- Tim Smith – Chair
- Cindy Bernier – Co-Chair
- Stephen F. McKenzie – Treasurer/Secretary
- Tariq Quadir
- Marilyn Grunewald
- Jeffrey Benay
- Jacqui Hood
- Gerald Herrera
- Lise MacDonald
- Alayna Westcom
- Michael Sturm
- Past Board Members
Tim Smith
Current Residence: St. Albans City
Degrees and Schools: Bachelors in Business Administration
Current Positions: Executive Director Franklin County Industrial Development Corporation. Mayor of St. Albans City since 2018.
Why You are Serving on the Board: I got involved with the SCI Board as I saw its mission critical to creating a strong local workforce in the years to come. In my position we interact with the schools on multiple levels and I feel the SCI initiative can make a difference in our region
Board Member Since: 2011
Personal Information:I was born and raised in St. Albans and always been involved in business. I have been the FCIDC Executive Director since 2001. I live in St. Albans with my wife Denise and three kids who are very active in a variety of activities.
Cindy Bernier
Current Residence: Saint Albans Town, Vermont
Degrees and Schools: Bachelors of Science in Management from the University of Phoenix Associates of Applied Science in Manufacturing Technology from CCV
Current Position: Plant Manager at Twincraft Skincare in Winooski, VT
Why you are serving on the Board: I joined the board because I believe in STEM and supporting the education of our youth. They are the future for our communities to prosper and grow, and for our business climate to remain strong.
Board Member Since: 2010
Personal Information: I have lived in Vermont for over 30 years, enjoying the upbeat personality and ingenuity of Vermonters. I have two amazing children, David Yvon Bernier and Julia Ann Bernier. My son graduated from the University of Vermont as a Mathematics major, and minored in Chemistry and Computer Science. My daughter is a Junior at UVM, majoring in Neuroscience with a minor in Chemistry. I currently work for Twincraft Skincare, and organization that truly values people above all else, and is consistently mindful of benefiting the community and the people in it.
Stephen F. McKenzie
Current Residence: Swanton, VT
Degrees and Schools: BS University of Vermont, M Ed University of So. New Hampshire
Current Position: Secretary/Treasurer of STEM Challenge Initiative
Why you are serving on the Board: My philosophy of education is that I believe very much in inquiry based learning. I understand the importance of training a future workforce and preparing them for the rigors of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).
Board Member Since: 2010
Personal Information: I am a retired High School Science Teacher at Missisquoi Valley Union HS. My expertise is in the field of biological sciences. After playing baseball at UVM, I went on to coach baseball and weightlifting for 14 years at MVU. I have been married for 45 years and have two grown children who both graduated from MVU. I also have two beautiful granddaughters, one in 10th grade and the other in 7th grade.
Tariq Quadir
Current Residence: Colchester, Vermont
Degrees and Schools: BS, MS, PhD, The Ohio State University
Current Position: Director of Technology
Why you are serving on the Board: I am serving on the board of CLC since passion is STEM related subjects. All throughout my career I have promoted education in Science and Engineering to younger generation. It is a great cause to make aware to the students in the state, the value of STEM. The organization is aligned with my passion
Board Member Since: 2011
Personal Information: I am married to Linda Nicely and have three children all of them are in their twenties and have a career in their discipline of education. Have a grandson who is 1 year old. I moved to Vermont from Ohio in 2008 to work for Superior Technical Ceramics. The shareholder who I have known for 20+ years invited me to develop technology for this company. My degrees are Materials engineering.
Marilyn Grunewald
Current Residence: St. Albans, VT
Degrees and Schools: Goddard College, Adult Learning Program, English and Special Ed, University of Vermont MEd in Special Education, CAS in Administration and Planning, Snelling Leadership Institute Retired Superintendent of Schools, Franklin Central Supervisory, Educational Consultant and Grant Writer.
Why you are serving on the Board: After 30 years as a Vermont Educator, Marilyn understands the importance of Science, Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education preschool through college to prepare students to live and work in our ever changing world of STEM.
Board Member Since: 2011
Personal Information: Marilyn is married and has three grown children, and five grandchildren. She enjoys kayaking, snowshoeing, swimming and reading. Marilyn also serves on the United Way, Northwest Public Access, St. Albans Historic Museum, and Caring Community Boards. She is member of the Franklin County Business and Professional Women and leads the planning committee for the Women’s “We Can” Expo.
Jeffrey Benay
Current Residence: Fairfax,VT
Degrees and Schools: BS from Union College in Schenectady, NY, Master’s Degree from UVM in Counseling and Foundational Studies and a doctorate from the University of Vermont (UVM) in Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis
Current Position: Director of Indian Education for Franklin and Grand Isle County Public Schools
Why you are serving on the Board: As a long-time educator, Benay believes the importance of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) is that it helps to develop critical thinking skills which will support students as they take their place as 21st century learners and citizens.
Board Member Since: 2010
Personal Information: Jeff lives in Fairfax with his wife Julie, Principal at Mallett’s Bay School, and their cat Max. The Benays two children both reside in New York City. Jeff enjoys long walks, reading, listening to music, and political discourse.
Jacqui Hood
Current Residence: Georgia, VT
Degrees and Schools: B.S. & M.P.A. (1977) University of Southern California; J.D. (1980) Yale Law School
Current Position: Attorney
Why you are serving on the Board: I believe that STEM programs are vital to the education and retention of our young people in Franklin & Grand Isle Counties and in Vermont.
Board Member Since: 2010
Personal Information: Jacqui has served on the Boards of Franklin-Grand Isle United Way, NCSS, VRI, Franklin County BPW, Vermont BPW and NMC. She was also President of the Franklin & Grand Isle Counties Bar Association in 2012-2013, and is currently the president of New England BPW Past State Presidents and a Founding Member and Steering Committee Member of Franklin County VT 100 Women Who Care. She was selected to carry the Olympic Torch in Montpelier in December 2001 and was the Vermont BPW Woman of the Year in 2013. She is married with four children and 18 grandchildren.
Gerald M. Herrera, Ph.D.
Board Member since: 2016
Current Residence: South Burlington, Vermont
Education:
- University of New Mexico – B.S. in Biology, Summa cum laude
- University of Vermont – Ph.D. in Molecular Physiology and Biophysics
Current Positions and Appointments:
- Research Associate Professor of Pharmacology – University of Vermont
- Scientific Consultant for MED Associates, INC and Catamount Research and Development, INC
Why are you serving on the board: I am pleased to be serving on the Board for the STEM Challenge Initiative Inc. SCI-VT’s mission is to help create a scientifically literate population that can thrive in a world increasingly driven by information and technology. I wholeheartedly embrace this mission. I believe that exposing children to science, technology, engineering, and math topics at an early age will help them to develop their minds, and will be of benefit in their lives regardless of which path they follow. Incorporating state-of-the-art technologies, tools, and hands-on experiments is an ideal way to involve kids in science, and to promote learning and critical thinking skills. Educators who benefit from receiving SCI-VT Challenge Grants will be able to incorporate such opportunities into their own STEM programs, and our kids will thrive.
Personal Information: I live in South Burlington, Vermont with my wife and our children. In my spare time, I enjoy fly fishing, fly tying, boating in Lake Champlain, and playing the guitar and ukulele. I am a nationally and locally accomplished fly tier (www.TechnicalTyer.com), specializing in warm water flies tied with spun and sculpted deer hair. My fly tying writings are featured in the “Technical Tier” column in Fly Tyer Magazine (www.flytyer.com).
Lise MacDonald
Lise MacDonald, MEd has a background in health care management and an interest supporting critical thinking skills in our communities. She taught grant writing at the University of Vermont , College of Medicine. Her experience with non-profit boards includes local school boards and rural health boards.
Alayna Westcom
Born and raised in Vermont, Alayna attended Bakersfield Elementary school before completing high school at BFA- St. Albans. A Vermonter through and through she loves spending time outdoors with her dog, baking and anything that has to do with maple syrup.
Currently completing her final year of medical school at the Larner College of Medicine, at the University of Vermont, pursuing a career in Pathology. Alayna graduated from Bay Path University with a degree in Forensic Science, holds a Post Baccalaureate in Medical Laboratory Science, and ASCP Certified as a Medical Technologist. At the age of twenty-four, Alayna was crowned Miss Vermont 2015 and embarked on a year of travel across the state and nation advocating for STEM education initiatives and performing
her award winning science experiment talent. Alayna won a national talent award at Miss America 2016 and was the first contestant to ever perform a Scientific Demonstration for the talent portion of the competition.
Alayna is a passionate advocate for STEM education. Speaking topics include but are not limited to:
Women in STEM, STEM education, STEM mentoring, Women in Science, and Paying for College Via the Miss America Organization. Alayna was the cohost of the “Summer Science” segment on WCAX’s The :30 , Vermont’s CBS affiliate and continues to promote her personal program Success Through STEM: Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. She continues to live out her passion for promoting STEM education to all ages, focusing on encouraging young women to pursue a STEM career path.
Michael Sturm
Current Residence: Fairfax, Vermont
Education: Studied Chemistry at Rochester Institute of Technology
Current Position: Director of Program Management at Mylan Technologies in St. Albans, VT
Why you are serving on the Board: I joined the board because I believe it is extremely important to both the children and economy of our area to promote local interest and opportunity with strong STEM education to keep a talented young workforce available for our Vermont businesses.
Board Member Since: 2016
Personal Information: I was born and raised in western New York where I was one of 11 children, and moved to Vermont in 1995, where I’ve lived ever since. My wife Erin and I have raised 6 children with three grown, two currently in college and one in high school.
I have worked in the pharmaceutical field for over 40 years in various roles from Quality Control and Quality Assurance to R&D to Operations to Project/Program Management; using formal, hands on and self-taught STEM based educational training to manage large teams, scale-up and re-organize departments, transfer and launch products, develop test methods, and participate in discussion groups to establish industry standards.
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