Staff & Board
Helen Day Art Center Staff
Education Manager
Stephanie has been teaching and volunteering at the Art Center for the past 7 years. Having moved to Stowe 10 years ago, Stephanie brings over 20 years of working in art education to the Art Center. She received her MFA in Wood Design from East Carolina University and worked for 9 years developing and teaching primary school art curriculums, wood shop programs for all ages, and after school classes for the independent Lowell School in Washington, DC. As the Education Manager of the Art Center, Stephanie continues her commitment to progressive art education by developing a varied and rigorous art curriculum and growing the collaboration of art programs with the community of Stowe and beyond. In her spare time, Stephanie continues to create gallery furniture pieces and hone her skills in a variety of media.
Rachel Moore
Executive Director & Director of Exhibtions
Moore has been with the Art Center since 2010, first as Independent Curator, then as Assistant Director & Executive Curator (2011-2016) before taking her current position. In addition to this, Moore is an artist and independent curator. She received her MFA from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago and received her BFA from Alfred University. She is a co-founder of Spoke, an exhibition and event space in Chicago (2008-2011), and was a Fulbright Fellow in Greece (2009-2010). Moore has presented internationally on the topics of art as a catalyst for change, public art, curatorial practice, and on her own artistic practice. Her curatorial projects have been exhibited in museums, galleries, and public places nationally and internationally including: Macedonian Museum of Contemporary Art in Thessaloniki, Greece; The Garfield Park Conservatory, Chicago, IL; Helen Day Art Center, Stowe, VT; Town of Stowe, VT; City of Chicago, IL; Spoke, Chicago, IL; DYNAMO Project Space, Thessaloniki, Greece; among others. She served as a Trustee for River Arts Center in Morrisville, VT, and is currently Chair of Stowe Arts and Culture Council.
Alexa Sherrill
Gallery Education & Exhibitions Manager
Alexa began teaching at the Art Center in the fall of 2016, with a weekly commute between Boston and Stowe. The experience of working at Helen Day was so inspiring that Alexa made a permanent move to Stowe in 2017. With a passion for education and lifelong learning opportunities in the arts and literacy, she has taught for over twenty years in both the U.S. and her native home of Bermuda. Alexa is dedicated to creating and sustaining meaningful partnerships between schools and arts organizations, and is excited about the new initiatives at the Art Center. As a photographer and collage artist, Alexa has also had opportunities to share her skills in both the classroom & as a volunteer in museums, hospitals, and on advisory committees. Her own works of art have been part of a solo exhibition at The Bermuda Society of Arts, where pieces continue to be for sale. She holds a BA in art history & english literature, and a M.Ed from Lesley University.
Graphic Designer
Katie joined the Art Center in the winter of 2020 and brings 20 years of communication design experience with her. She served as designer and art director for Haggman Advertising in Massachusetts from 2001-2019 while also creating branding and design collateral for other Vermont non-profit organizations. Katie received her BFA from Mississippi State University and is originally from Tennessee, but has lived in New England for the past 19 years and never wants to leave. She has 3 daughters –all artists in their own right, and she loves creating art with them and making giant messes on their kitchen table.
Office Administrator
Annie Sklar joined the Art Center in 2020. A native of Vermont’s Mad River Valley, Annie is an active professional musician and performs on saxophone and vocals with bands across the country. She has worked professionally in arts education as a recruiter and branding specialist for non-profit music programs like Berklee College of Music and University of Northern Colorado. After years on stage, on the move and missing Vermont, she is excited to be back and enjoying life in Stowe with her musician husband and her extra-large cats.
Board Members
Diane Arnold
Diane and her husband Dean Goodermote have enjoyed their Stowe home since 1998, moving to Stowe full time in 2010. Skiing (Diane snowboards) was the initial draw but Stowe offers so much more. Diane grew up in PA, graduated with a degree in Economics from Penn State University, and moved to Boston where she lived for 40 years. She managed a successful and entrepreneurial gift manufacturing business, responsible for sales and marketing for 15 years. Before moving permanently to Stowe, Diane spent years volunteering for the Conservation Commission in Wayland,
Ma, working closely with all town departments. Diane is interested in land management, gardening, hiking, and spends much of her time working outdoors and caring for their brood of 5 horses, 2 of which are rescues. She is also especially knowledgeable and committed to eldercare. Diane sees HDAC as a true gem for Stowe and its surrounding communities, a place of inspiration, and is happy to serve on its board.
Sophie Brechu-West
Sophie Bréchu-West is director and founder of 571 Projects, a boutique art gallery located in Stowe, VT. A deep, lifelong love of art and a desire to promote the work of significant emerging artists drives Brechu-West’s curatorial and consulting practice. She received a BA in Art History from The College of William and Mary (cum laude) and an MPhil from Christie’s Education, London (with Distinction, accredited through the University of Glasgow). “I am constantly inspired by the creative journeys of the artists that I have the privilege and responsibility of working with. My own journey
as an arts professional nourishes my soul and my curiosity. I am passionate about the arts, and the visual arts in particular. As a Vermonter, I derive a deep sense of peace and inspiration from the beauty of the natural landscapes that surround us."
Kristy Carlson
Kristy grew up skiing in the “mountains” of western NY. She always dreamed of living in a ski town. She earned a BS in psychology at St. Lawrence University which led her to a sales career in Boston where she lived for 12 years. Her love of the mountains and her husband’s Vermont roots brought them to Stowe in 2013. Her 3 bosses (age 10,7 and 4) keep her very busy but in her free time she loves to ski and travel. Despite having zero artistic ability, Kristy appreciates art and the opportunities that Helen Day Art Center brings to Stowe and the greater community and loves promoting and
encouraging involvement in the center.
Rebecca Chase
Rebecca Chase was raised in Norwich, Vermont and graduated from UVM with a B.A. in European Studies and a minor in Studio Art. Post-graduation, Rebecca moved to Paris to pursue her dream of living abroad. After a short career in fashion, Rebecca embraced a new profession: that of Event Planner. After eight years in Paris, she returned stateside and settled in the Big Apple. There, she enjoyed an exciting career as an Event Planner, and went on to organize events based in Manhattan, across the United States and abroad. Love and marriage brought Rebecca back to Vermont,
and to Stowe, where she is now a crazy chicken lady. As a board member, she hopes to use her skill-set as a Planner to help further the mission of the HDAC, and help to establish a permanent endowment that will allow the HDAC to make the arts accessible to all.
Gunnel Clarke
Gunnel Eriksson Clarke was born in Leksand, Sweden and lived in Sweden, France, and Tanzania for more than 25 years. She moved to NYC and Florida in the late 1980's and for the past 20 years has lived in Stowe, NYC, and West Palm Beach, Florida. Her work has afforded her the opportunity to travel extensively. Gunnel founded Eriksson Fine Art in the spring of 2010 to serve collectors of 19th and early 20th c.fine paintings as well as period and contemporary prints, sculptures and photographs. Prior to founding Eriksson Fine Art, Gunnel was principal partner of Clarke Galleries, which
she co-founded in 1989. She helped establish and manage the company's galleries in Stowe, NYC, and West Palm Beach, FL until January 2010. The network of artists and clients she developed in that role and the trust she established with them provides value to a range of collectors and galleries. Gunnel is widely respected for the commitment to excellence she brings to her work in order to make the art collector's experience rewarding and enjoyable. Gunnel welcomes the opportunity to bring the same experience in the art world to serving on the board.
Christopher Doyle
Christopher Doyle Chris and his wife, Laurie Fogelson have been coming to Stowe every weekend since 2003 when Chris retired from his medical practice in Boston. They have two grown children who don't visit often enough. Chris has worked at Harvard Community Health Plan where he was the Chief of Urology for many years. Prior to his medical career Chris taught high school and served as an Assistant Headmaster and a Trustee of his school. Both Chris and Laurie are delighted to make Stowe their focus for the future. Chris welcomes the opportunity to serve on the Board of Trustees.
Kim Dreslin
Kim Dreslin Kim is a currently an anesthesiologist at the University of Vermont Medical Center where she is responsible for putting patients at ease prior to surgery, and making sure they wake up too. Kim, her physician-husband Andrew and 3 daughters enthusiastically moved to Stowe in 2015. Having grown up in the bucolic small town of Andalusia, Alabama where you never meet a stranger, Kim has always been passionate about nature, animals and art. When not at the hospital with patients, Kim and her family enjoy playing tennis, cycling and creating culinary adventures. Kim is
shedding her ’southerner-on-skis' roots and actively becoming a skiing enthusiast through her daughters and her husband, who grew up skiing Mount Mansfield. Kim is grateful to be a part of the Stowe community and looks forward to ways she can support and celebrate Stowe’s artistic community.
Brian Hamor
Brian Hamor is a civically engaged designer living and practicing architecture in Stowe. Raised by a theater director / arts leader and an engineer / craftsman father, the related passions of design and culture have defined Hamor's path. He is passionate about the outdoors and has a strong sense of place & connection in Northern Vermont. His eponymous architecture firm focuses on design solutions that enhance the way people live.
Maiya Keck
With an artist education (Rhode Island School of Design BFA in painting ’92), Maiya worked in Arts Administration for the Donald Judd Estate in Marfa, Texas. After leaving to devote time to painting and becoming a mother of two sons, she opened Maiya’s restaurant as the executive chef for 15 years in which time she was nominated for best chef of the Southwest in 2012 & 2013 by the James Beard Foundation. Other ventures followed which include a grocery store, The Get Go, a well curated independent store in Marfa, Texas. Currently Maiya lives with her husband whose
roots in Montreal and Vermont brought her to the area. She splits her time in Stowe, Vermont; Marfa, Texas; and Brooklyn, New York. She currently has a painting studio in Waterbury, VT.
Diane Looney
Diane Looney moved to Stowe in 2013 after spending 14 years living abroad in Hong Kong and London, where she worked as an interior designer. After earning a degree in art history, she worked at the Museum of African Art in Washington, D.C., and was a researcher and cataloguer at the Art Museum of The Chinese University in Hong Kong, organizing the Museum's ceramics collection. Additionally, she worked at Christie's Auction House in sales in the Chinese ceramic department. In addition to art, Diane's interests include historic preservation, land conservation, and
recreational sports including tennis, hiking, cross country skiing, and yoga. She currently serves on the board of Landmarks West, a historic preservation group in New York City, and has been active on fundraising committees for the Central Park Conservancy, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, and Sheriffs Meadow Foundation, a land trust in Massachusetts. Diane is married with three grown sons, who all learned to ski in Stowe, and four cherished grandchildren.
Lisa Macalaster
Lisa is a natural “connector” in both work and play. She absolutely loves bringing people together! As a young mother living in Wellesley, MA, she created the Wellesley Mothers Forum. Then when she and her husband Spencer moved to Boston as empty-nesters, she created the Beacon Hill Womens Forum. During the day Lisa connects people with new homes as a real estate agent and at night she brings them together on the dance floor as the singer in The Walkin’ Blues Band or over romantic dinners with her Beacon Hill Jazz Quartet. Now as a Stowe resident Lisa is bringing her creative energy to the community through the HDAC.
Courtney Percy
Courtney is a ninth generation Vermonter and her love of science and nature guided her through degrees in Marine & Freshwater Biology as well as Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology. She has worked in biotechnology research for the last 20 years and currently works for Adimab LLC in Lebanon, NH as an antibody engineer. She has always felt a strong connection between science and art. Stunning photographs of microscopic cell structures, diagrams of complex biological systems and recognizing the golden ratio displayed in natural phenomena are all examples she believes inextricably tie two worlds together.
The combination of science and art has helped her understand and communicate ideas within her work and as a teacher in the laboratory and classroom. She dabbles in photography, fiber art, and linocuts. She is a field guide fanatic and loves to identify anything living in the fields, forests, waters or skies. She moved to Stowe in 2016 after marrying her husband, Ryan and they have two lovely daughters, Lydia and Louisa. Her family loves spending the day skiing or riding on the mountain or taking care of the many cows on the farm. Living on a dairy farm, helping to support the agriculture that preserves Stowe's gorgeous landscape and raising children back in her home state is a dream come true.
Greg Popa
Greg Popa is publisher of the Vermont Community Newspaper Group, a group of six weekly newspapers, including The Stowe Reporter, Waterbury Record, News & Citizen in Morrisville, The Other Paper of South Burlington, The Citizen of Charlotte and Hinesburg, and Shelburne News. He also publishes and edits the Stowe Guide & Magazine. Born and raised in Ohio, Greg moved to the Northeast after graduation from the University of Akron, first settling on Mount Desert Island, where he spent summers, and later migrated west to Vermont. He's worked off and on for the
newspaper company since 1986, holding just about every job at the community journalism level, from paperboy to publisher. Greg, who lives on a small farm in Bakersfield with two dogs, a cat and some elderly chickens, appreciates the combination of quiet at home and the bustle of Stowe.
Edee Simon-Israel
Edee, her husband Mark, and their family first began making Stowe a
regular part of their lives 25 years ago, with a visit during the summer
when they were living in Boston. That led to summer rentals, then the
purchase of their home in Stowe, and spending more time in town. Fast
forward to 2021…. Edee is based in London, Mark is spending most of
his time in Shanghai and their son and daughter live in Israel and and
Costa Rica, respectively.
But Stowe remains the touchstone of their lives and where the family comes together. Art, in particular
contemporary visual arts, became an important part of Edee’s life when she lived in Shanghai (“as an expat who did not speak the language, art became my ‘way in’ to the contemporary culture of the country”) and
has continued in London where she currently curates contemporary art programming for two expat organizations, and has made museums and galleries an integral part of her day-to-day life there. A graduate of New York University and the Harvard Business School, her past professional endeavors centered on marketing in the real estate, finance and apparel sectors. At present, her focus is on contemporary art, craft and design, in addition to her interests in yoga, travel and cooking. Edee hopes to bring her marketing skills and her experience planning art events to HDAC to bring art to even more Stowe residents and
visitors!
Molly Triffin
Molly Triffin is a freelancer who currently lives in Stowe with her husband. Between snowshoes alongside her dog and children, she writes for magazines and websites about everything from women's lifestyle topics to parenting to careers. But she didn't always live in fleece jackets and Sorels. Before her move, she was based in NY, where she served as the features director at Cosmopolitan. In addition to writing and editing for the magazine, she oversaw special projects and events, including Cosmo's campaign against sexual assault on college campuses and the
award-winning Practice Safe Sun campaign, and authored two books. She graduated magna cum laude from Georgetown University with a double major in English and French, and later attended the Columbia Publishing Course. Although prose is the fulcrum of Molly's artistic fervor, she also has a life-long love for the visual realm: Her parents own a furniture store in her hometown of New Haven, CT, part of which is a gallery featuring local artists that Molly helps out with. She also volunteered for the nonprofit "Free Arts NYC," which delivers art programs for inner city kids.
Catherine Turner
Cathy and her husband, John, moved from the North Shore in Massachusetts to Stowe in 2005. They relocated here with their three daughters, to offer an outdoor life to the girls. The girls flourished in the Stowe community attended classes at HDAC such as the fashion camp which taught them the art of fashion and how to sew. Their art was displayed a number of times in the annual art show for students in the spring at HDAC. Cathy most recently was the VP of Finance for Destination Stowe Management for 10 years and managed the Lodge at Spruce Peak, The Club at
Spruce Peak and Stowe Country Club. Cathy is a native Vermonter and loves hiking, gardening and outdoor living. Cathy appreciates the educational programs HDAC offers the community and looks forward to stretching the right side of her brain while using her strength on left side to assist HDAC in their future growth.
Jill Zborovancik
Jill Zborovancik recently moved to Stowe to open the Von Bargens artisanal jewelry location. Her degree from Penn State was focused on ceramics and art history. Since leaving State College, her path has always returned to art - making art, buying art, selling art, and connecting artists with clients. In addition to forays into jewelry making herself, she has an active graphic design practice. When these pursuits afford her free time, she spends it working with ceramics, cooking, skiing, traveling and enjoying live music.
Emerita/us
Johanna Darrow
Johanna joined the Helen Day Board of Trustees in 1984 and has served the art center in numerous capacities since then - from Membership Chair to Administrative Assistant to Executive Director. In addition to countless volunteer and staff work, for 25 years Johanna planned and led the Bus Tours offered by Helen Day Art Center to regional museum and arts destinations. Johanna has also served on various other boards locally -- the Stowe Woman's Club, United Way of Lamoille County, Copley Hospital Foundation and Friends of the Stowe Free Library, to name a few. She received the Helen Day Arts Center Art Award, and, together with her husband, Lee, she was awarded the Cliff Thompson Public Service Award, an honor given to those who have unselfishly worked to contribute to the quality of life in the Town of Stowe.
Ted Lockwood (Trustee Emeritus 2013 - 2019)
Ted who retired to Stowe with his wife in 1998, was an educator his entire career. He served as President of Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut and was the Founding President of the United World College in New Mexico – one of 10 United World Colleges worldwide. Ted previously served on the Helen Day Board for 2 terms, during which he served on the Executive Committee, on the 25th Anniversary Committee, and as Chair of the Development Committee. Ted was invited back by the Trustees to serve for an additional year as a non-voting Ex Officio Trustee. "I have been interested in art and dabble in painting myself. Clearly, the Helen Day Art Center is a worthy effort in Stowe."
Ginny Neel
Ginny has been involved with the Art Center almost since its founding in 1981. An early strong voice for artistic integrity and high standards with an appetite for creative risk-taking, Ginny has been a spiritual leader as the organization has matured and developed our identity as a contemporary outpost in the heart of Vermont. Ginny and Hartley Neel have demonstrated their support for both exhibitions and educational programming year after year, responding in times of need and bringing other culture seekers to the Center.
Annie Strobel
Annie discovered the Helen Day Art Center in 1986 when she first moved to Stowe and became involved with the Visual Arts Committee. She has also given her time to the building committee and the film society and she has worked on the installation of most of the exhibitions through 2009. Annie now serves as a Trustee Emerita, a distinguished role in recognition of her exceptional commitment, involvement, and generosity to the Helen Day over many years.