Mary has worked as the Executive Director of Washington County Mental Health Services since July 2013 and joined the Laraway Board shortly after. She began her career at Washington County Mental Health in 1990 as an Emergency Services Clinician on the WCMHS mobile crisis team.

Appointed as Director of Intensive Care Services in 2005 and Chief of Operations in 2010, she has worked with multiple programs throughout the Agency to plan and develop programming and training. She received her Master’s in Public Administration from Norwich University in 2011.

As part of the second generation at Butternut Mountain Farm, Emma worked her way up, learning to manage her family’s business. She now oversees retail operations, marketing, new business development, and special projects.

Emma earned a degree in natural resources management at Cornell University. She’s a community activist and serves on many boards. Marvin was named the Vermont Maple Person of the Year in 2014.

Ben graduated from Bates College with a degree in History. His dedication to public service has allowed him to build a long and respected career at the Vermont Department of Labor.

Ben and his wife enjoy living in a state where so many people travel to recreate. They enjoy walking, biking, and hiking together in beautiful Vermont.

A flatlander from western New York, Nancy moved to Vermont almost 30 years ago. She retired after a career as an occupational therapist specializing in hand therapy and as an educator. After completing her OT degree at SUNY At Buffalo, Nancy completed postgraduate work in prosthetics and orthotics at NYU and human factors engineering at the University of Michigan. After completing her MBA with a concentration in healthcare finance, she completed postgraduate work in curriculum design and assessment at MUSC at Charleston. She has designed and taught occupational therapy and business courses for SUNY At Buffalo, Duquesne University, and Champlain College healthcare students.

Nancy has taught skiing for over 40 years, most recently at Cochran’s in Richmond, Vermont. As an educator, foster/adoptive parent, and scout leader, she has seen the difference skilled educational support can make in a child’s life. Learning of Laraway after one of her children used Laraway’s backpack services and then again as an educational surrogate for a young lady in the school, Nancy approached Laraway about serving on their board.

Laura Putnam graduated from Colorado College with a degree in Mathematical Economics. She grew up in Lamoille County and moved back to beautiful Vermont to continue her career with Keurig Dr. Pepper in coffee sales and account management. While living in Chicago and Boston, she has enjoyed volunteering with nonprofits focusing on person-to-person connections to benefit individuals and communities, such as World Relief and MABVI.

Now back in Vermont, volunteering on the Laraway Board allows Laura to give back to her community by bringing her analytical background and local roots to help youth and families grow. She loves supporting Laraway’s creative ways to integrate the outdoors into education and commitment to its employees and community.

“Kipp” is a Massachusetts native who attended high school in Connecticut before earning her undergraduate degree at the University of Vermont and graduate degree at Yale. She is a Certified Nurse Midwife at Copley Women’s Center and Birthing Center.

Saudia LaMont of Morrisville is an organizer, advocate, facilitator, trainer, and racial equity/transformative justice consultant. Her commitment to networking with community partners, identifying resources, and reinforcing connections to help create a stronger sense of community is demonstrated by her leadership. Saudia has over ten years of experience in her field. She combines a unique holistic approach with some traditional methods in her implementation and practice of embodiment, reflection, and actuality, leading to understanding.

Saudia believes mutual understanding, communal healing, and collective wellness are the foundations for seeing each other’s humanity and creating social change. Saudia is a graduate of Cornell University’s —Diversity and Inclusion program, Leadership Lamoille, Bright Leadership Institute, and Recovery Coach Academy, and she holds many other certifications and skills that she incorporates into transformative justice work.

I am serving in my 23rd year at Laraway Youth & Family Services. In all those days, from the weekend overnight staff to Executive Director, there are less than a handful of times I recall wanting to give up. This place, the kids, and the staff have always provided me with inspiration and motivation to be the best I can be at my craft. Our mindset and culture are focused on constant improvement, development, and growth.

In the end, Laraway is about people and connections. Our youth thrive and succeed because of those relationships. Our staff stays here, year after year, decade after decade, doing this challenging work because of those established connections. I sincerely thank all the staff, board members, community and state partners, families, and clients for your patience, partnership, and support. Laraway is as strong now as we have ever been, with a new brand, renewed energy, and a clear vision toward the next half-century of service to improve the lives of children and families.

Rhonda joined Laraway in 2010, bringing with her over 20 years of Human Resources and Business Operations experience, including Human Resources, Compliance, Information Technology, and Organizational Development. She has held various leadership roles in organizations ranging from Fortune 500 to small privately owned businesses. Rhonda works with our Management team and staff to further our mission and support each member of the Laraway Community.

Rhonda found her passion for helping youth and families while volunteering as a Youth Mentor, being a Board Member for her local community center, and volunteering in the local hospital’s pediatric ward. She also lends her expertise as a local Personnel Advisory Board volunteer. In her personal time, Rhonda enjoys spending time with family, camping, kayaking, and traveling to warm tropical places.

Brittany has her Master’s Degree in social work and is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. She brings over five years of case management, clinical support, and supervision skills from alternative schools and other mental health agencies. Brittany is new to Laraway, joining in 2020 as the program director of Substitute Care. She believes a system approach involving all those serving the youth is vital to support any child.

Bernie joined Laraway Youth & Family Services, Inc. in April 2020. Before joining Laraway, he spent most of his professional career in senior executive positions in the financial services industry, primarily as the Chief Financial Officer or President & Chief Executive Officer of the financial institution he worked for.

He graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Vermont with a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting and also has an M.B.A. in Finance from the University of Connecticut. He is a registered Certified Public Account (CPA). He has served in many high-level financial services industry advisory groups, two of which were with the Federal Bank of Boston and the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston.

Lisa has been part of the public-school-based program since 2016 and has worked in our Therapeutic Foster Care and Residential Services program for nine years. Lisa has a Master’s Degree in psychology and Applied Behavior Analysis.

Before joining Laraway, Lisa spent time working one-on-one with autistic students and held the position of Elementary School Teacher. Lisa enjoys working with our agency’s population and believes “success is relational – if one person believes in you, it can change your life, and the Backpack team believes in the youth they serve.”

Amber is licensed in Elementary and Special Education. She has a Master’s Degree in Clinical Mental Health. Amber has been a part of the Laraway School team for the past 24 years as a classroom teacher, Special Education Coordinator and is currently the interim Director.

Being a part of the trauma-informed community allows her to see students use their strengths and interests to make personal, academic, and social gains. She values the contributions Laraway School staff and students make to the community. Amber enjoys spending time with her family and dog when not at work.