VSAC newsline

See below or click here: (Cole-Levesque bio PDF)

Virginia Cole-Levesque, a resident of Middlebury, has been a VSAC board member since 2005. Virginia is currently director of student support services at Vergennes Union High School. She is professionally certified in guidance and vocational guidance, as an English teacher, and as a principal, and has held a variety of positions in schools in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont. She has also served as an adjunct professor at Vermont Technical College and an instructor at Community College of Vermont. She has been active in Rotary, the New England Association of College Admissions Counselors, and the school counselors’ associations at the national and state levels. She holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees and a doctorate in psychological education from the University of Massachusetts.

See below or click here: (Coates bio PDF)

David Coates, a lifelong resident of Colchester, was appointed to the VSAC board in 2008. He retired in 1993 as managing partner of the Burlington office of the accounting firm KPMG. In addition to his many years in accounting, David served as interim CEO of several Vermont banks and of the New England Culinary Institute. David has been tapped by the last four governors, including current Gov. Jim Douglas, as a member of the Governor’s Council of Economic Advisors. He is also a member of the Vermont Municipal Bond Bank, which he serves as treasurer, the state’s Capital Debt Affordability Advisory Committee, and the Vermont Institute on Government Effectiveness. He has been active within his community in schools, libraries, conservation, and recreation and at the statewide level through service on boards in the fields of insurance, electric power, health care, finance, higher education, business, government, and the arts. David is particularly proud of his role as co-chair of the Champlain Initiative and the role it has played in the Champlain Valley’s quality of life. David has received countless awards for his service as a distinguished citizen and contributor to the fields of economic development, accounting, and public service. He is a U.S. Army veteran and graduate of Champlain College.

See below or click here: (Chisholm bio PDF)

Pam Chisholm, a resident of Duxbury and member of the VSAC board since 2003, has been director of financial aid for the Community College of Vermont since 2002. She held the same post at Trinity College of Vermont from 1989 to 1996. Pam worked at VSAC before and after her service at Trinity, first as a grant counselor and assistant director of the grant program and later as an assistant director in the loan program. She has been active as a leader, presenter, and trainer in the New England region of the College Board and at the state, regional, and national levels of the Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators. She is currently treasurer of the Vermont Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators and co-chair of its annual summer conference. Pam has a bachelor’s degree from Bowdoin College and a master’s degree from the University of Vermont.

See below or click here: (Larsen bio PDF)

A resident of Wilmington, Dave Larsen has been a member of the VSAC board since 2003. He is well-known in Vermont for his service as a teacher and legislator. From 1972 to 2005, Dave taught social studies at Wilmington Middle/High School, twice earning the University of Vermont’s outstanding teacher designation. From 1987 to 1997, Dave also served in the Vermont House of Representatives. He was a member of the Appropriations Committee for two years and the Education Committee for eight years, including four as vice chair and two as chair. He served as a trustee of the University of Vermont from 1991 to 1997, and has been active on various local government and education-related boards and committees. Dave was Vermont’s interim commissioner of education for seven months in 2003, after having served on the Vermont State Board of Education for four years, including two as chair. He is currently a trustee of the Governor’s Institutes of Vermont. Dave and his wife, Kathy, both retired from public education, work as teacher training consultants. Dave holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Vermont.

Martha Heath, a resident of Westford, joined the VSAC board in 1997. She has been a member of the Vermont House of Representatives since 1993, and currently serves as chair of the House Appropriations Committee. She was a high school math teacher from 1969 to 1976 and volunteered as an algebra teacher at the Westford School for 10 years. She has been a member of the Westford School Board for 24 years, serving as chair for all but two of those years. In addition to being on the VSAC board, Martha was a trustee of the University of Vermont from 1997 to 2009. She has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Vermont.