Bennington Rotary Member Profiles..

Jerry Albert Web Link: www.benncool.com Jerry has worked in the heat transfer industry for 45 years. He is a graduate of the US Army Engineers School, Ft. Belvoir, Va, and has a degree in Industrial Technology from CCV. He is a certified member of the Refrigeration Service Engineers Society and a professional member of HVAC.COM. He has handed control of Bennington Cooling and Heating, a company he founded in 1979, over to his son Richard. Jerry is still an advisor to that company. The Vermont licenses he holds are for electrical, plumbing, propane and oil. Also he is certified by the EPA for refrigerant usage. Mary Lou, his wife and he have been married for 42 years and have resided on Main Street since 1980. They are parents of 4 children. Jerry has served as the Club?s Sergeant-at Arms and is a Paul Harris Fellow.

Ted Bird Born and brought up in Bennington County and moved to Bennington in 1952. Graduated from Bennington High School in 1958 and bought Abe Noveck's music and photography store with Cy Shultz in 1962. Established own business in 1967. Joined Bennington Rotary Club in 1968 and was president in the 1973-74 Rotary Year. Married and had three children. Closed business in 1979 and left town for 23 years. Moved back in 2002 because of three children, five grandchildren and one Prom Queen and started selling Commercial Real Estate for Hoisington Realty in 2003. Also rejoined Benningon Rotary Club in same year. Retired from Hoisington Realty in May of 2008. Am presently on Board of Trustees of 2nd Congregational Church and President of Bennington Historical Society.

Bob Brower Web Link: www.student-source.com Bob and his wife Judie own Schoolhouse Marketing, which specializes in marketing for horticultural companies and have clients throughout the world. They also own Higher Education Marketing Associates, Inc. which helps colleges and universities recruit students to their schools.

Gregory Burke Member Bio. - Coming Soon!

Lisa Byer Web Link: www.catamountaccess.com Originally from the Albany, NY area, Lisa came to Bennington in 1996 from Cape Cod were she had lived for a number of years. After taking a position at CAT-TV in 1997, she remained with the organization, which serves as Bennington's local cable access television stations, until finally becoming it's Executive Director in 2003. In addition to the Bennington Rotary Club, Lisa is active in several area and statewide organizations including the Chamber of Commerce, Shires Media Partnership/WBTN, Vermont Access Network and Vermont Media Exchange.

Susan Coons Susan J. Coons was born in Chicago, Illinois, and grew up in the San Fernando Valley, California As an adult she has lived in Illinois, Wisconsin, New York, Pennsylvania and California and has criss-crossed the country by plane, bus, train and auto, many times. Having been a graphic artist, illustrator and Art Director for most of her career (with time out teaching elementary school for two years in Hollywood, California), she is now editor of the Vermont News Guide, TriState Pennysaver News, and produces a local television program, “From my Corner in the Shires”. She lives in Hoosick Falls with her dog, a cat and two finches. Her children live in Albany, NY and Naples, FL.

Carmen DeNatale Member Bio. - Coming Soon!

Robert Ebert Member Bio. - Coming Soon!

Harold Ehrenfreund Member Bio. - Coming Soon!

Fred Ehrich Member Bio. - Coming Soon!

Jon Endres Web Link: www.blazedesigninc.com Jon was born in Bennington and attended local schools, graduating from Mount Anthony Union HS in 1987. He continued to Norwich University in Northfield, earning a Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering in 1991. He has worked in the greater Bennington area for his entire career, first at two local construction firms, where he achieved licensure as a Registered Professional Engineer with a Septic Designer specialization. For the past ten years, he has been the owner and president of West Mountain Engineering Company, and now co-owns BLAZE Design Inc., a land surveying and engineering company in Shaftsbury. He became a Rotarian in 1999 and is a past President of the Bennington Club. Jon is married to Tammy Endres, who is the daughter of another past Bennington Rotary President, Carrel Moore. He and Tammy have five children in local schools, and a mangy cat who hides in the basement of their home in Shaftsbury. Jon is also active in other community activities, including being a former Selectman in Shaftsbury, a 12-year veteran and former Captain and President of the Shaftsbury Volunteer Fire Department, a Scoutmaster for BSA Troop 353 in Bennington, and an active player on the roster of the Equinox Rugby Football Club based in Bennington.

Joann Erenhouse Web Link: www.bennington.com Joann is the Director of the Bennington Chamber of Commerece. She is a gem for Bennington County and does a wonderful job promoting this area and our Rotary Club.

Oakley Frost, MD Oakley is a retired Physician and is a very active Rotarian and has been for many years.

Janet Groom Web Link: www.ccv.edu Janet Groom works in higher education as an Academic Advisor for the Community College of Vermont in Bennington. Additionally, she teaches college sections of courses in psychology and introductory acting classes. While Janet has acted and directed in both scripted and improvisational theater in the past, she currently is a member of the Dorset Players where she has performed as an actor and director in numerous shows. Another favorite pastime for Janet is watercolor painting. Janet remains a life-long student with barely a semester going by where you will not find her in the classroom as a student.

Betsy Gunn A former teacher, Betsy is responsible for developing and implementing the four major components for the Head Start Program: health, education, social services, and parent development. Her additional duties include budget development, local and statewide community networking on early childhood programs, and supervision of The UCS Infant Toddler Center and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Bennington County.

Dean Hanson Dean has been a Rotary member of the Bennington Club for 50+ years. He has served as secretary, President and is a Paul Harris Fellow. A native Vermonter, his early education was in Barton, VT with college work in Boston and Evanston, Ill.

Michael Harrington Michael works at the consulting firm, New Directions which celebrates its 25th this August. The company focuses on looking at different organizations and the effectiveness of organizations. They have branched out into a number of areas, but the core focus has always been training, team building and educating midlevel managers on effective ways to supervise, communicate and resolve conflicts. Michael is looking forward to taking part in whatever is coming up at Rotary.

Sam Hibbard Member Bio. - Coming Soon!

Jessica Hill Web Link: www.svcdc.org Jessica has worked at the CDC since April of 2007, first, teaching Horticulture and second, taking on the very first Outreach Coordinator position in the State of Vermont in August 2007. Her mother was a Rotary member for approximately 8 years and was Rotary President in 2000-2001. She worked since she was 18 with Jim Ross at Cable TV and Adelphia Cable Co. Jessica supervises all staff in regards to PR channeling, and edits appropriate information to various media, and the timeliness of such.

Barbara Hoar Barbara is a native of Shrewsbury, Vermont – her father was a member of the Wallingford, VT club. She attended Shrewsbury Center School (one room schoolhouse) and Rutland High School and then earned a BA degree from Oberlin College in Ohio, graduating in 1954. She was an instructor of Physical Education at Green Mountain College and Cornell University. As an interim in her life, she spent a year at the Comptroller’s Office of the Virgin Islands as a general secretary and audit clerk. Married to Peter Hoar, she lived in Chester and taught at Springfield High School until Peter joined the then new Mt. Anthony High School. Barbara then worked in Physical Education Department at MAUHS, where she completed a career in teaching of 39 years. Children’s interests and activities were most important for those many years, so upon retirement, she was so pleased to then devote energy and time in giving to the community, an objective that was constantly before her as a member of Vermont society. She has been an active member of the Episcopal Church for many years and is now Senior Warden of St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Bennington. It was a very proud moment when she was asked to join Rotary – dream that she had had since her young years in Shrewsbury.

Jen Holley Web Link: www.websitesandmore.com Jen is the owner of Websites & More located in Shaftsbury, Vermont. She designs, maintains and hosts websites for companies, individuals and organizations. She joined Rotary in April of 2008 and looks forward to all the wonderful things and community involvement that Rotary has to offer. Jen attended Mount Anthony Union High School, and graduated in 1987. Then attended Castleton State College and Southern Vermont Colege. While at SVC she was recognised by the National Dean’s List and Who’s Who in American Colleges & Universities all four years. She was also 3 sport athlete participating in Basketball, Soccer, and Softball and also worked as the Assistant Registrar in the work study program when not in class. Jen resides in Shaftsbury with her family.

Brian Johansen Brian owns JC's Tavern in Bennington, Vermont. He lives in the Boston area and in Bennington. Brian enjoys Rotary and driving, since he commutes so much :)

Shep Jones Born in Bennington, Graduate of Ben-Hi and Middlebury College, I first retired as a Lieutenant Colonel after 20 years in the Ordnance Corps of the US Army providing logistics support around the world. We moved 21 times during that period.

Susan Katz Sue is a financial planner and an active Rotarian.

Ron Knapp Member Bio. - Coming Soon!

Doug Krause Doug lives in Old Bennington with his wife Marny, and has been a Rotarian actively involved in the Coordination of Rotary Exchange Programs for many years.

Scott Kruetz Member Bio. - Coming Soon!

Bruce Laumeister Member Bio. - Coming Soon!

Timothy Lefevre Web Link: www.lovecody.com I am a Certified Public Accountant with Love, Cody & Company, CPAs, P.C. in Bennington, where I am the audit supervisor. Don’t let the title fool you, I spend a lot of time in the tax department as well. I am on the board of directors of Bennington Young Professionals, Inc. and am currently the treasurer. I am also a member of the Vermont Society of CPAs, the AICPA, and the Brights’ Network. I live in Stamford with his wife and son. I originally moved to the area from Central Massachusetts to attend Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, graduating in 2001 with a degree in Business Administration. I attempt to stay in shape by playing tennis and basketball. But I enjoy playing or watching just about all sports (auto racing and golf are not sports). I try to attend a couple football and basketball games each year at UMass, where I began my post-secondary education.

Lindy Lynch Web Link: www.kevinssportspubandrestaurant.com Co-owner of the poplular restaurant Kevin's Sports Pub and Restaurant. That is my real job that pays the bills. Community involvement includes: Vice President of the local Bennington Area Chamber of Commerce and Events Chair. Serve on the State Board Chamber serving also on the hospitality committee, on the committee of the Norshaft Lions Community built park, Shires Media Partnership board member which purchased WBTN to keep it live and local. Hobbies include traveling to warm places to recharge my battery, reading, and family.

Bob Matteson He set the world record for 92-year-olds in the 400-meter distance in June, 2008, at the Vermont Senior Championships in Burlington. In July, he broke the one- and two-mile marks in Colonie, NY. Less than a week later, he broke the 200-meter world record at the New England Masters Championship. In September, he was off to Maine where he broke the record for 800 meters. Finally, on a near-freezing day in late November, he broke the record for 100 meters—shattered it, actually—by half a second. Bob Matteson of Bennington is now the only person in the world to hold the world record for his age group in all six disciplines. Of the six records he set, only two were held by the same person. Always athletic, but never a competitive runner, Matteson started getting serious about the sport when he was in his late 70s, thanks to his daughter, a high school student who he chauffeured to classes at Bennington College. She suggested he do something to keep himself busy while she was in the classroom; maybe run around the campus. After some initial “huffing and puffing,” Matteson discovered he enjoyed running, and was good at it, too. He started entering road races and began taking part in the Vermont Senior Games.

Rye Mausert Member Bio. - Coming Soon!

Catherine McClure Web Link: www.svsu.org Cathy was the first generation in her family to go right to college from high school. She was on the edge of the woman’s movement. She went to Hood College and then to Antioch Putney for her Master’s degree. She went to the Harvard Graduate School of Education for a Certificate of Advanced Study. She entered adminstration because a principal pointed out to her that she saw a bigger picture than just her classroom. She was a Federal Project administrator, a principal and Assistant Superintendent and then a Superintendent. She had retired before she came to Vermont, but she couldn’t stay retired and is now Superintendent. Her goals in her new role are to improve student achievement and communication between the principals and directors, SVU school boards and with the teachers and the community. Cathy resides in Bennington.

Brian McKenna Web Link: www.dbmckenna.com Member Bio. - Coming Soon!

Don McKenna Member Bio. - Coming Soon!

Patricia Michael Web Link: www.parkmccullough.org Patricia Michael, a native of New York City, joined Park-McCullough in June, 2007. She has an extensive background in the museum and historical organization field. She began her career as a Curator of Collections, then moving on to become Executive Director of the Kalamazoo (MI) Public Museum; the Staten Island (NY) Institute of Arts and Sciences; founding director of the Oldham County History Center; and the first professional director of the World Figure Skating Museum and Hall of Fame in Colorado Springs, CO.

Don Miller Web Link: www.nationwide.com Don was born and raised in Granby, Connecticut. He attended Dickinson College and received a (B.A in Economics) and attended the University of Connecticut School of Law. Don was admitted to the Bars of Conecticut, Tennessee, and Ohio. Don is now retired and inactive in all three. Don really enjoys golfing, hiking, canoeing, theater, reading. Don has 30 years of experience as a consultant to several major insurance companies. Don moved to Bennington in 2002 and purchased the local Nationwide Insurance agency in 2005. Don is an active member of many community organizations including: Bennington Area Chamber of Commerce Better Bennington Corporation Bennington Rotary Club Bennington Histrical Society Benningotn Museum Friends of the Monument L'Esemble Baker Street Breakfast Club Village of Old Bennington, Auditor

David Newell Web Link: www.willsinsurance.com David J. Newell is President of Wills Insurance Inc. Joined Wills Insurance in 1979. Before that I was executive director of the Bennington Chamber of Commerce from 1976-79. Became a Bennington Rotarian in 1976. President of the club in 1985. BA from Dickinson College, Carlisle, Pa. 1973 MA from Univ of Pennsylvania in 1975 Three children. Wife is Carol Newell. Reside in Shaftsbury

David O'Brien Web Link: www.ucsvt.org David provides supervision to the outpatient mental health and substance abuse programs. These include services for children, adolescents, adults, and the elderly. His responsibilities also include direct service to clients. He supervises the agency's Employee Assistance Programs and provides consultation to businesses and industry. David is very active in regional and state organizations focused on prevention, intervention, and treatment of substance abuse. He is a Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor (LADC) in the State of Vermont. He is a founding member and current chair of the Vermont Alcohol and Drug Advisory Council, and is past president of the Vermont Association of Alcohol and Drug Program Directors. David has an MA and Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study in Rehabilitation Counseling from Assumption College,Worcester, MA. He earned a BA in psychology and history from Johnson State College in Johnson, VT.

John Page Member Bio. - Coming Soon!

Tom Paquin Web Link: www.tandmplastics.com Tom owns T & M Enterprises in Shaftsbury, Vermont. Tom has been an active Rotarian for many years.

Bob Plunkett Married to the former Eileen Kinney, of Bennington, for 36 years. 2 adult children: Matt and Robert. Robert is a Deputy State's Attorney in Bennington. Matt is a greens keeper at Equinox C.C. and a substitute teacher in the local schools. Eileen teaches at the Samaritan Hospital School of Nursing after a 12 year career as a nurse with the State of VT. Health Dept. I have been in banking for over 35 years, 31 of those years with the Chittenden Bank. Interests include: golf, traveling, low impact exercising and spending time with family. Have lived in Bennington for the past 28 years and besides working, have volunteered my time with various organizations: Rotary, Bennington Museum Board, Chamber of Commerce (years ago), BCIC. I'm really looking forward to retirement so I can spend more time with my family and finally put a dent in that "honey do list".

Ralph Provenza Web Link: www.ucsvt.org Ralph plans and directs agency operations for United Counseling Service. His responsibilities include: program planning and development, staff supervision, financial planning, resource development, policy development, and contract negotiations. Prior to joining UCS, Ralph was director of a private mental health clinic in Newton, Massachusetts. He has a Master's in Social Work from the State University of New York at Albany and a B. A. in psychology from the City College of New York.

Chuck Putney Chuck has been in the club since the early 1980s. He is a consultant to not-for-profit organizations in grant proposal development and fund raising. His main interest in Rotary has been the International Group Study Exchange.

Jane Radocchia Web Link: www.jgrarchitect.blogspot.com I am an architect. I have been working on old houses for more than 40 years, repairing, restoring and expanding them. Understanding why they were built that way is my avocation. I've been writing about old houses - vernacular architecture - since the 1980's. These days I write about my research on my blog: www.jgrarchitect.blogspot.com. My husband, Tony, and I live on a 215 year old farm in Bennington; my office is in a shed attached to the hay barn. Two of our children and their families live here too. Our barn, Abruzzi Stables, teaches riding and driving, and trains Morgan horses. I was raised in Exeter, NH. Tony and I lived in Andover, MA for over 30 years before we came to Bennington. My degrees are from Oberlin College and MIT.

Paul Roth Web Link: www.svhealthcare.org Paul is the Director of Facilities at Southwestern Vermont Medical Center, Bennington VT. Paul is a very active Rotarian. Paul lives in Arlington, Vermont with his wife Archie.

Patrick Runyon Web Link: www.citizensbank.com Patrick grew up in Michigan, north of Detroit. He has been in banking for just under ten years. He started working at Wells Fargo Bank in Minneapolis. He was there for five years working his way up to manager. He then decided to move to Vermont where he worked at Chittenden Bank in Wilmington while living in Brattleboro. After that he went to work in London. Although he enjoyed traveling in Europe, he knew that he wanted to come back to Vermont to live and work. All along he was pursuing his education at the same time. He has a Bachelors degree in Business Administration. He is now pursuing an MBA on line from California Coast University. He enjoys being able to do the work on his time although it is more of a challenge than the traditional college education. In banking he enjoys getting to know the customers and to understand them and their needs. It brings satisfaction to help them achieve their goals. As for the current banking crisis, he feels that we can learn from the past to prevent these kinds of problems from happening again. June, 2009 Patrick enjoys cooking and having dinner parties with friends and family. Patrick was a member of the Deerfield Rotary Club and was also a member of Rotary when he was in London. He is honored that he was asked to be Treasurer next year. He knows that it is not an easy job and that you have to be organized, but he is looking forward to it. Patrick believes a lot in what Rotary does, locally and internationally. He is looking forward to the opportunities for working more and volunteering more of his time. He is delighted to be a member of the Bennington Rotary.

Stephen Simmons Web Link: www.peoples.com Stephen is a Financial Advisor and Certified Long-term Care Planner with People’s Financial Advisors in Bennington, VT. He is a member of the American Association for Long-term Care Insurance and the Corporation for Long-term Care. Stephen began his career in management; spending twelve years running everything from a small business to a district in a large multi-national company. He then worked for Prudential Financial in Latham, NY as a Financial Services Associate, where he earned his life and health insurance licenses as well as his investment advisor representative (Series 65) and broker (Series 7) licenses. Looking for a change of pace, he moved his family to Bennington in 2005 after joining Chittenden Bank as Financial Advisor. In 2009 Stephen successfully completed his General Securities Supervisor (Series 24) license and is building a team of associates dedicated to helping people with their insurance and investment needs. He serves on the board of the Green Mountain Chapter of the American Red Cross. He is a past treasurer for Bennington Rotary as well as a former volunteer for organizations such as Relay for Life, MDA, Ronald McDonald House, and Cystic Fibrosis.

Kathy Sollien Web Link: www.kathysollien.com Kathy is a native of Texas who relocated to Bennington with her husband Alan in 1990 and has never looked back. Staying active in her community by way of Rotary, the Better Bennington Corp and the Chamber of Commerce has kept her busy and in the middle of what is happening in Bennington. She is a Real Estate Broker and co owner of RE/MAX Maple Leaf Realty.

Sally Sugarman Web Link: www.bakerstreetbreakfastclub.org Sally joined Rotary in 1988. She was President of the Club, 2002-2003 and Chair of the District Four Way Test Speech Contest 2005-2007. Currently, she is the editor of the club’s newsletter, The Windmill and an Assistant Governor. She is a Paul Harris fellow. Sally is emerita faculty from Bennington College where she taught Childhood Studies for thirty-five years.

Jim Thibodeau Web Link: www.jimthibodeau.com Jim owns the local State Farm Office in Bennington. Jim is a very active Rotarian. He lives in North Bennington with his family.

Kevin Thivierge Web Link: www.bennington.sne1.com Born in Brooklyn, NY and raised on Long Island. Attended college in Albany, NY where he met his wife. Moved to Whitehall, NY where he first joined Rotary in 1994. Served in all positions in this small club including President. Achieved status of a Paul Harris Fellow in 2001. Joined The Bennington Rotary Club in 2003. Served as President in 2007-08 and returned to fill out 2008-2009 term. I was in banking for 20 years and am currently in the car business. Still is married to the same wife with whom he is the proud parent of two outstanding children who find solace in service as well.

Dan Zwynenburg Dan owns Hallmark Cards & Gifts in Bennington. Dan is also a proud member of the Green Mountain Car Club.

Jay Zwynenburg Web Link: www.jaysartshop.com Jay owns Jays Art Shop & Frame Gallery inn Downtown Bennington. Jay has been a Rotarian for many years and enjoys the fellowship.