People In The News
National Volunteer Week celebrates ordinary people doing extraordinary things to improve communities across the nation. This one week highlights the enormous contributions that volunteers make every day. The volunteers at North Country Hospital are anything but ordinary! They show up rain or shine and work tirelessly to serve the patients and visitors in a multitude of different jobs.
Vermont State College Chancellor, Tim Donovan, made a surprise announcement during Lyndon State College’s Regional Business and Education Summit on April 18 when he unveiled a multi-phase program committed to creating a new workforce education system in the Northeast Kingdom intended to become a model for the rest of the state.
Thomas (Toby) J. Hirchak, III and Tyler B. Hirchak, vice presidents of Thomas Hirchak Company, recently completed their second year of courses at the prestigious Certified Auctioneers Institute (CAI) located at Indiana University in Bloomington, Ind. The CAI program is the industry’s premier training program developed by the National Auctioneers Association (NAA) for auction professionals.
Martha Maksym, Executive Director of United Way of Chittenden County has announced that Bobbe Maynes, the organization’s Communications Director is retiring after joining UWCC seven years ago at the very beginning of the transformation to become a community impact United Way. In addition to her communications role, Maynes served as the Director of Development for four of the seven years, leading the resource development staff and volunteers.
Lyman Orton, Orton Family Foundation founder and Board Chair, announced that David Leckey has joined the Foundation as Executive Director. Leckey will help bring the organization’s signature Heart & Soul Community Planning program and other initiatives to wider prominence and use.
Marc Truedson’s commitment to serve the country as a specialist in the Vermont National Guard means time away from work as a health care assistant at Gifford Medical Center. Truedson’s employer supports his time away, filling shifts so that he can serve.
Recently Truedson discovered a way to thank Gifford and his senior manager, Vice President of Surgery Rebecca O’Berry, for that support. He nominated O’Berry for a Patriot Award through the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR).Charlie Baker, Executive Director of the Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission and a resident of South Burlington, has been elected to the Housing Vermont Board of Directors.
“Charlie’s recent experience directing the ECOS plan for managing sustainable growth in Chittenden County combined with his public policy and community development skills will complement the talents of the other Board members,” said Board Chair Janet Spitler. “Both the Board and staff look forward to working with him.”
Dan Petterson, director of financial examinations for the Vermont Department of Financial Regulation’s Captive Insurance Division, has earned the distinction of Senior Professional in Insurance Regulation from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners based in Kansas City, Mo.
At the April meeting of the Board of Directors of United Way of Chittenden County, Charlotte Ancel, an attorney with the Burlington law firm Sheehey Furlong & Behm P.C. was elected President of the Board for a two year term. With a practice focusing primarily in public utility and telecommunications law, Ancel graduated first in her class from the University of New Hampshire Law School in 2007. During law school, she served as Editor-in-Chief of the Law Review and clerked for the Honorable James E. Duggan, Associate Justice of the New Hampshire Supreme Court. Ms.
Patent Attorney Kevin C. McGrath and patent specialist Andrew Millikin have joined the Intellectual Property practice at the northern New England law firm Downs Rachlin Martin PLLC. McGrath and Millikin will work from the firm’s Burlington office.
