Board of Trustees
Board of Trustees
The role of the Board of Trustees is to determine and oversee policies that support the mission of the school and to ensure the school's fiscal stability This includes the hiring and evaluation of the Head of School, appointing standing and ad hoc committees, overseeing the lease and facility use, fundraising and strategic planning. Equally important, Board members serve as ambassadors for the school community.
Kate Jellema, Chair
Kate Jellema’s daughter, Eleanor, is a primary student at Hilltop, and her son, Charlie, is a toddler. Kate earned a Ph.D from the University of Michigan in History and Cultural Anthropology, and has taught courses in Anthropology, Asian Studies and Cultural Studies at Marlboro College. She researched refugee politics in Hong Kong, studied ancestor worship in Vietnam, and before that, worked for a human rights organization in Kampala, Uganda. Now transitioning back to the social service sector, Kate is completing a course in Nonprofit Management in Springfield, Vermont.
Stephen R. Phillips, Past Chair
Stephen is a graduate of Hobart College and Vermont Law School. He's a former Chairman of the Brattleboro Development Review Board and the Brattleboro Planning Commission. Stephen graduated from the Snelling Center for Government Leadership Institute and was the President and Trustee of the Brattleboro Museum and Art Center Stephen concentrates his practice in the area of business and corporate law, with an emphasis on not-for-profit corporations, land use law, and real estate practice. He is also admitted to practice law before the United States District Court for the District of Vermont. Stephen and wife Sara live in Brattleboro and are the parents of Hilltop alum Sam ('01) and Hannah ('05).
Patrick Keppel, Chair Elect
Patrick is the Chair of the Liberal Arts Department at New England Conservatory, where he teaches courses in Theatre Arts and Dramatic Literature and directs the NEC Writing Center. He is also the Institutional Advancement Advisor and Publications Editor for the Music-in-Education National Consortium, a national coalition of public schools, arts organizations, and institutions of higher education dedicated to creating authentic, interdisciplinary programs in music and the arts. Patrick serves as editor of The New England Conservatory Journal for Music-in-Education, and is a writer of fiction and plays. Patrick and his wife, Serina, live in Brattleboro and are the parents of Emmanuel (Upper Elementary) and Magdalena.
W. Bruce Fenn, Treasurer/Past Trustee
Bruce is one of the founding Hilltop parents and is former Senior Vice President of Chittenden Bank. He and his wife, Linda Gordon, an occupational therapist, have two children that attend Hilltop: Paige (Middle School), and Ian (Upper Elementary). They live in Brattleboro.
Members at Large
Bruce Berg Bruce and his wife, Catie, moved to Dummerston Center from Connecticut in 2007. Their youngest son was Montessori-educated through middle school in Newtown, Connecticut. Bruce received his B.S. and M.S. degrees in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford, and his professional career was spent in fuel cell programs at United Technologies and in the Electronic Materials Department at E. I. DuPont de Nemours, from which he is now retired. Bruce currently serves as Vice President of the Board of Trustees of the Brattleboro Museum and Art Center.
Helen Cornman is a parent of Lower Elementary student Suzanna and Upper Elementary student Alejandro. She played an important role in Hilltop's Strategic Planning Process last year, developing the community survey and helping to facilitate community meetings and task forces. She is an International Health Consultant specializing in HIV-AIDS. She has experience in long-range planning and organization capacity building, developing and implementing evaluations (annual reviews, program evaluations, faculty evaluations) and strategic planning processes. Helen also has an MSW which offers her a unique perspective on social issues within the school and community.
Melany Kahn and her husband, Bo Foard, became Hilltop parents in 2006. Their 7-year-old son Mason and 5-year-old daughter Ally are in the Lower Elementary and Children's House programs, respectively. A summer resident of Brattleboro since 1968, Melany grew up in NYC and attended Wesleyan University. She holds a Masters in Social Work from Boston College and a Master of Fine Arts in Film from The Tisch School at New York University. She is an active Guardian Ad Litum in the Windham Family Courts and worked on Congressman Paul Hodes election campaign in New Hampshire in 2006 and 2008. Melany recently chaired the Hilltop Capital Campaign to build the new Hilltop Montessori School.
Temple Peterson has two children who attended Hilltop, Addie in Lower Elementary and Toby in Children's House. He graduated from Bennington College in 1994 with a degree in Early Childhood Education and Educational Reform. A former aspiring rock-and-roller, Temple spent five months adventure traveling throughout southern Africa after college. Today, he is a skilled carpenter who specializes in historic preservation work. He and his wife, Siiri, moved to Brattleboro from Rhode Island in 2005.
Mark Loevy-Reyes is a parent of Lower Elementary student Talia. He has served Hilltop as a Children's House Primary Classroom Representative and as a member of the Buildings and Grounds Committee and the Diversity Committee. He has 18 years of legal experience, including litigation of various school and employment related cases (school discrimination involving students and employees). Mark is currently in a Master's degree program for education.
Jenny Smith is a parent of Children's House student Emmett. She has served Hilltop as a Children's House Primary Class Representative and as a member of the TAG Sale committee. She has been a high school English teacher at independent schools for 18 years, lately at The Putney School. Prior to that, she worked for a small not-for-profit leadership school at Seattle University. Jenny offers an excellent knowledge of independent schools and skills in leadership training. She has a strong development background: she has written grants, fundraising letters, met with donors, and planned special events. As she has worked in college admissions and as a high school college counselor for six years, she also has a working knowledge of the admissions process.
Paul Capcara is the Executive Director of the Morningside Shelter in Brattleboro. He has extensive non-profit board experience, including serving as Board President of the ReUse Center, Vice-President of the Lightstone Foundation, and a board member of Habitat for Humanity. As an E.D., he has worked closely with three other non-profit boards (two federally qualified health centers and the homeless shelter) and has participated in extensive board training and development activities. He has an undergraduate degree in economics (Georgetown University) and has directed a number of non-profits, so is familiar with financial management issues. As he has recently implemented an expansion of Morningside House, he has some experience in contracting/architecture. Paul is also a Registered Nurse with a Master's Degree in Public Health (Johns Hopkins University).
