Board of Directors Elections

Vote for members of the permanent Board of Directors.

As a member of the BSAA, you have the right to vote for permanent board positions. The BSAA Nominating Committee has solicited members to run for these positions and presents the following proposed candidates. Please vote using this Google Form and show your support for the continued work of the BSAA Board of Directors. Ballots must be received no later than Sept 13, 2024.

Nomination Statements for Three Year Terms (click to expand)

  • I am writing in to submit my name for consideration to the BSAA board for Buxton School.  To be completely honest, I do not believe I have
    any particular skills that make me uniquely qualified to serve other than a 35 year career in brokerage and finance;  a salesman’s
    enthusiasm for growing revenue and customer satisfaction;  raising two Buxton alumnae children (2007 and 2014) both of whom I believe
    appreciate their progressive education and lastly my own “turnaround” experience while in attendance from 1977 to 1981.

    Like nearly all alumnae, I reserve a great deal of admiration, respect and fondness for the school in general, but even more so for the
    generations of teaching professionals who have dedicated their entire lives to the education of students coming to Stone Hill seeking
    answers to questions they have not found in other parts of their lives.

    All have teacher names that resonate personally.  A few that come to mind for me are Ben and Magda Fincke, Brad and Beth Davis, Bill
    Bennett, Peter and Barb Tacy,  Wilson Ware,  Linda Burlak, Virginia Hall Smith,  Ed and Pilar Gale, David Denhart, Kieran Kramer, Peter
    Smith, Frannie Shuker-Haines and of course the school's founder who I never met but feel indebted to – Ellen Geer Sangster.  I have left
    many notable names off my short list, but my reason for naming them is more important than the names themselves.  Buxton school would not
    have had the impact it has had on so many lives were it not for the indefatigable efforts of these educational heroes.   And those heroes
    would not have had the teaching career they did were it not for the school itself.

    I have always been aware that the school was constantly treading a fine line financially trying to stay alive “another year” or “one year
    at a time.”  The covid crisis brought the perennial existential crisis into a near death experience. Last year's fundraiser and salvation
    rallied many a thankful soul like myself to try to underpin the school into a more financially fortified future.   I have given what I can
    afford financially and am willing to dedicate my time and other resources to help the BSAA in their mission to help the school more
    broadly.

    I would submit my name for a 2 or 3 year term depending upon the area of greatest need.  I can only promise to give my attention, admiration
    and desire for the school to succeed for future generations and to support the BSAA in their effort to aid the school.

  • A year ago I answered the call for alums to step up and join the interim Board for the newly formed Buxton School Alum Association. I had no idea what I agreed to and it  has been an honor, a privilege and a tremendous amount of gratifying, fulfilling and impactful work. I found myself stepping up as the Chair, which has given me the opportunity to lead the BSAA in forging an integral partnership with Buxton leadership and Trustees, as well as develop to our own initiates to serve and support our Alum community through launching our website, establishing monthly Zoom gatherings with guest speakers and our bimonthly newsletter, Beyond Stone Hill. So much more to come. including visions of a comprehensive alum database with networking and ways for us all to be more connected. 

    I was fired up, like so many alums, after the historic outpouring of support for Buxton when we learned of the potential sale of the campus and surrounding land. When I reflected on the life altering impact of growing through adolescence into adulthood at Buxton and the thought of a world without Buxton, rolling up my sleeves and getting involved was choiceless. Thinking back to my graduation speech, “I Love People”, and how those words of my 18 year self foretold the unfolding of my meandering journey through this life, I owe an immeasurable debt of gratitude to the community that was Buxton both the four years that I was a student and then when I returned to teach and to the vision, passion and tenacity of Ellen Geer Sangster to manifest her dream. 

    I am running to remain on the BSAA Board to continue serving our Alumni community and Buxton at this critical juncture. The next few years will determine and secure the success of Buxton for generations to come. This is a truly seminal time to be engaged in the work of navigating Buxton into a sustainable, secure future. 

  • I first became involved in the preliminary organizing group for an alum association during the crisis last spring. My funds were limited for aiding in the effort to save the school, but I had an excess of time to donate as well as experience with my college’s alumnae association. Building a similar organization for the Buxton community seemed like a natural solution for many of the difficulties we were facing. I would love to continue creating infrastructure and opportunities for alums to engage with one another and the school. Buxtonites are an extraordinary group of people and I can’t wait to see what we can accomplish moving forward.

  • I want to be a BSAA board member because I love buxton. Reason being, I loved my entire experience with every faculty member and student. The physical place is so special and I never want to see it put in the hands of anyone else. Buxton is one of the most magical places I know of. My father's ashes are buried next to the shed class room. He also went to Buxton. His experience was a good one too. Buxton taught me true honest friendship.

    I can offer a reliable hand to help. I am an artist so I can make tons of art and we can auction it all off. I sew, sculpt, paint and draw. I want to offer the possibility that I can help teach art on a volunteer basis as long as I get a room to sleep in for that time being. I could be a personal tutor as well. I'm great at helping others stay focused and completing the task at hand. Like moral support for studying. And I could do it unpaid and just stay somewhere on campus for the time I'm needed.

  • I graduated from Buxton in ’87.  And like most alum, Buxton had a significant impact on my values, my identity, and my future path.  

    After Buxton I went to Tufts for undergraduate and University of Michigan for my Masters and Ph.D. all in the sciences.  My wife and I currently live in Oregon.  We have two girls who are in college and one dog still at home.

    I have had the pleasure of serving as Vice-chair of the BSAA interim board since its founding. I am proud of the interim board’s efforts to lay the groundwork for BSAA to be an important resource for Buxton and the Alum community.  While creating the BSAA was a great beginning, it is only a beginning, but now that it is underway, there is a lot more we can accomplish.  We need to grow membership, improve networking opportunities, and form a closer alliance with Buxton.

    On a personal level, serving on the interim board has allowed me to reconnect with old friends and make new friends as I connect with more Buxton alum.  I am excited for the opportunity to continue.

Nomination Statements for Two Year Terms (click to expand)

  • I am excited to continue my role as a director of the Buxton School Alum Association. Since volunteering as an interim board member in 2023, I have been active with strategic planning, and I currently chair the Technology and Development committees and am a member of the Finance committee.

    I've consistently donated, participated in strategic discussions with the trustees, led alum outreach, negotiated a data-sharing agreement with the school, and started fundraising efforts like matching gift strategies and alum collaborations to increase our impact. I was also a member of the Head of School Search Committee in the spring of 2024. 

    I'm currently responsible as the architect and administrator of the BSAA technology strategy which includes our website, database of alum information, data sharing agreement with the school, and multiple platforms for collaborations and communications. These are areas where my career and business experience have allowed me to make a strong positive impact.

    I'm enthusiastic about continuing on the BSAA board to make a strong community of Buxton Alum.

  • Thank you for considering me for nomination to the BSAA Board of Trustees. I would probably be most interested in a 2 year slot, however not averse to either 1, 2 or 3 year terms.


    For the past 27 years I have been the Production Manager and Historian at the historic Music Hall in Portsmouth, NH as it has grown from a $1M annual operating budget to the $8.5M budget it is today.  While the primary focus of my work has been running the production department, overseeing 500+ live performances per year, I have also built and maintained our historic archives and implemented many of the administrative processes currently utilized by the organization.  In addition to my full time work, I also maintain a "side career" as a stage manager and costume designer, the latter for both stage and screen.  All of this involves a combination of critical and creative thinking (and the usual resume buzz words around organization, teamwork, etc.) that I believe can be beneficial to the BSAA.


    While the work of an organization such as the BSAA is of course never "done," I was initially wary of joining the board when it did not yet have any concrete projects in the works. I have come to realize that I enjoy work that I can "see the end of" in some way (and that I am adept in helping a team reach that "end") such as when a show opens/closes.  I do, however, also strive to maintain long lasting connections, so often have worked for many years with the same company or group on multiple shorter, or smaller, projects along the way.  Now that the interim BSAA board has carried us through the initial founding and begun the process of working with the school more directly, I feel that I, and the BSAA are both at a place where I would be an effective team member and look forward to the opportunity of joining the team officially if voted in.

Nomination Statements for One Year Terms (click to expand)

  • I am running for a 1-year term on the BSAA Board of Directors to help drive the community building efforts of the organization. I see the BSAA as a key support for the success of Buxton School, and I aim to help them continue developing tools, structures, and other efforts in creating a robust and engaged community of Buxton alums. Being part of the BSAA board for the past 6 months has given me helpful insights to how the organization has developed so far, and how it can continue to grow in the year ahead.

  • I've been a part of the BSAA since its inception.  

    The looming loss of Stone Hill got me motivated and as it became obvious that more 

    people would have to get involved in the face of this knotty

    problem, a good group of alums stepped up to help figure it out.  


    BSAA is a great team and I encourage other alumni to come join us in our efforts to re-create and nurture this wonderfully unusual institution in a way that will keep it vital for decades to come. 

  • James M. Stockman, ASTC & IES Emeritus, came to Buxton at the beginning of his sophomore year and graduated in 1960.  I bring to the Board the perspective of the older generation of Buxton alumni.  A strong board needs representation from multiple generations to be sure each voice is heard.  Electronic participation is key to my being a member of this Board that spans many time zones.  My experience includes being Chair of our local non-profit ambulance service with a budget of over 1/2 million dollars.  I am also a 45-year veteran of both a volunteer and call force fire service with the current rank of Safety Officer.  I have a ten year career in education retiring with the rank of Associate Professor, I am the former owner of a retail hardware store and currently am President of J & M Lighting Design, Inc. providing consulting and design services in Illumination and Architectural Theatre design. Due to my age I am running for a single year slot.   I currently serve on the BSAA Board.

  • Coming from the Graduating class of ‘90, Buxton was the key to help me be myself and allow me to express myself more. Loving the environment and atmosphere in Massachusetts and Vermont, I stayed and received my BA and Master’s in communication at Southern Vermont College. This led me to a great career in Information Technology (26yrs) working for Time Warner Cable (aka Charter Communication) in New York city, Los Angeles, Texas, and Charlotte which is now my current residence

    .

    It is my pleasure to be on BSAA Board and part of the Development Committee. I want to share my experience at Buxton and how it opened many opportunities for growth and allowed me to think outside the “BOX.”