Board of Directors
Meet Our Board Members
Kathleen O'Reilly
Board Co-Chair
Kathy grew up in Winooski and has always considered Vermont her “home”. She has lived in New York City, Washington DC, Maine, Idaho, Maryland, and relocated to Vermont in 2012 to take a Public Health Nursing position with the Vermont Department of Health in their Bennington District Office. She is still employed in the Bennington Office as the Public Health Nursing Supervisor. As the mother of 5 children, now grown, she has an understanding and appreciation for the work that The Collaborative does with regard to prevention, and its focus on empowering youth through development of the skills they need to make healthy choices and thrive. She is an active member of Christ Our Savior Parish in Manchester, where she serves as a Religious Ed teacher and lector. In her spare time she enjoys reading, writing, hiking with her border collie Ceilidh, and spending time with family and friends.
Mark Weikert
Board Co-Chair
Mark moved to Vermont in 2005 from Hellertown, Pennsylvania to become the Health and Physical Education Teacher at Flood Brook School. Mark instantly started work for The Collaborative as well seeing that their mission and his philosophy were a perfect match. He has worked in the Extended Day Program, Summer Camp, Served as the director of both those programs and Refuse to Use programs representative. In 2015 Mark was named a "Prevention Champion" for the state of Vermont for his work at school and The Collaborative. He is also Past President of SHAPE Vermont and 2012 teacher of the year finalist. Mark Also served for 5 years on the Governor's Council for Alcohol and Drug Abuse. Mark thoroughly enjoys running and cycling in his free time. He also loves spending time with his wife and two sons.
Ann Alford
Board Secretary
Ann has lived in Vermont since 2002 and has worked at Flood Brook School since 2003. Having had two children, now grown, go through the Refuse to Use, mentor and after school program, Ann is personally aware of the power of the Collaborative’s programs to empower and support local youth. Her educational and pre-VT professional background is in epidemiology and public health and her appreciation for the Collab’s contribution to the field in southern Vermont is huge. Ann has been involved with the Collaborative as a parent, employee, employee parent, and board member, and values the prevention work they do which creates a stronger community and a better place to raise children.
Martha Cowles
Board Treasurer
Martha has lived in Vermont since 1993. She runs Glebe Mountain Gardens and Landscaping with her husband and works at the local medical clinic. All three of her now grown children participated in the Refuse to Use program. Martha saw how impactful the work of The Collaborative's many programs were when her daughter was an AmeriCorps member. As a board member, Martha believes that these programs are very important to our local youth and our community to offer and encourage healthy choices.
Dr. Meghan Ward
Board Member
Dr. Ward is a Family Medicine physician, and she joined the team at Mountain Valley Health Center in June 2021. She grew up in Milton, Vermont, and previously served as Division Chief of Primary Care and Associate Clinical Professor of Family Medicine at Renown Health in Reno, Nevada, before moving back to her home state. Dr. Ward received her medical education through St. George's University and completed residency training at the University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine. She is excited about the opportunity to extend her care beyond the clinic and serve the wider community as a member of The Collaborative's Board of Directors. Dr. Ward currently lives in Sunderland with her husband and two children, and she enjoys hiking, ice skating, traveling, baking, and reading historical biographies.
Board Roles & Responsibilities
Attend nine (9) yearly meetings of the Board of Directors.
Represent and advocate for The Collaborative within the community.
Be knowledgeable about the organization's mission, vision, structure, and programs.
Attend applicable Collaborative-sponsored community events like our annual Harvest Festival and Refuse To Use Kick-Off.
Hire, evaluate, and monitor the Executive Director.
Provide financial and administrative oversight for the organization and approve a realistic annual budget.
Work to fill your board seat at the end of a term, being mindful of board diversity.
Biannually assess the performance of the Board of Directors.
Board Diversity Statement
Purpose and Policy
The intent of this policy is to provide a framework for inclusion and to promote diversity in the Board of The Collaborative.
The Board of Directors of The Collaborative is committed to ensuring diversity and to diligently act to effect change. The Board believes in the benefits of diversity and recognizes that it makes prudent business sense. A diverse board composed of individuals with different skills, experience, and background will provide:
• A competitive advantage.
• Robust understanding of opportunities, issues, and risks.
• Inclusion of different concepts, ideas, and relationships.
• Enhanced decision-making and dialogue.
• Heightened capacity for oversight of the organization and its governance.
All Board appointments must collectively reflect the diverse nature of the business environment in which the organization operates and with regard to merit, and consideration of the context of the skills, experience, independence, and knowledge which the Board requires.
Principles
Diversity of thought is achieved through intentional effort. The Collaborative's pursuit of gender and ethnic diversity in board leadership will be intentional, thoughtful, transparent in order to improve corporate performance and insure credibility and diversity.
Process
To achieve its diversity aspirations, the Board will:
• Ensure the board’s composition considers the balance of skills, experience, knowledge, perspectives, independence and characteristics in alignment with the strategic needs of The Collaborative and the environment in which it operates.
• Identify suitable candidates for appointment to the Board considering candidates on merit against objective criteria, and with due regard for the benefits of diversity on the team.
• Maintain an ongoing list of potential candidates.
Interested in joining our Board of Directors?
The Collaborative actively looks for new and diverse board members throughout the year.
If you are interested in applying, please submit an application and our Executive Director will follow up with you.