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BBC Team

Better Bennington Corporation
Board of Directors 2021-2022

Officers

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Susan Plaisance

President

Susan Plaisance moved to Vermont in 1991.  She and her husband, Steve, have 2 children, both of whom attended Bennington schools, participated in numerous sports and activities, and are now attending college.  For the past 13 years Susan has been with the Bennington Banner.  She is the Account Manager for both the Banner and Manchester Journal.  Susan has served on the Boards of the Manchester & the Mountains Regional Chamber of Commerce, The United Way, and Generations Day Care.  

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Michael Keane

Vice President

Michael is past president of the Board of Directors of the Better Bennington Corporation and current vice president; past member of the Bennington Select Board; member since 2012 of the Vermont Economic Progress Council and vice chair, member of the Southern Vermont Economic Development Zone team and Bennington Regional Economic Development Group. Michael also serves as vice president of the Center for Communication in Medicine and past board member of the American Lung Association of Vermont. 

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Shelley Colvin

Treasurer

Shelley Colvin was born and raised in Bennington and graduated from MAUHS. She currently resides in Shaftsbury with her teenage daughter. She was employed by Chittenden Bank for 22 years and held the title of Market Manager/AVP. In 2010 Chittenden Bank was acquired by Peoples United Bank. Since the acquisition she has held the role of Market Manager/VP, overseeing six branches. She has now been in banking for 34 years.

Her role as a Market Manager is to grow the business by acquiring new and retaining existing customers, consumer and small business lending, providing an exceptional customer experience, and acquiring and retaining talent.

She is an active member of the Bennington community. She also serves as Secretary of the Charles Cooper and Elizabeth Kelley Scholarship Fund. She has served as Treasurer of the Bennington County Meals Program, Treasurer of the Bennington County Coalition of the Homeless, and Treasurer of Bennington Project Independence. She volunteers for community events, such as Relay for Life, the Epilepsy Foundation radio auction, United Way Day of Caring, and Garlic Town. She strongly believe that it is up to each of us as citizens to become involved in the communities we serve to make them a place in which we are proud to call home.

Officers
Directors

Directors

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Michael McDonough

Michael is a Bennington native and retired architect. He served on the steering committee which led to the formation of the Better Bennington Corporation. He is a long-time Board member and chair of the Design Committee and has served two terms as Board President. Michael was a 1998 charter gubernatorial appointment to the Vermont Downtown Development Board and continues to serve. He chairs Bennington’s Planning and Historic Preservation Commissions and serves on the Vermont District 8 Act 250 Environmental Commission.
He is a former Bennington Assistant Town Manager, interim Community Development Director, and interim director of the BBC. He has served as president of the Park-McCullough House Association and has coached basketball and worked in athletic administration on the youth, high school, and collegiate levels. He resides in Bennington
with wife Sandy.
“It has been a privilege to serve with a broad group of people who are deeply committed to Bennington, our Downtown, and it’s success.”

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Keith Carey

Keith is the owner and operator of Gamers' Grotto on Main Street.  He also serves on the Economic Vitality Committee of the Better Bennington Corporation.  His expertise and experience in on-line gaming relates well to the on-line retail competition that will continue to challenge downtowns in the coming years. 

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Nancy Koziol

Nancy Koziol was introduced to Bennington in the late 80s and knew someday she would call it home. She and Kris love living downtown. Nancy, an internationally-certified wine expert, author, and journalist founded couch + cork, a global leader in in-home, virtual and corporate wine tastings. In addition to serving on the BBC board, Nancy is a Rotarian, Business Representative to the Alliance for Community Transformation and serves on the Board of the Southwestern Vermont Chamber of Commerce.

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Jonathan Cooper

Jonathan Cooper moved to Bennington with his wife and daughter in 2016 to take a position with the Bennington County Regional Commission. Since then he was worked on community and economic development issues pertaining to workforce training, entrepreneurial activity, and regional cooperation.

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Edie Sawitsky

Edie has served on the BBC Board of Directors since 2009 and is a past President. She continues to serve on the Design Committee.  Edie is also a member of the Board of Trustees of Bennington Museum. She served as Chair for five years, and currently serves on several committees of the Museum's Board. 

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Jenifer Hoffman

Jenifer Hoffman is the Broker/Owner of Hoffman Real Estate in North Bennington. She is on the Promotions Committee of the Better Bennington Corporation. Jenifer is a recognized leader in her industry, serving on boards and committees for local, state, and national Realtor associations. She was named a 2020 Southern Vermont Emerging Leader and Vermont's Realtor of the Year 2021. She is a third-generation Benningtonian, and loved being hands-on with every step of building a new home with her husband, Jon – everything from site planning to the layout, framing and finishing, kitchen and bathroom design.

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Mike Cutler

Mike works at CAT-TV, our local community media station, as the Production Manager. Mike is also a freelance videographer and photographer with a passion for cars and weddings. His freelance work has taken him all over the country for auto shows, new vehicle launch programs, the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, and more. Mike is humbled to be a 2018 Rising Star in Vermont, a four-time Telly Award winner, and a 2021 SYP non-profit member of the year. When he is not busy at work you can probably find him on the stage for a Bennington Community Theatre or Dorset Players production! 

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Ahmad Yassir

Bio coming soon!

Ex-officio Liasions

Ex-officio Liaisons

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Shannon Barsotti

Town of Bennington Community Development Office

Shannon, who has lived in Pownal for 13 years, is the co-founder of the grassroots community foundation Discover Pownal and formerly served on the Pownal Planning Commission. Last October, she won a Community Leadership Award from the Vermont Council on Rural Development. She has also worked for the Northern Berkshire Community Coalition in Massachusetts, running youth leadership programs. 

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Sarah Perrin

Town of Bennington Select Board

Bio coming soon!

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Bruce Lee Clark

Town of Bennington Select Board

Bio coming soon!

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Matt Harrington

Southwestern Vermont

Chamber of Commerce

Matthew is the Executive Director of the Southwestern Vermont Chamber of Commerce. Matthew is actively involved outside of work with Tech Valley’s Young Professional Network, the Bennington Young Professionals, the Coach Baker Fund, the Association for Talent Development, and the Bennington Economic Development Partners.

Staff

Staff

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Jenny Dewar

Executive Director

Jenny Dewar grew up in NYC and came to live in Pownal in 2006. She went to the University of Michigan and worked on Broadway for several years as a Stage Manager followed by Williams College. She runs her own small business in Pownal. She served as a Selectwoman in Pownal and on the Board of Meals on Wheels.  Jenny joined the BBC as Executive Director in November of 2021. Jenny and her husband have several cats and chickens and a few goats and are active and addicted scuba divers.

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Bill Clark

Streetscape and Maintenance

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