VSA Arts of Vermont Board of Directors

Chigee Cloninger, Ph.D., President

South Burlington
Emeriti Education, UVM
Board member since 2007

Portrait of VSAVT Board President, Chigee Cloninger, standing on beach.

Chigee recently retired from UVM, where she was Executive Director of The Center on Disability and Community Inclusion, The College of Education and Social Services, and faculty member. Quotes which define her professional work include: "Let the beauty we love be what we do," and "Work is love made manifest." Within those ideas, "beauty" refers to communities that value each person's diversity as a contribution and as normal rather than as deviance and compliance. "Love" refers to making a meaningful difference in the lives of those she touches. Chigee’s work has been to encourage all to be leaders - leaders who are courageous, who embrace the questions, are gracious, expect surprise, consider the hearts of others, build relationships and are animated by purpose and hope. Her background in a number of states includes working directly with children and adults with disabilities, their families, their service providers, and their communities; community service, professional publications and presentations, grant development and implementation, and lots of learning from others.

Dave Speidel, Vice President

Charlotte
Graphic design, marketing
Board member since 1996

David lives with wife Karen and two daughters (now attending college) in Charlotte, VT. He is a partner at Place Creative Co., a design consultancy specializing in brand development in Burlington since 2001. David launched his graphic design career at agencies in Philadelphia and Boston with clients ranging from Hershey Foods to MIT. In 1984 he co-founded Brick House Creative Co. in Vermont and produced distinctive work for clients like IBM, Rossignol Ski Co., Landmark College, and Smith Bell & Thompson Insurance. After selling Brick House in 1999 he joined Jager DiPaola Kemp Design where he helped lead major branding projects for International and Course Technology of Thomson Learning. David graduated with a BFA from Tyler School of Art at Temple University. He continued his professional development at Mass Art and Harvard’s Graduate School of Design.

Celia Asbell, Treasurer

Burlington
Finance, music
Board member since 2006

Elizabeth Ottinger, Secretary

"Elizabeth’s passion for VSA Arts of Vermont stems from her deep interest and love of the arts, combined with a desire to make arts programs accessible to all Vermonters."

Burlington
Marketing, organizational development
Board member since 2007

Elizabeth Ottinger is a communications professional with more than 20 years experience in nonprofit public relations, fundraising and outreach. She’s worked for various organizations in Boston, Paris and San Francisco, including Earthjustice and the California HealthCare Foundation. A UVM graduate, Elizabeth recently returned to Vermont to work for Vermont Public Television as their Community Outreach Director. Over the years, Eizabeth has held various volunteer positions, working for the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, the Taylor Family Foundation and the Champlain Valley League of Women Voters. She also served as Secretary of the Board of Directors for RES (Residential and Employment Services of the East Bay), a program for adults with Autism in California.

Bess O’Brien, Board Member

"I want to be on the board because what VSA is doing is empowering people through the arts and helping them find their voice. That’s imperative to moving people forward in their lives."

Barnet
Community based performance
Board member since 2006

Bess O’Brien co-founded Kingdom County Productions with her husband Jay Craven in 1990. KCP is a non-profit arts organization that produces film and theatre, and arts education programs. O’Brien co-produced the feature films “Where the Rivers Flow North” starring Rip Torn, Tantoo Cardinal and Michael J. Fox, and “A Stranger in the Kingdom” starring Ernie Hudson and Martin Sheen. O’Brien has also produced and directed a number of documentary films including “Journey into Courage” about women in the Northern part of Vermont who survived domestic violence and sexual abuse, “Where is Stephanie” about the murder of a young girl in Rutland, VT, and “Here today” about Vermont families struggling with heroin in their lives. O’Brien has won many festival awards for her documentaries and toured her films extensively throughout Vermont and New England. O’Brien has also been the producer/director of KCP’s Fledgling Films, Theatre Program, a three week intensive camp for teens from across the country to learn about film and theatre. O’Brien is the producer/director of the acclaimed Voices Project, a three year state-wide initiative working with teens from across Vermont to create an original theatre production with music based on their stories. The live production toured Vermont in the fall of 2005 to eleven towns garnering rave reviews and raising consciousness about teen lives. O’Brien is also the director/producer of the feature film Shout it Out based on the original Voices Project live musical.

Steven L. Mason, Board Member

Lowell
Organizational development, disability advocacy
Board member since 2007

Steve Mason is the Vice President of Northeast Kingdom Tamarack, Inc. and its subsidiary /d/b/a/ NEKTI Consulting. In that capacity, Steve contributes an extensive background of executive and special project leadership, business development and human resource management; he brings research, writing skills and technical support to company projects. He has over 30 years experience in international relations, special education, legal research, non-profit management, sports training and management, human resources, corporate communications and development and non-profit governance. Currently, Steve works closely with a broad range of business and community leaders in the Northeast Kingdom and beyond. As a volunteer, Steve shares his expertise and skills as a board member with a select group of local and statewide organizations that include Orleans County Citizens Advocacy, Goodrich Memorial Library in Newport and VSA Arts of Vermont. He serves as Chair of the School Board for the Lowell Graded School, is a member of the Orleans Essex North Supervisory Union Board and is Regional President of the Vermont School Board Association. Steve grew up in Newport and received his Bachelor's degree from St. Michael's College. He received his Master's degree and completed his doctoral coursework in International Relations from The Catholic University of America in Washington, DC. After 30 years in the Washington, DC area, in 2004 Steve returned to his beloved Northeast Kingdom. To contact Steve, please email him at steve@kingdomcommons.com or call him at 802-744-6600.

Andy Perkins, Board Member

Hinesburg
Communications
Board member since 2008

Ray Murphy, Board Member

Charlotte
Board member since 2008

Robert Stock, Board Member

Shelburne
Board member since 2009

“VSA Arts makes a difference. I want to help make that difference.”

Bob Stock is FairPoint Communications Director of Business Sales. He has provided leadership in the delivery of communications and information systems technology in Vermont for over 20 years. Bob was the General Sales Manager-Major Markets for AT&T Information Systems and AT&T Communications for Northern New England. In that capacity, he managed over $70 million in annual revenues and over 40 technology professionals. Prior to this assignment he also held several management positions in both line sales and staff marketing for AT&T. Subsequent to his career with AT&T, he was a management consultant for over 7 years with a specialty in helping both large and small companies significantly improve their sales and marketing results. He has many professional and community affiliations. He is a graduate of Boston University and resides in Shelburne, Vermont.

Joan White, Board Member

Shelburne
Board member since 2009

“My non-profit of choice? VSA Arts of Vermont. Check it out!”

Joan White comes to the board with a career’s experience in development, board and organizational development. She is currently the Development Director for the Vermont Folklife Center and has served on the board of the Campaign to End Childhood Hunger and the Shelburne Zen Center, as well as serving for years as the Development Director for Spectrum Youth Services.