Board
Jim LeFevre
Chair
Jim LeFevre lives in Colchester with his wife Karen and is a management consultant for non-profit organizations. Jim worked for 32 years with Planned Parenthood-first as CEO of PPNNE for Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine and later with the national organization in New York City as interim president and chief strategic officer. Jim has a life-long love affair with theatre and Vermont Stage Company makes him an honest man.
Brendan S. Keleher
Treasurer
Brendan Keleher has over twenty-five years of experience working in local governments and private voluntary organizations in Vermont. He lives in Burlington with his wife Kathy a certified nurse midwife. He enjoys very much the Board's interaction with the Vermont Stage creative team and most of all the performances.
Brian M. Lansbury
Secretary
Brian Lansbury is Corporate Counsel at GE Healthcare (formerly IDX Systems Corporation) in South Burlington. Before going into the law, Brian studied fine arts at the University of Vermont, focusing on pottery, and received an MBA from the Yale School of Management. Brian grew up in New York City in a theater family, so theater has always been an integral part of his life. He truly believes in the power of the Vermont Stage Company’s work (and theater in general), as well as its value to the community and exceptional ability to reflect on the human condition and expand horizons. Brian lives in Burlington with his wife and two sons.
Betsy Allen-Pennbaker
Betsy spent most of her twenties in Europe, where she fell in love with theater in two languages, courtesy of cheap student tickets. She was thrilled to find Vermont Stage Company when she moved to Burlington to be with her now-husband, Andrew. Betsy has a BA in English from Williams College, an MA in German from UVM, and a second master's and a doctorate from the University of Oxford. She is also certified in Shiatsu massage. Having happily forgotten just about everything she learned in grad school, Betsy is now co-owner (with her husband) of Vermont Design Works, a web design and online marketing company, and manages apartments in Burlington and Costa Rica. She and her husband live in the Old North End with their lazy Husky and (at last count) five cats.
Brenda Bisbee
Brenda Bisbee retired to Vermont 20 years ago from the Boston area. Besides serving on the Board for Vermont Stage Company, Brenda has also served on the Boards of Vermont Rep and CATCO and she gained experience in development and fundraising on the Board of the Vermont Humanities and Vermont Women’s Fund. Brenda enjoys a blended family of six children and ten grandchildren.
Jennifer Blanchard
Ducky Donath
Susan Hong
Susan Hong, Board member since 2003, is a partner in the marketing and design firm of Stockbridge Communications, Inc. She holds a degree in English literature from Middlebury College, and her love of words and drama make her an avid supporter of VSC’s goal to make fine theater that matters. She studies modern dance and ballet, sits on the Programming Committee of the Flynn Theatre, and is an active guardian ad litem in the Chittenden Family Court.
Glenn McRae
Glenn McRae made his one and only post adolescent stage appearance in a high school production of Harvey and then disappeared, resurfacing briefly to learn lighting design with the White River Valley Players in Rochester, VT. He has never disappeared from the audience and has been a season subscriber for a number of years before joining the board of VSC in 2007. For a day job he works at The Snelling Center for Government and teaches at UVM. He is married to Hollie Shaner-McRae and together they have recently bought a house in Burlington and are looking forward to walking to future performances.
Darrilyn Peters
Vivien Schueler
Susan Walker
Susan Walker is the Associate Director of Career Services at Middlebury College. In that role, she specializes in developing internship opportunities for students in the arts and serves as liaison to the College’s arts departments. Before moving to Vermont in 1986, Susan was a corporate outplacement consultant in New York City for seven years. Susan has worked in the fields of publishing and direct marketing, and has taught English as a Second Language and English Composition at the University of Vermont, Champlain College, and St. Michael's College. A singer and avid theatergoer, Susan is a member of Bella Voce women's chorus of Vermont.
Ruth Wallman
An almost native Vermonter, Ruth Wallman's extensive theater background includes running a children's theater in Princeton, NJ, an MFA from Yale Drama School and performances off-Broadway, abroad, and with most of northern Vermont's theater companies. She is the Executive Director of the Lake Champlain Islands Chamber of Commerce, and has served on the VSC Board since 2004.
Persis Worrall
Persis Worrall is an attorney living in Shelburne. She has a Master's degree in Political Science from McGill University and received her law degree from Vermont Law School. She has served as a Deputy State's Attorney, worked as an attorney for the Office of Child Support, and most recently was employed by the Judiciary in Family Court. She has long been devoted to music and artistic performance. As far back as high school, at Emma Willard, she was active in modern dance. At Wilson College she was in the campus singing group and did the lighting design for the college drama club. Today, she continues her interests in singing and guitar and is thrilled to be a part of the VSC.