Board Members

Diane Nichols-Fleming (Board Chair) 

Berlin: Three (3) Year Term (Ending 2029)

My husband, Jim, and I have lived in Berlin since 1991. We have both been teaching for over 30 years. I was the preschool teacher in Berlin for 12 years and am currently the Early Childhood Programs Coordinator for the North Country Supervisory Union in the Northeast Kingdom. We have 2 children, Fiona and Nathaniel, who were educated at Berlin and U32. I believe in the great value that public education brings to our communities and our world. Each of our community schools provides a rich grounding in what it means to be a Vermonter and prepares our children to go out to the wider world. They are able to do so while maintaining the unique nature of each town. I am honored to be representing Berlin on the board.

Andrew Boye

Berlin: Two (2) Years of a Three (3) Year Term (Ending 2028)

Andrew grew up in St. Johnsbury and after many years away has recently returned home to Vermont and settled in Berlin. Having watched his mother and father devote their time and energy to school boards, zoning boards, historical societies and volunteering throughout his childhood Andrew has a deep understanding of the active local communities efforts that make Vermont such a special place. He has spent the majority of his professional career focused on environmental, climate and social justice issues. In his free time he likes to read, make music and take long walks with his dog Craig.

Andrew looks forward to acting as a voice for the broader communities  while serving on the school board and helping to ensure a strong educational foundation for the next generation of Vermonters

OPEN 

Berlin: Three Year term (Ending 2027)

Elizabeth Brown 

Calais: Three (3) Year Term (Ending 2027)

Elizabeth Brown moved to Calais, Vermont from Southern California in October 2020. She is the proud mom of three children, two who attend Calais Elementary School and one who attends U32. 

Elizabeth has worked in the field of education for over two decades in a variety of roles. Her experience working with children and families have given her a unique perspective on how to best support the students, families and community members in our district. She believes that intentional, data informed decision making is critical in maintaining a healthy, sustainable district, especially with Vermont's evolving educational landscape. As someone who has been an administrator in education for many years, she understands the challenges that come with balancing the needs of the school community and the greater community and the importance of responsible fiscal decision making. She looks forward to finding creative solutions to the challenges we face in education and in our district. There are so many wonderful possibilities and she is honored to be a part of the process. 

In her free time, she enjoys hiking with her children, reading a good book and spending time outside enjoying the beauty Vermont has to offer. 

Daniel Keeney

Calais: Three (3) Year Term (Ending 2029)

Daniel has lived in Calais with his partner Adrian (a U-32 Art Teacher) for 6 years and has two children at Calais Elementary. He works  as a farm and food business planner at the Center for Agricultural Economy in Hardwick. He is originally from St. Johnsbury but is happy to call Central Vermont home -not least because of the Washington Central Unified Union School District! He's excited to bring his passion for food and farming into his work with the district as it continues to develop its alternative education paths. 

Michelle Ksepka

Calais: Three (3) Year term (Ending 2028)

Flor Diaz Smith 

East Montpelier: Three (3) Year Term (Ending 2029) 

Flor grew up in Guatemala City. She is a licensed architect in Guatemala that has been designing in Vermont since 1997.  Her Design Studio consults with other Architects on interior design, residential, school design and retail.  Residential Design and Interior design are her passion but she also enjoys small commercial and retail design.  Her other big passion is education, she believes that education is a human right and spends a lot of time learning and understanding what is best for kids.  She believes a strong public education is the basis of our democracy and the key to successful communities.   Flor lives on Horn of the Moon Road in East Montpelier with her husband Dan and two children Mia (17) and Lincoln (14).

David Lowther 

East Montpelier: Three (3) Year Term (Ending 2029)

Zach Sullivan

East Montpelier: Three (3) Year Term  (Ending 2027)

Zach lives in East Montpelier with his wife Helen (a social studies teacher at Montpelier High School) and their two children, a first grader and a preschooler. He grew up in southern New Hampshire, and moved to East Montpelier in 2014. Zach works as an analyst for the UVM Health Network, focusing on capacity planning, forecasting, and health equity work. In his free time he enjoys exploring the woods and bike paths with his kids. He is able to juggle odd objects.

Ursula Stanley (Vice-Chair) 

Middlesex: Three (3) Year Term (Ending 2028)

Chris McVeigh

Middlesex: Three (3) Year Term (Ending 2029)

Patrick Whelley

Middlesex: Three (3) Year Term (Ending 2027)

Natasha Eckart

Worcester: Two (2) years of a Three (3) year Term (Ending 2027)

I was raised in Worcester and attended Doty and U-32. I left Vermont to attend college and have lived and worked in Pittsburgh, Fresno, and, most recently, Baltimore. I moved my family to Vermont 4 years ago, and worked as a para, a long-term sub and a STEAM teacher at Northfield Elementary School. I currently work for VT-NEA as an advocate and organizer. I am excited for my children to attend the same schools that I attended, and I look forward to being a representative and advocate for not only my Worcester community but for the BIPOC community as well. 

Julia Hewitt

Worcester: Three (3) Year Term (Ending 2028)

After earning a degree in English at Connecticut College in 1983, Julia Hewitt taught for two years at The Elmcrest School in Portland, Connecticut. In 1985, she joined the faculty at Cabot School, teaching English and humanities courses for 33 years. She earned her Masters degree at Goddard College. Her second professional home is the National Writing Project, with which she was affiliated for twenty years, eventually  co-directing the Vermont site and teaching graduate  Writing Project courses at UVM, including the Summer Institute for teachers of writing.  After a brief retirement from public school teaching, Julia joined the faculty at Connecticut State Community College, Middlesex, as an adjunct professor of English, teaching online synchronous courses.

Outside the classroom, she serves on the board of the Worcester Historical Society and the steering committee for the Worcester Arts Festival. She is also a hospice volunteer, a member of the Worcester Neighbor Network, and a member of the Justice in Action committee at the Old Meeting House of East Montpelier. Somehow she makes time for camping, writing, knitting, and playing her 36-string harp.

Marty McMahon

Worcester: Three (3) Year Term (Ending 2029)

I have been teaching for over 50 years with 10 years in public school education locally at the high school level in English and Social Studies, and in Career and Technical Education. However, most of my teaching has been in local colleges primarily in the Vermont College ADP program and Norwich University’s Strategic Studies and Defense Analysis program. I have both an MA and MLitt degree from Middlebury College in literature, language and rhetoric.

Additionally, I have worked as a mentor and advisor for adult students, most recently for veterans pursuing a degree at both Vermont College and CCV.  I have been facilitating a veteran reading group for the past 8 years through the Vermont Humanities Council.

Along with my academic career I have worked as a local firefighter/ EMT, in the alternative energy field, barn repair and in the woods doing sustainable forestry/TSI.

I have lived in Vermont for 52 years, the district since 1984 and in Worcester for the past 12 years with my wife Susan, a former Copley Birth Center nurse now building a business in Worcester.  Both of my children went to Doty and graduated from U23, Martin now at Notre Dame law school and Cora at Beta Technologies building and quality inspecting their aircraft.

I have a strong commitment to economic justice, equity and the fundamental role of education in strong communities. I believe as Thomas Jefferson did, that education is necessary for active and informed citizenship, and the preservation of democracy. I share John Dewey’s perspective that good education centers on the student and should be designed to develop and expand their passion for learning