by Ray Small, editor and publisher
HARDWICK – I am pleased to introduce the members of the board of directors who will lead the Gazette once the paper’s transition to a nonprofit organization is completed. They bring the perfect combination of experience and passion to keep the Gazette a central part of life in the towns we cover. I am confident that they will keep the Gazette’s coverage local and independent.
Jessie Upson, Chair
Jessie is a mom to three children: Henry, Lucy and Charlie. She is a small business owner (Craftsbury Farmhouse and Whetstone Wellness) with two of her sisters and is a labor and delivery nurse at Littleton Hospital. She loves to paint, write poetry and be in nature. Jessie lives in Craftsbury.
Paul Fixx, Vice Chair
Paul serves as board chair with NEK Community Broadband and works part-time as an information technology consultant. Previously, he was Adjunct Professor of Hospitality Technology at Johnson State University and sold advertising for The Hardwick Gazette following a long career in hospitality technology sales. Paul lives in Hardwick.
Elizabeth Dow, Secretary
Elizabeth’s education has given her careers as teacher, librarian, archivist, and historian. She moved to the Hardwick area in 1971 and wrote her UVM history thesis on the granite industry in Hardwick. She believes that, without history, communities get trapped in the limbo of the present, not knowing how they got here. The Hardwick Gazette provides the vital first draft of Hardwick’s history; it must continue. Elizabeth lives in Hardwick.
David Kelley, Treasurer
David is a practicing attorney now contracted with the Essex County State’s Attorney’s office. He is a co-founder of PH International, one of the largest people-to-people exchanges between the United States and Eastern Europe. He is married to Kelly Robinson, who teaches English at Hazen Union. Together, they love dogs, cats, horses, and fishing (not necessarily in that order). David lives in Greensboro.
Brett Stanciu, Member at Large
Brett Ann Stanciu is the author of “Unstitched: My Journey to Understand Opioid Addiction” (Steerforth Press, 2021). A recipient of a 2020 Vermont Arts Council Creation Grant, her essays and fiction have appeared in numerous publications. She lives in Hardwick.
