Karen Gross, President of Southern Vermont College, has been reappointed to the New England Board of Higher Education by Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin for a six-year term. Gross was a member of the Board prior to spending last year in Washington, D.C., as a senior policy advisor at the U.S. Department of Education.

Scott Giles, a vice president of Vermont Student Assistance Corporation (VSAC) since joining the organization in 2003, has been chosen to succeed longtime President and CEO Don Vickers. Giles will take the reins on July 1, when Vickers retires after 42 years with the organization.

"Our objective was to find a visionary, entrepreneurial leader capable of building on VSAC's unique strengths and tackling the challenges ahead," said Dorothy Mitchell, chair of the VSAC Board of Directors.

Mary Cushman, M.D., M.Sc., University of Vermont Professor of Medicine and medical director of the Thrombosis and Hemostasis program at Fletcher Allen Health Care, was elected a member of the national Board of Directors of the American Heart Association (AHA), effective May 1, 2013. The AHA is the nation’s oldest, largest voluntary organization devoted to fighting heart disease and stroke, and is second only to the federal government in money spent to fund cardiovascular and stroke research.

Kelly Barry joined VHB’s North Ferrisburgh, Vermont team as a civil engineer in January 2013. Barry received her bachelor’s degree in 2011 from the University of New Hampshire (UNH) in Durham and is continuing to work toward her master’s degree from UNH, expected May 2013. At VHB, Barry will be working on roadway, bridge, and site/civil engineering projects throughout Vermont. She is currently involved with the City of St.

Governor Shumlin appointed Mark Perrin, a resident of Middlebury, to the State Board of Education on April 12, 2013 to serve a six year term (2013-2019).

Perrin owns and operates Green Peppers Restaurant and Creek Road Farm with his wife, Donna. He has served on local school boards since the mid-1990s, and is a strong believer in life-long learning. Perrin has been actively involved in the community by serving on the Chamber of Commerce Board, Workforce Investment Board, and Middlebury Business Association Board.

The Woodstock Farmers’ Market is pleased to announce the promotion of Brandon Little to Prepared Foods Leader, effective June 1 and Abby Crocker to Marketing Associate, effective immediately.

The law firm of Primmer Piper Eggleston & Cramer PC, with offices in Burlington, Montpelier and St. Johnsbury, Vermont and Manchester, Littleton and Portsmouth, New Hampshire is proud to announce that the following attorneys from our firm have been selected for inclusion in the 2013 edition of Best Lawyers in their fields:

Gary Burt - Commercial Litigation; Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants

Doreen Connor - Appellate

Anne Cramer - Health Care Law

Denise Deschenes - Banking and Finance Law; Financial Services Regulation Law

The Vermont Democratic Party state committee recently voted unanimously to elect former Vice Chair Dottie Deans of North Pomfret as Chair of the Vermont Democratic Party.