Board Members
Peter “Fish” Case
President
Peter is a media professional in Vermont and New Hampshire. His sister has been served by Black Mountain Assisted Family Living for over 16 years. Knowing first-hand the impact that having a sibling with developmental disabilities can have on a family, Peter is dedicated to BMAFL and its mission. He brings to BMAFL his many years of service on boards of local community organizations and his skills in public relations, event organization and management, and community outreach.
peter@fishhookvt.com
Connie Woodberry
Vice President
Connie is retired from directing non-profit international program development in south-east Asia. As a member of the Vermont Developmental Services State Program Standing Committee she brings to the board an understanding of statewide approaches to assisting people with developmental disabilities. Her son, who works at a local private school, has lived and thrived in his stable BMAFL housing for 20 years.
Chairperson
Ruth is retired, having spent many years in pottery, as a pre-school director and running after-school programs. She presently manages a community lunch program. Ruth’s business and management skills along with her prior experience on local boards come in handy as she manages BMAFL board meetings and business. She has always felt that everyone has a responsibility to take care of others, and as a neighbor of the BMAFL homes, the organization fits right into her game plan of life.
Carl Hirth
Secretary
Carl brings to the board over 40 years of management skills in a wide variety of sectors including a natural foods cooperative, a print and mailing business, an overseas refugee training program, and regional waste/recycling planning. He has served on the boards of many local community and nonprofit organizations. His son has been a happy member of a BMAFL household since it began.
Treasurer
Alex has been an active board member since the start of BMAFL. His professional background is in education, with teaching experience in foreign languages in the US, France and Australia. Now retired, he was general manager of a local natural foods cooperative for 33 years, where he honed the management, financial planning and budgeting skills that he brings to BMAFL. His son is one of the individuals successfully served by BMAFL.
Chad Farnum
Director
Born and raised in Brattleboro, Chad is the owner of a weatherization business he owns and runs with his wife. He has spent many years serving the community on many boards and committees throughout the area. Chad brings not only a deep knowledge of how best to maintain buildings he also brings to BMAFL his experience working on other nonprofit boards as a fundraiser, strategic planner and an advocate.
Mary Gyori
Director
With over 30 years’ experience in business, education, health care and social services, Mary has served on local community boards and currently serves on the board of a national non-profit corporation. She brings to the BMAFL board her history of community outreach, building and training successful teams, and professional fundraising. As parent and guardian of her son who moved into the BMAFL community in 1999, she is dedicated to serving more families with individuals who have special needs.
Frederic Noyes
Director
Frederic brings 3 decades of non profit work and board experience in Vermont and New York. He served for 7 years on the Winston Prouty board and has worked at schools serving K-12 students. He has worked in video production, broadcast TV and real estate management in varying capacities. Frederic has two children, one of whom has a developmental disability. He is an avid music fan, radio host and has traveled throughout Europe, as well as in Japan, Egypt, & Russia.
Rob Szpila
Executive Director
Rob has lived in Brattleboro for 20 years and has been working for non-profit organizations for 18 of those years. He enjoys volunteering with Brattleboro Rotary Club, Brattleboro Area Hospice, Brattleboro Literary Festival, and Brattleboro Last Night - basically organizations that begin with the word ‘Brattleboro’. Rob enjoys time with his family and friends doing just about anything, but especially with disc golf, table tennis, tennis, racquetball, chess, mountain biking, hiking and small construction projects. He joined the work of Black Mountain Assisted Family Living in 2021.