Board of Directors & Officers/Nominations 2020 & Proposed Slate of Candidates

Three Directors are retiring after serving six years. Also Kris Merchant is stepping down to make way for Roger Nishi to return to the Board – our thanks to Kris for his contribution over the last year. Our MANY thanks to Peter MacLaren, Lori Klein and Jim Tabor. Peter MacLaren, your institutional knowledge, hard work and thoughtful leadership will be missed. (Peter will continue to serve in an ex-officio capacity on the Executive Committee for up to a year, as per the Bylaws.) One other seat currently unoccupied will also be filled. Each of the terms is 3-years.

Board members currently serving, not up for re-election
June Anderson,  Jack Sharry, Kevin Begin, Ana Dan, Mimi Buttenheim, Suzy Edwards, Diane Forester

I.  Proposed Slate of Board Members 
TJ Greenwood – Lawson’s Finest
Sean Kramer – 1824 House
Matt Lillard – Mad River Glen
Mary Tuthill – Mad River Taste Place
Roger Nishi – Waitsfield & Champlain Valley Telecom

Additional nominations from the membership must be submitted to the Executive Director (eric@madrivervalley.com) prior to the Annual Meeting with 5 signatures of members who support the nominee.

II Proposed Slate of Offficers
Your Board of Directors nominates the following officers:

Ana Dan: Chair
Vacant : Vice Chair
Roger Nishi: Secretary
Mimi Buttenheim: Treasurer

III Board Bios

Slate of Candidates Bios

TJ Greenwood – Lawson’s Finest Liquids
A graduate of the Johnson State College Resort Management Program he is currently the Operations Director of Lawson’s Finest Liquids. He came back to the MRV after taking a 10 year hiatus to work in the in the Atlantic City resort industry.
Sean Kramer – 1824 House
A native of Pittsburgh PA with a biology degree from Denison University. A former collegiate soccer coach,  Sean fell into the hospitality industry.  After 20 years in the hospitality business (as an innkeeper, chef, winemaker and vineyard manager) with stops in Jamaica, Lake Tahoe, Park City, Florida, Philadelphia and Michigan he and his wife, Farrell purchased the 1824 House Inn and Barn in Waitsfield VT, where they provide a casual luxury experience in the Mad River Valley.
Matt Lillard – Mad River Glen
Combining his Economics Degree from Cornell  with a passion for community-oriented skiing he has forged a career in the ski industry that led from Okemo, to Magic Mountain, to Eaglecrest Alaska and finally to become the General Manager at Mad River Glen.
Mary Tuthill – Mad River Taste Place
A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, she cooked professionally for 10 years in various restaurants and hotels. From there she transitioned to a corporate catering and then ran specialty programs for Whole Foods store in Connecticut and Florida . Through Whole Foods Market Mary became an American Cheese Society Certified Cheese Professional in 2014. Looking to grow her passion in the cheese industry she moved to the MRV in 2017 to open and manage the Mad River Taste Place.
Roger Nishi – Waitsfield & Champlain Valley Telecom
Roger is heavily involved with the regulatory and legislative activities of the Waitsfield & Champlain Valley Telecom, as well as in accounting. Prior to coming to Vermont, Roger was a senior manager with the telecommunications consulting group at the accounting firm of Ernst & Young. Roger holds a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from Central Washington University.

Current Board Bios

• • June Anderson
    A resident of Waitsfield, VT and originally from CT. June and her husband Wendell have been 2nd homeowners in the Mad River Valley since 1999. They moved with their family to the area full time in 2010. June owns and operates Resort Guides, which publishes the Mad River Valley 4-Season Guide plus other tourist guides and mobile apps in Stowe, the Adirondacks and in Middlebury. Together with Wendell she also owns and operates the Bundy Modern Gallery in Waitsfield.
  • Kevin Begin
    Kevin, Patti and their two children moved to the Mad River Valley in 2015 when they bought the Tucker Hill Inn, which they manage as a family business today. Prior to Tucker Hill Inn Kevin was the Divisional General Manager for Dean Foods’ Northeast region. Kevin earned a culinary arts degree from Cobleskill College before earning a BS in Business administration from Cornerstone University and an MBA at Davenport University. He has had the privilege of serving on various industry and non-profit boards throughout his career including the past chair of Feeding America West Michigan.
  • Mimi Buttenheim
    Mimi was named President of Warren-based Mad River Distillers in 2015, a craft distillery dedicated to producing the highest quality whiskeys, rums and apple brandy distributed throughout the Northeast and California. Prior to joining Mad River Distillers, she served as general manager of Vermont Spirits Distilling Co in Woodstock, Vermont and El Molino Winery in St. Helena, California. Mimi has worked in various aspects of the hospitality industry since graduating from Brown University in 2000; she also completed a degree in Baking and Pastry from the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone in Napa Valley. In her spare time, Mimi competes in three-day eventing with her horse Lestaire and enjoys gardening at home.
  • Ana Dan
    Ana and her husband Paul Weber purchased the Hyde Away Inn in Waitsfield in 2015. Then in 2019 started Sage Restaurant. Prior, Ana spent twenty years in corporate marketing functions in automotive, financial and healthcare companies. Before making their home in Vermont, they lived in the midwest, including Michigan and Ohio.
  • Diane Forester
    Diane has been a full-time resident in the Mad River Valley since 2007. She relocated with her family from Massachusetts. She is currently the Director of Sales at Sugarbush Resort overseeing group, conference, wedding and social event sales in addition to leisure/vacation sales and multiple pass products. Prior to joining Sugarbush she spent five years in the lodging industry in Stowe, VT. Diane has over 20 years’ experience in the hospitality and travel industries within the greater Boston area including The Charles Hotel, Sheraton World Headquarters and American Express.
  • Jack Sharry
    A resident of Warren, VT and Westwood, MA, Jack has been an active participant on the Mad River Valley Community Vitality Project. Jack has been a sales and marketing executive at a number of leading financial services firms, and is a principal at LifeYield LLC, a software company that enables investors to reach their retirement goals.
  • Suze Edwards
    Suze is a dog loving, outdoor junkie, artist, with a skiing addiction. She lives in Warren, VT with her husband and 3 dogs and 1 cat. She spends her free time as an adventure guide, bee keeper, and a dog rescuer when she is not skiing or busy with the seafood market she owns and operates in Waitsfield.