BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Kathleen Fisher, chair, had a four-decade career in the financial services industry. In 2020, she retired from AllianceBernstein as National Managing Director and Head of Wealth and Investment Strategies for Bernstein Private Wealth Management. In this role, she led the team responsible for developing asset allocation and investment strategies for high net worth individuals as well as for endowments and foundations, and was a frequent commentator regarding market trends on Bloomberg and CNBC. Before joining Bernstein in 2001, Kathy spent 15 years at JPMorgan as a Managing Director advising banks and investment management firms on acquisitions, divestitures and financing techniques. Earlier in her career, she was an equity analyst at Morgan Stanley, covering bank stocks, and an economic research analyst at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
Kathy graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Bates College with a BA in Economics, magna cum laude, and earned an MBA in Finance from NYU Stern School of Business. She is a former trustee of Hildene, The Lincoln Family Home; Bates College; the Aloha Foundation; and the Brooklyn Bureau of Community Service. Kathy and her family have had a home in southern Vermont since 1986.

Stephen Kelly, vice chair, works as the Chief Financial Officer for The Boma Project, a 106-employee international non-profit headquartered in Manchester, VT working to relieve poverty in East Africa. In the past, he served as Chief Financial Officer for Meals on Wheels of Rockland and as president of Heron’s Ghyll Builders, a custom home builder, both in New York State. He lives in Andover, VT. 

Dimitri Garder, secretary, is co-founder and CEO of Global-Z International, a data management company serving global brands for the past 30 years.  In his work, he has developed and implemented complex global data quality assessment and improvement solutions for many Global-Z clients, ranging from small companies to Fortune 100s.  His 30 years of experience with complex global data makes him one of the leading experts in the data management industry.  His approach to data quality is pragmatic, statistically focused, and metrics driven.  He believes in solving complex problems through simple, clear, analytical thinking. 
Dimitri is active in community development in Southwestern Vermont.  He is co-founder and a director of The Lightning Jar, a co-working space and business incubator located in Bennington.  He founded The Bennington Idea Fund, a micro-grant fund focused on economic advancement and poverty alleviation projects.  His board positions include Bennington County Industrial Corporation, Bennington Area Chamber of Commerce, Bennington County School and Workforce Council, and the Vermont Business Roundtable. He is also an investor in the Bennington Redevelopment Group, a team of local investors who are revitalizing the downtown Bennington economy. Dimitri holds a bachelor of arts in Music Theory from the University of Vermont, and an MBA from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

Brian Barefoot’s background includes education management, financial management, investment banking, and investment management. He currently serves on the Investment Committee of Blue Cross, Blue Shield of Massachusetts; as vice chair of the Cleveland Clinic Indian River Foundation in Vero Beach, FL; and as a trustee of Burr and Burton Academy. He is a former president of the Board of Governors of Ekwanok Country Club. Brian and his wife Pam divide time between Dorset, VT; Vero Beach, FL; and Boston, MA. Brian's full list of experience can be reviewed on his LinkedIn profile.

Michael Brady, DDS, is a dentist specializing in children’s dentistry. He has more than 30 years’ experience in dental medicine and is a leader in the community and his profession. Dr. Brady is an Examiner for the Northeast Regional Board of Dental Examiners. Dr. Brady has volunteered numerous hours on the boards of organizations including the Bennington United Way, Bennington Home Health, and the Sacred Heart St. Francis Parish Council. Dr. Brady has held senior leadership positions in the Vermont State Dental Society, the Vermont Board of Dental Examiners, and the Vermont Delta Dental Insurance Company. He is the recipient of the 2003 Distinguished Service Award of the Vermont Dental Society for Molly Stark Children’s Dentistry. Dr. Brady received his Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS.) from Villanova University and his Bachelor’s degree from Columbia University.  

Carol Conroy, DNP, RN, CENP, is a consultant at Healthcare Excellence Unlimited in Arlington, VT, a company she founded in 2017. She worked at SVHC as vice president for operations and chief nursing officer for 8 years. During her tenure, she led the nursing team to the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) Magnet Recognition^® twice and their acknowledgement as an ANCC Magnet Prize^™ recipient in 2017.

Previously, Conroy served in nursing leadership roles at Caritas Christie Healthcare, Nashoba Valley Medical Center, and Boston Medical Center, all in Massachusetts. She received her bachelor of science in Nursing from Cornell University School of Nursing in New York, her master of science in Nursing Administration and master of business administration (MBA) from Anna Maria College in Massachusetts, and her doctor of nursing practice from Regis College in Massachusetts. In addition to SVHC, she serves on the regional board of the Organization of Nurse Leaders. She serves as a Magnet^® appraiser for the ANCC, surveying applicant organizations around the country for Magnet^® designation.

Thomas A. Dee joined Southwestern Vermont Health Care as its chief executive officer in 2009. Since then, he has led SVHC to several national and regional recognitions, including as a five-time Magnet for Nursing Excellence designee, a Joint Commission Top Performer on Key Quality Measures, one of Vermont Magazine’s Best Places to Work, and one of the “Top 150 Places to Work in Health Care” as noted by Becker’s Hospital Review. Among the notable projects of the past three years, Tom has worked with his team to expand the health system’s partnership with Dartmouth Health, increase access to primary care, improve patient safety and experience, enhance employee engagement, and maintain a strong financial operation. Before SVHC, Tom worked for Health Alliance in Kingston, NY, an integrated health system of three hospitals. Tom was president and chief executive officer of the 222-bed Benedictine Hospital for more than 17 years. He has a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and a master's in Healthcare Administration, both from Xavier University in Ohio.

Wayne Granquist is graduate of Tufts University and Harvard Law School. His career in government included posts as Chief of Staff to U.S. Senator Abraham Ribicoff (1964 – 1969) and as Associate Director of the US Office of Management and Budget in the Carter White House (1977 – 1981). His business experience includes positions as a Vice President of the Connecticut Bank and Trust Company, President of the Fairfield County National Bank of Connecticut, co-owner and President of the Stratton Mountain Resort in Vermont, and partner and managing director at Manchester Capital Management, from which he retired in 1996. He is currently a consultant to non-profit organizations on strategic planning, governance, and management-board relations, and was named by the Governor to chair the Southern Vermont Economic Development Zone Committee in 2015. Granquist serves on the Board of Directors of Vermont Public Radio and is a Trustee and Chair Emeritus of the Weston Playhouse Theatre Company, where he leads the company’s current $13.5 million capital campaign. He was a Trustee of the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center from 2000 – 2012, and chaired that Board from 2007 – 2012. He and his wife Deborah live in Weston, VT, where he is Town Moderator.

Thomas H. Green III retired from Citigroup Global Markets, Inc. October 2020 after serving as Managing Director and Head, Infrastructure Finance, in Citi’s Public Finance Department for over a decade. In all, Green worked for 22 years at Citigroup in investment banking roles where he had several notable transactions as the lead banker. Additionally, he was the First Assistant Attorney General of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts from 1992 to 1998. Earlier in his career, he was a Head Teaching Fellow at Harvard University and a budget analyst for the Massachusetts Senate's Committee on Ways and Means. Green is a board member of MassINC, publisher of Commonwealth magazine; a board member of SOMA Biologics; and a former board member of the Massachusetts Health and Education Tax-Exempt Trust, and of the Crime and Justice Foundation.

Kristyn D. Harrington, LICSW, LADC, is the owner of KDH Counseling PLLC, which provides mental health and substance abuse evaluations and treatment. For nearly 20 years, she worked in various positions within the Mount Anthony Union School District in Bennington, including as a school-based clinician, a clinical coordinator, and the assistant principal. In addition, she was a school board member for 5 years, serving both Union District #23 and the Bennington-Rutland Supervisory Union. She received her bachelor’s degree in sociology from Ithaca College in New York, her master’s in social work from the University of Maryland at Baltimore, and a master’s in education leadership from Castleton State College in Vermont.

Connie A. Jastremski, RN, MS, MBA, ANP-C, FCCM, has nearly five decades of nursing experience. She received her diploma from Presbyterian-University Hospital School of Nursing in Pittsburgh in 1969, her bachelor's in Nursing from University of Maryland School of Nursing in 1980, her master's in Nursing from University of Maryland School of Graduate Studies in 1982, and a post-master’s certificate for Adult Nurse Practitioner from the College of Nursing, SUNY Health Science Center in Syracuse, NY, in 1998. Her special certifications include those in neurosurgical nursing, nursing administration, and hospice and palliative care. In addition, she holds a master's in Business Administration from Syracuse University. From 2003 until 2014, Jastremski worked in various nursing administration positions, including as the chief nursing officer and vice president for Patient Care Services, for Bassett Healthcare Network, Cooperstown, NY. During her last year at Bassett she also worked as a Nurse Practitioner on the Pain and Palliative Care Service until her retirement in 2015. In addition to consulting work, she has also held academic teaching positions within the State University of New York system, including SUNY IT, College of Nursing in Utica and the SUNY Health Science Center at Syracuse, College of Nursing. She has published nearly 100 research papers in peer-reviewed journals and has served on the editorial boards of journals including Critical Care Medicine, the Journal of Trauma Nursing, Prehospital and Disaster Medicine, and others.

George C. Keady, (retired) Managing Director at UBS Wealth Management, holds a BA in Business Administration from Saint Michael's College. He currently serves on St. Michael's College's Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees; is a member and former chair of the Board of Trustees at Bay Path University; and former trustee of the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts. George and his wife maintain residences in Massachusetts and Dorset, Vermont.

Angeline M. Marano has more than thirty years of healthcare executive management experience. She began her career as a hospital executive with Humana in South Florida, Michael Reese Hospital in Chicago, and Methodist Hospital in San Antonio. She also worked for the University Hospitals of Cleveland, a major academic institution and primary teaching affiliate for Case Western Reserve University. She later served as the chief operating officer (COO) of University of Vermont Medical Center and returned to South Florida as the COO for the Memorial Healthcare System. Additionally, she worked for Williams College as the director of Health Services. Marano joined Southwestern Vermont Health Care (SVHC) as its vice president of Ambulatory and Continuing Care Services in 2017 and retired in 2019.

Keith Michl, MD, is an internal medicine physician in private practice in Manchester, VT, and a member of the Department of Medicine at Southwestern Vermont Medical Center. He is an affiliate of MDVIP, a network of physicians providing personalized primary care medical and wellness services. He attended Middlebury College in Vermont and University of Cincinnati College of Medicine in Ohio. He completed his residency at George Washington University in Washington, DC, and is certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine. Dr. Michl is particularly interested in geriatric medicine and aging management, preventive cardiology, nutrition and weight management issues, and integrative health.

Christine Miles has lived in Manchester, Vermont for almost 30 years. She completed undergraduate and graduate studies at the University of New Hampshire and after graduation taught French in the Williamstown school district. After the birth of her first son, Ms. Miles stopped teaching and focused on her family business and participating in local non-profits. She created and fundraised for the Manchester Elementary School’s language program. Has sat on the Board of Burr & Burton Academy and The Mark Skinner Library. And, Ms. Miles ran the capital campaign to build the Manchester Community Library. She and her husband Joe have three children.

Brian O’Grady has more than 20 years of health insurance leadership experience and serves as executive vice president of commercial and Medicare business and chief marketing officer for Capital District Physicians’ Health Plan, Inc. (CDPHP®). He is responsible for initiating, developing and successfully executing CDPHP’s overall marketing and sales objectives and is accountable for the business performance of the commercial and Medicare business segments. He joined CDPHP in March 2014. Prior to joining CDPHP, O’Grady held various leadership positions at HealthNow New York, Inc., known as BlueShield of Northeastern New York, where he worked for 15 years from 1995 to 2006 and again from 2010 to 2014. Most recently he served as vice president of commercial group accounts. From 2006 to 2010, he was regional vice president of sales for Anthem BlueCross and BlueShield of New Hampshire. O’Grady earned an MBA in health care administration from Southern New Hampshire University, as well as a Bachelor of Science in chemistry from the State University of New York at Albany. He serves on the board of directors of the United Way of the Greater Capital Region.

Themarge Small, MD, FACOG, is an obstetrician and gynecologist at SVMC OB/GYN. She received her medical degree at the University of California Los Angeles David Geffen School of Medicine. In addition, she earned a bachelor’s in political science from the University of Vermont and a post-baccalaureate certificate in premedical studies from Mills College in California. She completed her residency in OB/GYN at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in New Hampshire. Dr. Small served as the chair of the department of OB/GYN in 2014 and 2015, as the vice president of the medical staff from 2016 to 2018, and the president of the medical staff from 2018 to 2020. In addition to her role at SVMC, she is a clinical assistant professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Dartmouth Geisel School of Medicine. Dr. Small is certified by the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology and is a fellow of the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (FACOG).

Robert Van Degna grew up in Niskayuna, NY; attended Cornell University; served in the U.S. Army; graduated from Harvard Business School; and worked for Fleet Bank, where he spent 15 years as the managing director of the company’s private equity group. Bob is an aspiring artist, working primarily as a photographer and documentarian of Turning Pages. In addition, he is a board member of the Southern Vermont Arts Center. He and his wife Mary-Anne have four children and six grandchildren.

Matthew Vernon, MD, is a radiation oncologist at the Southwestern Vermont Regional Cancer Center, and the Medical Staff President. He received his medical degree at the Medical College of Wisconsin. He completed his residency in the Department of Therapeutic Radiology at the University of Minnesota. He is certified by the American Board of Radiology.