow.
Meg O’Donnell is an attorney who has lived and worked in Vermont since 1988. In her position as counsel to the Vermont Health Care Authority and the division of Health Care Administration, she helped develop health policies and oversight programs. She has served as the Director of Government and Community Relations for the University of Vermont Medical Center since 2001. O’Donnell has a Law Degree from New York Law School where she graduated magna cum laude.
Ann Pugh, a Vermont State representative since 1993, is the Chair of the House Human Services Committee and Child Protection Oversight Committee. As a social worker, she previously worked at Howard Center’s Baird School, Trinity College, and the State of Vermont. Since 1985 she has been on the faculty in the Department of Social work at the University of Vermont where she is currently a senior lecturer. She has served on numerous agency, city, and state boards, including Re-Source –VT, Vermont Child Poverty Council, South Burlington Planning Commission, the Governor’s Commission on Women, Vermont Children’s Forum, and the Vermont Association for Mental Health, among others. Pugh holds a Master’s in Social Work from Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri.
Cyndee Cochrane Sturtevant’s extensive experience in the business field includes serving as auditor and accountant for a Burlington CPA firm, an instructor of business courses at Community College of Vermont, and a business/resource manager for Salzburg Seminar. Sturtevant holds a MBA from the University of Vermont. She has volunteered for numerous community organizations, including Meals on Wheels, Lund Family Center, Girl Scouts, and has hosted high school exchange students.
In addition, the Board of Trustees elected new officers, including Gail Stevenson of South Burlington as President, Connie Stabler of South Burlington as Vice President, Matthew Frazee of Williston as Treasurer, Kathy Connelly of Burlington as Secretary, and Marna Tulin of North Ferrisburgh as Honorary Board Member.